When we send our sons and daughters off to war, they're normal, or however we perceive "normal" to be. They're away or gone from our daily lives for a couple of years or more and then, suddenly they are back. We haven't been around them for the intervening two years; we have no idea what they have been exposed to and we expect that things will quickly get back to "normal."
But, that is not always the case. They've probably been shot at, maybe even wounded. They've seen friends maimed or killed, sometimes right next to them. They've been given a gun, taught how to shoot it... taught to kill. Yet, they have rules... you can't shoot unless or until this or that happens and if you shoot when you're not supposed to, you could end up in jail.
I don't know how anybody can spend a few years under those conditions and then come home "normal." "Well," the government says, "they can get help. The V.A. will give them help. If they're still on active duty, the military will get them help."
Anyone who has ever done service with the military or who knows people who have served knows that getting help is much easier said than done. I know of people who have been waiting over two years just to get cleared to see a doctor. Even when you do get "help," it's not always qualified to deal with the issues that accompany post traumatic stress syndrome, for example.
I mention all of this because people don't understand how a good, decent, hard-working "normal" guy can pick up a gun and walk into a clinic and start shooting.
It's way past the time when this government should stop treating our young men and women who have served as if they were cattle. We owe them a profound debt of gratitude and it needs to be repaid with respect and loving care; we need to help them heal not only their physical wounds, but also their individual mental hells. Spending taxpayer money on lavish parties and undeserved bonuses just doesn't get it done.
That's MY AMERICAN OPINION, respectfully submitted.
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