I'm a veteran and over the years have found myself plagued with dark thoughts about the role I played in the taking of innocent lives. To move forward at the time of war, loading bombs and target coordinates, I simply had to trust that we were doing the right thing. I had to trust that from the commander in chief on down to my chief officer the orders I was being given were moral and ethical. Trust like that is a temporary suppression measure and it doesn't stop one from pondering on the statistics of war and the inevitable contribution of each 'cog' in the machine of war once one has left the battle behind. In my case, (I fought in the Gulf War and was stationed far at sea aboard a carrier), I was relatively shielded from the reality of war, nothing like the experience of the men & women serving in the elite forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. I can't imagine the weight these people are carrying. We, as a public, have got to recognize the true price of these wars and that it isn't measured in dollar signs.
2
I grew up in that environment and dated a SF vet for years, until he got blown up by an IED and experienced considerable closed head trauma. He lost not only huge chunks of his memory, including the bits with me in it, but also most of his men. That last weighed on him, heavily. None of it bothered me, I had seen it all before. The nightmares, sudden rages, impotence. We got to know each other all over again until he decided that I would not be able to cope. He did talk to a shrink, reluctantly, but the problem is that there is so much classified info that can't be talked about, so that didn't help much. He retired, also reluctantly and not well. Also a common problem with these men. He swore he would never leave the country again. Last I heard he hired himself out as a "consultant". I miss him still.
Well, when you kill on command and without question, your conscience will eventually destroy you.
How many innocents died at his hands? Only God knows.
How many innocents died at his hands? Only God knows.
I am so sad when any of our Military trained men die at the height of their personal lives. I blame the military war machine that think young people are dispensable. That they wreck the lives of large groups of our young and noble. War at the profit of the mega corporations is disgusting. They sleep at night because they are so wealthy that they have all the possible comforts of life. Personally i cannot see how they live with themselves. They are the dregs of humanity
Here's a theory for you:
When you're a participant in killings and other horrendous, unnatural events, the brain resorts to depression in order to stop you. From an evolutionary perspective, this would reduce the tendency for one individual to slaughter entire communities.
It's mentally ill to think that the actions of these soldiers would not cause mental illness.
When you're a participant in killings and other horrendous, unnatural events, the brain resorts to depression in order to stop you. From an evolutionary perspective, this would reduce the tendency for one individual to slaughter entire communities.
It's mentally ill to think that the actions of these soldiers would not cause mental illness.
"Slaughter entire communities" Painting with a broad brush a little? Or maybe you are referring to Sadam dropping chemical weapons and nerve gas on the kurds murdering millions of them? Keep pedaling...
Let's remember our men and women in combat, and what they have experienced, when we vote for our next president. I will be voting for someone who is least likely to lead our troops into war, and most likely to focus on rebuilding the infrastructure of our country. Someone who focuses on REAL security: internet, intelligence gathering, energy independence, economic/financial. I am very wary of those who are willing (excited!) to place the US into war elsewhere in the world. Let's take care of our country (and our veterans) first.
3
Commander Price knew nothing of death as did General Eisenhower during WWII when his staff regularly deployed units as decoys knowing they would be butchered. Nor did he personally lead into a fray the 4 men who died under his watch. I know a lowly Army Spc 4 Nam grunt who once stepped up to the point position when another became weary. He was eventually joined by another soldier, Curtis Gaither, & moments later by Lt. John Becker, both of whom died by machine gun fire. And for what, he asked. For what? While that is an experience the former will never forget, it did ignite the fire that forged an intensely critical view of what is known as "American Jingoism." And exposure of that barbaric insanity is always worth living for!
3
One can hardly say; What a great story. But what a revelation. So startling. Most of us expect our troops, especially the elite forces, to be non-stick....untouched by banal factors such as depression etc. But if PTS - post traumatic stress - is accepted then it must be a constant factor for these people in the field. Suicide during a deployment was not really reported in the First World War nor the Second. Presumably deserters were acutely depressed?
1
Dear Mr. Drew,
Thank you for this article. Harry Price taught me Geometry in 10th grade at the Hill School. As I am sure you noted and would agree, his father was nearly as admirable as his late son.
Thank you for this article. Harry Price taught me Geometry in 10th grade at the Hill School. As I am sure you noted and would agree, his father was nearly as admirable as his late son.
3
"Several dozen members of the Special Operations community have killed themselves over the last several years, usually after they have returned home or gotten out of the military." This is horrible news. People willing to lay their lives on the line for their country going home and killing themselves. It has to stop.
2
This article shows why ground troops should NOT be sent to Syria. Nothing is going to change in Islamic state nations until they become democracies under the guidance or supervision of the USA, or an international organisation; like Japan was rebuilt as a western world nation after World War Two. Todays isis and Taliban wars are continuous; never ending. Isis - Taliban are strong in those nations because the public support them. A waste of a good USA citizens life that you can't put a price on.
2
Yes until ISIS starts sending their "lone wolves" as OUR beloved media likes to tell us. So CK how many innocent American lives must be killed before we take the bull by the horns. Oh was San Bernadino an isolated incident???? The Twin Towers and all the people that died there was only one incident as well. Will our President ever recognize Islamic Jihad for what it is???? I guess that will be up to our next president whomever that may be and I hope to God that they will do a better job than the current disaster we have in our white house.
1
How many deployments are enough, and how many deployments are too many?
There has to be a limit set.
There has to be a limit set.
4
Navy leadership should turn around the fear of any one SEAL in disclosing mental suffering or depression by requiring ALL multi-deployment SEALs to undergo a mandatory exam for a full day or two by a panel of mental-health professionals in a non-military setting once or twice a year. If everyone has to do it, the stigma would be reduced, if not removed. Surely we have the resources to accomplish such a thing for these courageous men and women of whom we ask so much.
6
Thanks to Mr. Drew for covering this story, though probably it was painful for the family to see. The macho military culture, especially in the SF world and the Hoorah Marines, still poses challenges when trying to address mental illness and suicide These are more prevalent problems then anyone in those communities admits. Much of the mandated military training on suicide prevention (the training the top brass boasts about when grilled in Congress about what they are doing to reduce suicides) is treated as a pro forma joke. Another layer of this story is how mismatched - with sometimes awful consequences - SEALs are with protracted counterinsurgency ground campaigns such as in Afghanistan and Iraq. This work is in the wheelhouse of the Army's Green Berets, not SEALs (who are supposed to be frogmen and underwater demolition experts). When SEALs are routinely rotated into these nuanced environments, as we see here, they are like fish out of water, set up for failure. Instead of spending a few weeks kicking in doors and killing terrorists (pretty much the limit of their training as ground soldiers) they are supposed to be cultural and linguistic interlocutors winning hearts and minds, tracking and killing bad guys when the need arises. But the politicians and Navy brass love having their SEALs in combat and on the front page, and so this incongruous use of SEALs will continue.
16
Thanks for making this point. It's a perspective I share and feel strongly about.
Beantownah,
Nice try, but not even close.
"This work is in the wheelhouse of the Army's Green Berets" - Absolutely true, but there are not enough ODAs to cover an entire conflict/country spanning 15+ years.
"Instead of spending a few weeks kicking in doors and killing terrorists (pretty much the limit of their training as ground soldiers)" - Absolutely false, and how incredibly ignorant of you to state as much. When was the last time any special operations deployment consisted of this? 2004? Not to mention you make the violent door-to-door prosecution of terrorists sound so easy... Fallujah must have been a cake walk.
"not SEALs (who are supposed to be frogmen and underwater demolition experts)" - Really? Hasn't been that way since the pre-Vietnam days of NCDU and UDT. Again, shame on you for your ignorance.
The bitter tone of your misguided comments suggests some unsolicited malice toward (or jealousy of) SEALS, but that doesn't really matter. What matters is that the untruths you espouse could be taken as fact by the uninitiated NYT reader; they are anything but.
Meanwhile.... ODAs and SEAL platoons continue to work together overseas achieving unparalleled levels of success. Ho hum.
Nice try, but not even close.
"This work is in the wheelhouse of the Army's Green Berets" - Absolutely true, but there are not enough ODAs to cover an entire conflict/country spanning 15+ years.
"Instead of spending a few weeks kicking in doors and killing terrorists (pretty much the limit of their training as ground soldiers)" - Absolutely false, and how incredibly ignorant of you to state as much. When was the last time any special operations deployment consisted of this? 2004? Not to mention you make the violent door-to-door prosecution of terrorists sound so easy... Fallujah must have been a cake walk.
"not SEALs (who are supposed to be frogmen and underwater demolition experts)" - Really? Hasn't been that way since the pre-Vietnam days of NCDU and UDT. Again, shame on you for your ignorance.
The bitter tone of your misguided comments suggests some unsolicited malice toward (or jealousy of) SEALS, but that doesn't really matter. What matters is that the untruths you espouse could be taken as fact by the uninitiated NYT reader; they are anything but.
Meanwhile.... ODAs and SEAL platoons continue to work together overseas achieving unparalleled levels of success. Ho hum.
2
We will never know what caused Cmdr.Price to take his life.
But it sure does seem that people whom we train to be the go-to guys for short term, high intensity missions that require flexibility, strength and teamwork to achieve a very specific goal, are bad fits for running what is essentially an occupation administration post which has no specific goal other than "manage it." Special ops are not centurions.
If we are going to embrace nation building as our primary nation export, we need to deploy different skills.
But it sure does seem that people whom we train to be the go-to guys for short term, high intensity missions that require flexibility, strength and teamwork to achieve a very specific goal, are bad fits for running what is essentially an occupation administration post which has no specific goal other than "manage it." Special ops are not centurions.
If we are going to embrace nation building as our primary nation export, we need to deploy different skills.
4
Special Forces are not the average guys; but they are not immune to what affects human beings, average or not. Marcus Luttrell, for one, openly suggests that soldiers find a way to deal, whether with PTSD or whatever it ends up being called next time around...
...it's always the same. It's war. War does things to people.
Our bravest, best men hold up, but no one is God, no one holds out forever. If you read the stories of Seal Team Six's Brown, and the great Texas fighter, Kyle, they both mention how war, in ways subtle and unsubtle, affected them profoundly and required of them to work phenomenally hard at staying present, sane, and connected to those around them.
5-8-10 deployments with JSOC snatch and grab missions on an unrelenting pace? Vietnam veterans were required to serve 13 months combat duty, and that was it. One time, then go home. Finished.
10 Deployments?
Commanders have worried they will break down their troops. Other Commanders have to deal with troops becoming "overly fierce." I don't even want to know what a SF soldier is going through who is "overly fierce."
Human beings, no matter how finely trained, how exceptional and resilient, have limits. Knowing limits and repairing scars are what you learn over time, with maturity and age. This doesn't make one weaker, but stronger. And ready for new stuff, new challenges, new headaches.
...it's always the same. It's war. War does things to people.
Our bravest, best men hold up, but no one is God, no one holds out forever. If you read the stories of Seal Team Six's Brown, and the great Texas fighter, Kyle, they both mention how war, in ways subtle and unsubtle, affected them profoundly and required of them to work phenomenally hard at staying present, sane, and connected to those around them.
5-8-10 deployments with JSOC snatch and grab missions on an unrelenting pace? Vietnam veterans were required to serve 13 months combat duty, and that was it. One time, then go home. Finished.
10 Deployments?
Commanders have worried they will break down their troops. Other Commanders have to deal with troops becoming "overly fierce." I don't even want to know what a SF soldier is going through who is "overly fierce."
Human beings, no matter how finely trained, how exceptional and resilient, have limits. Knowing limits and repairing scars are what you learn over time, with maturity and age. This doesn't make one weaker, but stronger. And ready for new stuff, new challenges, new headaches.
5
Muzaffar Syed Vancouver, Canada Pending Approval
Unfortunate for the family, the daughter will never get to see her father again. Sad indeed, our hearts go to the family and loved ones. Its not really enough whats being done to help these people deal with PTSD, not a silent killer and obvious killer that rips hearts apart, destroys future of young officers and their families. Something must be done, could have bee done for timely diagnosis and treatment. I would strongly recommend veterans and active duty service men and women to check out, "Bust PTSD." Its PTSD treatment developed in Canada, available on iTunes and Google Play. No stigma associated. No disclosure of personal information required, it works, it can perhaps help families and servicemen to deal with emotional aftermath of war. It does not cost a lot, please, please do yourself a favour, get help instead of taking the easy rout out. Cmdd Price's life was priceless for his family, this nation and the world that he fought for to make a peaceful place. May God bless his soul, May God bless his family and loved ones with peace and strength to deal with their loss.
Unfortunate for the family, the daughter will never get to see her father again. Sad indeed, our hearts go to the family and loved ones. Its not really enough whats being done to help these people deal with PTSD, not a silent killer and obvious killer that rips hearts apart, destroys future of young officers and their families. Something must be done, could have bee done for timely diagnosis and treatment. I would strongly recommend veterans and active duty service men and women to check out, "Bust PTSD." Its PTSD treatment developed in Canada, available on iTunes and Google Play. No stigma associated. No disclosure of personal information required, it works, it can perhaps help families and servicemen to deal with emotional aftermath of war. It does not cost a lot, please, please do yourself a favour, get help instead of taking the easy rout out. Cmdd Price's life was priceless for his family, this nation and the world that he fought for to make a peaceful place. May God bless his soul, May God bless his family and loved ones with peace and strength to deal with their loss.
7
These elite forces are expected to be ready to perform well at any time and anything that can diminish that ability is going to be seen by leadership as making people less able to do the job. The people who join these elite units are tested intensively to prove that when they commit to anything they are going to succeed at it no matter what the obstacles. Thus their personalities make them disinclined to complain of personal problems and their knowledge that their commanders are disinclined to allow them to continue to participate if they have serious concerns about their fitness also discourages them from admitting to weaknesses.
3
The elite troops are intended to be used on short notice in highly sensitive and highly specialized ways. They are supposed to be able to not just perform their own specialties but to take over for others in theirs, and to lead themselves to complete their missions if their officers are not able. They are highly trained and expected to be ready to perform anytime that they are needed. They are not designed to replace regular military formations but the military has frequently used them to fill in for regular formations, anyway, and it always tends to reduce the length of time that they are able to remain useful. The Delta and I would imagine SEAL Team 6 members are also expected design, prepare for, and to execute their assignments rather than relying upon officers to do so. They are best when their assignments are specific and of short duration. When they are placed in open ended situations, it usually means that they must function very differently from how they were trained and for what they were intended. All soldiers have limits as to how much combat they can take before they become exhausted from it. The way special op troops have been used for the last 15 years indicates that the military is overextended for the forces available. PTSD is as old as humanity, and even traditional societies would never allow returning warriors home until they had spent a month by themselves in camps for decompressing. For some reason modern militaries do not do this.
7
Unfortunate for the family, the daughter will never get to see her father again. Sad indeed, our hearts go to the family and loved ones. Its not really enough whats being done to help these people deal with PTSD, not a silent killer and obvious killer that rips hearts apart, destroys future of young officers and their families. Something must be done, could have bee done for timely diagnosis and treatment. I would strongly recommend veterans and active duty service men and women to check out, "Bust PTSD." Its PTSD treatment developed in Canada, available on iTunes and Google Play. No stigma associated. No disclosure of personal information required, it works, it can perhaps help families and servicemen to deal with emotional aftermath of war. It does not cost a lot, please, please do yourself a favour, get help instead of taking the easy rout out. Cmdr Price's life was priceless for his family, this nation and the world that he fought for to make a peaceful place. God bless h
1
The Navy's elite soldiers hide the real status of their mental health because they fear it will damage their military career.
In comparison, the US Army has a well proven cure for improving the mental health of its soldiers---it simply issues medical waivers for soldiers to enlist with known mental health issues and then its issues an additional waiver that enables these newly "cured" soldiers to deploy into a battlefield crucible.
It is only when these mentally ill soldiers trigger embarrassment does the Army prosecute them for being mentally ill---in a combat zone---they were waived into---by the Army. This is precisely what is happening with Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, who was first kicked out the Coast Guard because of his poor mental health yet somehow the Army eagerly "cured" Bergdahl and blame him for their poor judgement.
In comparison, the US Army has a well proven cure for improving the mental health of its soldiers---it simply issues medical waivers for soldiers to enlist with known mental health issues and then its issues an additional waiver that enables these newly "cured" soldiers to deploy into a battlefield crucible.
It is only when these mentally ill soldiers trigger embarrassment does the Army prosecute them for being mentally ill---in a combat zone---they were waived into---by the Army. This is precisely what is happening with Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, who was first kicked out the Coast Guard because of his poor mental health yet somehow the Army eagerly "cured" Bergdahl and blame him for their poor judgement.
4
Job W. Price: In love he is remembered; In memory he lives!
4
It somehow doesn't seem right to generalize one man's destiny with any large group he belonged to. There must be many other with similar experience who did not commit suicide. Cmdr. Price must have been an individual with courage, spirit and soul. He chose to experience a powerfully engaging life and had an powerful response to it. Let us not rob him of what was his decision of response to his life experience. It was a courageous act as was his life. RIP Cmdr. Price.
2
"It was a courageous act"??? Are you freaking kidding me! Committing suicide is not an act of courage. Suicide is a response to illness, pain, depression, or darkness that shrouds outside voices of help and concern. I salute the Cmdr for his service to this nation but I do not salute his decision.
The problem related to these suicides in the special and conventional forces is culture and poor leadership!
The problem related to these suicides in the special and conventional forces is culture and poor leadership!
I agree with your premise and that leadership begins at the very top. I believe a lot of people in this country agree with you.
I do not think I could bear the deaths of four people I knew well, either. Especially if I had a chance to stop their deaths.
But I am liberal, and I look to the other side, too. Innocent civilians killed daily by our drones, approved I am told by the President, and U.S. military personnel, many of whom, frankly, dehumanize anyone who is not white and English speaking. Because that's what it takes to be a good killer in a war where you 'just follow orders.`
In the Vietnam years some young kid GI was quoted in Life Magazine as saying, "I just love killing the Vietcong." What are the families of the victims feeling? Things are a mess, with the only solace being that this is the way it has always been, and this is the way it will always be.
But I am liberal, and I look to the other side, too. Innocent civilians killed daily by our drones, approved I am told by the President, and U.S. military personnel, many of whom, frankly, dehumanize anyone who is not white and English speaking. Because that's what it takes to be a good killer in a war where you 'just follow orders.`
In the Vietnam years some young kid GI was quoted in Life Magazine as saying, "I just love killing the Vietcong." What are the families of the victims feeling? Things are a mess, with the only solace being that this is the way it has always been, and this is the way it will always be.
3
--- the stigma that many have felt about seeking help for mental health issues
Substituting ""stigma" for fear of prejudicial responses, discrimination, is irresponsible, though highly effective.
Women late in the 20th century took on that word as it was directed at rape survivors. They forced the onus from the survivor to the transgressor.
I wonder why we prefer not to acknowledge our prejudices, why we so easily disguise them as someone else's "stigma"?
Substituting ""stigma" for fear of prejudicial responses, discrimination, is irresponsible, though highly effective.
Women late in the 20th century took on that word as it was directed at rape survivors. They forced the onus from the survivor to the transgressor.
I wonder why we prefer not to acknowledge our prejudices, why we so easily disguise them as someone else's "stigma"?
24
Why would the U.S.Military be "overusing its most elite troops"? The answer has to be germane to the types of situations the military is confronted with, and its inability to deploy effective force from within the rank and file:hence the need to redeploy elite troops. The correspondence between the image of all-conquering warrior, which is implicit in the role of elite units, and the reality of an implacable enemy (sic), which, by its actions calls this image into question, whether through its fanaticism or its guerilla-style tactics is untenable, especially when viewed in the light of decisions made from above regarding retreat, withdrawal, etc. The image suffers, and obviously, so do the principals. The ultimate question regarding U.S. involvement in so-called "wars on terror" is whether such involvement is in fact an exercise in futility, and the answer to that is obviously so political in nature as to be in and of itself disheartening to the people who have to carry through with the decisions.
8
Don't lose sight of the fact that elite troops are the most like the terrorists they are fighting in the sense the elite troops are a small, very mobile, highly trained and dedicated group. It's a question of fighting fire with fire.
Again and again conventional ground troops have been used in the region by different armies with little if any success. This war is not a conventional war and is not Vietnam or the Iraq war. It would be a major mistake to try to fight this war like past wars. The enemy is using a small band of highly trained and dedicated soldiers---shouldn't we be doing the same?
On a practical level it would be a good thing to require specific and definite limits for the number of deployments and mandatory R & R on a regular basis for special ops soldiers.
But in the end remember that war is hell and no matter what you do
you can't stop the pain and the hurt that is war.
Again and again conventional ground troops have been used in the region by different armies with little if any success. This war is not a conventional war and is not Vietnam or the Iraq war. It would be a major mistake to try to fight this war like past wars. The enemy is using a small band of highly trained and dedicated soldiers---shouldn't we be doing the same?
On a practical level it would be a good thing to require specific and definite limits for the number of deployments and mandatory R & R on a regular basis for special ops soldiers.
But in the end remember that war is hell and no matter what you do
you can't stop the pain and the hurt that is war.
5
How can we expect anything else? Our finest Americans face horrendous life and death decision making, not knowing if they are next. Remember the "Michael P. Murphy" dilemma, leading his Team with Marcus Luttrell and debating whether they should kill the 15 year old who was herding his goats? Or how about Medal of Honor winner, Paul Bucha on trying to send back his awards saying something like... "Why do they give me a medal when I lost 11 men in one afternoon"? I have even heard some heroes of past wars are "lost in the desert" somewhere far from everybody, virtual recluses. (Lonesome End Carpenter, where are you?) And don't forget, all our veterans of these combat deployments have similar stories.
12
These men go through an unbelievable training to test their heart and physical, mental and emotional resilience. My condolences and deepest sympathies to his family for the loss of such a good man. Multiple deployments is an understatement for these special ops soldiers. I hope the VA system uses their debriefings and mental health aftercare to address that issue by people who really understand these extraordinary individuals. The issue of multiple deployments is a known predictor of suicide in research done in the former Soviet Union. All of our dedicated soldiers deserve the best of care and I know many who feel honored to care for them. I am sorry for this loss. Many thanks to Commander Price's family.
14
In WW II, 21 year old lieutenants, formerly grocery clerks, saw their platoons decimated, got replacements and went out and did it all again. This poor guy lost 4 people and killed himself. I think the Seals maybe are stressing physical strength and endurance over some other necessary attributes that a grocery clerk might have.
8
Yes.....and some of them like my step-father-in-law had dreadful nightmares for the rest of their lives, which in his case was 40+ years......
8
johnpowers
WWII was a completely different ball-game; the sheer number of infantry, artillery, and armor on conventional battlefields led to the elimination of large numbers of men in short periods of time. And those 21-year old LT's? Trust me, they were never the same afterward. Conventional combat forces care greatly for their men.
That being said, failure and loss of life are taken extremely harshly and seriously within the SOCOM community. SOCOM members operate within a no-fail environment, at the cutting edge of what is physically possible in order to surprise the enemy, maximize enemy destruction, and minimize friendly losses. Within this environment, friendship is formed within days and turns to love and brotherhood within months. The job is extremely physically and mentally taxing; especially so for commanders, who bear what is known as the "burden of command" and operate every day with the belief that they are honored and privileged to be guiding men of such calibur. Some say a commander is responsible for every single thing a unit does or does not accomplish; that is certainly true, but the best commanders stand forth to take credit for the shortcomings, while crediting their men for every success. I have a great amount of respect for commanders of combat units; I believe they are doing the hardest job in the world.
Also, get it right -- they are SEALs. They don't work at SeaWorld.
WWII was a completely different ball-game; the sheer number of infantry, artillery, and armor on conventional battlefields led to the elimination of large numbers of men in short periods of time. And those 21-year old LT's? Trust me, they were never the same afterward. Conventional combat forces care greatly for their men.
That being said, failure and loss of life are taken extremely harshly and seriously within the SOCOM community. SOCOM members operate within a no-fail environment, at the cutting edge of what is physically possible in order to surprise the enemy, maximize enemy destruction, and minimize friendly losses. Within this environment, friendship is formed within days and turns to love and brotherhood within months. The job is extremely physically and mentally taxing; especially so for commanders, who bear what is known as the "burden of command" and operate every day with the belief that they are honored and privileged to be guiding men of such calibur. Some say a commander is responsible for every single thing a unit does or does not accomplish; that is certainly true, but the best commanders stand forth to take credit for the shortcomings, while crediting their men for every success. I have a great amount of respect for commanders of combat units; I believe they are doing the hardest job in the world.
Also, get it right -- they are SEALs. They don't work at SeaWorld.
13
Not a valid comparison. People had the strongest reasons to fight in WWII. The Hitler madness just had to stop, and the US was attacked in Pearl Harbor. In comparison, the recent wars in Iraq and Afganisthan are fought by choice, and it seems the US fights them more for immediate financial reasons, like getting oil and giving business to Haliburton. There's nothing of the moral imperative people felt then. It must really be terrible to see your friends and subordinates die for nothing.
3
The stigma is real, but it also has a very serious reality--if you are diagnosed with PTSD, you really are medically retired. Most of the time, it will be listed as "anxiety disorder:non-specified (nos)". This allows for time to heal, to take counseling, engage in single and/or group therapy and move on from there. However, if things don't actually get "better" --and they often don't, the guys are medically boarded and retired from service. Its not about being cruel, its about trying to keep them alive. Guys who have serious issues like this, who don't get help and continue to serve aren't doing anyone any favors. Guys who get help but don't get back to where they need to be are only putting themselves at greater risk for depression and possible suicide. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have wrought a tremendous toll on servicemen--mainly because we really didn't get anything out of it. It has become a lost cause that 5,000 servicemen have died over.
17
Thank you for telling Job's story. For him to pass with so much anguish is so different than my memories of growing up with a very mirthful and happy Job. One of my favorite memories of Job is when he and a couple of other friends showed up at the theater after having a ginkgo berry fight... they reeked like they had rolled in some dog piles; but the smile on his and their faces and his and their laughter are still with me today. I wish there was more that could be done to remove the pain from his father's and sister's hearts. At the time of his memorial, I was told that he was had been the SEAL with the most deployments. That is a very bittersweet statistic. I am proud of all that he gave us, but wishing that someone had intervened to protect him so that he could still be with us. For the writer's - Did the Special Operations forces, especially SEALs, ever address the incredible stress of retirement? I learned of this concern at Job's memorial...
23
I served with Job in 2009... and he was one of the finest officers I have ever encountered. A larger than life presence wrapped in professionalism and courage. I was shocked to hear of his passing... and the thought of his death brings me to tears even as I write this. I simply cannot fathom the warrior that I knew getting to this point. His memorial at LittleCreek gave me the briefest moment of peace as someone noted that we had lost that Job that we knew well before. His desire to be the best.. his deep abiding passion to lead his sailors... I will never understand.
Please ignore all the ignorant commenters who know nothing of the amazing man we knew. This is simply a tragedy. One that so many will never full recover. He is missed. every day. by all who knew him. Long live the Brotherhood.
Please ignore all the ignorant commenters who know nothing of the amazing man we knew. This is simply a tragedy. One that so many will never full recover. He is missed. every day. by all who knew him. Long live the Brotherhood.
I am wondering if the characteristics that make an elite soldier necessarily translate into the ability to compartmentalize and properly dispose of terrible memories, like that Mr. Price experienced.
Regardless, the Pentagon has plenty of work on this issue.
Regardless, the Pentagon has plenty of work on this issue.
5
My sincerest condolences to Job's family and best friends. My heart goes out to you and I am so sorry for the loss of your incredible loved one.
7
If you have a brain injury how do you remember the signs / symptoms of a brain injury?
2