Dahr Jamail: Terrified Soldiers Terrifying People

[babylonsister]

Terrified Soldiers Terrifying People

By Dahr Jamail and Ali al-Fadhily / Inter Press Service

FALLUJAH, Iraq, Jan 8 - Ten-year-old Yassir aimed a plastic gun at a passing U.S. armoured patrol in Fallujah, and shouted "Bang! Bang!"

Yassir did not know what was coming. "I yelled for everyone to run, because the Americans were turning back," 12-year-old Ahmed who was with Yassir told IPS.

The soldiers followed Yassir to his house and smashed almost everything in it. "They did this after beating Yassir and his uncle hard, and they spoke the nastiest words," Ahmed said.

It is not just the children, or the people of Fallujah who are frightened.

"Those soldiers are terrified here," Dr. Salim al-Dyni, a psychotherapist visiting Fallujah told IPS. Dr Dyni said he had seen professional reports of psychologically disturbed soldiers "while serving in hot areas, and Fallujah is the hottest and most terrifying for them."

Dr. Dyni said disturbed soldiers were behind the worst atrocities. "Most murders committed by U.S. soldiers resulted from the soldiers' fears."

more...

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=8914

[Solly Mack]

1. Get them out. Get them help.

Hold Bush Inc. accountable. (this does include prison)

[nosmokes]

7. another excerpt: K&R

According to the U.S. military newspaper Stars and Stripes, service members with "a psychiatric disorder in remission, or whose residual symptoms do not impair duty performance" may be considered for duty downrange. It lists post-traumatic stress disorder as a "treatable" problem.

Steve Robinson, director of Veterans Affairs for Veterans for America told IPS correspondent Aaron Glantz that "as a layman and a former soldier I think that's ridiculous."

"If I've got a soldier who's on Ambien to go to sleep and Seroquel and Qanapin and all kinds of other psychotropic meds, I don't want them to have a weapon in their hand and to be part of my team because they're a risk to themselves and to others," he said. "But apparently, the military has its own view of how well a soldier can function under those conditions, and is gambling that they can be successful."

[Solly Mack]

9. I've read articles where cases of PTSD were being labeled

combat stress in order to keep the impaired soldier deployable... "stress" is "to be expected" (so not that bad) kind of reasoning...

Disgusting

[libodem]

2. recommended

This is the worst stuff that can happen as far as I'm concerned. Wait until these soldiers are free on the streets of America, during a flashback.

[stillcool]

3. George Bush's Legacy in the making..

what a fucked up world.

[maxsolomon]

4. so sad

I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear.

[cassiepriam]

5. Who is going to treat these soldiers when they come back?

Managed care has dismantled the mental health system in the US.

Do you want them living next to you when your child pulls out
a plastic toy gun to play with?

[Benhurst]

6. Recommended #5

[DemExpat]

8. Good article

and probably very close to the true situation there.

Pure hell for everybody.

DemEx

[IndyOp]

10. If you care about the soldiers please watch "Winter Soldier" --

I rented it from Netflix. It includes testimony of Vietnam veterans.

One soldier on the panel related the following: A little Vietnamese boy - probably 4 or 5 or 6 years old - used to daily stand in a particular location and throw rocks at the soldiers on trucks as they drove past. They were small rocks, because he was a little kid. So, one day, the US soldiers deliberately gathered up big rocks - a lot of them. And when the little kid ran out to throw his rock, the soldiers stoned him to death.

Howard Zinn says that war poisons everyone who participates. End War. All Wars.

Winter Soldier
http://www.wintersoldierfilm.com/


Howard Zinn on The Uses of History and the War on Terrorism
Monday, December 18th, 2006
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/12/18/1326231&mode=thread&tid=25

[babylonsister]

12. I need to see that; your snip is horrific. nt

[provis99]

11. if highly-trained American soldiers are doing this,

can you just imagine what those hooligans comprising the Iraqi army must be doing? I wonder if a lot of the Iraqis join up just so they get the military skills to use against their sectarian rivals.

[ProudDad]

14. All military

and all people involved in war are CRAZY...

It's natural for them to be crazy. They're doing a crazy thing -- killing in cold (and sometimes warm, enraged) blood for irrational, 'patriotic' bullshit and FOMA...

[ProudDad]

13. There's another trick the military is using on these folks

I can't remember the details but I heard that many troops are being given an "honerable discharge" with a judgement of being unfit for the service. This allows the military to deny them veteran's benefits, etc.

Anyhoo, it's getting harder for returning cannon fodder to get help...with the bushies cutting VA bennies, etc.

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Mind_games_part_1_The_things_1024.html

[AtomicKitten]

15. heart and minds ....

It's over. It's time our soldiers come home. This has turned into one big clusterf*ck for all concerned.

[eridani]

16. That won't always be at the top of MM's webpage

Permalink--

http://www.dahrjamailiraq.com/hard_news/archives/iraq/000525.php

[GeorgeGist]

17. Viscious cycles...

ridden by the vengeful.

Vengeance be not my broken heart.

[lumpy]

18. Kick

Believable