The Crucifixion of Tomas Young

asherbassad

Tomas Young, one of the first veterans to oppose the war will starve himself to death to escape the despair and horror of his current life.

People who put Support The Troops stickers on their cars would do well to prove that they actually do so.

Young was paralysed in Sadr City and then abandoned by the very people who sent him to war and destroyed him. He's hoping to be dead before June.

This maybe be poignant and disturbing, even offensive to some with more fragile sensitivities but that's war and so many cheer for it without wanting to stomach the aftermath. So I make no apologies for bringing to attention this foul and disturbing episode:

http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/15045-one-of-the-first-iraq-veterans-to-publicly-oppose-war-will-die-for-our-sins

InTheTrees

That's awful

As far as I know, twenty war vet's commit suicide every week.

asherbassad

InTheTrees wrote: »

That's awful

As far as I know, twenty war vet's commit suicide every week.

Don't think it's 20.....I think there are 20 attempts each week with about 8 or 10 "successful". The remainder survive with serious injuries.

Well when the attitude in the military is "you're not depressed or suicidal, soldier. Stop being a f*gg*t! You'll feel better when we send you back to kill more ragheads!" then this is what you reap.

Incidentally Bush didn't attend a single funeral of any of the thousands who were killed during his 8 years as president. And he sent them to die. The least he could have done was shown up for 10 minutes to bury one of them. And Rumsfeld didn't even have the decency to sign the letters to the next of kin. He had a machine print his signature.

Shows you the kind of people these armchair-warrior politicians are.

InTheTrees

asherbassad wrote: »

Don't think it's 20.....I think there are 20 attempts each week with about 8 or 10 "successful". The remainder survive with serious injuries.

Nope. We're both wrong. Its far far worse than that.

In 2010 there were twenty two a DAY:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/02/us/veterans-make-up-shrinking-percentage-of-suicides.html?_r=0

InTheTrees

There was an excellent "60 minutes" piece about Veteran Suicides last sunday.

And I did get the numbers wrong. Twenty Two DIE every day from suicide.

The life and death of Clay Hunt:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50142077n

asherbassad

InTheTrees wrote: »

There was an excellent "60 minutes" piece about Veteran Suicides last sunday.

And I did get the numbers wrong. Twenty Two DIE every day from suicide.

The life and death of Clay Hunt:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50142077n

Callous as it may sound.....1 million+ Iraqis are dead, 3 million are now displaced refugees living in squalor that you and I wouldn't dare take out our penises to urinate in. And one in every three Iraqi children are now orphans, not to mention the little ones who've had limbs blown off or eyes and faces scorched away and now whimper themselves to sleep every night.
They had no choice. They just slept until they were slaughtered by the Marines hell bent on killing Eye-rakkies.
So while I have respect for the American soldier who has the guts to speak truth to power and admit he was wrong, the fact of the matter is that he had a choice and now the only people who can ever forgive him are dead.

Jonny7

asherbassad wrote: »

Callous as it may sound.....1 million+ Iraqis are dead, 3 million are now displaced refugees living in squalor that you and I wouldn't dare take out our penises to urinate in. And one in every three Iraqi children are now orphans, not to mention the little ones who've had limbs blown off or eyes and faces scorched away and now whimper themselves to sleep every night.
They had no choice. They just slept until they were slaughtered by the Marines hell bent on killing Eye-rakkies.
So while I have respect for the American soldier who has the guts to speak truth to power and admit he was wrong, the fact of the matter is that he had a choice and now the only people who can ever forgive him are dead.

Hmm, some of us chose to protest the war before it happened.

A suggestion, perhaps instead of venting frustration via internet messageboard the below might be more constructive
http://www.asbestos.com/resources/veteran-charities.php
For Iraq - Medecins sans Frontiers

Tomas Young has already done a lot of good by featuring in that documentary. His life shouldn't be in vain.

InTheTrees

Jonny7 wrote: »

Hmm, some of us chose to protest the war before it happened.

That was an orwellian time wasnt it?

asherbassad

InTheTrees wrote: »

That was an orwellian time wasnt it?

Don't rise to the bait, Trees. Jonny's a skilled and intransigent dupe. The time for strength of character, political courage and moral fibre came in early 2003. Jonny and apologists couldn't summon it then. Don't expect them to even recognise it now.

Gatling

He opposed the war he signed up for of his own free will ,and now starving himself for his sins seriously kinda retarded if I do say myself ,he because a soldier not to make political statement's ,he joined because he was wanted to be in combat sins what the hell has that got to do with him getting injured hate these snibbling tree hugging bleeding heart bible bashers

asherbassad

Gatling wrote: »

He opposed the war he signed up for of his own free will ,and now starving himself for his sins seriously kinda retarded if I do say myself ,he because a soldier not to make political statement's ,he joined because he was wanted to be in combat sins what the hell has that got to do with him getting injured hate these snibbling tree hugging bleeding heart bible bashers

Just can't seem to cogently make a point without barfing out ad hominem attacks can you? Just can't counter an argument without the "tree hugging" name-calling.

Your contribution sounds like something one would hear in the chipper at about 2am.

Mjollnir

Gatling wrote: »

He opposed the war he signed up for of his own free will ,and now starving himself for his sins seriously kinda retarded if I do say myself ,he because a soldier not to make political statement's ,he joined because he was wanted to be in combat sins what the hell has that got to do with him getting injured hate these snibbling tree hugging bleeding heart bible bashers

Could you please rephrase that in better English?

Thanks.

Jonny7

asherbassad wrote: »

Don't rise to the bait, Trees. Jonny's a skilled and intransigent dupe. The time for strength of character, political courage and moral fibre came in early 2003. Jonny and apologists couldn't summon it then. Don't expect them to even recognise it now.

So, you revert to insults.

Manic Moran

asherbassad wrote: »

Well when the attitude in the military is "you're not depressed or suicidal, soldier. Stop being a f*gg*t! You'll feel better when we send you back to kill more ragheads!" then this is what you reap.

Bullcrap.

You obviously have no idea of the level of emphasis that the US military has placed on suicide awareness and trying to get them help. If you dislike the US military so much that you refuse to believe that we're doing this because we care about our troops, then look at the fact that we spend a hell of a lot of money training soldiers, and we don't like to see that investment blow its brains out and we have to start over and train more, with accompanying time and money.

Two troops under my personal command were at risk and as soon as they were identified they were brought (not directed, physically accompanied) to get help. There is probably no other organization on the planet where it is so easy to get help, not just for direct suicidal ideation, but for other trigger factors such as marriage or financial counseling, and it's all free.

If there is a deterrent to seeking aid, it's actually coming from the politicians who have proposed that anyone who has sought psychiatric aid be stripped of their right to personal firearms. with the result that troops with mild, easily treatable issues will try to tough it out themselves. Fortunately, most times its come up, the veterans groups have gotten it shot down, but still people are wary.

NTM

Manic Moran

"Crucifixion'? Are there people lining up to nail him to the cross?

As to Mr Young himself, there are two issues: Suicide for political effect, and suicide for quality of life reasons.

If he is committing suicide for political effect (I don't believe he is), either he's an idiot, or he has become so blinded by the fury of what has happened to him that he isn't thinking straight. This isn't Tunisia, there is no dictatorship which his example will lead to an uprising or rebellion against. The people he takes exception to aren't even in power any more. There is no more major troop presence in Iraq, his death will achieve nothing there either.

Far more likely, he has simply decided to end his life because of his injuries. This is not a question unique to him, the concept of choosing to end one's life instead of living as a burden to others or in pain has been hotly debated for years. It is not a question unique to soldiers, soldiers of the Iraq war, or him as a soldier. People have considered the concept after injuries received after being hit by a drunk driver, falling off a ladder changing a roof tile, or simply because they have become so old that their bodies no longer function as they should. His position is no different from theirs. I am not one to say if his decision is right or wrong, I don't know if anyone not in his position can. But in this case his position is a result of his choice of profession: Even in the most uncontrovertibly noble and just war ever undertaken, whatever, that may have been, the risks of ending up with that quality of life exists.

NTM