http://www.bakotopia.com/home/Blog/losthills/27253 I was thinking about Ira Hayes, the Pima Indian who raised the flag at Iwo Jima and returned home to die in a ditch of untreated alcoholism... And I was thinking about a story I read about Sgt. Brian Rand, an Iraq war veteran suffering from untreated PTSD who blew his brains out the other day.... And I was thinking about the cold ststistics I had read that&nbsp; 2,000 Iraq war veterans committed suicide in 2007 and the thousands who are returning whom with PTSD and missing limbs and burned faces..... And I was thinking about the friends I worked with in the Army at the end of the Vietnam war who had just returned home and didn't want to talk about their experiences at all....... And I was thinking about the carnage and human destruction I witnessed second hand on a moviola viewing screen editing combat footage in my little cubicle at Fort Monmouth eight hours day.&nbsp; I didn't have to work this weekend. Maybe I had too much time to think.......&nbsp; .. www.truthout.org/article/memories-iraq-haunted-soldier-until-suicide &nbsp;&quot;According to the Army, more than 2,000 active-duty soldiers attempted suicide or suffered serious self-inflicted injuries in 2007, compared to fewer than 500 such cases in 2002, the year before the United States invaded Iraq. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&quot;&nbsp;A recent study by the nonprofit Rand Corp. found that 300,000 of the nearly 1.7 million soldiers who've served in Iraq or Afghanistan suffer from PTSD or a major mental illness, conditions that are worsened by lengthy deployments and, if left untreated, can lead to suicide. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&quot;Soldiers deployed from Fort Campbell have served up to 15-month stints and have fought in such heavy combat zones as Basra, Mosul and Al Anbar province. Some soldiers, like Brian Rand, have been deployed multiple times since the war began.&quot; Ira Hayes [CHORUS:] Call him drunken Ira Hayes He won't answer anymore Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian Nor the Marine that went to war Gather round me people there's a story I would tell About a brave young Indian you should remember well From the land of the Pima Indian A proud and noble band Who farmed the Phoenix valley in Arizona land Down the ditches for a thousand years The water grew Ira's peoples' crops 'Till the white man stole the water rights And the sparklin' water stopped Now Ira's folks were hungry And their land grew crops of weeds When war came, Ira volunteered And forgot the white man's greed [CHORUS:] Call him drunken Ira Hayes He won't answer anymore Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian Nor the Marine that went to war There they battled up Iwo Jima's hill, Two hundred and fifty men But only twenty-seven lived to walk back down again And when the fight was over And when Old Glory raised Among the men who held it high Was the Indian, Ira Hayes [CHORUS:] Call him drunken Ira Hayes He won't answer anymore Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian Nor the Marine that went to war Ira returned a hero Celebrated through the land He was wined and speeched and honored; Everybody shook his hand But he was just a Pima Indian No water, no crops, no chance At home nobody cared what Ira'd done And when did the Indians dance [CHORUS:] Call him drunken Ira Hayes He won't answer anymore Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian Nor the Marine that went to war Then Ira started drinkin' hard; Jail was often his home They'd let him raise the flag and lower it like you'd throw a dog a bone! He died drunk one mornin' Alone in the land he fought to save Two inches of water in a lonely ditch Was a grave for Ira Hayes [CHORUS:] Call him drunken Ira Hayes He won't answer anymore Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian Nor the Marine that went to war Yeah, call him drunken Ira Hayes But his land is just as dry And his ghost is lyin' thirsty In the ditch where Ira died &nbsp;en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ira_Hayes The song was written by Native American folk singer, Peter La Farge, and made famous by Johnny Cash. The video is by the late Townes Van Zandt. I was thinking about Ira Hayes, the Pima Indian who raised the flag at Iwo Jima and returned home to die in a ditch of untreated alcoholism... And I was thinking about a story I read about Sgt. Brian Rand, an Iraq war veteran suffering from untreated PTSD who blew his brains out the other day.... And I was thinking about the cold ststistics I had read that&nbsp; 2,000 Iraq war veterans committed suicide in 2007 and the thousands who are returning whom with PTSD and missing limbs and burned faces..... And I was thinking about the friends I worked with in the Army at the end of the Vietnam war who had just returned home and didn't want to talk about their experiences at all....... And I was thinking about the carnage and human destruction I witnessed second hand on a moviola viewing screen editing combat footage in my little cubicle at Fort Monmouth eight hours day.&nbsp; I didn't have to work this weekend. Maybe I had too much time to think.......&nbsp; .. www.truthout.org/article/memories-iraq-haunted-soldier-until-suicide &nbsp;&quot;According to the Army, more than 2,000 active-duty soldiers attempted suicide or suffered serious self-inflicted injuries in 2007, compared to fewer than 500 such cases in 2002, the year before the United States invaded Iraq. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&quot;&nbsp;A recent study by the nonprofit Rand Corp. found that 300,000 of the nearly 1.7 million soldiers who've served in Iraq or Afghanistan suffer from PTSD or a major mental illness, conditions that are worsened by lengthy deployments and, if left untreated, can lead to suicide. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&quot;Soldiers deployed from Fort Campbell have served up to 15-month stints and have fought in such heavy combat zones as Basra, Mosul and Al Anbar province. Some soldiers, like Brian Rand, have been deployed multiple times since the war began.&quot; Ira Hayes [CHORUS:] Call him drunken Ira Hayes He won't answer anymore Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian Nor the Marine that went to war Gather round me people there's a story I would tell About a brave young Indian you should remember well From the land of the Pima Indian A proud and noble band Who farmed the Phoenix valley in Arizona land Down the ditches for a thousand years The water grew Ira's peoples' crops 'Till the white man stole the water rights And the sparklin' water stopped Now Ira's folks were hungry And their land grew crops of weeds When war came, Ira volunteered And forgot the white man's greed [CHORUS:] Call him drunken Ira Hayes He won't answer anymore Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian Nor the Marine that went to war There they battled up Iwo Jima's hill, Two hundred and fifty men But only twenty-seven lived to walk back down again And when the fight was over And when Old Glory raised Among the men who held it high Was the Indian, Ira Hayes [CHORUS:] Call him drunken Ira Hayes He won't answer anymore Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian Nor the Marine that went to war Ira returned a hero Celebrated through the land He was wined and speeched and honored; Everybody shook his hand But he was just a Pima Indian No water, no crops, no chance At home nobody cared what Ira'd done And when did the Indians dance [CHORUS:] Call him drunken Ira Hayes He won't answer anymore Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian Nor the Marine that went to war Then Ira started drinkin' hard; Jail was often his home They'd let him raise the flag and lower it like you'd throw a dog a bone! He died drunk one mornin' Alone in the land he fought to save Two inches of water in a lonely ditch Was a grave for Ira Hayes [CHORUS:] Call him drunken Ira Hayes He won't answer anymore Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian Nor the Marine that went to war Yeah, call him drunken Ira Hayes But his land is just as dry And his ghost is lyin' thirsty In the ditch where Ira died &nbsp;en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ira_Hayes The song was written by Native American folk singer, Peter La Farge, and made famous by Johnny Cash. The video is by the late Townes Van Zandt. en-us <p>this makes me soooo sad.</p> http://www.bakotopia.com/home/Blog/losthills/27253/#c_243867 http://www.bakotopia.com/home/Blog/losthills/27253/#c_243867 <p>this makes me soooo sad.</p> <p>If it made you  think, or be sad. It did it's job. Expendible Heroes. Non the less Heroes! I love that Johnny Cash song, I always have every since I was a kid.  Thank You losthill for reminding us for what this day is about.</p> http://www.bakotopia.com/home/Blog/losthills/27253/#c_243894 http://www.bakotopia.com/home/Blog/losthills/27253/#c_243894 <p>If it made you  think, or be sad. It did it's job. Expendible Heroes. Non the less Heroes! I love that Johnny Cash song, I always have every since I was a kid.  Thank You losthill for reminding us for what this day is about.</p> <p>Hiya Lost......Thanks for knowing.....Thanks for remembering......Keep the faith.........PEACE..............</p> <br /> http://www.bakotopia.com/home/Blog/losthills/27253/#c_243991 http://www.bakotopia.com/home/Blog/losthills/27253/#c_243991 <p>Hiya Lost......Thanks for knowing.....Thanks for remembering......Keep the faith.........PEACE..............</p> <br /> <p>American soldier killed on Memorial Day.</p> <p><strong>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br /> RELEASE No. 20080526-01<br /> May 26, 2008</strong></p> <p><strong>Coalition Force Soldiers attacked in Salah ad-Din Province<br /> Multi National Division &ndash; North PAO</strong></p> <p><strong>&quot;TIKRIT, Iraq &ndash;</strong> A Coalition force Soldier was killed as a result of injuries<br /> sustained from an improvised explosive device in Salah ad-Din Province, May 26.</p> <p>&quot;Two Soldiers were wounded as a result of the same attack and transported to a<br /> Coalition medical facility for treatment.</p> <pre> &quot;The name of the deceased is being withheld pending next of kin notification and<br />release by the Department of Defense.&quot;</pre> <p><b>This brings total American deaths to 4,084.</b></p> <p><b>Over 29,000 American soldiers have been wounded.</b></p> <p><b>Iraqui casualties are not counted.</b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> http://www.bakotopia.com/home/Blog/losthills/27253/#c_244031 http://www.bakotopia.com/home/Blog/losthills/27253/#c_244031 <p>American soldier killed on Memorial Day.</p> <p><strong>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br /> RELEASE No. 20080526-01<br /> May 26, 2008</strong></p> <p><strong>Coalition Force Soldiers attacked in Salah ad-Din Province<br /> Multi National Division &ndash; North PAO</strong></p> <p><strong>&quot;TIKRIT, Iraq &ndash;</strong> A Coalition force Soldier was killed as a result of injuries<br /> sustained from an improvised explosive device in Salah ad-Din Province, May 26.</p> <p>&quot;Two Soldiers were wounded as a result of the same attack and transported to a<br /> Coalition medical facility for treatment.</p> <pre> &quot;The name of the deceased is being withheld pending next of kin notification and<br />release by the Department of Defense.&quot;</pre> <p><b>This brings total American deaths to 4,084.</b></p> <p><b>Over 29,000 American soldiers have been wounded.</b></p> <p><b>Iraqui casualties are not counted.</b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><b>40,000 troops suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome.</b></p> <p><b> <p>WASHINGTON &mdash; The number of troops with new cases of post-traumatic stress disorder jumped by roughly 50 percent in 2007 amid the military buildup in Iraq and increased violence there and in Afghanistan.</p> <p>Records show roughly 40,000 troops have been diagnosed with the illness, also known as PTSD, since 2003. Officials believe that many more are likely keeping their illness a secret.</p> <p>&quot;I don't think right now we ... have good numbers,&quot; Army Surgeon General Eric Schoomaker said Tuesday.</p> <p>Defense officials had not previously disclosed the number of PTSD cases from Iraq and Afghanistan.</p> <p>Army statistics showed there were nearly 14,000 newly diagnosed cases across the services in 2007 compared with more than 9,500 new cases the previous year and 1,632 in 2003.</p> <p>Schoomaker attributed the big rise over the years partly to the fact that officials started an electronic record system in 2004 that captures more information, and to the fact that as time goes on the people keeping records are more knowledgeable about the illness.</p> <p>He also blamed increased exposure of troops to combat.</p> <p>Factors increasing troop exposure to combat in 2007 included President Bush's troop buildup and the fact that 2007 was the most violent year in both conflicts.</p> <p>More troops also were serving their second, third or fourth tours of duty _ a factor mental health experts say dramatically increases stress. And in order to supply enough forces for the buildup, officials also extended tour lengths to 15 months from 12, another factor that caused extra emotional strain.</p> <p>Officials have been encouraging troops to get help even if it means they go to civilian therapists and don't report it to the military.</p> <p>&quot;We're trying very hard to encourage soldiers and families to seek care and to not have them feel in any way, shape or form that we're looking over their shoulder or that we're invading their privacy,&quot; Schoomaker told a group of defense writers.&quot;</p> <p>We need to ask ourselves why we are allowing this to be done to another generation of our young people.</p> <p>What is being accomplished that justifies this?</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </b></p> http://www.bakotopia.com/home/Blog/losthills/27253/#c_244605 http://www.bakotopia.com/home/Blog/losthills/27253/#c_244605 <p><b>40,000 troops suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome.</b></p> <p><b> <p>WASHINGTON &mdash; The number of troops with new cases of post-traumatic stress disorder jumped by roughly 50 percent in 2007 amid the military buildup in Iraq and increased violence there and in Afghanistan.</p> <p>Records show roughly 40,000 troops have been diagnosed with the illness, also known as PTSD, since 2003. Officials believe that many more are likely keeping their illness a secret.</p> <p>&quot;I don't think right now we ... have good numbers,&quot; Army Surgeon General Eric Schoomaker said Tuesday.</p> <p>Defense officials had not previously disclosed the number of PTSD cases from Iraq and Afghanistan.</p> <p>Army statistics showed there were nearly 14,000 newly diagnosed cases across the services in 2007 compared with more than 9,500 new cases the previous year and 1,632 in 2003.</p> <p>Schoomaker attributed the big rise over the years partly to the fact that officials started an electronic record system in 2004 that captures more information, and to the fact that as time goes on the people keeping records are more knowledgeable about the illness.</p> <p>He also blamed increased exposure of troops to combat.</p> <p>Factors increasing troop exposure to combat in 2007 included President Bush's troop buildup and the fact that 2007 was the most violent year in both conflicts.</p> <p>More troops also were serving their second, third or fourth tours of duty _ a factor mental health experts say dramatically increases stress. And in order to supply enough forces for the buildup, officials also extended tour lengths to 15 months from 12, another factor that caused extra emotional strain.</p> <p>Officials have been encouraging troops to get help even if it means they go to civilian therapists and don't report it to the military.</p> <p>&quot;We're trying very hard to encourage soldiers and families to seek care and to not have them feel in any way, shape or form that we're looking over their shoulder or that we're invading their privacy,&quot; Schoomaker told a group of defense writers.&quot;</p> <p>We need to ask ourselves why we are allowing this to be done to another generation of our young people.</p> <p>What is being accomplished that justifies this?</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </b></p>