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Subscribe to RSSThe Department of Defense is hoping that two new weapons – big money and little oil – can curb the rising military suicide rate.
A three-year, $10 million study, to be funded by the Department of Defense and conducted at the Medical University of South Carolina, will test whether omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oils can relieve the anxieties and quiet the suicidal thoughts plaguing many combat veterans, one of the lead researchers said Monday.
Scientists at the National Institutes of Health have long maintained that a diet heavy in omega-3 – common in salmon, anchovies and other oily fish – can elevate happiness.
“The problem is coming to a head with the recognition that in the military, you’re more likely to die by suicide than by enemy combatant – and that’s not acceptable,” said Dr. Ron Acierno, a co-investigator on the project and a professor in the department of psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, S.C.
“Omega-3s are among the primary fatty acids in the brain. They cannot be synthesized by the body – which means they have to be eaten (via food, drink or pill form). They’re responsible for neural generation and neural repair – for new neurons to be made and for broken ones to be fixed,” added Acierno, who also serves as the director of the PTSD clinical team at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston.
The participants are veterans or service members who have been referred to a VA mental health treatment program because they are having suicidal thoughts. If the patients agree to join the study, they will be secretly placed in one of two groups. One segment will drink juice-box-sized smoothies high in omega-3. The second will drink placebos.
“Anybody who is showing suicidal ideation is going to be referred for the standard mental health treatment at the VA here in Charleston, which is a best practices site, so the standard treatment here is pretty good,” Acierno said. That means, he added, that military folks in the placebo group will not receive inadequate care.
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For those former and current service members who receive the omega-3-laced smoothies, they’ll be asked to gulp one in the morning and another at night. All of the study participants then will be tracked over time as researchers interview them and measure, via a scoring system, their suicidal thoughts and intentions – whether they have formed a plan to take their own lives – along with their anxiety levels and cognitive-processing abilities, Acierno said. Any actual attempts by the participants to harm themselves will be immediately treated but that bahavior will become part of the study’s data.
In addition to medical literature accounts that show omega-3 can buoy mental health, the study team is “excited” about the prospects of fish oil serving as something of a solution, Acierno said, because the product carries an “extremely low risk” for side effects. It's also relatively cheap – costing between $12 and $35 retail.
At Target, for example, a bottle of Nature Made Ultra Omega-3 Fish Oil, priced at $11.89, holds 45 softgel pills each containing 1,400 milligrams. Target also sells $44.99 boxes of Coromega orange-flavored squeeze packets that each contain 650 milligrams of omega-3, derived from pharmaceutical-grade fish oil.
“The potential good versus the potential extraordinarily low risk and low cost make this a type of intervention that can be – if findings are warranted – rolled out extremely fast and on a large scale,” Acierno said.
Bonnie Carroll, a leading expert in military suicides and founder and president of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), said she has not read or heard about omega-3 as a possible medicinal tool in treating depression or post-traumatic stress.
"We are very open-minded on any techniques that might be useful," said Carroll, whose organization provides peer-based emotional support for families affected by the death of a loved one serving in the U.S. military. She also was co-chair of the DOD Task Force on the Prevention of Suicide in the Armed Forces.
Omega-3 has been on under the microscope for more than a year as experts have tried to dissect the high number of military suicides. In August 2011, a study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry suggested that certain fish oil components had potent psychiatric benefits and suggested that taking an omega-3 supplement might help service members. That research, performed in part by the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, scanned through the medical records of 800 U.S. service members who took their own lives between 2002 and 2008, comparing those against the health files of 800 active-duty personnel who had not attempted suicide. The scientists found that service members with higher blood amounts of docosahexaenoic acid - an omega-3 fatty acid - were less likely to take their own lives.
Should veterans who have considered suicide begin swallowing omega-3 pills on their own now?
“Buying the omega-3s and taking them is not going to be a problem,” Acierno said. “However, if they do have these types of thoughts or feelings, remember that even the people in this study – even those who are on the placebo – are getting mental health care.
“So we never want to say this is a replacement for evidence-based mental health care," he added. “This is a supplement and one that is easily added. It’s also important that you get the care you need.”
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Wow, this country is something huh. The men and women who serve in the armed forces (or who have served) certainly deserve better than this. Instead of giving them fish oil and taking their guns away lets address the reasons why so many feel that suicide is their only option. These are just 'solutions' that treat the symptoms, none address the causes of suicide. Treating the symptoms is the easy way out for the military leaders and they know it.
Agreed. I worked with the military community and I think the suicide rate is higher when you are at home, back in civillian life than you are on active duty. They are overworked and over stressed, often going home and finding just as much stress and problems there.
The repeated redeployments are the biggest culprit to mental health issues they are having. I really, REALLY hope we deal with these problems head on, so they don't end up like all of the homeless Vietnam Veterans I have worked with over the years.
I know how to help fix the repeated redeployment issues. End the war now! Bring our troops home tomorrow. Enough is enough.
Has anyone here even been in the military?
I'd say the 24-hour shifts spent guarding a phone on staff duty, the 5AM wake-ups with the 6PM release formations, the nonsensical busy work, details, standing in line for 3 hours so that you can piss in a cup for your bi-weekly drug test, lack of personal time, and just the overall pointlessness of garrisson life probably have something to do with the suicide rate...
...but hey, why let mere facts get in the way of our medical experiments! Roger Mr. President, 50,000 tons of fish oil to Ft. Hood...
...TIME NOW!!!
I know this study is alot to late for my son. Why not just quit the ignorance of what society is doing to our children in the military, they do their jobs come home and dont have jobs, of medical help. Yes there is something seriously wrong here,
WTF?
What are you talking about they "don't have jobs?" They've got the GI Bill don't they? They got the monthly BAH (which is more than some people make working full-time) if they enroll in school full time. They've got the tax free money they should've been saving on deployments. Not to mention TONS of businesses - not least of all the Government - absolutely LOVE seeing military service on a resume.
I mean, lets not act like the military doesn't set people up for success when they get out because this is clearly one area - though probably the ONLY area - that the military seems to have gotten right...
I don't know, but I'm pretty sure regurgitating populist lines from Wolf Blitzer isn't going to solve the problem. Lets get two things out of the way...
(1) First, people don't kill themselves because of combat (far too many signed-up for and actually seemed to take pride in having been to combat for that to be the case. If anything, combat makes like 98% of people actually feel BETTER about themselves and proud that they did something in their 20s besides major in Psychology, funnel cheap beer, and take the manditory "backpacking" trip through Europe).
(2) People don't kill themselves because of lack of work. The military actually sets people up for success, believe it or not.
People kill themselves because garrisson life is boring, demeaning, and pointless. Its no different than any other institution. Granted, it's a bit more complicated than this, but bottom line daily life in garrisson is demeaning. There's just no way around this.
The only answer for meaning and purpose for anyone is through a sincere relationship with the Living God through Jesus Christ.
Some VA and military psychiatrists already prescribe Fish Oil capsules to their patients, believing it reduces inflammation and possibly depression. When prescribed (these capsules are available over the counter), the service member receives them for free. Worth trying....
Travis:
Sorry, but people don't kill themselves over this. That is utterly ridiculous.
It is because of the war. Period.
Proud they killed another human being? I seriously doubt that.
____________________________________________________________________________
Herald9:
Um, I seriously doubt that is the answer for everyone. Maybe for some gullible fools, but not all.
_____________________________________________________________________________
I can't believe we are wasting tax payers dollars on this BS. We should be spending that money (and much more) on mental health services. And forget giving them big pharma pills and fish oil. What I would bet would have more impact and reduce the number of suicides is MARIJUANA. Let them smoke pot to help deal with PTSD and other feelings. Of course, the gov will NEVER advocate for something that actually might work.
I'm having a tough time understanding why this study is costing $10 Million (even a massive team of doctors shouldn't cost that much), but am glad they are making an effort to solve a big problem.
#1.10 I agree. Another wasteful study.
1. Give 50% fish oil and follow up the results. That is what the VA is there for.
2. Better yet, get them all out of the Middle East and see what that does to the suicide rate.
Oh wow "period", huh? I guess its settled then.
Have you even BEEN in the military pal?
Doubt that, why? Because it's not what Wolf Blitzer is reporting? I assure you that soldiers and Marines don't like the people that shoot at them all day. The fact that the people who shoot at them also beat their wives, abuse animals, and use their left hand for toilet paper probably doesn't help much either.
Again, have you even BEEN in the military?
Huh? ok great the army is taking an approach to quell suicides via therapy and pharmacueticals. How about bring our troops home let the Afghans and any other foreign entities handle there own problems. Support America at home, build up defenses around our borders land,sea,air and have our troops work with civilians to teach neighborhood defense, recognize and report suspicious threatening community activity, I'm rambling but heres the thing....WAR IS HELL period. our troops might feel better about themselves and their mission if it actually involved sevice to the American people on American soil,if it was a missino they could feel good about accomplishing. and after their tours they could find employment to continue to support themselves and their families. Hey only in a perfect world...
Travis, I understand what you are saying but Garrison is only a part of it. Yes I am married to a combat medic and he is very open to me about why this is all happening. He hates Garrison and has done the 24 hours duty ever 3 days for 9 months. Many of these guys come back with PTSD not because of Garrison but because they were mortared, blown up and shot at for a year or more. Seen their guys die in front of them and then have to get right back up and continue fighting and wondering what they could have done to prevent their friend from dying and if they hesitated to long before returning fire. All this crap goes through their minds after they get back. They are unable to be in crowds, they feel withdrawn, unable relate to people around them, memory loss and unable to concentrate. Garrison only feeds the beast. The beast is there with or without Garrison. I know a few guy that never were in Garrison but got out and they could not cope outside and they attempted or succeeded in suicide. I do believe medical Marijuana would help with therapy. The meds they give them now make it worse and they use those drugs to commit suicide. I like to see someone try to commit suicide with weed. Many of these guys are walking around with TBI and not even know it. You get blown up and black out for a minute or so then mission forward. They do not realize their brain has been rattled causing brain injury. So on top of PTSD they are also suffering the effects of a brain injury that will only get worse and can cause then to commit suicide. Its the same thing that causes football players to commit suicide. To many hits to the head. But one explosion is like 20 years playing football. Yes Garrison sucks but it does not cause suicide it only feeds an untreated issue.
Then how come the majority of the suicides are from non-combat MOS's?
Pretty hard to blame PTSD when about 95% of the armed forces never see combat in the first place. You know the old saying, there's 10 support dudes for every 1 infantry dude.
Killing other human being is not natural except in case of self defense or family or country land threat, or if you are near crazy. Popping Arabs a sea or two away is ridiculous and gives people nightmares.
Yeah right, Omega3 is the chit. it's an insult to soldiers, veterans and their families.
Travis:
No. I would have joined but because of health reasons I couldn't. But, let me be the first to tell you I don't need a military background to know that people do not kill themselves because of boring tedious garrison life. Sure, it might make you think of off-ing yourself but to actually carryout out the dead based on those notions is, again, ridiculous. The underlying factor HAS to be the war. I'm not say ALL of the suicides were because of the war but I bet MOST are.
Answer this question:
Was the suicide rate the same, less, or more before the war? I bet the answer is less, much less.
There could be many reasons our soldiers commit suicide but I'm willing to bet the farm it is connected to the war in some way.
I personally think it has a lot to do with HOW we went to war and WHY we are still there. Soldiers need a real good reason to fight otherwise moral will be low. For many I bet 9/11 is a very good motivator but sometimes I even think WTF are we doing in these countries when it's really a faction we are going after and not a nation? Al queda, it seems, is everywhere. Why are we wasting so many lives and resources trying to bring these countries that are still living in the Dark Ages into the 21st century? I have all ready heard there is no way we are going to win the war in Afghanistan so why the @!$%# are we still there after over a decade? If I were a soldier sitting on the front lines (?) I would be asking myself these same questions.
And the biggest question of all would be: Was my buddy dieing really worth it?
Maybe instead of shrinking our military, we should have enough soldiers so the same ones don't have to be deployed to the war zones over and over and over. That has never happened in wars before, running the military correctly and treating our veterans better would be more productive than wasting millions on a fish oil study. Geeez, can we please hurry the election so we can get some people in Washington with a brain!
So you want Romney to win and spend 2 trillion dollars more with the plans to invade Iran and Syria, plus make the "Soviet" our new re-found enemy.
Bring back the draft and see all the issues of Fish Oil go away.
to really910 - GREAT Ideas: ) Think we can do it? let's see; Who would NOT benefit from doing this? Maybe some people who like the money they make from the war machine ( which btw everyone KNOWS is there since they were at least in high school so don't think you fooling us, boys )!
Let's really get rid of THEM this time and put this plan in action : )
Another wasted ten million, except for the people who received it for the study. On second thought, that was wasted too.
Right, that study shouldn't take but ten years are so, just in time to help anyone. Classic government move to little to late. But I bet the people doing the study really do appreciate it, look at all the job's it will create.
When are Americans going to stop looking to the government to solve their most important problems?
Look to God Almighty through faith in Jesus Christ. The alternative is to deal only with the symptoms.
herald
ummm wasn't he a fisherman? and they are studying fish oil, therefor....................
WHAT.....all I can say is, the first thing that came to mind , was Chris Rock's routine on Robitussin....
first thought?..... mine was ...."well they COULD slip and fall on the way to ..........."
but seriuosly? who knows sounds kinda fishy to me though............
Interesting article. I didn't realize that omega 3 fatty acids were a primary fatty acids in the brain. Also that they are primarily responsible for neural generation and repair. This could be a cheap, effective part of restoring our veteran's health, or for that matter anyone who is depressed.
It was pretty interesting. If these supplements do work, however, some big pharmaceutical company will probably win some bid to exclusively to supply the fish oil, and then charge some preposterous $100/ 30 count bottle price (because it will be a Pfizer extra special proprietary blend or something).
Smackwkackle, the supplements certainly do work for a great number of ailments. But are ONLY effective when purified to FDA standards by GlaxoSmithKline.
Talk to your doctor about LOVAZA rx omega 3 acids today!
to Intel2 I agree with your content ...but as a citizen I would REALLY like to see an itemized spreadsheet of WHO gets WHAT part of this $10million as a salaray/bonus....I mean - I could hand out the pills : ) if such people are needed ---> smirking grin.
Absolute waste of time, resources and money. Fish Oil? I am currently in the Active Army and have deployed to a Combat Zone on 3 different occasions. Fish Oil? WTF? Good luck getting Soldiers to take it.
How about looking into the shots/vaccinations each Soldier is injected with instead? Ever wonder what is in those? Yeah, we all do too......
Must read 90 day mandatory decompression
If you think this makes sense please share it with everyone you know. This should have started during Nam.Contact me @ lifestartsover@hotmail.com
Mandatory 90 day decompression
Today’s returning soldiers are on many ways the same as the
past and in many ways different. Life has changed in the electronic communication world and now more than ever we are in a world of instant access to events, and their ability to affect our future
thinking about current events. We have a new crop of defenders that is many generations from the Iwo Jima days. We have better homes, electronic interaction, and basically everything about how this
new generation has grown up is very different from those of the past. It is
time to take another approach to the homecoming of our troops.
I propose a three step decompression / repatriation process
for all home coming troops.
Step one we bring them home to a base and keep them in a
full military environment for4 weeks so can remain regimented and be familiar
with the system. All this conducted with specially trained staffs that are
trained in identifying combat fatigue and stress. It gives the troops a time to
share their stories while remaining regimented.
Step two for the next 4 weeks and from the recommendations
from the staff a specific profile is determined for each returning defender. At
step two they are moved to a separate camp with less restrictions and regimens
than before (perhaps even a bar) but again are watched by trained professionals
to observe their decompression progress.
A singular day of family visit (transportation paid by the government)
would be allowed in the second week and during this time very close observation
of their reaction would be noted plus post interviews with each of the
defenders on how their visit went to ascertain their emotion level and
tolerance to civil / family contact. The big question is what they told their
family and what will they never tell their family/friends. On those issues of
what they could not share how do they feel about keeping inside? Like AA we
need to establish a hotline for those to call in crisis and have the staff to
support those calls since there will be many.
Step three for the next 4 weeks those who are about to be
repatriated are moved on to another camp where it is almost a civilian
atmosphere. Job placement / hobbies/ future plans are discussed. Family visits
are allowed and paid by the government. The location should be one in which the
defenders can take their family or friends on a day trip to view a pleasant
countryside.
Step four but may be an earlier step is for the stateside
wife’s or husbands to get a counseling session to understand the rigors of war
and the effects so they are prepared for a transition and identify any cause
for alarm. They too will have a hotline to call for assistance.
Traditionally we as a country have always put
the homecoming as the end all and although we invest millions in training on
the front side it is time to continue that investment to bring these defenders back
home to stateside life and insurance of the comfortable repatriation of our
defenders.
I lost my only brother in Vietnam when I was a kid. Now my son comes home from Afghanistan and barely speaks to me when he used to be the joker and my pal - I dont even dare ask him what happened when he was there. Yes we need decompression but something about moving returning soldiers from camp to camp and being watched, seems a bit Third Reich to me - sorry my gut reaction.
So YES we need a decompression program that is comprehensive and well supervised by people actually trained for it, and which involves the whole family to whom the soldier is returning. But the amount of regimentation you suggest I think would backfire ( my opinion, I have only been around this my whole life ). So same problem - have a different solution? How about some Military medics who actually CARE and follow through - leaving an opinion on this 2 part situation - ie: problem----solution.
Typical ignorant response to the problem of suicide, Don't eliminate the cause, Treat the symptoms. Obviously the military is not doing a good enough job of brain washing the recruits before sending them to some remote sand pile to fight a trumped up war.
What a wonderful idea.Let's spend more tax dollars that we do not have to study fish oil and suicide prevention.It was proven that fish oil is not the panacea for lowering cholesterol.The best thing fish oil is used in is WD40.I agree with Warren about treating the symptoms.That 10 million would go along way in doing just that.
the price of a can of tuna doesnt make me happy.
agreed lets play the "blame game".....i blame spongebob.... hes got shifty eyes ....................:)
I like what I'm seeing, so far, BUT, the BIG KEY to me here, is that ALL of the people involved are"all getting mental health help". I'd like to see a study that tries to show the effects of each component, seperately; the Omega-3's and the mental health care. It's about flippin' time a really big push was put on at both ends of this spectrum; Greatly reducing the conducting of wars AND taking care of those men and women who wrote their government that "blank check" on their lives. They deserve EVERY EFFORT we can make to help them. I wish them and their families only the best of outcomes. GO all you scientists! GO TEAM!
I totally agree Yoshi-1
Seems like pharmaceuticals don't work. Maybe even add to the problem. END THE WAR, Haliburton has made enough money. Waste of human life in the name of GREED.
I disagree with the statement this is treating symptoms. Omega 3 fatty acids improve cell membrane fluidity, and by doing so improve cell to cell communication. This underlies its benefit in so many different tissue types and disease states. The benefit of improving cell to cell communication depends on the tissue. If you are talking about diabetes- you improve cellular sensitivity to insulin. If you are talking about hypertension, you improve the endothelial cell response to vasoactive compounds that lower blood pressure. In the brain, with depression and PTSD, you are talking about neurotransmitter balance, specifically, neurotransmitter availability, neurotransmitter release, and neurotransmitter reuptake. That IS the underlying problem (one of them, anyway) and omega 3 fatty acids have been shown in many studies to improve mood and treat depression. (not every case and not every time- there is no drug or supplement that works for everybody, everytime.) If you understand the mechanism you should understand why and how Omega 3 fatty acids do, in fact treat they underlying problem, not just the symptom.
For those interested in how this affect occurs here you go: many cellular receptors lie inside cells in vesicles that fuse with the cell membrane, open up, and expose those receptors on the surface. The full "opening up" of the vesicle requires a fluidity of the vesicular capsule- something primarily determined by the fatty acid composition of the vesicle itself. If the vesicle is made up of more saturated fat, a "stiffer" molecule, the membrane is less fluid and may only partially open up on the surface, leaving a pit with the recepters less available to its ligands. For example, if insulin needs to interact with a receptor on the surface of a cell and the recepter is down in a deep pit instead on the cell membrane surface, the amount of insulin required to achieve blood sugar control in that case may be slightly higher. With even a small change in the efficiency of cellular communication, in an organism with 3 trillion cells, the cumulative effects can reach clinical significance.
So I guess what I am saying is, I support the idea of the study. My only question is why did they compromise the integrity of a good article by such a blatant advertisement right in the middle of it for Target and the brand Nature Made?
The ad was because the "news" is a business above all. Take a look at a site called fark.com.
That will pretty much explain it all, and maybe open your eyes a bit to just how much crap is out there masquerading as "news".
jMD:
So are you trying to tell us that depression, in some cases, is a physical impairment and all that is needed is a "physical" fix like taking a pill?
I'm not a doctor, but aren't most cases of depression caused by environmental variables such as the loss of a loved one, or a job, or someone being bullied at school, etc.? I would guess that is the case for most people with depression and no pill is going to resolve the underlying issues that caused the depression which clinical therapy can address. I think taking anti-depressants just masks the symptoms and make day-to-day living bearable for the patient. What originally made them depressed is still there lurking in the shadows.
We have become a pill popping nation, thanks to the greedy folks at big pharma.
I still firmly believe marijuana can be of help and would keep our soldiers from making the worst decision of all: committing suicide. @!$%#! Aren't one of the side effects from taking anti-depressants "thoughts of suicide"?
Thank you jeffreymd for also noticing the pathetic advertisment that Target stores managed to slip in there - now I know my eyes were not deceiving me but I suddenly feel kinda sick ya know?
to OneDirtyRat : here is the simple definition, there are 2 categories for depression.
1. Situational Depression - which indeed evolves from a response to an event of loss, trauma, all the bad stuff that can happen to a person. At times a short-term therapy of meds can help a non-clinically depressed person get well faster and more completely.
2. Clinical Depression - a physiological disorder directly related to the balance of certain chemicals in the brain including ( which are, without fact checking sorry ): serotonin and dopamine levels. The use of modern anti-depressants have for many clinically depressed people been literal lifesavers as this deep depression can arise without a precipitating incident. For many people who fit this category - taking the proper medication is like giving eyeglasses to a severely nearsighted or farsighted person.
Addtionally no medical professional in this field would "throw drugs" at a person without an evaluation of the type of depression and without strongly recommending cognitive ( problem-solving) treatment as well. Sure some do and they should be reported and booted.
Thank you for the info Lisa.
What are your thoughts on medical marijuana?
One good step would be to not send them off to kill civilians for no particular reason in the first place. Another would be to pay attention to the fundamental conflict in developing a person who will obey any and all orders down to the last details of personal daily life, and then upon discharge, setting them loose in a situation where nobody tells you anything.....
What a bunch of chicken droppings.
Watching Looney Tunes or having good sex with a hooker relieves my anxieties and makes me feel happy.. shhhhsh
Morons in formation.
i agree what a bunch of loony tunes
watching hookers and having sex with chickens...........
damn dyslexia.................
to IA.ScooterTramp LMFAO
I am a veteran. I think the best option to lower military suicides would probably to give people in the military their frecken reason to live back. In other words, that would also involve not putting them on two, two and a half year deployments and LET MY PEOPLE GO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOME. But military leaders are so shallow that they actually believe enlisted and junior officers CARE about helping them make the next rank. Been there. Seen it. Two years, Two and a half years away from my loved ones, in a hell hole? I'm LUCKY I didn't kill myself. Not strong, lucky. Military leaders need to get a friggin clue.
Amen, buddy. Well said.
Matt...you volunteered for it. What did you expect? One month on deployment and the next on a Royal Carribean cruise? Two years is nothing. My grandfather spent 4 years fighting Hilter back to Berlin in WWII...my uncle did 2 tours in Vietnam and I did 3 deployments to the Middle East and one of them was mostly combat. Stop whining.
DSP - CAPT/USNR
This is an example of where we need to learn to distinguish between what sounds good and what is actually feasible...
Of course there are megalomaniacs in positions of power in the Army - just like there are megalomaniacs in positions of power at McDonalds, at a law firm, at any organization of any kind whatsoever. Hating your boss is just a simple fact of life and what constitutes "shallow" decision-making is completely subjective.
So how do you propose to fix that exactly? What are we only going to let soft-hearted pushovers make the rank of CPT? How would we go about doing that exactly? What would be the criteria? Seems like it might be kind of difficult...
Again, we need to distinguish between what sounds good and what can actually be done. Because these overly somber, almost comically dramatic slogans like "GIVE ME MY LIFE BACK" aren't going to accomplish anything.
In sum, grow up and learn to think like an adult.
OilmanMD:
Because your family seems to love fighting wars and being in the military doesn't give you the right to look down your nose at someone who doesn't, OK? Your relatives may have been drafted but did they have to stay for so long? Did you have to do 3 deployments to the middle east? i.e. Did you and your relatives have a choice at any point in their military careers?
Travis:
How does Matt expressing his feelings about war and the military make him anything other than an adult? Because he didn't like what he saw and you didn't agree with him that means he needs to grow up?
ODR - Excuse me, but...
1...just because my family has a good number of veterans does NOT mean we LOVE fight wars. Myself, inclusive of the family members I mention all saw combat, but I can assure you that NONE of us "loved" it for even one second. I put on the uniform hoping I never would have to raise my weapon against another human being, but fate did not work out in that regard.
2...sorry if I sounded as though I was "looking down my nose", but I'm tired of the pathetic whining coming from servicmen who volunteered for it. What the F*CK did they think they were volunteering for? A camping trip in the woods?!!!
3...my grandfather HAD to stay that long in the Eurpoean Theatre, but CHOSE to stay in afterwards and rose to the rank of Colonel. My uncle was drafted, did his first tour as required and then went back for a second by his own CHOICE. I did it all by my own choice.
Any other stupid f*cking questions?
Oilman MD:
Yeah, here's one more stupid @!$%#ing question for ya:
So why the @!$%# did you go back for more?
It's called..."duty, honor, country."
But I wouldn't expect an snot-nosed coward like you to understand that...all you can do is set on the sidelines and suck up the freedoms my family and I fought for.
And you're right...it was "one more stupid f*cking question."
Now go back to your life of taking advantage of the First Amendment. I'll make sure it's nice and secure for you ya f*cking douchebag.
DSP - CAPT/USNR
OilmanMD:
For your information I couldn't join because of health reasons (I'm now permanently disabled).
I've reported you for violation of the COH for calling me derogatory names.
If you are representative of our nations armed forces I am ashamed.
And to think you are an officer!
tsk tsk tsk
I wonder how many under your command you bullied...
ok OilmanMD I get you.....and my family military history is embarrassingly sterling and of "thin air" if you get my drift - but even I can see that the life is not for everybody - probably not for 50% of somebodies - and certainly not for 45 % of the rest - so what worked for you and your genetic heritage [and yes we need people who can do this and do it well] ..... most people just don't have Sir and it is not their fault. There is a huge pool of other sorts of talents to draw from.
Or you could stop sending soldiers on ridiculous errands for ego maniacal politicians. That would be my option A.
Fish oil, snake oil.. whatever
For less than 9.99 here is why you will waste 10 million ? Our Govt. Defense 'officials' got to be crazy -someone is pocketing that money. In Alaska the AK natives (Eskimos) LIVE on salmon and fish oil and (in Alaska) there is one of the highest suicide rates in the nation.! The problem is depression - and lack of wholesome activities to keep busy, doing good things -boredom and lack of close relationships and depression -that is why also the AK natives have a high alcoholism rate,and smoke anything they can get their hands on. There is nothing but dissappointment and boredom,plus part of the culture is to keep everything within /silent /hidden. The solution might be St.Johns wort or some other natural remedy and more faith based - a persons belief system makes up who they are and what they will do. Exact the Lord Jesus Christ and worship with awesome church folks (especially Pentecostal) and suicide rates will drop. Faith ,hope ,love ,real peace of mind, spiritual happiness and freedom,inner emotional strength,power from the Bible and praying and worship singing do miracles for a person. Helping others is a real remedy to happiness- that's why pets(animals) help so much . All the fish oil does is increase protein in the person giving more energy and health -that's free advice-use the 10 million to bulid recreation/sports/friendship and activitys(like farming)/counseling centers instead.
Try 50,000mgs of Vitamin D-3, 3 times a week,fish oil won't help anything.
This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard of 10 million dollars for fish oil for our services men.
Never have I heard, or read that fish oil is good for mental problems. I would like to say that before
men are inducted into the services, they should be tested and evaluated. Many of our services men are young and have never been under such stress. You can train a man's muscles but you can't train his mind.
Take the men off anti-depressant's which is making matters worse. Anti-depressant's are known to make a person depressed and it could become suicidal. The average health provider knows this.
Doris You ever tried to milk a fish?.... try it then you'd understand...it isn't easy ya know...........
10 million is a lot........at least someone is trying to help........I would say the solution is less STRESS....Nothing is going to get rid of stress in your life but .......Stress management helps.........when I listen to some music...or watch a movie......or work out where I get a really good sweat going........with my ear phones.......I am in another world......yes I have to come back down off my mental high but its so important to release that pressure.......If you dont find a constructiive way to diffuse it...........you might blow....
Nothing but Love for all the brothers and sisters out there in pain
Try stress management
and as Joel Osteen says put God First place
Know that you are not alone
Every last one of us is dealing with something even if it is not obvious to you on the surface
hang in there....There are brighter days.....and many smiles in your future
This subject hits close to home. I am an army vet that suffered from PTSD and used alcohol to self-medicate. PTSD, substance abuse, and suicide are intimately connected, I survived but lost my little brother to suicide one week after he came home from the Army, the whole military is in denial, it is full of stressed out people using alcohol to self-medicate. There are many studies linking substance abuse, yes alcohol is a drug, to suicide. Until the military comes out of denial many more will die.
Wendy:
What do you consider substance abuse? Wold that mean if someone does an illegal drug once, they are abusing that substance?
Would you apply that same definition to alcohol?
Just curious.
Sorry for your loss.
What they need is not to be suffering remorse from a pointless destructive war. Limbs, wives, children, time, so much lost for so little. War is uncivilized and an unworthy pursuit. We'll catch on.
This is stupid
Most people thought that Alexander Fleming was pretty stupid when he declared that mold could be used to treat bacterial infections. We commonly know it today as penicillin.
Travis in NE, You know no one in the military. You hid your cowardice behind the belief that military members LIKE to kill people, so it is their own fault that they are unhappy. You come up with simplistic answers for complicated problems. There are lots of reasons people join the military. And if you join up, you can't quit if you don't like what you got into. And those people in the military are keeping you from getting shot at. So just shut up.