"Marlboro Marine" faces New Challenge (moved from ATSNN), page 1

He didn't really know what he was up against until a shipmate on the USS Iwo Jima during Hurricane Katrina relief efforts mimicked the sound of an incoming RPG round. Within moments, Lance Corporal Blake Miller, the "Marlboro Marine", had slammed the unwitting sailor into a bulkhead, taken him to the deck, and was on top of him. He subsequently began undergoing therapy for PTSD.

articles.news.aol.com

(Jan. 3) - In November 2004, a photo of a U.S. Marine made the front page of newspapers across the country. The picture is still one of the best-known images of the war. But the man himself has moved on, and is having trouble adjusting to civilian life.

Lance Cpl. Blake Miller of Jonancy, Ky., came to be known as the "Marlboro Marine" when his picture was splashed across the nation.

The attention didn't get him any special privileges, and he served his entire combat tour before he and his unit were ordered home.

While on duty during the Hurricane Katrina relief effort, Miller suffered from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and was granted an honorable discharge from the Marines in November.

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War is hell, and when you've been to hell, like this man has, nothing ever seems the same again. Its not like a water faucet, you can't just turn it on and off whenever you want.

I hope this brave young man is able to make the adjustment to civilian life successfully, him and all the valiant soldiers who have sacrificed so much for our country and the world in the WOT. Our politicians in Washington who sent him to do their dirty work need to stand up and recognize the toll their service has taken on these heroes, and provide them with the necessary resources to make a successful transition to a normal life outside the military.

Our politicians in Washington need to prove themselves worthy of these brave soldiers, who have suffered so much for what they thought was a noble cause.