50cal

Combat stress kills

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Posted : June 09, 2008

At least 172 service members have killed themselves while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan in the past six years.
That means one out of every 26 combat-zone deaths is a suicide — almost 4 percent.
Among nonhostile deaths in the war zones, suicides make up more than 18 percent.
The problem gets worse after troops come home. The Veterans Affairs Department acknowledges vets under its care attempt suicide 1,000 times per month — and 17 of those attempts are successful.
Combat’s emotional shrapnel takes its toll on troops of every service, race, age and rank. It can strike even the most dedicated high performers, as in the case of Army 1st Sgt. Jeff McKinney, who shot himself in the midst of a patrol in Baghdad last summer.
If this many people were being killed by a new type of armor-piercing round, a task force would be formed and millions of dollars spent on countermeasures.
The same needs to be done here.
More needs to be done to combat the stigma attached to seeking mental health care and to teach troops and commanders alike to not only recognize the warning signs, but also to understand how best to respond.
Admittedly, this is particularly difficult in a combat zone, when the day’s mission cannot be delayed or rescheduled.
But unless and until troops and leaders at all levels accept the fact that the mental wounds of war are every bit as debilitating as the physical wounds, preventable tragedies like the suicide of Jeff McKinney will haunt us all.

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"Sweat dries, blood clots, bones heal. Suck it up. Be a Marine"

silence is golden

Spiritual education,teachings from the Vedas,proper diet,and sleep are essential for warriors...for prevention of these stigmas...if a person loses sleep for more than a few days,he automatically becomes into a drunken stupor...if the soldiers knew that the results of killing yourself leads to a ghost body in the next life,which is very frustrating birth,hellish actually...then they wouldnt let themselves think about suicide...Action results from thinking,feeling,and willing.The intelligence is supposed to guide the mind and senses.Forget the westernPsychiatric racket...just need to give these warriors some high doses of wheatgrass and chlorella,and fresh raw juices as much as possible.and som herbs for sleep...Humans arent supposed to eat meat,fish,or eggs,though the Lord allows warriors to eat meat,with no bad karma,when they are on the actual battlefield...The Bhagavadgita(the song of God)is the bible of India,5,000 yeaRS OLD,the first book written on yoga(union with God).It takes place on a Battlefield.In it is discourses between the Lord and his dear friend,Arjuna..He tells Arjuna that you cant be sentimental in battle,armed with yoga,stand and fight.

50cal

so if I drink my V-8 and do yoga, we "warriors" will be cured????.....I need to pass this on to the VA asap.....thanks for the help!

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"Sweat dries, blood clots, bones heal. Suck it up. Be a Marine"

2lineCarrandMorgan

Sg once you tread when you dont know.



what would a Dine Warrior need your words, much less buda....
there are ppl who know how to help.

Fifty i spoke with a man that lives on navho rez just this past weekend his name is standing eagle i will pm you more,he is involved with healing and can help with what you might need.

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its said by,Deganewidah
I am Deganewidah, and with the Five Nations confederate lords I plant the tree of the Great Peace. . . . Roots have spread out from the Tree . . . and the name of these Roots is the Great White Roots of Peace. If any man or any nation outside the Five Nations shall show a desire to obey the laws of the Great Peace . . . they may trace the Roots to their source . . . and they shall be welcomed to take shelter beneath the Tree. . . .
for my Dad

then again somtimes i see a woman in the trees she only looks at me and i can only look at her i m what she is now....i thank her as i see her... then somedays i see her as she was and that i will never be,and still we look at each other,
hello my Mother my sister today i saw you more than befor ,now i know i have a need more to walk with you here than ever i knew befor. Thank you

.
“Something is at work in all of us,”
Peter Kinew


Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass..It's about learning to dance in
the rain.
for the wolf

timmy tiger

Wow, that's all you need 50 to live a good long life.

Where has SIG been all these years?

If it were that easy, I think that the military would have found it by now or someone.

Unless you have been there and done that, then you don't know what these young men and women go through on a daily level. I don't know what they go through, but I sure do honor them for what they do every day.

Eagle Plumes

50 baby myabe it works when you have a hot babe workin ya over with yoga moves while they poor V8 juice all over themselves! Now that would definitly cure somethin eeeeeeeeeee

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I got a fevah! And the only cure is more cowbell!!!

50cal

I sense someone wants to volunteer.....ooooo....you just know how to invoke a mans imagination.....me likes......

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"Sweat dries, blood clots, bones heal. Suck it up. Be a Marine"

silence is golden

what would a Dine warrior do with my words? well,im happy to tell you all that my two sons grandfather was half navajo,so im happy to be part navajo,...apache,zuni,and Lakota as well,in my heart.
I wish they would become selfsufficient with their land and resources,that are part of their reservation....and i wish they set uo Juice bars,raw vegi juices,and had fresh fruits and vegetables and grains,dig their own wells,have their own currency,and live in harmony with the earth ...here is a navajo times comment,from a few months ago...Dine-one word for religion..Hozhoni Nasdlii..Our Dine name and the name of our clan, becomes part of one vibration,the Final code that put everything back to balance...Buddha was an incarnation of Krishna,he appeared to preach nonviolence,and had to denounce some Vedic teachings because the animal slaughter was so intense,at the time.Krishna was an incarnation of Lord Visnu,the Creator...these teachings are over 5,000 years old.They are so very similar to the teachings of our Native American ancestors...Ive noticed that the cops and the military men are frequenting the raw juice bars,more often lately.One cop told me they eat bagels now instead of donuts...i told him,maybe if the bagels have sesame seeds,it could be healthier...

Margy

Hey hey, Om Namah Shivaya....

I know what you're talking about, I just think it doesn't fit in here. A very good friend of mine is in Iraq right now, having massive problems himself, he is very positive and very very tough. Believe me. Food is bad there, schedule sucks, people are depressed, leaders don't always make up "right" decisions but sometimes like to kiss other leaders' a...., and so on. Lack of sleep... there is so much that I think we cannot really imagine. Gray in gray, dust allover, heat, heat, .... My friend lost one of his soldiers. Nobody really knew this young soldier was going to commit suicide, but he did. He left his wife and his baby, must have been very very depressed. Cabin fever. Whatever made him do that. I will NEVER ever judge somebody who felt he had to commit suicide. Nope. I prefer to pray for them. Everybody has her/his own belief, please read the gita again. Arjuna was told so by Krishna, not in words, but we need to do some thinking also when we read such books. Love, not hate. Understanding, not judging. Om Namah Shivaya.... My prayers go out to all those who are feeling so very lost, lonely and depressed that they have thoughts about committing suicide. I wish they had more support, and their leaders had more time and possibilities to take better care of them. But from what I heard, it's so very different out there. There is so much pressure on everybody. Either you're "functioning" or you're lost. I feel for them and I'm proud of them and I keep praying for them, no matter who they are or what and who they believe in.

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Margy

Nope, when people really do have a mental problem, I have to KEEP THEM from doing asanas and pranayama, because it can make it worse. And people with any kind of psychosis are forbidden to do yoga. I bet there are more than just a few soldiers who develop a psychosis or at least a serious mental problem like PTSD/CPTSD/maybe with BPD....I have to deal with it, and I was having a hard time with it and yoga. It took SOME time, and I was here, not in Iraq.... and I was not alone. I'm a yoga teacher now, and therefore I know that yoga not only moves the muscles and joints. This makes things difficult when it comes to people starting yoga on their own, especially the meditation part, while they are having problems. Only when they know exactly what they are doing, and have been practicing it for years and years, THEN they can use it in a supporting way under such circumstances. But guess what? The food over there would make it impossible to meditate the way it needs to be done to make it work. Onions, garlic, meat, sugar,... it just can't work. So - yes, yoga can do a lot, but there are times when it's not the right time to start it. Because when something goes wrong, you can lose control and then you're "f..... u." You know what I mean. Yoga works, and everything that works can have side effects, right? LOL ok, I better stop preaching now. This thread is about combat stress, not just normal stress.

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Margy

I agree. Yes.

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Margy

It is not about a real battle, it is about us and our feelings and thoughts fighting against each other in our own hearts, minds, spirits,.... it is not easy to understand, but it is not about just a battle, and it is not to be taken word by word but to make people think, think positive,.... The Bhagavadgita is very helpful when you understand the meaning, but everybody who reads it is asked to read it with a spiritual leader or at least teacher to not be too aggressive in it's interpretation afterwards and to avoid misunderstandings. No ghost bodies, no hell, just karma....

Anyway, enough of this in this thread. Everybody needs something different in such situations, at least some support and attention and love and understanding.... my 2 ct

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Margy