In 2008, a young man was driving along a country road when
his life was changed forever. An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detonated
next to his vehicle and he was severely injured. In 2011 he was medically retired
from the Army and now receives treatment for PTSD, TBI and permanent nerve
damage. He is enrolled in college classes, and is my student in Anatomy and
Physiology. His goal is to become a practitioner in a medical field. His story isn’t’ unique, or the worst story either. There are thousands of injured Vets trying to get along every day. Some make it, some don’t. Some could probably do better than they do, and some can never achieve their former goals due to massive destruction of body, mind or both.
In some circles this is called “The Butcher’s Bill”. Personally, I don’t think the end was worth the means. So I ask “how did we get into this mess”, and “how do we get out”? I know the answer to both of these questions, and my vote this November will be the way I respond. In the meantime, I am working with a couple of the “wounded warriors”, trying in some small way to make right the wrongs perpetrated on them.
I hate politicians and war. Well, some politicians anyway.
Image: http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/ied-1.jpg
Interesting story, and from my personal experiences any war is simply a grausam and irrational human behavior. It never leads to anything good and at the same time it never resolves anything. The war as George Carlin once said "it measures who has the biggest dick.." I guess, the war can be good (GOOD very loosely used)for economics, but that is about it. I cannot agree with you more on I HATE WAR, and instead of WAR as the saying goes people would benefit so much more by making "safe" LOVE (No extra babies, no STDs, no hippie shit, but rather caring, nurturing love, with occasional pig sex lol...
ReplyDeleteNow, to a little none sympathetic side of the argument. A solder, a NFL player or professional fighter to me are professions that are known to be prone to serious injuries and once you sign up for it you may pay the price as many do. Not everybody will be stationed in Germany, or Hawaii; not every NFL player will be the superstar, or a world fighting champion. That's why we have history, and historically speaking the most majority at either profession end up suffering. Yes, you may argue that it is the violent society that provides the atmosphere for such cruel experiences, but never the less once you sign up, you have to live with the responsibilities and hardships that come with the job. That is why you will not see my ass in any branch, because I refuse to fight for any idiot that is trying to prove to another person of equal intelligent that his dick is bigger. In other words I have no sympathy for somebody that got their body parts blown off during service that they enlisted to (of course the war was not their choice, but it is always the possibility), I have no sympathy for NFL players killing themselves because of the head injuries and aggressive behaviors. No sympathy when a boxer develops brain damage from all the blows to the head, or a drunk driver kills him/herself. But, I have sympathy for veterans that are fighting to archive their best, but then again, I am glad when I hear about anybody trying to overcome their disability to become the best that they can be.
On a better note, they are lucky that they have you as their professor, because you are awesome and if anybody can help them, it would be YOU...