Be-Think [Please visit BeThink.org]

The Cost of War; The Meaning of Memorial Day

Veterans Suicide – an Epidemic – Part I

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org

On Memorial Day, Americans honor the fallen. Soldiers whose faces will never appear before us again are remembered for their service. Only the few, friends and family, will recall the life of those young men and women who passed from this world into another. In a country grateful for the protection troops provide, people will shop on this holy day. A President will place a wreath on the grave of an unknown soldier. Beautiful speeches will be made in the spirit of homage. Americans will bow their heads in respect. Reverence will be offered, and statistics that document the effects of war will not be shared. Yet, the numbers cry out for attention, just as the pained servicemen and women do.

• The suicide rate of veterans is at least three times the national suicide rate. In 2005, the suicide rate for veterans 18- to 24-years-old was three to four times higher than non-veterans.


• About 126 veterans per week commit suicide.


• About 154,000 veterans nationwide are homeless on any given night. One-fourth of the homeless population is veterans.


• There are more homeless Vietnam veterans than the number of soldiers who were killed during that war.


• It takes at least 5.5 years, on average, to resolve a benefit claim with the Veteran's Administration.


• More than 600,000 unresolved claims are backlogged with the Veteran's Administration.


• Approximately 18.5 percent of service members who have returned from Afghanistan and Iraq currently have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or depression.


• 19.5 percent of these veterans report experiencing traumatic brain injury.


• Roughly half of those who need treatment seek it, but only slightly more than half of those who receive treatment receive at least minimally adequate care, according to an April 2008 Rand Report.

Memorial Day. Honoring War and the Fallen? Not Peace and Life

Sam Keen on War

copyright © 2007 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org

Granted on this a day en memoriam we might discuss the military record of our Commander-In-Chief. We could quibble about his service and his unwillingness to sacrifice his life for this nation. We might speak of the Vice President and his own hesitancy to enlist. Perhaps a focus on their folly would be wise; however futile. These men did as they did and do as they do. We will not change that through our rants. Our rage will not alter the world. Reflection on the topic of war might help begin a transformation. However, perhaps, contemplation, a conversation, and a concentration on peace are best.

Marines Kill Innocent Iraqi Family. Verdict “Not Guilty”? ©

That was an odd observation, or so I thought at the time. The words of a close friend, a psychiatrist, and a veteran haunted me so deeply that now, days later, I cannot shake them. In discussing the recent revelation, Marine soldiers brutally slaughtered innocent Iraqi families in their home; my companion said he thought these men should go free. He stated that were he among the psychiatrists to testify in the case, he would recommend they be acquitted. I was stunned. I had heard the news.

According to MSNBC News,

A Pentagon probe into the death of Iraqi civilians last November in the Iraqi city of Haditha will show that U.S. Marines "killed innocent civilians in cold blood," a U.S. lawmaker said Wednesday.

From the beginning, Iraqis in the town of Haditha said U.S. Marines deliberately killed 15 unarmed Iraqi civilians, including seven women and three children. One young Iraqi girl said the Marines killed six members of her family, including her parents. “The Americans came into the room where my father was praying,” she said, “and shot him.”

I said nothing, or if I did, I do not recall. I was in a state of shock. I let him continue. He mentioned the circumstances that preceded the soldiers’ attack, and mused of people in a place far from home, mired in daily battles. I listened. I thought, and I continue to ponder. In this treatise, I ask you dear reader to do the same.

Bush Boasts Of Battles in Memorial ©

On this day of Memorial, our Commander and Chief advocated war. He professed his strident belief in conflict. President Bush was speaking to the graduating class at West Point. Mr. Bush proclaimed their futures would be filled with battle. He should know; he started so many of these, Afghanistan and Iraq to name a few. The Emperor is plotting and planning for more. Many suspect that Iran and Korea are his next [possible] targets.

Rather than touch on the topic of war while promoting peace, in honor of our fallen men and women, Mr. Bush pushed his standard agenda. Our leader spoke of terrorism, ignoring the acts he has committed.

King George II proclaimed his pride in the country’s newest leaders. With the terrorist rhetoric, post September 11, 2001, Bush was able to breed this force for the future. This class was the first to complete their studies after the “terrorists attacks.” Baby Bush was pleased; he beamed with delight.

Today, Saturday, May 27, 2006, the first day of this Memorial Day weekend, our leader praised wars of the past and those of his making. The Commander and Chief spoke little of love or life. He only honored his killing machines, men, and mechanisms.

Congratulations graduates, you have entered a world not of your making. I salute your lives; long may you live these.

With deep regrets for the losses, I offer many missives I wrote in honor of our soldiers, fallen and injured, fighting, and surviving. May they all rest and go in peace. May the future be tranquil and serene. May war never be considered an option.

• The Cost of War Causalities! ©
• In Memory of Our Soldiers, Bush “Mindful" Of War ©
• Support Our Troops Tentatively! ©
• Tillman Tale Tells Truth of Pentagon ©
• Still Tentative Support; Photographs of the Fallen ©
• The Silent Press © [Part Three In An Unintended Series]