Support the troops, by not giving them a break

my2hands
my2hands Posts: 17,117
edited June 2007 in A Moving Train
i wish i believed in hell so i knew the politicians that sent, and are keeping, our folks over there would burn for eternity. fucking pieces of shit

Troops' 1-month breaks blocked

By Gregg Zoroya, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — U.S. commanders in Iraq are rejecting a recommendation by Army mental health experts that troops receive a one-month break for every three months in a combat zone, despite unprecedented levels of continuous fighting and worsening risks of mental stress.
Instead, commanders are trying to give troops two to three days inside heavily fortified bases after about eight days in the field, said Brig. Gen. Joseph Anderson, chief aide to the ground forces commander in Iraq, Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno.

"We would never get the job done of securing (of Baghdad) if we went out for three months and came back" for one, Anderson said.

U.S. forces in Iraq spend more time in combat without a break than those who fought in Vietnam or World War II, according to Army psychologists who studied troops in Iraq.

U.S. commanders can't match the World War II policy, Odierno said in a news conference late last month.

"Even in World War II and other times … we would pull forces off the line and bring them back on. Here we don't do that," Odierno said. "They (U.S. troops) are out there consistently every single day. So you have to be mentally and physically tough."

President Bush committed 28,000 more troops to Iraq this year as part of an escalation that started in February.

Army psychologists say continual combat may cause more mental health problems. Their research, conducted in Iraq last year, shows that 30% of troops experiencing high levels of combat demonstrate signs of anxiety, depression or acute stress.

Army Col. Carl Castro, a research psychologist who co-wrote the mental health study, said combat "is extremely, extremely stressful." That stress is aggravated, he says, by multiple tours of duty and deployments that have been extended from 12 months to 15.

Castro and Maj. Dennis McGurk, who co-authored the study, recommend U.S. troops by company or battalion be pulled back into fortified areas to rest for one month after every three months of combat, a recovery period similar to that used in World War II.

Castro says U.S. troops have never spent as much time on the front lines without "a significant break" to recover from the demands of war.

More breaks would relieve stress, says Army Spc. Jeremy Osborn, 27, who finished a 14-month stint in Iraq in February.

"The body and mind need to take a break from always being on guard," he said. "Never knowing when we were going to get attacked again was quite stressful."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2007-06-18-troops-rest_N.htm
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Comments

  • jeffbr
    jeffbr Seattle Posts: 7,177
    my2hands wrote:
    i wish i believed in hell so i knew the politicians that sent, and are keeping, our folks over there would burn for eternity. fucking pieces of shit

    Thanks for posting this. I completely agree with you. If we can't get the job done (whatever that means) without literally working our guys to death, maybe we should pack it up and bring them home tomorrow.
    "I'll use the magic word - let's just shut the fuck up, please." EV, 04/13/08
  • my2hands
    my2hands Posts: 17,117
    the funny thing is most folks that still supoort this shit are the first to say "Support the troops"... and their idea of supporting the troops is keeping them in a fucking hell hole while we rah~rah


    support the troops, by bringing them home to their families and friends. that is real fucking support.
  • my2hands
    my2hands Posts: 17,117
    jeffbr wrote:
    Thanks for posting this. I completely agree with you. If we can't get the job done (whatever that means) without literally working our guys to death, maybe we should pack it up and bring them home tomorrow.


    i dont think there is anything "maybe" about it.
  • jlew24asu
    jlew24asu Posts: 10,118
    I with on this hands. troops seem to get shit on even well into retirement.
  • my2hands
    my2hands Posts: 17,117
    jlew24asu wrote:
    I with on this hands. troops seem to get shit on even well into retirement.

    they really do. it is fucking sad.

    politicians use our soldiers like toys a rich kid gets on christmas ~~ loose Vonnegut quote~~
  • gabers
    gabers Posts: 2,787
    This month off thing is a pipe dream. The troops are strectched so thin as it is, there is no way in Hell they could get that kind of time off. The only legitimate option is to start up the draft to build our troop levels up. I wish a politician would make THAT point.
  • jlew24asu
    jlew24asu Posts: 10,118
    gabers wrote:
    This month off thing is a pipe dream. The troops are strectched so thin as it is, there is no way in Hell they could get that kind of time off. The only legitimate option is to start up the draft to build our troop levels up. I wish a politician would make THAT point.
    fuck that. soldiers need a break. even if the mission (whatever that is) suffers, we still need to take care of our own.
  • Gary Carter
    Gary Carter Posts: 14,077
    gabers wrote:
    This month off thing is a pipe dream. The troops are strectched so thin as it is, there is no way in Hell they could get that kind of time off. The only legitimate option is to start up the draft to build our troop levels up. I wish a politician would make THAT point.
    yeah great lets start a draft, then this really will be our nam. a draft would never happen, these politicians know alot of kids would dodge the draft. i for one would dodge it
    Ron: I just don't feel like going out tonight
    Sammi: Wanna just break up?

  • gabers
    gabers Posts: 2,787
    jlew24asu wrote:
    fuck that. soldiers need a break. even if the mission (whatever that is) suffers, we still need to take care of our own.

    I agree 100%, but that's the reality of it. This is what happens we try to fight a "war on terror" on two or more fronts with an all volunteer force.
  • gabers
    gabers Posts: 2,787
    metsfan531941 wrote:
    yeah great lets start a draft, then this really will be our nam. a draft would never happen, these politicians know alot of kids would dodge the draft. i for one would dodge it

    By the way I am against a draft, I was just playing devil's advocate. And since the only other solution is to start pulling troops from Iraq, it looks like we found our solution.
  • my2hands
    my2hands Posts: 17,117
    gabers wrote:
    The only legitimate option is to start up the draft to build our troop levels up. I wish a politician would make THAT point.

    i am praying a draft is attempted. the war would end right after thiis country exploded in dissent and protest.

    they will continue to bribe (raise incentives), and privatize the military as long as they can...
  • my2hands
    my2hands Posts: 17,117
    jlew24asu wrote:
    fuck that. soldiers need a break. even if the mission (whatever that is) suffers, we still need to take care of our own.

    right on.

    but i still support a permanent break, by coming home
  • Milestone
    Milestone Posts: 1,143
    my2hands wrote:
    the funny thing is most folks that still supoort this shit are the first to say "Support the troops"... and their idea of supporting the troops is keeping them in a fucking hell hole while we rah~rah


    I agree. They are also the same people with "Proud to be an American" stickers on their foreign cars.
    11-2-2000 Portland. 12-8-2002 Seattle. 4-18-2003 Nashville. 5-30-2003 Vancouver. 10-25-2003 Bridge School. 9-2-2005 Vancouver.
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  • Vedderlution_Baby
    Vedderlution_Baby Posts: 2,535
    I don't know what you guys are talking about. I've been right there on the front lines the whole time. Listening to toby keith, buying a "Support our troops" decals. Watching news about the war in my recliner for atleast half an hour.
  • my2hands
    my2hands Posts: 17,117
    metsfan531941 wrote:
    i for one would dodge it

    shit, i would drive you to canada buddy...
  • my2hands
    my2hands Posts: 17,117
    Milestone wrote:
    I agree. They are also the same people with "Proud to be an American" stickers on their foreign cars.


    we are generalizing, but your right.

    i drive american, by the way.
  • keeponrockin
    keeponrockin Posts: 7,446
    I'm a dual citizen (Canada and the US), so I doubt the draft would be a problem for me.

    However, this is ridicilous. The boys (and girls) need to be taken care of.
    Believe me, when I was growin up, I thought the worst thing you could turn out to be was normal, So I say freaks in the most complementary way. Here's a song by a fellow freak - E.V
  • even flow?
    even flow? Posts: 8,066
    my2hands wrote:
    shit, i would drive you to canada buddy...

    Make sure you two have your passports. And a better excuse then "I don't want to get killed". ;)
    You've changed your place in this world!
  • my2hands
    my2hands Posts: 17,117
    even flow? wrote:
    Make sure you two have your passports. And a better excuse then "I don't want to get killed". ;)

    Border Patrol: "Your destination sir?"

    My2hands: "We're going to even flow?'s house"

    that should work :D
  • jlew24asu
    jlew24asu Posts: 10,118
    gabers wrote:
    I agree 100%, but that's the reality of it. This is what happens we try to fight a "war on terror" on two or more fronts with an all volunteer force.
    cool. but I think we would be able to handle the war on terro just fine. its the fucked up 4 years war in iraq that is stretching us so thin

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