U.S. Military Drills Troops in Iraq (not to kill at home)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20040301/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_almost_home&e=5

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At the same time, many soldiers are facing difficulties of a different kind on the home front, from relationship dramas to financial woes, realities that the military is also trying to counter by sitting soldiers down to compulsory briefings on how to acclimatize to their home environments after spending the past year in a war zone.

Recognizing that the hardships of war, anxieties about their return home and an inability to readjust into American society can be a deadly mixture, the military has embarked on an awareness offensive to keep troops' minds focussed.

The chaplain of the Tikrit-based 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, Capt. Xuan Tran, 42, said Sunday that in June-July 2002, five American soldiers from Fort Bragg, N.C., returned from duties and either killed their wives, children or themselves.

"We want to have our soldiers avoid that," he told The Associated Press between one of several counseling sessions he delivered to soldiers in Tikrit.

I can see that. Acts of murder & destruction are only considered heroic when done OUTSIDE the country.. when done back here in the homeland, people tend to frown on them.

In the Navy when coming home from a six month cruise they would fly out all kinds of people to talk about getting along with your spouse when you got home, spending money you saved etc. Family services provided a lot of different briefs. I think this is a good thing a lot of military people need this.

by her baby's father when he returned from "secret" Duty in Iraq,

She was bright, hardworking, and ambitious. 21 years old.

He strangled her and their child.

I am so angry and sad about this (her father was a friend when I was growing up) I have no words to say about it.

It is insanity and we re atuck with it.

Kerry says he will send MORE troops overseas.

God knows what Edwards would do.

My conscience says I must vote for Dennis Kucinich tomorrow.

But this war is just making us all sick.

but they took him anyway. He is angry, he came to live with us when he was 18, and I noticed his anger issues were paramount already. He had a lot of inner anger from how he was brought up by his mother, who had major custody of him. She belittled him at every turn, and he was always lashing out when he got here. I settled him down, and made strict rules about behaviour to him, and worked on his gentle side by telling him what a wonderful young man he was and how sweet he was. He liked that a lot, and wanted more then anything to please me when I asked him to do chores . He also embraced my sons as his brothers, and they became close to him and my oldest son, who had been in the Guard, was a mentor to him in many ways. I find it terrifying that this 21 yr old kid, who is already angry and filled with terror from his childhood, is now on the ground in Iraq, and loaded with anger and fear...he can easily harm himself, and others, out of that fear, and my husband and I both live in horror at what will happen when he comes back. Will he lash out, will everything we did to soften him be destroyed? will he come back?
Its something we think about every waking moment.