Site Presented By
Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
Dr Stan
Published Letters: 33 Editor's Choice: 2
I remember all too well being the one leaving on an aircraft carrier for a deployment leaving a wife and son behind. How do you prepare children for this? I wish I knew. I will say my then wife, now my ex, and I were too young and immature to prepare ourselves, let alone our son for this experience. I want to congratulate the author for her efforts. Hopefully the outcome will be better than it was for us. We're divorced and my son has been a problem, and caused himself many problems over the years.
As to the statement about people in the Navy killing other people, that is a reality the author needs to face. I saw action in Vietnam and Cambodia. Afterward when I needed someone to talk to my ex turned her back and walked away. You made a commitment to him, becoming part of his life and you part of his. He will see and do things no human should do to other humans. Be there for him. It will not be easy, but as his partner you will need to help him. Be gentle, do not force the issue. Seek support for both of you.
As a veteran of the carrier USS Coral Sea CVA-43 I applaud PBS for bringing to light the living conditions and other aspects of life on-board a carrier. I was 19 years old when I reported aboard and had absolutely no idea of what awaited this small town greenhorn. My hometown was as white bread Middle America as one could imagine. Especially since in this town someone of Eastern European ancestry was considered to be a minority.
I lived and learned from people from across the US, Mexico, and Asia. My perceptions were changed for the better and I consider my time in the Navy equal to my BS degree with regard to my understanding of people.
I do take issue with the title “City of Lost Children”. They are young adults. One may enter boot camp as a kid, but I will guarantee you, one does not stay a child for long. We put our lives on the line and to refer to those who are serving on active duty as “children” is an insult. I would also like to note during Vietnam those who served on the flight deck (the roof rats) had a higher casualty rate than those in the infantry.
I urge you to change the title of the article.
McCain simply demonstrates just how reckless he would be as president.
As one who gained from the education benefits of the GI Bill I must say McCain’s stance is morally wrong. Anyone who serves a hitch in the military has earned these benefits and to deny them is patently immoral. These are not handouts as some would characterize them, but something we earned. This stance reminds me of the comment from Reagan’s Secretary of the VA who characterized us as “Welfare Queens” living off the GI Bill.
In addition to the individual economic gains, there are also the societal gains due to the increased educational level of the population. The WWII GI Bill has been called the greatest economic development measure that was ever passed by the Congress.
This just further demonstrates McCain’s lack of character and his lack of fitness for the highest office of the US.
This story deserves to be on Salon’s home page, not buried.
As a member of the Disabled American Veterans I am quite distressed at some of the comments by the neo-cons. They do not speak for all of us vets as many of us are adamantly opposed to Bush’s policies and by extension McCain’s positions.
Neither Bush nor McCain needed to concern themselves about paying for college, so why should they be concerned for the troops? They are not.
Bush went to Yale as a legacy and McCain’s Daddy & Grandfather were Navy Academy grads who got him an appointment. BTW, McCain graduated sixth from the bottom. Just what we need, another intellectual lightweight in the White House. NOT!
I cannot agree more, learn a trade. It will give you a firm foundation and serve you much better than some ambiguous general business degree that prepares you for a McJob. It will also help you decide what you want to do with your life. Then you can decide what degree to pursue.
There are many trades that pay well and are quite satisfying. Find a guidance counselor who does not have his or her head stuck in the college track and look at different options. Go to the counselor at the community college, not the one at the university.
FYI, this is what I did. I first became a tool & die maker and found my niche. I also have degrees in Quality Control, Industrial Technology, a M. Ed. in secondary education and an EdD in Adult & Career Education. A trade does not limit one, but expands ones horizons.
Since when is there anything moral about war, or any other form of killing other humans?
The short answer is quite simple.
RUN!
No he's a lot "crazy". The short answer is simple.
RUN!
The long answer could easily fill a book. He has demonstrated a serious lack of judgment in addition to leaving you "out of the loop" in a major life changing (possibly life ending) decision. Cut your losses and leave. Take it from someone who has been there. War is not a glorious adventure or any other Victorian duty bound BS. He will not come back. His body may return, but even if he is alive he, his soul or core, will be irrevocably altered and not for the better. If he tends to be a loose cannon now, combat will only make it much more severe.
Dr. Stan
Life Member Disabled American Veterans
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
The survivor and author is upset about comparisons some on the right are making to genocide
Once seen as a lunatic fringe, reactionary anti-women groups are courting respectability
Salon headlines in your mailbox
