U.S. launches major offensive in western Iraq

[Psycho4Bud]

The operation, codenamed Quick Strike, started on Wednesday with Iraqi forces and U.S. Marines positioning their units, said a military statement.

They focused in the area around the cities of Haditha, Haqlaniyah, and Parwana, about 130 miles northwest of Baghdad.

The operation appears to be a response to Wednesday's deadly attack near Haditha, where 14 U.S. Marines were killed.
http://www.aljazeera.com/cgi-bin/news_service/middle_east_full_story.asp?service_ID=8885

I said it when this happened, payback will be a bitch!!! :D

[BlueCat]

You know what is sad....they aren't giving these kids training on how to handles the emotional part of war....

Like when you have to tell a friend with his legs blown off, that his buddy that came in with him just had to have the left side of his brain removed and is not going to wake up....

They are not giving the medical people the proper psychological training as to what to say to these wounded and emotionally drained soldiers....it is getting worse not better.

[Psycho4Bud]

Ever watch Full Metal Jacket? Here's one of the quotes:

Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: If you ladies leave my island, if you survive recruit training, you will be a weapon. You will be a minister of death praying for war. But until that day you are pukes. You are the lowest form of life on Earth. You are not even human, fucking beings. You are nothing but unorganized grabastic pieces of amphibian shit. Because I am hard you will not like me. But the more you hate me the more you will learn. I am hard but I am fair. There is no racial bigotry here. I do not look down on niggers, kikes, wops or greasers. Here you are all equally worthless. And my orders are to weed out all non-hackers who do not pack the gear to serve in my beloved Corps. Do you maggots understand that?

The service trains to kill. Harsh but true. Post war syndrom has been going on since the beginning of war.

[BlueCat]

Tell that to my son that is up to his elbows in blood EVERYDAY.

He spent the last two days rebuilding faces and sucking out brains from massive head injuries...He said you never get use to seeing the face with no skin on it or to telling friends "we can't save your partner".

He saves lives. He is Army and he is a soldier.

That is a hollywood movie... :rolleyes:

You would think they would have learned about psychological training by now...they went in unprepared and they are still unprepared....

[BlueCat]

Oh Psycho, you know what he is doing for stress relief? He is training with the German Infantry! Can you imagine that? He says it keeps him in shape.....

[Psycho4Bud]

Tell that to my son that is up to his elbows in blood EVERYDAY.

He spent the last two days rebuilding faces and sucking out brains from massive head injuries...He said you never get use to seeing the face with no skin on it or to telling friends "we can't save your partner".

He saves lives. He is Army and he is a soldier.

That is a hollywood movie... :rolleyes:

You would think they would have learned about psychological training by now...they went in unprepared and they are still unprepared....

The only thing that I could tell your son is THANK YOU for your dedication!!! He is a definate HERO in my book!

I know thats Hollywood and from talking to a few people I know they all say the same....It's not so much about what you see its the smell you never forget. I feel sorry for all these soldiers but they knew when they signed the forms that this situation could happen. All we/I can do back here is be as supportive as possible and stand behind them 110% now and after they come home.

You and your son have my respect!!!

[BlueCat]

thanks Psycho that means a lot. :)

[Fengzi]

I don't know if the reality of war is something they could ever actually psychologically prepare them for. I used to teach rock climbing and back country mountaineering and for that I have had training in advanced first aid/extended care and CPR. Part of my training involved exercises where we would "rescue" other classmates who were done up with make-up, fake blood, the works, we aslo saw slides of actual backcountry injuries. I thought I was prepared for an emergency situation.

One night shortly after it hard started raining very hard I was driving in my car when I came upon a motorcycle accident that had happened just a few minutes beforehand. The guy was ok but the girl who was riding on the back of the bike without a helmet was in bad shape. She wasn't breathing and had blood coming out of her eyes, ears, and nose. When I gave her mouth to mouth blood would bubble up from her lungs. I tried to give her CPR but it was hopeless. She had gone head first into a wrought iron fence and died instantly. Nothing anyone could do.

Even though I thought I was prepared it seriously freaked me out. I couldn't get the image of her open, lifeless eyes filled with blood staring up at me. I actually stopped teaching climbing altogether for fear one of the newbies would get hurt and I'd have to deal with a situation like that again. That was more tha 15 years ago but I still remember it clearly and the thougfht still freaks me out. And, I fully realize that my experience is nothing compared to what the young men and women now in Iraq must deal with.

My hats off to your son BlueCat. If he can do that everyday he is by far a better man than I.

[BlueCat]

WOW Fengzi what a story......I just hope this experience does not stay with Chris forever. He already says he has images he can't get out of his head.

I know they could never prepare them completely for war but you would think they would help them to know how to talk to injured soldiers as they come in.

I mean these guys have just lost their best friend.
This kid did not even know what ICU was....

I guess I am still having a hard time accepting the fact that Chris is in the Army at all. He has always pushed the envelope. He can't just snowboard he has to snowboard out of a helicopter. He did the rock climbing thing too.

But he also went from this non violent kid volunteering at a Buddist temple to signing up for 6 years of the bloodiest mess he has ever experienced because one of his friends was severly injured over there.
I admire him for wanting to help but I am still adjusting. I am glad he calls several times a week, that is a lot more than most moms get. I am lucky.

thanks for the support guys.