Section 60: Arlington National Cemetery
October 13, 2008
We’re all well aware of the impact that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have had on our Troops and their families, the difficulties those wars have caused, as fathers and mothers, sons and daughters go off to war, multiple times and leave their loved ones behind. We’re aware of the scores of wounded as a results of these wars, as well as the number of young men and women, who’s lives have been lost in the fight against terrorism in those two countries.
Tonight on HBO at 9pm Eastern time, the premiere of Section 60: Arlington National Cemetery will air. Section 60, is the section of Arlington National Cemetery, that is the final resting place of hundreds of men and women who have lost their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq. The focus of the film is not as much the men and women who have been buried there, but instead their family members and loved ones who’ve been left behind.1
On Sunday night, those family members were honored guests at the US Navy Memorial in Washington DC for a private screening of the film, which lasts an hour. Following the private screening, one family member called for a round of applause for the film makers. That drew a sustained standing ovation. The film was produced by the same team of people that produced the documentary “Baghdad ER,” and they’ve worked hard to take a noncommercial focus on the cemetery plot and the family members they’ve left behind. The film takes the viewer from one mourner to another, providing them with a view of very private moments in the lives of the people who are portrayed.
“I doubt it will be particularly popular,” said Mary Neiberger, whose son Army SPC Christopher Neiberger, was killed in Baghdad on August 5, 2007. Neiberger said the film was well done, but added, “It’s too close to real … and I don’t think many people feel very comfortable or very entertained by that.”2
The film makers are well aware of the impact the film may have, both positive and negative, but feel that it’s a story that needs to be told. It’s a story that is often overlooked, especially in the political arena, when the deaths of our Troops are reduced to mere numbers to make political points, without concern about the lives of the fallen warriors or the lives of those left behind.
“It was very powerful,” said Laura Cowherd, whose brother Leonard, and Army second Lieutenant, was killed May 16, 2004 in Karbala, Iraq. “Sort of what we go through every day. The tears. The emotion. I think they did a good job.”3
The film strives to remind the viewer, that the lives of those left behind, go on, regardless of the gaping hole that is caused by the death of their loved one. There are still young children to raise, jobs to go to every day. They continue to live life. The film emphasizes the struggle the families have as they have to continue their lives.
Knowing the calibre of men and women who serve in the armed forces of this country, I also know the calibre of the men and women whose lives have been affected by their loss, the strength and tenacity it takes to go on after such a devastating loss. This is just a small way that the films producers can take the time to remind America that their families are still out there, still mourning and yet, still living their lives. Take some time to watch this film this evening. I think it will open a lot of eyes to the lives of military families who’ve lost their loved one in service to our country.
- http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/10/military_section60film_101308/ [↩]
- http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/10/military_section60film_101308/ [↩]
- http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/10/military_section60film_101308/ [↩]
MilBlog Conference: Panel 4 … New Cadre Of War Reporters
September 23, 2008
This panel was moderated by Greyhawk of Mudville Gazette. Bloggers on the panel were JP of Milblogging.com, Troy of Bouhammer.com, Toby Nunn of Toby Nunn’s Briefing Room, and Christian Lowe of Defense Tech. All members of the panel are military except for Christian, who has served as an embedded reporter three times.
Christian said when the GWOT began, he just wanted to get over there. It was the biggest story in history and he wanted to be a part of it. He shared his frustration when he wasn’t chosen for one of the first embed slots. Now that’s he’s been able to experience the GWOT as an embedded reporter, he tries to get back at least once a year. Luckily he says, technology has opened up a lot more opportunities for anyone to be a journalist with a little bit of time, technology and experience. He shared that the DoD is currently looking at opening up embed reporting slots for bloggers, but that he believed there was still a law that states you have to be backed by some type of media corporation to do so.
Matt Burden of Blackfive interjected that they’d been able to embed bloggers for the past year. This was confirmed by a DoD PAO representative who was present at the conference. He stated that the biggest stumbling blocks for bloggers to embed would be the liability. He went on to say that credentialling used to be a problem a few years ago, but that’s no longer the case.
Toby spoke of an incident, to illustrate the often twisted version of events that the media often portrays, that occurred on Bad Voodoo Platoon’s most recent deployment, where they were convoy security, when an IED detonated near the convoy. Instead of hitting the convoy, the IED struck a bus full of women and children. He shared how a Washington Post report came out that they had attacked the bus and how the Milblogging community rallied and corrected the story, basically doing the reporting for Washington Post, by getting the REAL story out there. He shared the frustration of reading about an incident you are involved in, where the media completely twists the story to suit their agendas. (We see that often) Troy stressed the importance of Milbloggers reporting from the combat zone, of making sure that their posts don’t violate OPSEC.
Toby and JP both stated that they had a great experience and that their leadership was very supportive of their blogging and filming their missions for PBS, which resulted in the special entitled Bad Voodoo’s War. Toby did stress however, that there always was a lot of pressure to make sure you’re on the right side of the deal.
Christian stated that as a civilian, he was never censored or pressured into not printing something. He stated that he had his own arbitrary ground rules and the only censorship was his own. He did state that some units he embedded with wanted to read his stuff prior to it being publish. He stated that if he couldn’t change the mindset, he generally moved on. The military members of the panel stated that often they censored themselves due to the fact that they knew their friends and family members would be reading what they wrote. Christian stated that he never thought of the effect of what he reported might affect the family members of the Soldiers involved or even that they might read it, when he initially was embedded. However he stated that he began self-censoring when he realized this, especially how he described the other people he interacted with.
All on the panel agreed that reporting from the front lines, provided the American Public and the world at large, with the opportunity to see first hand what was occurring, instead of relying on the media, who often wasn’t at the scene and often reported skewed versions of what occurred.
MilBlog Conference: Panel 3, Live DoD Bloggers Roundtable
September 23, 2008
This panel is being hosted by Jack Holt, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense. Opening remarks were given by General Cartwright, Vice Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff. The live roundtable then started with Pete Geren, Secretary of the Army speaking to the bloggers and then taking questions from the audience.
Secretary Geren stated that in the Army they look at the milbloggers and other forms of new media as opportunities to get information to the public. Secretary Geren was asked how his internet media savvy was. He stated that he uses the internet frequently for research and other things. He stated that until a couple of years ago, he wasn’t very aware of the blog, until Dan Rather publically attempted to tear down President Bush and his National Guard service and how the ohas continued to adapt new media to their mission, such as MySpace, YouTube and Facebook. He stated that his interest in the new media forms was spawned, not from frustration with traditional media, but more so because of the fact that the informational technology has so expanded in the past few years. He sees “new media” as a way to reach many more people, especially those that they might not reach through more traditional means. Secretary Geren stated that he feels Blogs and new media helps the Army to share their message with those they wish to reach.
John Donovan of Castle Argghhh! asked Secretary Geren how to some of the O5’s and O6’s. He stated that he feels part of this may be a generational issue and that it may just take time to get these officers to accept and by into the new media. He did share that he has encouraged the spouses of sizingome of these officers to blog and share their experiences with younger spouses and that many of them really loved the experience. Secretery Geren shared that we definately need to get away from discouraging the members of the Army to tell the Army story, but instead encourage them to tell that story. He said that the Army has no greater embassadors, than Soldiers themselves. The next speaker, was the new Chief of Public Affairs General Bergner. He thanks the bloggers for their input and shared how important the milblog community was to helping the Army move into a realm that isn’t the most comfortable with, yet is very important that the Army continues to do. CJ from A Soldier’s Perspective asked the General if, because of the Army’s stance that milblogging is now becoming an important part of the new Army atmosphere, would they Army leadership considering creating a “greatest volunteer blogger” award. General Bergner stated that one thing he’d always been said as a leader, was that you always listen to what your 1SG has to say.
Troy from Bouhammer.com asked if, now that the Army is recognizing the importance of new media, does the Army plan to point the general public towards blogs, using their media sources. Secretary Geren stated that he had honestly never thought of that, as he was under the impression that many people, especially in the younger generation, that many of them are replacing the television as their primary news source, with the internet.
This Bloggers Roundtable was very informative and we were able to hear what Senior Leaders felt about Milblogging and how they felt it was helpful to the military mission.
Milblog Conference: Panel 2, Milblogging As A Community
September 20, 2008
A look at how the MilBlogging Community Was Born. How MilBlogs have given a voice to supporters, parents and spouses of service members. Members of this panel are Melinda of Spouse Buzz, Beth of Soldier’s Angels and Fuzzilicious Thinking, Mrs. Greyhawk of Mudville Gazette, Karen of Parents Zone and Proud Liberal Army Wife and Sarah of SpouseBuzz and Trying to Grok.
As with the first panels, the panelists emphasized about how they often will write about things that they might not talk about to their friends, families, spouses and neighbors. Beth shared about Valor IT project and how it being a project of Soldiers Angels, and how the blogs have been able to reach beyond the milblog world to the general public to raise money for providing laptop computers to wounded warriors who are hospitalized.
Karen of Parents Zone shared how it different it is for an Army Wife to send her spouse off on deployment, then it is for them to send their child off to war. She stressed how the feelings of a parent are often much difference from spouses in regards to the emotions they go through, as well the fact that they’re often not involved with the informational and support circle in the military for spouses. Often the parents are a “forgotten” part of the military family and they often feel left out and unimportant. Her hopes are with Parents Zone are to provide a supportive community for parents of military members and provide a place where they can obtain information about the military. Often military parents may not have ever had exposure to the military, so they have many questions and experience much confusion, because they often are left out of “the loop.”
Mrs. Greyhawk shared about Dawn Patrol and how she utilizes that to highlight relevant information from the Troops downrange, as well the military community and sometimes even the mainstream media that might be relevant to the MilBlog community.
Audience memberss were asked to contribute their ideas and suggestions for what they would like to see in the milblog community. One audience member asked what plans there are to extend the support to the veteran community. Panel members share that they feel veterans are still welcomed in the milblog community and that there are numerous organizations and blogs out there still connect and support the veterans and consider them a part of the community. Beth shared how Soldiers Angels are looking at the long term aspect and how the veterans and their needs can be long term and how that support can continue for those veterans who still need that support. One lady in the audience who identified herself as a civilian with no military exposure, she identified that her reason for reading the military blogs, are so she can find out what needs the needs are and what kinds of things she as a citizen can do to support the Troops.
Live From Las Vegas: 2008 MilBlog Conference
September 20, 2008
Good Morning! The MilBlog conference is currently underway. Our adventure actually got underway last evening with a pre-milblog conference hosted by the Black Five gang at the Penthouse Club. I’m sure, that many other bloggers will have video up soon, of that adventure. :-)
The conference got underway about 30 minutes ago with an opening welcome from General Caldwell, who encouraged MilBloggers to continue doing what they’re doing. Addressing the first panel topic, “Are Milblogs Still Relevant?,” General Caldwell stated emphatically that most definately, he feels that they are.
Opening remarks were from Milblogging.com’s very own JP Borda. Opening the first panel, was Ward Carroll, editor of Military.com. Panel members include Matt Burden of Blackfive, Phil Carter of Intel Dump, CJ Grisham of A Soldier’s Perspecteive and Greyhawk of Mudville Gazette. Following each panel membher introducing themselves, the question was addressed. All clearly spoke about the necessity to get the stories and messages about what our Troops are dealing with, what they’re doing in Afghanistan and Iraq to the broader public, since only about 1% of the American public serve in the military and experience wars and the things our military experience when they go to war. Each panel member had difference reasons for beginning to blog Matt spoke about how, as long as he can continue to help others, such as a Wounded Warrior like Sergio Perez, and make an impact in their lives, then blogging remains relevant to him. An audience member asked how “we” as a community, can organize to in fact create an organized community of support for the Troops and how to have a more organized, centralized resource to help each other, in other areas of the country. CJ addressed that not only are these “community” outreach and support enabled through blogs, but also a vehicle for bloggers to help each other through some of their issues by what they read on other blogs.
Stay tuned for more, as we get ready to begin the second panel.
War Is Hell ….. Freedom Isn’t Free
September 9, 2008
Those words are ones that filmmaker Larry Cappetto has heard over and over again in the 600 plus interviews that he has conducted with US military veterans over the past 6 years. Cappetto is in the process of documenting the words of war veterans for his “Lest They Be Forgotten” series.
Cappetto has traveled around the United States, documenting the stories of World War II, Korea, Vietnam and Iraq veterans for the documentary. On September 11th and 12th, he plans to be at the Hall-Wynne Funeral Service in Durham, N.C. to record even more stories of veterans. While Mr. Cappetto himself is not a veteran, his family has a history of military service. His father and uncle were both in the military. Six years ago, he began the project by interviewing veterans of World War II. To him, the project is a labor of love.
Mr. Cappetto has filmed other documentaries, such as the story of Loyd Lewis, who was a rifleman in the 4th Marine Division. In that documentary, Lewis described his experiences at Iwo Jima. At the time, Lewis’s brother Boyd was serving as well, almost literally beside him. Loyd survived, Boyd did not. In the film, Loyd speaks about gathering pieces of his brother’s body. As he speaks, he does so with tears in his eyes.
Cappetto also created a documentary about the Korean War. Veterans of that war speak of how much the American flag, the symbol of our country, means to them. Others recall things such as the severely cold winters during the war. In his documentary about the Vietnam war, one veteran describes himself, as a then 21 year old lieutenant, writing letters to the loved one of his men who were killed during the war.
Cappetto is a very patriotic man. He flies the American flag daily outside of his home in Colorado. He often thinks about the veterans he’s encountered. He thinks about the World War II veterans, how they’re slowly dying, at an average of about more than 1,000 each day. Cappetto is very thankful for the veterans he’s met with and the reception that they’ve given him. He considers it an honor. On his website, he displays portraits of veterans, as well as photographs of more recent veterans. I’ll include a link to his website at the end of the story.
“I want to tell their stories. There have been some amazing stories, some telling me things they never told the4ir family members,” he said. “I feel like a guardian for their history. When these veterans die, they have a legacy for their families.”
“The documentaries are a thank you to the veterans for what they’ve done,” Cappetto said. “When they get recognition, it makes me happy and proud.”1
This will be the first time that Cappetto has made a trip to North Carolina. He’s looking forward to meeting the veterans and being able to visit with them and hear their stories. Following his trip to North Carolina, he has scheduled a trip to Ohio to attend a Battle of the Bulge reunion.
“It’s brought out in me a greater respect for all veterans and the freedoms we have in this country,” he said.2
If you’re a veteran and are interested in being interviewed by Larry Cappetto, you can call him at (970)254-9262 or you may email him at larry@veteranshistory.org . Please be aware that the interviews will take approximately 1 hour. If you’d like to order a copy of the documentaries he’s made, please visit the website, and do so there.3
This is a fantastic project. One that will enable the stories of our veterans, to live on for many years after they’re gone. I wish something like this was available when my grandfather was alive, or my great-grandfather … both veterans of World War I and the Civil War respectively. These are definitely documentaries that I will be obtaining copies of and will probably review later here.
- http://www.military.com/news/article/filmmaker-calling-all-war-vets?col=1186032310810 [↩]
- http://www.military.com/news/article/filmmaker-calling-all-war-vets?col=1186032310810 [↩]
- http://www.military.com/news/article/filmmaker-calling-all-war-vets?col=1186032310810 [↩]
Never Surrender by LTG (Ret) William G. Boykin
August 8, 2008
From his childhood in the North Carolina tobacco fields to the Army, Lt. General William G. (Jerry) Boykin tells the story of his life and his career in his new book, Never Surrender, with his co-author Lynn Vincent. Through the triumphs and trials of his career, one constant in LTG Boykin’s life was his Christian faith and how that faith sustained him through various missions, deaths of close comrades in combat and the attack upon his character, and threat to his career, from the media.
Boykin always wanted to be a Soldier, growing up in a family with a rich military history. His story is an amazing journey from the tobacco fields, through college at Virginia Tech and his acceptance into the Corps of Cadets (ROTC), into his first duties as an officer. His story details his experiences in Ranger School at Fort Benning, a stint in Korea and eventually Viet Nam at the end of the Viet Nam war, to the call he received in 1977 at his new duty station at the Florida Ranger Camp at Elgin AFB, which lead him into being one of the “elite warriors” chosen to make up the first DELTA Force.
Throughout his career, participating in various missions that are a part of recent history, such as the Iran Hostage Crisis, to the jungles of Panama, the capture of drug lords in Columbia and the operation of “Black Hawk Down” fame in Mogadishu, General Boykin relied on his Christian beliefs and faith in God to sustain him through the loss of close friends, life threatening injuries to himself during these missions and threats on his career, in the form of personal attacks by certain members of the media. With thirty-six years in the military, Boykin’s career eventually led him to the Pentagon as commander of the US Army Special Forces and culminating as Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence.
Boykin details how, after the attack on the US on Sept 11, 2001, he was invited to speak religious functions, about his faith and how it sustained him through the ups and downs of his career. He shares with the readers how certain members of the media, who never even took the time to interview him, took his words out of context, creating a firestorm of innuendo, lies, and half truths, that would threaten his career. How those members of the media, attempted to paint him as a crazed religious zealot and how that affected both his personal life and his life on the job. He details how he personally requested a Inspector General’s investigation, because he knew he’d done nothing wrong and was exonerated of everything that the media had accused him of.
This is a book that will capture your interest from the first page to the very last page. You won’t want to put it down … I know I didn’t. This is a personal and riveting account of one warriors life in the military. It’s a book that I would recommend to anyone who wanted to get an intimate glimpse of the type of warrior that serves in today’s Armed Forces.
1223 Set To Record Military Album
July 28, 2008
[UPDATE] It was brought to my attention that I failed to provide a link to 1223’s website, so here it is! 1223 MySpace Site I was also asked to provide a link to Rhino Digital Media’s website, so that our reader’s can see some of the awesome work they do. That link is right here. Take some time to browse around both of the sites. I think you’ll be impressed.
Many of you who have been readers here at A Soldier’s Mind, remember the story I wrote about these artists from San Antonio. You can reread that story here. The group 1223 is composed of two really awesome guys. One, Mr. Sylk is a US Army Medic currently stationed at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. The other member of the group, John John is Mr. Sylk’s childhood friend. Mr. Sylk has recently changed his stage name to Soldier Disciple. These two men together form 1223. Their goal is to provide a positive image of the hip hop culture through their music. They do just that.
Currently 1223 is working on a Military Album. The album is intended to bless Soldier’s and Soldier Supporters around the world. The first 250 copies of the album will be donated to Soldier’s Angel to distribute to Soldiers overseas. You can hear some of the music that will be featured on the CD, entitled On Common Ground, by visiting 1223’s my space site.
As with many up and coming artists, the members of 1223 work full-time jobs to support their families and work on their music whenever they have the time to do so. Currently financing for this album is rather tight and they’re asking for help. But, there’s definitely something in it for you. For every person who donates a minimum of $20, they will receive a free numbered copy of the CD when it is pressed. As well, each donor will be listed as an Executive Producer on the inside cover of the album. When this album hits the charts, the world will know that YOU played a key role in the development of this album. The members of 1223 are currently working on 2 videos that are required for them to be able to do an Armed Forces Tour, where they’ll travel across the US visiting various military bases and sharing their music and their appreciation for the Troops. So, if you’d like to contribute to the cause, please visit their website and click on the donate button.
The cover art has already been designed and A Soldier’s Mind, is honored to be the first blog to be able to share it with the world. The artwork for the album cover was created by Rhino Digital Media. 1223 would like to say THANKS to Rocky Garcia, the president of Rhino Digital Media. This recording is sure to be a hit, so please help it to become a reality. This CD will be 100% positive, with NO profanity, so the music will be suitable for anyone in your family. Soldier Disciple and John John have a wonderful message of support, that our Troops and their supporters need to hear.
I am happy to be able to share one of the songs that will be on the new album with our readers. The song, “For America” is fantastic. I was lucky enough to be able to see Soldier Disciple and John John perform this song recently, at the Fort Hood Clear Creek PX. They had the entire crowd in the PX participating in this song and I witnessed many people come up to them and thank them for their positive, supportive music. As an added bonus, Soldier Disciple has kindly sent along the lyrics to another song that will be featured on the album, entitled “IF I ain’t Saying Nothing, I’m Probably Saying Something. Read more
Sevendust Rocks The Troops
July 20, 2008
I absolutely love it when I hear about different bands who take the time to go to Iraq and Afghanistan to entertain the Troops deployed in those places. It really helps morale, when they’re able to take some time from the day to day life in the combat zone, to relax and enjoy the music of these artists.
One of the latest groups to perform for the Troops in Afghanistan is the heavy metal band Sevendust, who performed at BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan on July 12th as the last stop in their USO tour. They had the crowd of Soldiers rocking as they performed an acoustic set, which they generally don’t do. Following the performance, a Soldier was brought up on stage and allowed to smash a guitar. That Soldier was also given one of their guitars. I’m sure he was thrilled. Other Soldiers were given a set of bongos and another guitar. By the time they were through, they’d given away pretty much every instrument they came with.
“I never thought anybody could ‘jam out’ acoustically like they did,” said Army Sgt. Mark Decker, of Company B, 101st Airborne Division Special Troops Battalion.
The Troops who attended the show, couldn’t say enough good things about the performance. The band made sure to stick around, ensuring that every servicemember who wanted an autograph, a free copy of their CD or a picture with the group, were able to get one.
“I think they were awesome,” said Air Force Capt. Vanessa Mahan, 455th Aerial Expeditionary Wing. “It’s been a while since we’ve had a hardcore band here, so it’s kind of refreshing.”
Recognizing the importance of the job our deployed Troops are doing, the band members all agree that they’d love to be part of another USO tour.
“If it wasn’t for you guys over here, [the Taliban] would be over there, [in the United States],” Lajon “LJ” Witherspoon, Sevendust’s lead singer, said during the performance.
“This, to us, has been the best thing that’s ever happened in our lives,” Witherspoon said. “As soon as you guys will have us back, we’ll be back.”
It’s refreshing to hear about celebrities who understand the importance of our Troops mission. I’m sure that it meant a lot to the men and women at Bagram. Hopefully we’ll hear about Sevendust doing another USO tour soon.
Book Review: Story Of The Sand By Mark B. Pickering
July 17, 2008
When I was first contacted about receiving a review copy of “Story of the Sand” to write a review for ASM, I was pretty excited. From what I had heard, the book was about a veteran’s struggle to overcome the effects of PTSD, after he returned from Iraq. I was told that the author, Mark B. Pickering, had done a lot of research, interviewing veterans of World War II, Vietnam, Desert Storm and the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. This book wasn’t what I expected at all. I guess I was expecting actual stories from some of the veterans that Pickering interviewed, instead of a fictionalized version of what he heard from several veterans over the course of his interviews.
The story of the veteran related in the book, is the story of a Soldier who is suffering from an extremely severe case of PTSD. This particular Soldier not only struggled with what he saw in Iraq, but also the effects of an abusive childhood, which can and does have major impact on how that Soldier would react to the stressors he’s exposed to in combat. While there is no doubt that some Soldiers respond the way the Soldier portrayed in the book has, those extreme cases aren’t usually the norm. Adding into the fictionalized account, is the fact that the author also tells the story of a young man (the friend of the main character) who lost his leg in Iraq, only to come home and eventually die due to complications of an infection he got in his amputated leg. I think the one thing that had be the most disappointed is the portrayal of this character in the “afterlife” if you will. He would watch his wife and their child as they went about picking up the pieces of their lives following his death. He would have, often multiple conversations with the main character as he struggled to overcome everything from homelessness, desperation, paranoia and alcoholism, attempting to guide him as he continued to try to destroy his life. For myself, that made the book even more unrealistic. Having had the opportunity to deal with Soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, on a daily basis in my job on one of the largest military installations in the US Military, I have to say that I’ve only had contact with a handful who’ve had this level of problems. Many will experience difficulty in adjusting when they first arrive home from the combat zone, most don’t experience the level of difficulties that are portrayed in “Story of the Sand.” I feel, that while Mr. Pickering may have interviewed veterans from different wars, that he chose the most extreme case or cases to portray in his book. I have to wonder if the main character, Sampson Roy, is actually a real person, or a person whose personality and story were formed from bits and pieces of the different veterans that Pickering interviewed during his research. I almost get the feeling that this novel is an attempt to shout to the world all that Pickering finds wrong with the military and the government, while not addressing the things the military IS doing to address the problems of PTSD and TBI and the substance abuse and homelessness that unfortunately sometimes goes hand in hand with these disorders. The novel doesn’t go into the fact that often those who suffer from these disorders, often don’t see themselves as having a problem and the fact that they often refuse seek treatment for these problems, even when those treatments are readily available to them.
While I agree that the military and the American society needs to do whatever is necessary to ensure that treatment is available for our returning veterans, we also have to acknowledge the fact that the military has stepped up their care for veterans returning and more and more is being done every day, to ensure that our Soldiers and Veterans receive the appropriate care for their problems. New methods of treatment are being explored and those that are proving to be successful are being incorporated into the treatment plans of the Soldiers seeking help.
Story of the Sand, might be an entertaining book to some, however, it covers a subject that I take seriously and I believe that the way it was written does more to cause harm to our Troops suffering from PTSD and other mental disorders related to their time in combat, by possibly causing people to look upon our returning Troops as people who have the extent of problems of the character in this story. I feel this story just detracts from the issue at hand, and will do more harm to our returning Troops, than it will to help them.
In my humble opinion, if you’re wanting to understand what our Troops and what they go through in combat and afterwards; and I mean to really understand, then I don’t feel that this book is the one to read. Instead, I would suggest, a book that is an actual first person account of what our Troops encounter, such as Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell or House To House by David Bellavia. Just my opinion, but Story Of The Sand isn’t a book that I would recommend to anyone who is wanting to learn about PTSD and how they could best help a Soldier or Veteran who is suffering from PTSD. Too much fiction and not enough reality.
