It is with a heavy heart that I write this post in light of yet another tragedy. This time it wasn't a white supremacist, or neo-fascist, it was a former member of the military. A 29 year old former Marine took the lives of at least 12 people, with his final act being taking his own life. Before any rush to judgement, we need to examine this completely preventable tragedy in it's entirety. This young man saw combat in Afghanistan as a machine gunner for the Marine Corps after he enlisted in 2008. He was only 19 years old upon his enlistment, and his intentions for enlisting are yet unknown to me, but a good majority of individuals who enlist at a young age do so due to the promise of having access to education, the potential to gain their citizenship, or simply because they desire to do good in a country that's promoted as oppressive to it's people or a threat to the United States. I have several friends who were in the Marine Corps, and there's a credo they have which is "first to go, last to know". It essentially means they're the first to be sent into harm's way at behest of their superiors. Marines are trained to be physically resilient, to be able to endure conditions that civilians would never be able to survive in. However no amount of training can prepare one for the horrors of combat.
No training, regardless of how thorough, can prepare anyone for the immense mental toll it takes not only while deployed, but also after the deployment is over. Many have returned from combat with physical scars, but the mental scars can be much more devastating. The inability to tolerate significant sized crowds without anxiety, the constant jumpiness to any sudden loud sound, the nightmares that are experienced night after night while sleeping which make sleep almost unwelcome. I've not had the experience that these individuals have had, but I've spoken with former members at length, I've heard the suffering that they endured after their combat is over. For them, it never truly ends, they carry it with them every single day.
They pay a very heavy toll for something they truly don't benefit from in any way, shape or form. Most have noble intentions but are sent to their potential deaths for the advancement of the wealthy's interests in continually reaping enormous amounts of money. This is done through various methods including rebuilding efforts, or being given access to previously unavailable economies due to the previous government's control of them and their respective country's economy, and access to natural resources. Members of the military are sent to fight and potentially die for the rich, and when they return with their physical and mental scars, are almost entirely disgarded by the very ones they were ordered to further the interests of. They and their families suffer potential tremendous loss, and the elite reap the rewards.
They are willing to sacrifice their very lives for what they are told will be helping those in foreign countries, and when they return, they return to a veteran's healthcare system which in almost every aspect fails them entirely. I've heard of instances where veterans have returned from a combat tour and sought prosthetis, and have been forced to wait so long that when the prosthetic arrives, it no longer fits properly. Many of them suffer in silence, as they have no outlet to express their deep emotional and mental turmoil. I ask before any critisize veterans returning from combat tours, take the time to learn their motivations for enlistment. We have true comrades amongst them, and some of the most resolute of comrades come from within their ranks. To those who have seen the horrors of combat, I urge you when the dark times fall upon you, reach out to those closest to you. Your actions in no way impact only yourself, but those who love you as well.
Richard Trotsky
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