Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Dick Cheney shot his hunting buddy by accident, provoking an array of humorous political cartoons and commentary. This is what the Vice President had to say in his press conference:
Listen to him owning up to actually pulling the trigger and shooting his friend. How honest. I guess he and his friend will just shake hands, have a good laugh, and move on. But will he? He says he'll "never be able to get [shooting Harry] out of my mind."
Traumatic episodes such as this can scar the psyche, interfering with sleep and concentration. They can also affect one's ability to enjoy life, and can drive people to suicide. "Shellshock" is what they used to call it. Now it has a more technical term, "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder." Untold veterans of our wars have come back suffering from PTSD; a lucky minority has received counseling and treatment for it.
If accidentally shooting his friend has traumatized Mr. Cheney that badly, imagine if an IED had gone off, showering Mr. Cheney with bits of his friend. This is, of course, what thousands of brave American soldiers have experienced in the current Iraq conflict.
The current administration has seen fit to place American soldiers in harm's way. Many of these courageous men and women will come back with wounds: both mental and physical. In 2005, the administration admitted to a billion dollar deficit for funding of the VA medical institutions. At a time when our veterans who defended our freedom by fighting in Europe, the Pacific, Korea and Vietnam are aging and requiring more help, a new group of fresh wounded are going to need the services of the VAMC. It seems shameful to cut funding for the VA at such a time. Of course, this administration seems to want to cut taxes and pump money into the oil industry rather than take care of veterans.
But what can you expect from an administration full of draft dodgers?
"It was not Harry's fault," Cheney said Wednesday in the interview. "You can't blame anybody else. I'm the guy who pulled the trigger and shot my friend. And I say that is something I'll never forget."
Cheney described the horror of the incident in the interview.
"The image of him falling is something I'll never be able to get out of my mind," he said. "I fired, and there's Harry falling. And it was, I'd have to say, one of the worst days of my life, at that moment."
Listen to him owning up to actually pulling the trigger and shooting his friend. How honest. I guess he and his friend will just shake hands, have a good laugh, and move on. But will he? He says he'll "never be able to get [shooting Harry] out of my mind."
Traumatic episodes such as this can scar the psyche, interfering with sleep and concentration. They can also affect one's ability to enjoy life, and can drive people to suicide. "Shellshock" is what they used to call it. Now it has a more technical term, "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder." Untold veterans of our wars have come back suffering from PTSD; a lucky minority has received counseling and treatment for it.
If accidentally shooting his friend has traumatized Mr. Cheney that badly, imagine if an IED had gone off, showering Mr. Cheney with bits of his friend. This is, of course, what thousands of brave American soldiers have experienced in the current Iraq conflict.
The current administration has seen fit to place American soldiers in harm's way. Many of these courageous men and women will come back with wounds: both mental and physical. In 2005, the administration admitted to a billion dollar deficit for funding of the VA medical institutions. At a time when our veterans who defended our freedom by fighting in Europe, the Pacific, Korea and Vietnam are aging and requiring more help, a new group of fresh wounded are going to need the services of the VAMC. It seems shameful to cut funding for the VA at such a time. Of course, this administration seems to want to cut taxes and pump money into the oil industry rather than take care of veterans.
But what can you expect from an administration full of draft dodgers?
posted by Corporal at 8:54 PM
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