Vietnam Requiem Revisited

When Someone Else Pays The Price, It Isn't Free Part Two

So what happened? If you can think back to a time before Facebook started then you'd have a good idea that everything within a click of your mouse had a history behind it. Nothing that happened after you had the ability to share was really new. You just didn't know it.

Someone else went out to eat and had the same exact meal you had but they didn't take a picture of it thinking it was so important they had to let people know. Someone else got bad news and someone else got good news but they picked up a phone and actually talked, spending time sharing a conversation instead of a texting instant gratification.

The surge in text messaging is being driven by teens 13 to 17 years old, who on average send and receive about 1,742 text messages a month. Teens also talk on the phone, but at a much lower rate, only making and receiving about 231 calls per month.

People had busy lives back before technology was invented to make lives easier but they took the time for what they valued, like staying in touch with family and friends.

The generation fighting war today do not know any other world outside of the device in their hands. They may think they know more but the truth is their technology is more of a popularity contest than anything else. They share what it popular even though it is not the truth and believe what appears to be without knowing they are spreading a lot of nonsense.

Combat PTSD is the topic they believe they know everything on. So why is it that the number of suicides has exploded if they were sharing the truth? Why are there more and more charities raising awareness but less knowing what they need to know?

Most think that PTSD did not exist before they suffered. Considering all they know is what they read online, that shouldn't be surprising.
19, by Paul Hardcastle


What is Vietnam Requiem?

Vietnam Requiem is a startling documentary revelation of how the Vietnam War haunts its veterans, their families and friends, and the conscience of the nation. Five Vietnam veterans -- all decorated war heroes now serving prison terms for crimes committed after being discharged from the Army -- paint a vivid picture of their personal experiences in Vietnam and the problems they faced on their return. The film skillfully interweaves the men's stories with stock footage of the war, including actual battle footage in which one of the veterans, Albert "Pee-Wee" Dobbs, appears.

There is a history behind PTSD. While the history of treatments and programs began with Vietnam veterans, the suffering did not begin with them. It happened to all the other generations before them going back to the beginning of this nation but as we've seen first hand, with all we know now, not much has changed for the good.

Veterans were still taking their own lives even though this generation didn't know it. They are still talking their own lives, another price of wars fought before yet they ignored by all the sharing and texting. The truth is, the majority of veterans committing suicide are over the age of 50.

"Veterans over the age of 50 who had entered the VA healthcare system made up about 78 percent of the total number of veterans who committed suicide"

We got used to fighting wars on foreign soil but never did much about when the fighting happened right here. Few understood the difference when attacks happened right here. Even less understood what the older veterans went through when war came back to them.

Now we have yet another attack on Marines leaving 4 dead but as the aftermath of Fort Hood showed, when the news coverage ends, the day will live on for many more years to come.

A year after the Fort Hood attack there were more suicides and some actually connected the two together.

During the last week of September, four soldiers committed suicide. Despite suicide prevention efforts, Hood sees twofold increase in suicides from prior year; some say shooting massacre may have been contributing factor

There are always factors we do not talk about. The story does not end when people stop paying attention. Unless we begin to pay attention all the time, to all there is to know, we'll keep ending up wondering why it all got so bad for so many so fast.

UPDATE
Paul Hardcastle - 19 (The Final Story)
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