Is it unreasonable that I am really getting tired of the warmongers?

[msc545]

I see patients every day that have PTSD, TBI, anger disorders, and seizure disorders as a result of being exposed to combat and having people try to kill them and having to kill people and never really recovering from these things. They would not have any of this if they had not been sent to foreign countries in order to make rich people in the United States richer. I am fucking sick of it. I treat these people to the best of my ability, which without blowing my own horn is pretty considerable. But sometimes they don't get better at all, and sometimes they just get a little better. It absolutely breaks my heart.

If the United States itself were being attacked, I could see a reason for it. But the United States isn't being attacked, except by people on the right wing who keep attacking our government, our laws, and everything else because they think that they don't have enough money and they don't have slaves like they want.

I don't want to rant about this, but I've seen one patient after another today who is a veteran and who is in terrible shape. I am absolutely heartbroken. I'm trying to work and I keep breaking into tears, and it's very difficult to work.

[Levin]

Quite a noble thought, except when you went completely unreasonable with the right wing bit.

Most reasonable people, left and right, don't want war, and don't see most of the west's interventions as just. The problem as much as anything is the systems involved. The military is lauded in the US. The individuals have also made the choice to sign up. They get the esteem, the career progression, the benefits. I would not fight for my country because I know that it is led by evil people and you would have to commit wicket acts. You can not follow your conscience, which may be part of the reason people do get PTSD.

But I know people who have signed up. They dick around with tanks in foreign countries (such as Germany and Canada), fuck the locals. I know they have a good salary, good progression. I know one guy that was thick as pigshit and could barely switch a computer on. He was getting paid more than me despite barely being literate and having a double digit IQ. The guy never saw war as far as I'm aware. Responsibility needs to be taken as every level here. These systems only survive because people subscribe to them.

[Staximus]

War is fucked. The leaders of countries who decide to go to war haven't fought on the front lines since medieval times. Put them on the front lines and see how long that war lasts. I have a friend who was in Iraq. He killed a shitload of Iraqis who were trying to kill him and is totally fucked in the head. I used to work with this kid at Home Depot, he was on a psychiatric discharge from the Marine corps. His job was to guard supply convoys. He killed 67 Iraqis at 19 fucking years old. He said he just couldn't do it anymore. One day they were driving by a house and Iraqis were ripping them up with fully automatic rifles or a machine gun, I can't remember which. His sergeant or officer told him to light that house up with a rocket launcher and he did, blew them to hell. When they cleared what was left of the place, they found a little girl hiding in the corner who had died in the explosion along with everybody else in the room. He said he laid there every night trying to go to sleep seeing that dead little girl in his head and just wanted to die.

[msc545]

Thank you for sharing that. I have heard stories like that almost daily for a long time now from my patients. We have something called Vicarious PTSD which is when health care providers like myself actually get a form of PTSD from listening to stories like this. I don't know what to say about it except we try to care for these people as best we can with the technologies and techniques we have, none of which are wonderful. I don't have magic pills or a magic treatment, but I seem to have a little bit of success sometimes. Thank you again for sharing.

[Staximus]

The kid I worked with at Home Depot was 20 years ago. My friend has also told me some stories. About shooting suicide bombers to pieces and some other crazy shit.

[msc545]

There are all kinds of crazy stories, and I hear many of them from my patients. They have no incentive to make up stories for me, and some of the stuff they tell me actually haunts me to this day. I won't repeat it here because it's just too horrific.

[RandomGirl42]

I never understood war and I really hope you and everyone can maybe find someway, somehow just to feel a little better.

I know in my heart there still is some good in this world, sometimes it's just really hard to see.

[msc545]

Thank you. The world's feeling pretty shitty to me these days, but yes, hopefully it'll get better.

[NathanDavis]

going back into the family... the last of "us" that served was for Vietnam, and then not one again

he came back to the USA, but he never "made it back" to the USA, and then he had to endure years and years of a never ending nightmare, needless to say that the government never got him any help and the only option they were willing to give was pretty much "jail under a coma", not literally... but I think you get what I mean

both my grandmas (and other elders) decided back then that nobody else in the family would ever "serve" again

[exitseven]

It's easy to sit in judgement but what about the attack on the World Trade Center? Are we supposed to just bend over and take it.

War sucks, I did not serve although I joined the Air Force but failed the physical. And i cannot imagine what some of these people went through. However, security is important to any nation and without a strong military a country is subject to invasion. Look at Ukraine. It was invaded by Russia and it the US did not step in they would all be bowing down to Putin. How long before Putin comes knocking on out door?

I am grateful for all people who have joined the military and also for people like you that serve them after the fact.

Yes, there are people who get rich from war, this has been going on since the American Revolution. I do not know what the answer to that is. I am sorry that Elon Musk and DOGE did not get to investigate the Pentagon because I am sure he would have found the mother lode.

[msc545]

The United States brought the attack on the World Trade Center on itself because it treated Arabs like shit for almost 30 years. It's still going on, so you can expect another attack from those people at some point because they're trying to defend themselves from the depredations of the U. S.

[exitseven]

The Arabs are savages and were treated as such. They got off easy in my opinion.

[msc545]

It's nice that you have an opinion, but guess what? The Arabs think you and the rest of us are savages too. The Arabs didn't get off easy, but so did we.

[exitseven]

The arabs can think what they want. Can they point to any great accomplishments in science, culture , philosophy or literature? If they did not have oil they would have nothing but their hatred of each other and America.

[msc545]

The Arabs have significant achievements in literature, philosophy, culture, and science, but all of that is mostly rendered in a language that you and I don't speak or read, so of course we are not aware of it. The oil just happens to be on their land; they didn't do anything to create the existence of it, and when it's gone, it will be gone. Their culture will go on. Have you spent any time in any of their countries?

[msc545]

Even if the Arabs didn't have achievements in literature, philosophy, culture, and science, and they were just people occupying the land that happened to contain oil, that does not give the United States the right to steal their oil, which is exactly what the United States has been doing for many years. And it pissed them off to the extent that they attacked the World Trade Center. Gee, I wonder why. You might want to consider the fact that the attack by the United States on Iraq and Afghanistan pissed the Arabs off to the point that they actually did attack the World Trade Center. Also, the attempts by the United States earlier on to steal their oil pissed them off to the extent that they did attack the World Trade Center. So, you know, when we do it, you think it's okay, and when they do, you think it's a tragedy and a horrible crime. The truth is, all of it's a crime.

[exitseven]

The Arabs have gotten rich selling oil to the world. The leaders grab most of the money so the people that live there are impoverished the US has not been stealing their oil. That is not our problem.

[msc545]

The U. S. has been stealing our oil for years and continues to do so. Don't be naive.

[exitseven]

The US has made them all rich. If it wasn't for oil they would all be living in caves.

[msc545]

Yeah, I can tell they're really rich, that's why half of them are starving and the other half are plotting revenge.

[exitseven]

the leaders grab all the money and get everyone so filled with hate that they do not even notice.

[blackeagle007]

9-11 I can understand going to war. That’s an attack on us. But Venezuela? That’s going to be a disaster. Besides, it’s up to people to NOT pick up that drug. There’s problems with alcohol here, drunk driving deaths. A war is a stupid idea to combat drugs. Trump is the one on drugs more than anything else

[Chazmatazz269]

😂😂😂

[ProbablyClueless]

I’m right there with you, man. I’m so sick of seeing, living, with the aftermath of some asshole’s payday.

[Sevenpointfive]

my cousin was a sniper and he had PTSD for awhile. he did get through it and couldn't be happier.

[msc545]

I'm glad to hear that. Most people who had that job don't get through it later on. To hear of someone who did is a blessing, particularly today.

[Ariesman81]

I hope you're able to not project your guilt onto these soldiers who probably already have a guilty conscience.

[msc545]

I don't feel guilty at all. I've done nothing to feel guilty for. It's my patients who have an overwhelming burden of guilt.

[Ariesman81]

Then absolve them of it

[msc545]

I am not in any position to absolve anyone of anything like that. I am not a clergyman, and that is not what I do.

[Ariesman81]

Hmmm