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These 30 Responses To U.S. Army Asking ‘How Has Serving Impacted You?’ Was Not What They Were Expecting To Hear
Memorial Day weekend is meant to be a time of reflection to honor the Americans who have served, so two days before the weekend the U.S. Army reached out to veterans via Twitter to ask them to share how their service had impacted their lives – and it’s easy to say it backfired.
The innocent tweet was intended to stir up stories of patriotic pride, and while some did share positive experiences about how their time gave them self-confidence, an overwhelming amount shared dark and heartbreaking tales. The stories came from both veterans themselves and people who had met or were the family of service men and women. Tales ranged from vets who had returned with debilitating posttraumatic stress disorder, to those who had ended up committing suicide.
According to reports from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, about 30% of Vietnam veterans, 12% of Gulf War veterans and 11% to 20% of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom veterans are living with post-traumatic stress disorder. As for suicide rates the numbers are disproportionately affecting vets, with more than 6,000 veterans dying by suicide between 2008 to 2016 and an average of 20 veterans dying by suicide each day between 2013 and 2014.
The U.S Army reached out to vets on Twitter to ask how their service had impacted their lives
Image credits: USArmy
But instead of just patriotic pride, they received a thread of heartbreaking responses
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Mewton’s Third Paw 6 years ago (edited)
This should be number one. It’s not just about the trauma these people face but rather the fact that it’s all based on greed, corruption, lies, and hatred of the American people at large, and anyone who isn’t in the ruling class.
Cesi Baca 6 years ago
In Michael Moore’s movie Fahrenheit 9/11 this very issue was tackled and there were some great scenes of Michael Moore asking congressmen if he could sign up there kids to go fight. We’ve known this since Vietnam. The poor kids fight wars while the kids of the politicians who send them there never even pick up a rifle.
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Monika Soffronow 6 years ago
No need to downvote. She is just sincere about it. Not everyone has American English as their mother tongue. Feel free to downvote if your Swedish is as good as her English. It does not cost anything at all to be civil.
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Star-Light Star-Bright 6 years ago (edited)
Basically, if you're not rich, you're cannon fodder. I guess it's no coincidence that recruiters frequently came to my high school full of rednecks and the surrounding schools, that the same high school required all of us to take the ASVAB in 11th grade, and that recruiters still show up occasionally at my university (which is definitely not some private or big-name school).
Anna S 6 years ago
Recruiters are required to visit EVERY school in their geographical footprint, not just the "poor" or "disadvantaged" schools. They may have better success with recruiting students from low SES schools, but this does not imply that they don't attempt to recruit those from high SES school districts.
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Wil Vanderheijden 6 years ago
Captain Bone Spur needed to buy 6 doctor's notes to dodge draft. Rich kids don't die in useless wars.
Delilah Jones 6 years ago
As a veteran myself, I wholly speak out against this comment. When you are in poverty, it often seems like there is no way out, there is no life waiting for you where you can become something amazing, do amazing things and get recognized for it. The military is one place that can provide that and if they are recruiting at your school, they are offering you hope for something better. Yes, some people die, but we all know what we signed up for. Many of us accomplish things and become someone we never would have become if we'd stayed in the civilian world. It is a good thing for the military to be that beacon of hope in poor areas.
Mike Hill 6 years ago
Because of my father's exposure to Agent Orange, I was born with spina bifida, clubbed feet and a urinary bladder that would not drain sufficiently under any circumstances my doctor would arrange. Nobody told him he signed me up for that. The military takes advantage of the desperate poverty of folks in poor areas to ensure it has enough meat for its grinder, and it grinds up their kids, too. My dad's service was the worst thing that ever happened to me.
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tammy mize 6 years ago
My husband served, retired and then re-enlisted for more... he’s amazing no PTSD but saw terrible things... God help all those men and women
Eddie 6 years ago
Most "rich" high schools ban recruiters. Making false promises of no war is prohibited by regulations. Anyone enlisting and thinking that war is off the table is delusional.
tammy mize 6 years ago
Exactly, and by the way, when has there been no war??
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John Sampson 6 years ago
And now potus 45 wants to send anotrher generation of young people into another phoney war. How do you stop that? Maybe it's better in jail. Atleast you won't come out as damaged as coming home from a war. Young people should not enlist, let them put them in prison instead. Atleast they will be on home soil. think about it!
Anna S 6 years ago
Not true at all. My husband is a U.S. Army recruiter and each station is assigned schools based off of location and must visit and set up tables/tents throughout the school year at every school on their map, regardless of socioeconomic status. While the "rich kids" may not feel as pressured to join because they may have the means to pay for college, etc., that does not mean that the recruiters do not try to recruit them. I understand a lot of these tweets and peoples' gripes with the military, but I'm tired of the recruiters being blamed for every little thing.
David Henson 6 years ago
I went to an extremely wealthy high school and was constantly hounded by recruiters...
RELATED:
#2
TheKnightOwl 6 years ago
How has this not been brought to more attention? It makes me so incredibly angry that this sort of discrimination is still impacting people in 2019. I realise this was in the 90's, but his debt should have been wiped a long time ago.
Twenty øne doggos 6 years ago
Kind of sounds like it. That's like punishing someone because of race or gender, it's something you can't help. Sadly enough, though, some people will still persecute for these reasons, too.
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Nicky Oriol 6 years ago
WOW, They didn't cancel that debt yet? I feel like they should. This isn't right in 2019. Not that it was in 1992, but it was more taboo than it is today.
Pseudo Puppy 6 years ago
willing to die for your country - but if you're not "enough" like them, they treat you like trash. Shame on them for such horrid behaviour towards someone willing to die to protect them.
Karen Joy Nesheim 6 years ago
I’m so sorry they did that! Can you take them to court to pay off the rest of your debt?
Steve Cruz 6 years ago
Tech Sergeant Leonard Philip Matlovich fought in Vietnam and was dishonorably discharged for coming out. His tombstone does not bear his name, but this inscription: "When I was in the military, they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one."
Two years ago President Donald Trump tweeted “will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity,” and this year the policy has gone into effect. Lt. Col. Carla M. Gleason, a Pentagon spokesperson, told BuzzFeed News, that it was not a ban but that “new recruits will be rejected if they’ve undergone a gender transition, that they cannot transition while in service, and they must conform to the uniform and fitness standards of their birth sex.” The estimated number of trans people serving in the military ranged from 2,150 to 15,000.
#3
Elisabeth Bergbom 6 years ago
First they experience war on the outside, then war on the inside. It all leaves scars. We need to talk more about this</3
John Sampson 6 years ago
Maybe starting with sending young people to fight in phoney wars should be a starting point. There has not be a real war since WW2. Everything else has been based on phoney reasons manufactured by American politicians. Sixty thousand American soldier were returned to the USA in body bags. They dies died in a war that should never have been, but the USA crafted the Gulf of Tonkin incident to substantiate a reason to go to war in Vietnam. What is the only reason the USA has for fighting thousands of miles from the homeland? Securing the borders, American interests? Who is kidding who? And in the meantime, innocent young men and women die for a phoney cause.
Maggie Collins 6 years ago
Oh God, B, I am so sorry. I am older but had 2 friends who came back from the Vietnam War and never were the same. All the Army did was put them on Thorozine. May your friend RIP.
Delilah Jones 6 years ago
Veterans can get PTSD and suicide help very easily. Every time I call the VA medical center, the first thing the automated message says is "If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, please hang up and dial...." And when you sign up to the VA, they hand you a card with a suicide hotline on it. They always ask you if you're having suicidal thoughts when you go for your medical appt. too. My friend has PTSD and is a member of a Veterans with PTSD group, too. The help is there. They are not ignoring veterans like this post makes it seem.
Charlotte Bayer 6 years ago
Nice. But..A suicide line or a group is NOT suitable therapy. They should pay for a trauma psychologist. And keep in touch. Its the leaving veterans to fend for themselves in a society they havent been a part of for years thats the peoblem. Family and friends moved on with their life.
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recoveryforeva 6 years ago
when the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace
Jill Pulcifer 6 years ago (edited)
Someone very dear to me lost his battle with it two years ago at age 34. He had just finished basic and was home on leave when 9-11 happened, he saw three tours of duty, two for the marines and one for the army. It got so bad they discharged him, then failed him steadily for 10 years, treating him with tranquilizers, and nothing useful. He finally passed away one evening on his way to use the bathroom, he fell, and died because he was unable to turn his head to breathe. He had 12 bottles of tranquilizers in his room and another 9 came in the mail from the V.A. the day he died. Four little girls have no father now and the world is an uglier place for all of us who loved him, all because the military had no issue signing a 17 year old kid, using him up and spitting him out. He tried for years and years to get better, but in the end they treat most cases just like they treated his, with "off label" meds, i.e. tranquilizers. How many more will have to die?
Michał Jastrzębski 6 years ago
worst problem with PTSD is not that is not real. Its also not the problem of it being real. The problem with PTSD is that its both real, and not real, at once.
#4
Jennifer Roberts 6 years ago
My uncle shot himself...he couldn't sleep after coming home, and his wife left him before he got back.
Kimberly Hepperle 6 years ago
So did mine. No one realizes that the took the poorest, made them do things beyond their morals and beliefs then spit on them for what they were made to do. F**k you American congressman who are fat and rich while we send our poor and starving to fight for these rich bastards sending them to war/death.
Mary Rose Kent 6 years ago
The Viet Nam War f****d up people in so many ways. That wat consumed my entire adolescence and finally ended on my 19th birthday. My family made plans to send the brother born after me to Canada or Mexico, if needed. When I traveled around VN, I stopped at the My Lai massacre site and was overwhelmed by sadness and guilt, and I WASN'T EVEN THERE when it happened. Seeing the war on television night after night was traumatic, which in a twisted way makes me weirdly wish all of our subsequent wars and war-like involvements were in our face every night. People would know, they would care, and they wouldn’t forget.
#5
Samantha Jayewardene 6 years ago
I hope you know that most people still respect you and are thankful for your service.
Suzy Breen 6 years ago
A coward who has no idea what a true hero is. He is such a tiny little man/child. 6 years defending my freedom. That is a real American. Thank you.
Christina Sersif 6 years ago
I don’t see how your gender or how you view yourself have anything to do with anything
Steve Cruz 6 years ago
Donald Trump LIED ABOUT BEING DISABLED. He should be dishonorably discharged from the presidency.
Mary Rose Kent 6 years ago
As we now know, the 🍊🍄💩 lies about everything. And he most definitely should be dishonorably discharged from the presidency. It’s time for Nancy Pelosi to let the House do its duty!
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Sandy J Renfroe 6 years ago
Heartbreaking. I honor you for your service. I personally apologize to you for what happenef after.
One out of three veterans seeking treatment for substance abuse, including alcohol use disorder, have PTSD. Overall about three-quarters of people who have survived abuse or violent trauma report that they struggle with alcohol abuse. People who struggle with PTSD and chronic pain struggle more frequently with alcohol abuse.
#6
Michelle Muirhead 6 years ago
My dad served in WW2 and was a Dunkirk. His mate had his head blown off right next to him. I remember dad crying out at night. PTSD, what was that then, no such thing.
Suzy Breen 6 years ago
So sad. My dad shook himself awake and got on his feet in seconds. He did this until he died. He once explained it to me. Sleeping in a fox hole you either woke up fighting or you didn't wake up. Sad watching him dream.
Monika Soffronow 6 years ago
The people who profit from the so-called "defense industry" Do Not Care At All.
Nikki Hoa Doan 6 years ago
I am from Vietnam and my grandpa served in the war. He still has nightmares every night and told me about how his friends passed away in front of him. He said he even sometimes felt sorry for the American guys as some of them even didn’t wanna be there and some of them didnt know what the f*** they were doing in Vietnam. Some were really violent and aggressive, kill without hesitation
Mary Rose Kent 6 years ago
I’m so sorry for what we did to your country. I’m also sorry for what we did to the young men we sent there against their will.
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Robert Pacl 6 years ago
I was one of the lucky ones. I enlisted in the USN in 1944, convinced beyond even the slightest shadow of a doubt, that the Nazis were evil and needed to be destroyed, and the Japs were being lead by evil people who needed to be killed. I never saw action ( the Navy had me in training until the end of the war ) but right was on our side. I marched against the Vietnam war. Unprovoked. The result of Colonialism. How can anyone go to kill people who just want their freedom, as we wanted it in 1770. My son was draft age and I told him to go to Canada if he was called up. And we're still off in foreign places that we should never be involved in. There was a standoff working there before we decided to take charge. There is no solution that we would ever be able to formulate in centuries. And the toll on our young men continues. They don't know what they're doing there. Fighting some ideology? About time to admit that when it comes to Realpolitik, we don't know our proverbial a*s from ....
Michele Hood 6 years ago
My FIL has suffered from PTSD since serving fifty years ago. His disability was only recently recognized by the government.
Christina Sersif 6 years ago
My stepdad was a Vietnam vet and suffers from agent orange. The government refuses to pay him for it because it was “dormant”
#7
Elisabeth Bergbom 6 years ago
"You guys sent him back in a box" is literally the most heartbreaking thing ever
Dani 6 years ago
@BenSmith: No. He is a hero yes but you are WRONG. This should not have happened... We're supposed to be better than this...
Load More Replies... Steve Cruz 6 years ago
In his wiz-dumb, George W Bush put an end to news reports showing returning coffins and injured soldiers. Laura Bush justified the concealment, saying: "Who wants to look at that?"
Delilah Jones 6 years ago
It is sad, but as a Veteran, we all know what we signed up for and what could happen to us if we are deployed.
Warren Hill 6 years ago
I knew him, He wrote my letter of recommendation for OCS, I was classed up when I heard he died, I am sorry for you lost, I cried like a baby when I saw his name on Memorial day.
Lukas Stone 6 years ago
Wait do they mean Lieutenant Colonel by LtC? If so he should not have been in combat.
Whothehell Cares 6 years ago
Sadly, as many non combatants as combatants are killed in war, sometimes many more non combatants.
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Emmi Jackson 6 years ago
My heart is broken for you, for your family, and for your dad. My grandfather drank himself to death after he came home from war. I am so incredibly sorry your family is suffering as well because of the will of our government.
Kevin Wilson 6 years ago
That’s bad. I will point out not to give up on him. The therapist is not god. Maybe there is someway for him to make progress. Good luck
A study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration revealed that only 50 percent of returning vets who need veteran mental health treatment will receive these services. Both active duty service members and veterans face barriers to treatment for mental health issues: Personal embarrassment about service-related mental disabilities, long wait times to receive mental health treatment, shame over needing to seek mental health treatment, fear of being seen as weak, Stigma associated with mental health issues, a lack of understanding or lack of awareness about mental health problems and treatment options, logistical problems, such as long travel distances in order to receive this type of care, concerns over the veteran mental health treatment offered by the VA, demographic barriers and false perceptions based on these demographics such as age or gender.
#9
Joyce Stewart 6 years ago
I saw a TV story about this. The U.S.A. used these people, and then pulled out leaving them to die or fend for themselves.
J Doe 6 years ago
Whitey USA doees this a lot, but Hmong have been given preferrential immigration
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Lil' Cookie 5 years ago (edited)
America kind of sucks. It makes me really sad that AMERICA is a goal home for some people. That's depressing. We should be able to do WAY better.
Jay Shattell 6 years ago
We have failed over and over again and still make the same damn mistakes. America has become Einstein's definition of insanity. This is what we should be educated on instead of the same old star spangled b******t .
jevais 6 years ago
The USA army had made R&R retreats in Cambodia, Birmanie, and Laos. These reasting and recreation centers were also camps with local women who served the military staff as prostitutes. Children born from to these women in rolled for recreation of soldiers were not accepted by locals! Hundreds of these illegitimate children landed in the streets and most had no homes. Also what did the USA government do to help the population after the use of neplam bombs that has had created horrible health problems. These bombs also left the country side bear and non cultivables. It also effects still the DNA of all living things. The USA government has not done any Clean up or helped the population that generations post Vietnam War bear children with genetic disorders.
#10
Janine Randall 6 years ago
US policies are so screwy right now. No Abortion~But once that baby's born forget about any kind of help. No WIC, Medi-Caid, help for the female if she hasn't graduated High School yet. Screw up tariffs. No problem, we'll send you more money. Just don't figure it out that that is our tax money that's going to be used to fulfill this promise. Ain't gettin' no money from China. And to have promised vets that the VA would be fixed, programs would be created for homeless vets and vets with severe depression. There would be treatment for addictions. The frustration and shame I feel in our treatment of vets is overwhelming. Maybe we'll figure it out someday, to pay back the men and women who fought to keep us free.
AnnieLaurie Burke 6 years ago
And the narcissist usurper in the WH now, who used his fake disability (and his daddy's money) to get out of serving, makes me want to puke when he goes on about how he supports our troops.
캉 홍빈 6 years ago
Any soldier from any country deserves free treatment if they have ptsd from a war they served in.hearing and watching this first hand is scary, especially since you can't do much. I don't know much about this, to be honest, but shouldn't countries with some money care for the people who protected them? Or is it too much money?🤔
Christina Sersif 6 years ago
Soldiers are just dogs or human weapons for the government. You’re dispensable
Delilah Jones 6 years ago
Definitely not true. The VA cares about it's veterans and the issues they deal with. I speak from personal experience as a veteran myself. As the author of this post stated above, there are many reasons why veterans don't get help, many not necessarily the VAs fault, but the individuals fault. The VA does need to work on how fast they can schedule an appt. though. In this area, they are sorely lacking and your appt. will be scheduled sometimes two months out and that's the earliest they have!
Lillian Moss 6 years ago
And during that waiting...s**t happens. YOUR experience may be good BUT perhaps a perusal thru the many suicides committed at VAs over the past year alone ahould help with understanding that the VA is NOT all that!
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#11
Dani 6 years ago (edited)
"😭" doesn't cut it. I died a little inside thinking of these two brothers. One dead, one the closest thing to death that isnt, because of military duty. A family ruined. What hit me hardest was "I don't know where he is or if he's still alive." I have two siblings and can't imagine anything like this, but I'm sure that they couldn't either, until it actually happened
Janet Kerrigan 6 years ago
My youngest uncle served with the Marines like his big brother (my psychotic ex marine father) while the middle brother went to Canada. Younger brother came home in a box, middle brother discovered heroin and alcohol numbs pain and guilt really well. We could never find my uncle until he surfaced from whatever haze he was in. Alcohol and heroin also kills pretty effectively, too. We found him in time to get him to a hospital, but it was too late.
J Doe 6 years ago
Yes maybe...but it was a catalyst... sometimes one path leads to
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Katri 6 years ago
I dont even know why I'm trying to explain this but here goes - logical thinking and understanding cause and effect might be significantly blurred in people suffering from PTSD. You can't even begin to comprehend the complex mindset one must be in when committing suicide.
Full Name 6 years ago
It's not complicated at all. You want the thing that's making you unhappy to stop, and you know of only one sure-fire way.
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TheKnightOwl 6 years ago
Sometimes they want to be certain it works. I know because I've been in that headspace. I've also spent a lot of time with people who have made the attempt, and met families of those who succeeded. You comment is ignorant. Educate yourself.
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From 1961 to 1971, the U.S. sprayed more than 20 million gallons of various herbicides over Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos and according to the EPA, Agent Orange, which contains the poisonous chemical dioxin, was the most commonly used. An estimated 2.8 million U.S. vets who were exposed to Agent Orange while on-duty later died.
#13
Mewton’s Third Paw 6 years ago
Almost every conflict that we’ve ever been involved in has been for the express benefit of imperialist scum. It’s never been about protecting America.
Cesi Baca 6 years ago
The only wars that have been about protecting America are WWII ( the Japanese dropped bombs on Hawaii so) and the civil war (had to fight for the soul of our country & slavery had to die) But yeah all the others are b******t.
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Lil' Cookie 5 years ago
Why did we just throw two trillion dollars at the military. What the heck can that possibly be used for. With that, we could have ended the refugee crisis, paid for all student loan debt, ended world hunger for a year, completely fix USA homelessness, and STILL have TONS OF MONEY LEFT OVER, but instead, here we are... throwing it at the guns that will kill our brothers and sisters.
Steve Cruz 6 years ago
Your "battle buddies" can't face the truth. When I volunteered helping Wheelchair Rugby teams load gear at Craig Hospital in Denver, I got to know a few observers. They spoke up about the waste of their health and future. They spoke against the kindly people who came to post little flags and tell the fragmented young patients how much their service meant. Those patients can't make sense of it and live in confusion and torture.
Delilah Jones 6 years ago
War is an unfortunate necessity. As long as there are bad men, there must be people willing to fight against them and end their tyranny. Such is reality.
#14
Jace 6 years ago
And now some f*****s think it makes some kind of dog damned sense to set off fireworks for f*****g MEMORIAL Day. WTF? THREE DAYS of fireworks this weekend. Never before have I noticed fireworks set off for MEMORIAL DAY.
Emmi Jackson 6 years ago
That pisses me off. A LOT of vets dealing with PTSD will be thrown into mental anguish. I'd get everyone you know together and lobby city hall to stop that b******t. So glad the hair-brained idiots running my city haven't started that.
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#15
Steve Cruz 6 years ago
Tens of thousands of Vietnam vets exposed to Agent Orange suffer/ed symptoms identical to Multiple Sclerosis. Veterans of Foreign Wars sued the VA in 1982 so affected veterans could obtain benefits and augmented care. The VA never admitted Agent Orange was the problem and settled on the condition that only veterans enrolled in the class-action lawsuit would be covered.
Eden-Rose Huntsman 6 years ago
my mom is a nurse and she tells me that a lot of patients that were in that war and were exposed to agent orange have a lot of the exact same symptoms and problems
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Ace 5 years ago
This makes me realize how lucky I am to still have a living (and mentally healthy)grandfather. He served in Vietnam. I once asked my grandmother if he has any war stories an she said he did but didn't like to talk about them. (Glad he's living but I do have some different opions about race and sexuality then he does but I'm still glad he's alive)
#16
Lukas Stone 6 years ago
Hold on a minute, your grandmother knocked out your uncle with a frying pan?
John Belrose 6 years ago
I said it once and I'll say it again. Cast iron frying pans are the best improvised weapons. But seriously that may also contribute to the man's decline.
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Wesley Liford 6 years ago
ptsd is a emotional illness that people can't control. He may have attacked his siblings, but he didn't know what he was doing.
Becky Chastain 6 years ago
Grandma was just adding more injury to him with the skillet! Invisible head injuries plus the ptsd plus anything else he may have made his life near impossible to live normally.
#17
#18
Ronaldo Davinci 4 years ago
Its war bro, don't ever expect everything to go to plan, the only problem is our school system it is ruining our mental health and now after war people go kill themselves and kill others. Fix the school not the military
#19
Ladies and Gentlemen 6 years ago
Jesus, that's so heartbreaking even to read... what the person is experiencing and is really living with all this is unimaginable for me. I have no words to say! :(
Buzz Covington 6 years ago
Memorial Day is NOT to honor those who have served. That’s what Veteran’s Day is for. Memorial Day is to honor those that have died in service to their nation. Maybe getting the facts straight before reporting on something like this would be helpful.
#20
Dani 6 years ago
I think the reason this one was so powerful was because it was so... Human. And real. And immediate.
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Playing Solitary 6 years ago
That sounds a lot like how my dad used to be, but he kept at his art, I think that helped.
#21
Wesley Liford 6 years ago
It's horrible to not even know where your brother is, I have several siblings and this is why I won't serve, not because I don't like my country, but because I want to be their for my family.
#22
Wil Vanderheijden 6 years ago
A veteran describing how his life has fallen apart telling people to love one another. He's showing more courage then tangerine turd could ever even dream off.
Martha Meyer 6 years ago
And yet he is still “proud“ because he believes the lies he has been fed that those wars were necessary to protect his people.
#23
Mewton’s Third Paw 6 years ago (edited)
“Some folks are born Made to wave the flag Ooh, they're red, white and blue And when the band plays "Hail to the Chief" Ooh, they point the cannon at you It ain't me, it ain't me I ain't no senator's son, son It ain't me, it ain't me I ain't no fortunate one, no”
Constantin George-Florin 6 years ago
This is classic Rock, not just old Rock.
Load More Replies... Tracee Jeen 6 years ago
Phenomenal song, I never really thought about the lyrics tho. Thank you for applying them for US.
#24
Dani 6 years ago (edited)
My grandfather on my dad's side did not serve, but he grew up in a WWII-era Taiwan occupied by the Japanese. As he aged, he got dementia, and even though he loved everything Japan- Japanese was his preferred language- he hated the bombs. Planes would fly over our house and he would cry and tell us that "they" were coming and they were going to bomb us and he needed to save us. I was four years old and I didn't understand. I laughed and told him they were just jets. Then one day a couple years ago my sister reminded me of those days and I was just like "Holy f***k oh my god I get it now." But my Akong is long dead and there is nothing I could do anymore. By the time I could do something, I cpuldnt. Goes to show, you don't have to serve. War is scarring all around. It may benefit the state but it destroys the individual.
Becky Chastain 6 years ago
I was born 6 years after my dad came home from WWII. I remember him looking up at planes going over our home in Texas when I was 8-10 years old bc he still had his memories. He was a Marine and served on Iwo Jima and in Hawaii.
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#25
#26
THE ULTIMATE PUGTATO >_< 6 years ago
I’m really sorry. Going into any type of military services can be scarring
Louise Brigance 6 years ago
As a nation we owe so much to service members who come home damaged and suffering. There is no good war or noble war there is only death and destruction. I grew up in the Viet Nam era and hated the idea of kids going to war. Even then the kids who were drafted first came from parts of the country depressed and poor. Disposable kids they thought.
#27
James Buchanan 6 years ago
Deal with it. This is the reality we've helped create by either supporting the bastards who built it, or failing to stop them. We owe every f*****g one of them the ordeal of hearing every detail they're willing to offer.
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#28
Russian Otaku 6 years ago
Funny thing about the military is that contracts are only allowed to be broken by the military...
Louise Brigance 6 years ago
Seems like a common refrain with our gov't not just the military.
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France Paquette 6 years ago
And don't forgot that the same corporation that make the agent orange is now making your food...
#29
Nora Tomasik 6 years ago
My grandfather came home from WWII a raging drunk that wouldn't speak of the war and was unkind to everyone around him, including his children. He eventually died from diabetes related to drinking. Yay Army!
#30
Susan Nelson 6 years ago
My brother served in VietNam as a Marine Scout/Sniper. On his return home, he was afraid to sleep in-doors. He slept in our back yard for months. (Always with a rifle). He tried really hard to adjust; he married, they had a baby, he had a good job. But as a year passed, he drank and smoked and God knows what else and the gradual change in him sped up. He was killed in a motorcycle/vehicle accident in 1972 and our little family, his little family were and continue to be just wrecked. People, please understand these Vets need so much help after their service because all governments only use them as cannon fodder. They were never expected to come home alive. The U.S. Government still thinks of them as expendables and they always will.
Carol Kuhlman 6 years ago
My best friend’s husband was sent to Vietnam. On his birthday he was wounded and his buddy was shot and died on top of him. He has horrible ptsd. Anxiety, depression and nightmares. Another couple friends of mine were poisoned with agent orange and were never able to have children. One has passed from testicular cancer that was blamed on the agent orange. Veterans were brought home to no welcome and came with broken bodies and minds.
Asma Ibrahim 6 years ago
Wonder what the people on the other side of the “war” must have felt..
La Petite Morte 6 years ago
Honestly? Probably the same. Drafted to fight a war that was caused by people who would never be in a battlefield themselves, forced to kill 'them' because they were a 'them' and not an us. Most of the soldiers doing the actual fighting probably had more in common with the soldiers on the other side than they did with the men ordering them to fight.
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Sara Nicole 6 years ago
I've join the army when I was 18 , was a different experience .. I have good memories , but must of the are bad . Just who now and has served knows what is going there .. Even today I have to deal with psychological problems .. Obviously I can´t compare to a veteran's life or someone who have PTSD.. but I do know what I saw .. I'm sorry for every loss of tour family and friends .
Ottmar Straub 6 years ago
Very difficult topic. For me being German it is even more difficult cause I know well for whom or what those wars are waged. My grandfather served for the Wehrmacht in Germany and - being opposition - he got killed in action fighting for something not so good as the American soldiers do. The media in the US is totally hipocrit and superficial to an extent which is very painful to see. Those american veterans did horrible things, even tried to kill my mother aged eight years old and behaved without any social intelligence. Many of them were just criminals raping and pilling. Those stories get suppressed in Mainstream-media and everything gets white-washed. It is such a difficult topic cause american patriotism gets abused to an extent which is unbearable. I understand the hatred against the USA very well but it does not lead anywhere.
Felipe S 6 years ago
Are you kidding me? Do you have any idea of extent of genocide and war crimes German soldiers are responsible for? Read a little bit... Nothing that US solders ever did in Germany comes remotely close... (Auschwitz, mass killings of civilians in Eastern Europe, etc.). I am sure that you could find examples of US soldiers not behaving right, but they helped to get rid of Nazi German ideology and that is the most important here. If they didn't help to stop them, your nation would murder many millions of innocent people more.
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Jane Lesch 6 years ago
Parkinson's is not caused by agent orange. They do not know the cause of the disease. It is mainly a female disease.
Bridgit Gilmore 6 years ago
Notice the 'toxicant exposure' listed as a cause. Agent Orange would be a toxicant.
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What do you think ?
Slinkman 6 years ago
What did they expect when they put up this question, lovely tales of the great happy militairy?
Tracee Jeen 6 years ago
They were protecting our country? Really? When have we ever have foreign troops on our soil? It's it US that are the foreign troops on foreign soil. We remove Leaders of other countries and leave those countries to crumble in the vacuum. I believe world peace is possible and that there really is enuf for everyone.
Hans 6 years ago
While we ought to be grateful for people who decide to defend their country, there is nothing to glorify about it. Maybe some return from war as heros, but for me the greatest heros are those who care for people returning traumatised from war.
Master Markus 6 years ago
While something like World War 2 was justifiable for the U.S. to get involved in, it's been largely involved in wars because of capitalist interests, especially the current wars. I don't want to simplify the issue too much, but it really has a lot of basis in sending the poor to die so the rich get richer.
Allen John 6 years ago
I never understood why certain websites glorify weapons of war. how a handful of politicians can dictatie the terms and conditions rest of the population. I never understood how that is even possible in this day and time.
Hiker Chick 6 years ago
My ex got a traumatic brain injury while serving in the Army before we met. 18 years later, when our kids were little, his brain function was so deteriorated he committed a felony and went to prison for 5 years. He has no comprehension of his crime. Our marriage didn't survive but the kids (now young adults) are there for him and my heart is broken because of how the TBI ruined his ability to have fulfilling and healthy relationships.
Matt 6 years ago
Let's see... Health services need to be insured, making it impossible for average people to afford proper care. Your company pays for it, so you become their wage slave. Wage slaves fatten the pockets of the rich. College fees are drastically overpriced so the average person is in debt and can't afford it. Free tuition is touted to underprivileged kids to make the army more appealing, so you can go to poor countries to send their ore, resources and opium home in order to sedate the population that suffers pain or addiction or trauma. Afterwards you don't get the healthcare you're entitled to and end up terrorising the people who love you, so essentially you bring the war home. Now I do believe the majority of the USA to be decent human beings. Why do people keep falling for this s**t?
THE ULTIMATE PUGTATO >_< 6 years ago
Did the U.S. army even care what agent orange would do to the soldiers?
THE ULTIMATE PUGTATO >_< 6 years ago
I am very sorry for everyone who had or is serving. I’m very very greatful that these beautiful souls are protecting are country and I just wanted to say thank you to all of you and your families. you are all brave
Slinkman 6 years ago
What did they expect when they put up this question, lovely tales of the great happy militairy?
Tracee Jeen 6 years ago
They were protecting our country? Really? When have we ever have foreign troops on our soil? It's it US that are the foreign troops on foreign soil. We remove Leaders of other countries and leave those countries to crumble in the vacuum. I believe world peace is possible and that there really is enuf for everyone.
Hans 6 years ago
While we ought to be grateful for people who decide to defend their country, there is nothing to glorify about it. Maybe some return from war as heros, but for me the greatest heros are those who care for people returning traumatised from war.
Master Markus 6 years ago
While something like World War 2 was justifiable for the U.S. to get involved in, it's been largely involved in wars because of capitalist interests, especially the current wars. I don't want to simplify the issue too much, but it really has a lot of basis in sending the poor to die so the rich get richer.
Allen John 6 years ago
I never understood why certain websites glorify weapons of war. how a handful of politicians can dictatie the terms and conditions rest of the population. I never understood how that is even possible in this day and time.
Hiker Chick 6 years ago
My ex got a traumatic brain injury while serving in the Army before we met. 18 years later, when our kids were little, his brain function was so deteriorated he committed a felony and went to prison for 5 years. He has no comprehension of his crime. Our marriage didn't survive but the kids (now young adults) are there for him and my heart is broken because of how the TBI ruined his ability to have fulfilling and healthy relationships.
Matt 6 years ago
Let's see... Health services need to be insured, making it impossible for average people to afford proper care. Your company pays for it, so you become their wage slave. Wage slaves fatten the pockets of the rich. College fees are drastically overpriced so the average person is in debt and can't afford it. Free tuition is touted to underprivileged kids to make the army more appealing, so you can go to poor countries to send their ore, resources and opium home in order to sedate the population that suffers pain or addiction or trauma. Afterwards you don't get the healthcare you're entitled to and end up terrorising the people who love you, so essentially you bring the war home. Now I do believe the majority of the USA to be decent human beings. Why do people keep falling for this s**t?
THE ULTIMATE PUGTATO >_< 6 years ago
Did the U.S. army even care what agent orange would do to the soldiers?
THE ULTIMATE PUGTATO >_< 6 years ago
I am very sorry for everyone who had or is serving. I’m very very greatful that these beautiful souls are protecting are country and I just wanted to say thank you to all of you and your families. you are all brave
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