07-18-2016, 10:19 AM
I'm sorry for what your friend and her husband experienced, d505. I agree with you about the need for more outreach and immediately accessible services/treatment for veterans of all ages.
It's not clear to me that the Baton Rouge sniper had PTSD. Thus far, I haven't seen anything to indicate that he did. I don't think it's safe to assume that every military veteran who commits murder or turns to crime does so as a result of PTSD. So many people with PTSD are repelled by bloodshed and violence, not attracted to it. And, some people enter the military because they already have what Long referred to as an "alpha" mindset and are attracted to fighting and bloodshed.
Anyway, I'm not saying that he didn't have PTSD, just that it's not clear to me that he did. I do know he served in the Marines for five years as a Data Network Specialist stationed in three different countries and he was never in a combat position. He was reportedly discharged for medical reasons, the nature of which has not yet been revealed.
It's not clear to me that the Baton Rouge sniper had PTSD. Thus far, I haven't seen anything to indicate that he did. I don't think it's safe to assume that every military veteran who commits murder or turns to crime does so as a result of PTSD. So many people with PTSD are repelled by bloodshed and violence, not attracted to it. And, some people enter the military because they already have what Long referred to as an "alpha" mindset and are attracted to fighting and bloodshed.
Anyway, I'm not saying that he didn't have PTSD, just that it's not clear to me that he did. I do know he served in the Marines for five years as a Data Network Specialist stationed in three different countries and he was never in a combat position. He was reportedly discharged for medical reasons, the nature of which has not yet been revealed.