U.S. Military: Heavily Armed and Medicated

Originally posted by jerico65
People sign up for the military for a number of reasons. If I have to spell it out for you, you wouldn't understand.

Sure they do. I suppose that 'job security' is the number one reason? There's always a war to fight and someone else to call an enemy, isn't there? Pawn to E4...

And they don't have to take drugs to "delude" themselves into thinking something different about themselves.

So why are they taking the drugs? Drugs offer the mind a chance to delude itself. Are soldiers so incompetent in their 'jobs' that they choose to take drugs to help them get by?

The world would be a lot safer if all the soldiers quit their jobs.

Originally posted by tezzajw
The world would be a lot safer if all the soldiers quit their jobs.

ok i understand and agree with the majority of your points...
but you are going to have to explain this one to me

[edit on 22-5-2009 by The All Seeing I]

Originally posted by tezzajw
Sure they do. I suppose that 'job security' is the number one reason? There's always a war to fight and someone else to call an enemy, isn't there? Pawn to E4...

Oh, yeah, right. I joined because I figured, "Damn, we'll be fighting someone, so I'll always have work." As I said, trying to explain it won't help you understand it.

Originally posted by tezzajw
So why are they taking the drugs? Drugs offer the mind a chance to delude itself.

Well, war is the most stressful thing you can every do (except for soccer). During WW2, the troops had a chance to decompress on the ships sailing back to the states. Guys nowdays are back home in a matter of hours.

Originally posted by tezzajw
Are soldiers so incompetent in their 'jobs' that they choose to take drugs to help them get by?

Incompetent? Not likely. They are killing a buttload of terrorists, and they are doing it with flair.

Originally posted by tezzajw
The world would be a lot safer if all the soldiers quit their jobs.

That's an interesting pipedream.

I had to get 4 wisdom teeth pulled to get painkillers. Every other medication in my career thus far has been Motrin and water. I feel cheated.

Originally posted by jerico65
Oh, yeah, right. I joined because I figured, "Damn, we'll be fighting someone, so I'll always have work." As I said, trying to explain it won't help you understand it.

Then why does someone want to be a soldier?

Well, war is the most stressful thing you can every do (except for soccer).

Then why do it? War isn't necessary. In fact, if soldiers had the brains to realise that they weren't required, there would be no war and no need for them to take medication and drugs to survive it.

Incompetent? Not likely. They are killing a buttload of terrorists, and they are doing it with flair.

By that, I take it you mean that invading a couple of other countries and disturbing their complete way of life is ok? So they do sign up and select their 'job' to kill people? Thanks for that admission.

War is not necessary. I guess that war-mongers might think that's a pipedream.

In fact, if soldiers had the brains to realise that they weren't required, there would be no war
--tezzajw

Yea i came to that realization once to then i turned 10. We need soliders becuase we don't live in the lala land you seem to think we do. The fact is there are people who want to do harm for pretty much no reason, so we need soldiers to protect us from said people. You should be happy there are brainless soldiers willing to die for your right to say such ignorant things

Originally posted by WisdomInChains
You should be happy there are brainless soldiers willing to die for your right to say such ignorant things

Name one soldier - today - who is defending my right to speak my mind? Australia is being peacefully invaded by immigrants, not forcefully invaded by any foreign force.

The problem with modern day warmongers is that they cling to an old paradigm where there's always a perceived threat of 'global' war. That notion should have been realised for the stupidity that it is over 60 years ago.

The powers that be, those people who plan and start the wars are a little more careful these days... no global conflicts, it's all localised and contained.

I've got no problems with a person fighting to defend their family and homeland, on their own soil. But I have problems with any country sending thousands of troops overseas to smash up other countries. No wonder the US troops are taking drugs to cope! What do they expect the 'enemy' in Afghanistan is going to do - allow them to invade their soil without a fight?

For those people who live with the perpetual mindset that it's 1939, just remember that it's currently 2009. There are no true 'bogey-men' wanting to invade your country. Wait, not unless you live in the Middle East...

Blind propaganda and misplaced patriotism are the nutrients for warmongers to feed and grow. Add drugs to the mix and you've got a mind-blowing cocktail for happy trigger fingers to blow other minds apart.

reply to post by tezzajw


You would need to be medicated in order to go out there and kill.

In WW1 they only had booze.

This wrecks people - the war, the drugs and the killing. It is not in our natures to kill. Well,maybe it is on second thoughts.

I salute all soldiers, who are protecting us, and I sympathise with you.

Originally posted by spellbound
You would need to be medicated in order to go out there and kill.

Agreed.

Take a look at some of the replies in this thread. I'm being chastised for suggesting that soldiers should be obsolete.

I guess it can only happen on planet Earth, where people think that soldiers should be needed. We are still a very primitive planet when that mindset is so prevalent. We must be the arse-end of the Universe and a petri-dish joke to any other ET life watching us destroy each other in tribal warfare.

I wish that I could sip down some alcohol or smell some green-leaf to help cope with my job!!! Then again, I don't kill people, so I guess that I have to remain 'sane'.

Anyway, enough from me in this thread - all you warmongers can have at it!!! Bombs away and shoot to kill!

reply to post by tezzajw


People are stupid a lot of the time.

Good luck to you and yours.

I wish that there wasn't any need for my job. I wish that we would wake up one day and because of world peace, have to all be laid off.

In the meantime there are people who will cut your head off just because of the color of your skin, the country you come from, or the god you worship. People that will kill an entire village for control over it's resources or to create fear in the surrounding population.

Call it what you want. I've seen it and I know what it is. So long as humans walk this earth they will have a need for people like me.

reply to post by tezzajw

Take a look at some of the replies in this thread. I'm being chastised for suggesting that soldiers should be obsolete.

I guess it can only happen on planet Earth, where people think that soldiers should be needed. We are still a very primitive planet when that mindset is so prevalent.

Tezzajw.....what is your plan to do away with soldiers? To do away with war? Seriously, if you feel they are un-necessary, how would you go about doing away with them? Where would you start?

First, of course, you would have to end all wars and there are currently an awful lot of wars going on. Second, you will have to control every government on the planet and every terrorist group and any other military group whether public or private. Third, you will have to keep the world safe from any new conflict...forever.

This is quite a lot for one person to take on. What is your plan?

soldiers should be obsolete in an ideal world we wouldnt need armies but thats not going to happen there will always be war its human nature

reply to post by TheEndofEvolution

Call it what you want. I've seen it and I know what it is. So long as humans walk this earth they will have a need for people like me.

Thanks for being there for us EndofEvolution! I don't know what we would do without you.

Originally posted by tezzajw
I'm being chastised for suggesting that soldiers should be obsolete.

Don't get me wrong, it's an inspiring idea but unfortunately as long as there is inequality in the world and lines are drawn in the dirt, an army is necessary.

Though when we have a one world government i think we will see all of the separate military entities of the world turn in their varying hues of green fatigues for one universal blue/black police uniform.

I think the main problem is 1. Our military is fighting an invisible enemy in this war on terrorism . Both in Afghanistan and in Iraq, we are simply a police force with no military objective. That means we are there for the duration, defending puppet governments we created that will never take root. Pass the antidepresants!!

Originally posted by jerico65
Well, war is the most stressful thing you can every do (except for soccer).

Are you by chance a one-man-team with the weight of knowing that the loser will die and the winner will live to play another game with the same prospects?

Incompetent? Not likely. They are killing a buttload of terrorists, and they are doing it with flair.

How many is a "buttload"... is this some military lingo i'm not familiar with? Do we actually have solid stats on kills or are they all estimates? ...and in that "terrorist" stat are suspected terrorists and their family's and neighbors included? As for the term "flair" you will have to enlighten me on how one kills with it. Is this something that is cover in special ops training?

Recent CNN news blurp...

FORT CAMPBELL, Kentucky (CNN) -- The 101st Airborne's senior commander in effect ordered his soldiers Wednesday not to commit suicide, a plea that came after 11 suicides since January 1, two of them in the past week.

"If you don't remember anything else I say in the next five or 10 minutes, remember this -- suicidal behavior in the 101st on Fort Campbell is bad," Brig. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend told his forces. "It's bad for soldiers, it's bad for families, bad for your units, bad for this division and our army and our country and it's got to stop now. Suicides on Fort Campbell have to stop now."

Fort Campbell's suicide rate, the highest in the Army, "is not a good statistic," he said in remarks to one of four divisions he addressed during the day.

After nearly one soldier per week committed suicide at the post between January and mid-March, the Army instituted a suicide prevention program that "seemed to be having good effects" until last week, when two more suicides occurred, he said.

source: edition.cnn.com...

Something is obviously wrong with this picture, what kind of training/orientation could they possibly be putting these soldiers through to result in so many suicides. With such numbers in frequency i can't help but wonder how many others are wrestling with suicidal thoughts but don't act on them.

...and i can't help but laugh at this general Townsend for ordering his troops to not commit suicide, like that's the answer to the problem. With such a shallow understanding no wonder his division has the highest suicide stats.

[edit on 28-5-2009 by The All Seeing I]

Originally posted by dizziedame
I see nothing to debate here.

If it helps our soldiers do their job better without as much heartache then let them have whatever they need.

War is blood and guts. It's wondering if your family back home is OK. It's also finding out your wife is cheating on you while you are killing people that you really don't want to kill.

If it takes an antidepressant and or a sleeping pill by God let them have it without anti drug, tree hugging idiots telling them it's wrong.

Took the words right out of my mouth. Stars & flags for you.

Originally posted by ninecrimes

Originally posted by dizziedame
I see nothing to debate here.

If it helps our soldiers do their job better without as much heartache then let them have whatever they need.

War is blood and guts. It's wondering if your family back home is OK. It's also finding out your wife is cheating on you while you are killing people that you really don't want to kill.

If it takes an antidepressant and or a sleeping pill by God let them have it without anti drug, tree hugging idiots telling them it's wrong.

Took the words right out of my mouth. Stars & flags for you.

I'm sorry, but this is just simplistic myopic insensitivity. If you really care about our troops you would be serious about addressing the real problems/stressors that are common to our soldiers; including financial problems, marital problems, frequency of deployments, length of deployments, deployments to hostile/extreme environments and service-related injuries. The increasing number of suicides and use of psychotropic drugs is a symptom of a much deeper problem. The solution is not in medicating, the solution is in giving our troops the support they need and deserve.