Quote:
|
"As far as being shot at every day, I think it's better," Aponte told WCBS-TV in an interview that aired Friday. "Mentally I can't do it anymore. I can't handle it anymore."
|
This is the product of overly long deployments, not enough time back home, unending strings of tours, and extended periods of enlistment.
When you treat a military like this, you break it. The soldiers quickly reach the break point. It is even worse with the officers, since seeking help of a psychological nature is the black mark on their career. The guy who went crazy will never get promoted again.
A draft is what was needed from the very beginning. It is the only way support an extended war like this without destroying your military. However, it is the one thing that Bush was unwilling to do, because he knows he would have never been able to invade if he called for one. He certainly wouldn't get it through Congress now.
We really, really have to leave, before our military is chewed up enough that other hostile countries get bold and start taking out US embassies.
Quote:
|
His lawyer has said Aponte suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, and the military will evaluate him and decide whether he is fit for duty, provide counseling if needed and then send him back overseas, or discharge him.
|
So, we'll take a look at you. If you seem fit, we punish you, and send you back into the meat grinder. If you're not fit, we put you out on a psych discharge, ensuring that you will never hold a government job or any position requiring a security clearance. Our little gift to you for fighting for our country.