Active shooter at Fort Hood, again

Araysar_sl said:

Yeah, I own several guns. I also have little to no desire to go shooting these days. I think last time I went to the range was 2 years ago, maybe 3. My primary sidearm would have an 1/8" layer of dust on it right now if I didn't keep it in a case.

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So why do you have guns?

Zhaun_sl said:

I'm not sure kicking crazy people out of the military so they disappear into the masses, with less supervision and health care is the best plan.

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No man, its not about kicking them out; its about making sure they get appropriate care while in the military, and then after through the VA - both of which are areas where there is a severe lack right now. Its getting better, but the resources are just not there. While just kicking them out isn't the answer, you also don't want a mentally disturbed individual controlling 60 ton death machines, either. Its about easing them back into civilian life and ensuring they get the proper care after.

This sounds like an issue where that guy never should have made it in in the first place. Mental health is difficult to screen; you add that to military recruiters who are under enormous pressure (extremely enormous - to fail at recruiting is to pretty much end your career, no matter how badass of a killer you are) to put people in, and you got a major problem.

If anything good comes out of this, it will be a renewed effort to patch up the mostly screwed up military mental health support system for guys still in uniform, and for the guys who have gone on to civilian life.

Chris_sl said:

So why do you have guns?

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If he's like me, he had an interest and/or the need for protection and it passed for whatever reason. (I personally enjoyed hunting, but my health doesn't allow me to anymore - and mine literally are collecting dust these days... reminds me actually I should probably either sell them or verify the laws for bringing them on the move with the whole crossing state lines thing...)

When I was in, we'd come back and would have to see "The Wizard" before we could leave base and all that, he was the dude standing in the way of us and libo, family, booze, women, etc so we just told him everything they wanted to hear. I hope they've done away with that "system."

Other than that, I see travel time back to the world being part of the issue. At sun up you're in Shithole, Wherever, then come sundown you're back in the States. Least WW2 vets had a few month ship back, time to decompress amongst your fellows and all that. As it stands, I'm near a 1:1 ratio of dudes who checked themselves out to dudes we lost in country. I really don't get it.

Turns out I beat up one of the victims when we were in high school. Small world. Tim Owens, lived in Effingham.

Gavinrad_sl said:

Tim Owens, lived in Effingham.

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Is that the polite way to say Fuckingham?

yeah cause being in Iraq is only stressful for combatants.

TheBeagle_sl said:

Is that the polite way to say Fuckingham?

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Home of Porcine Bestiality?

One thing I don't get is that the Army is saying he had a "self-reported" TBI. Well, ok...he reported it, cool. Did they send him for a brain MRI? How would they not check that relatively soon after he reported it? Didn't believe him?

I think they're really setting the table to say that the soldier did not have PTSD. Pretty sure they don't want to risk others with PTSD getting scared of being labeled a potential going postal risk.

Big Phoenix_sl said:

been there done that. I was woken up by plenty of ieds going off in the middle of the night while over there while having to drive right over the freshly made craters the next day.

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What's your point? That because you didn't get PTSD, no other non-combatants could have gotten it? I suppose you think it's bullshit that drone operators can get PTSD too.

Big Phoenix_sl said:

you realize the drone operators youre thinking about(the ones who drop hellfires) dont leave the US? They are stationed in Nevada.

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Your point?

Is setting children at a wedding on fire in Yemen while sitting on your ass in Nevada sufficiently less traumatic to make the development of PTSD an impossibility?

Arbitrary_sl said:

Is setting children at a wedding on fire in Yemen while sitting on your ass in Nevada sufficiently less traumatic to make the development of PTSD an impossibility?

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The lag alone would drive me to PTSD.

I wonder if drone pilots have ladders and achievement boards.