Depending upon whom you choose to believe, at least one-third, or 130,000 of the military personnel who have served in Iraq are out of their freaking minds... That is, after all, the estimation of those suffering from some sort of mental illness brought on by combat. Some estimates put that number as high as 250,000. Yikes.
While I won't dismiss, or even downplay the effects of combat-related stress, I don't have some questions about the numbers, not the least of which is whether a quarter-million men have even cycled through that theater yet. I mean, given the fact that the number of military personnel in-country has ebbed and flowed between 130,000 and 165,000 - with some units doing three or four tours - have 250,000 individual men and women yet been in theater? And if they have, wouldn't that mean the percentage of those affected be closer to 75 or even 100 percent? And if so, what has changed so drasticaly from earlier wars to inflict such a catastrophic casualty rate? Is it the technology of modern warfare? Is it the benchmark definitions of disease? Or is it a gross exageration on the part of those publishing the information?
Certainly I don't know, but if the numbers are correct, what does it mean for the innocent civilians and non-combatants in a country that didn't need to be invaded in the first place? How many of them are suffering from Post-trumatic stress?... So somebody remind me again why this war was a good idea.
5 comments:
When you roll up a "doober" don't tear page out of Mother Jones mag to use for a rolling paper RT. The ink when combusted can make you delusional. I've seen this too many times. BTW I'd be most happy to sell you my pristine copy of the very first issue of Ma' Jones before I offer it up on ebay. Think about it. First issue ink is a good smoke.
Swampy:
They were called "doobies," not doobers. Secondly, I don't smoke doobies anymore. Thirdly, if I did smoke them, I'd still use good, old Zig-Zags. And finally, I don't necessarily read Mother Jones.
P.S. So what if you have the first edition; I have a first edition of Rolling Stone... It's worth a lot more.
I stopped reading Rolling Stone when Jann Wenner came out of the closet. Still have many.
What ever, I got the first edition of Captain America. Ha
He's dead... I have Mr. Natural and Furry Freak Brothers.
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