How ironic that the "evil" China-selling Wal-Mart stores are defined as military-friendly and hiring those with military experience... yet all the "good ol' 'merican companies" elsewhere are not.

I'm a veteran myself, and have definitely encountered the remarks, "Oh, so, you were in the Navy? Were you in combat?" It's phrased a casual question but, like someone who might disguise an inquiry as a friendly one ("You have children? How sweet!" while thinking, "That's going to impact their availability at work"), the intention is clear.

I have not been defined as having PTSD by the V.A., yet because I have been out of a job for five years now and surviving on temp work, I am feeling the brunt of that discrimination. My other accolates--a B.A., my civilian workplace experience, clean background and lack of legal or disciplinary actions--don't seem to matter to employers.

You could have stayed in if they want you...Or were you passed over?

Corporate meaning, "We are sh!t scared that if we treat vets like normal workers, they will wig out and shoot us dead, and claim it was a Vietnam "Flashback"".

I agree. Poor babies would not have lasted a day at a battle front or zone.

It's because they are all ready to commense the "beatings" once an employee starts and don't want any responsibility once they send employees over the edge. I have PTSD from abusive previous employers. Others?

As an older vet, I feel for these younger vets whether they have PTSD or not. You make a valid point and I can only hope that employers are aware of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and act accordingly. There are many people who have different mental issues, who are very capaple in doing a great job! The unfortunate part is that they might pass on an ideal candidate, due to their discriminating perceptions. Again, whether with or without PTSD.

Someone needs to patiently explain to military members that they are actually NOT a "superior breed of Human", that they are not "better than" the people of the country they supposedly went off to "defend" (funny, my freedoms were never the slightest bit "endangered" by Saddam Hussein) and that they are actually not "owed" anything by us. They are not "destined to rule" and we will not tolerate any "coup attempt" by people who think they are somehow "superior to" the people and the country they supposedly "loved" enough to "fight for".

Talking about violently attacking the people paying your salary isn't exactly the way to ensure good job prospects once you get out of the military.

“These veterans are exactly the kinds of people you’d want to hire — they’re used to working as a team; they’re loyal; you give them an order and they follow through”

And if they stink and you have to let them go, you get a workplace rampage and make headlines on CNN.

I'd like to support vets, but if I can hire someone without PTSD, I'm going to do THAT. Fewer headaches all around.

Wow. A whole lot of hate from a whole lot of different angles. Whether you agree with the military actions of our country or not, please respect the men and women who sacrifice to serve this country. How about treating them with respect for doing a difficult job that the rest of us chose not to do. @jake - do you have any statistics on how many workplace killings were committed by veterans? It's not something I recall seeing in most news stories. There are many people out there who are psychologically imbalanced. But you just assume - vet, risk, non-vet, non-risk? Let me know how that works out for you.

Don't you think though that it's unfair to even assume in the first place that they all have ptsd? The article says only 20% have it in the first place.

Wow, guys, thanks for the narrow-minded, stereotypical views of your fellow Americans. No wonder this country is in trouble, if all you can do is classify every news-related, over-hyped media workplace event involving a veteran as PTSD-related. Go talk to James Holmes and see what military experience led him to--oh, wait, he just snapped. Well, that's okay, then, if a "normal" guy goes off, huh?

Those who have served in the military were those who could make the cut. I went through MEPS twice and you wouldn't believe how many people can't even pass the simple intellectual tests given there, much less the physical requirements of being in-service. I saw people wash out at MEPS, basic training, "A" schools and "C" schools LONG before they ever made it to their first command... never mind those that had to be discharged early when they encountered everything from physical problems to the career wall (that "wall" is from too many people trying to advance--you only have a certain amount of time to make your next rank).

If you've never even had the courage to try to get in to the armed services, laying out that old excuse, "Oh, I could never take someone giving me orders" (even though that's what you do in the workplace at a regular job), then I daresay you have no right to talk "smack" about your misguided beliefs about what we do to get in the military, stay in the military and advance our careers all while putting the United States of American first and foremost, and our own secondary needs (family, education, etc.) second no matter what.

What is narrow-minded and bigoted is the "assumption" that anyone who did not serve in the military "lacked the courage to join up". It does not take "courage" at all to join the military, all it takes is being some 18-year-old kid who has no job prospects and not much future other than working for minimum wage for Jiffy-Lube in their flyspeck Podunk Junction Red-state town and boinking Sue Ellen in the back seat of your parent's Buick out back behind the Dairy Queen.

I did not "need" "the courage to try to get in to the armed services" because I was not that clueless, I had better, more intelligent, more civilized options open to me.

Phil your assumption of why people join the military is misinformed, and demeaning. Shame on you! You make it quite obvious that the average military personnel would have a considerably higher IQ than you do which you have made abundantly clear with your immature attitude.

I was 21 and had my B.A. before I joined up. It was not "courage." I was not "clueless." It was duty to my country that inspired me to join. TWICE--once in 1992 and again in 2000. And if not for physical/arthritis issues, I'd have given it a third try (did look in to it, actually).

But it must be SO reassuring for you to throw that blanket over everyone that has served! You say that you had better, more intelligent and more civilized options open to you, and yet you come on here and prove the opposite about your intelligence.

As I stated below, WE HAVE BEEN AT WAR FOR 22 YEARS NOW. We have been amassing veterans from our battles in the Middle East since 1990. You claim to have no use for veterans and show no respect for them, yet they have been out there doing their job for this country for the lifespan of a human being... and beyond that, for the children of that person who was born in 1990.

Hey Phil,

Go ^%@# yourself.

MarineforLife: Now, now. There's no need to stoop to foul language and go to his level. He's already talked himself into a hole that he can't get out of, by not even knowing that this country IS and HAS BEEN at war. Pity the ignorant; don't lash out at them. :-)

StandUpJokeOff

Tell us again who we were supposedly "at war with" prior to September 11th 2001? The entire cpountry pretty much knew we were actually at peace, not war. There was no Declaration of War passed by Congress. Al-Qaeda is a collection of stateless individuals, they are not a country, a nation cannot be "at war with" a bunch of statless individuals, it can only be at war against countries and other governments. The rest of the world handles terrrorism completely differently and amazingly enough they seem to be doing a bang-up job of it, better than you. They treat it, correctly, as a law enforcement issue. They also know that the way to resolve issues like this is through changing your policies and not going around antagonizing millions of people. If you knew anything about the world outside your trailer park, you might know this.

The Brits understand this better than anyone. Twenty years ago you were probably denouncing the IRA as "terrorists". But the British did not flatten Belfast with bombs. No drone aircraft filled the skies over Ireland zapping people on bicycles. Instead, the British negotiated a political settlement - because that's what wars are, dear. They're political disagreements. Today Ireland is at peace. And the IRA's former "terrorists" now sit in Parliament. They were ELECTED to office. They have POLITICAL POWER. And the Brits got over their "terrorism" obsession, and they changed their policies, because they realized that peace is actually a good thing. You still have not figured that one out. That is why you are still stuck in Afghanistan after eleven years with no "victory" in sight. You don't even know how to decide what "victory" means. You don;t even know how to tell if you are "winning".

Almost forty years since Saigon fell, and you still have learned nothing. You still have never learned how to fight a guerrilla war or insurrection, you still have not learned how to do anything at all except lose. How pathetic is that?

Phil you are sooo right to bad they collapsed you, When the Disability check is on the table YES I have an extreme case of PTSD. But when finding it might hinder employment, PTSD NO SIR never been diagnosed with it. Funny how the MONEY makes the diagnosis.

What's a matter,Phil, feeling threatened?

C'mon, be a man and own up to it instead of being small and denying it.

Someone needs to patiently explain to military members that they are actually NOT a "superior breed of Human"

Only room for ONE supreme being in this world and that slot is currently occupied by YOU, eh? I mean, hey, you obviously don't need any kind of help from anybody else whatsoever and you sure as hell don't appreciate it.

As proof that you sincerely believe that YOU are, in fact, better than everyone else you have ever crossed paths with and probably everyone else you've never met, your statement in 2.7:

I did not "need" "the courage to try to get in to the armed services" because I was not that clueless, I had better, more intelligent, more civilized options open to me.

That has to be the most stuck-up thing I've read or heard anywhere in quite some time now. Speaks volumes about you, though.

By the way, how was Sue Ellen?

all it takes is being some 18-year-old kid who has no job prospects and not much future other than working for minimum wage for Jiffy-Lube in their flyspeck Podunk Junction Red-state town and boinking Sue Ellen in the back seat of your parent's Buick out back behind the Dairy Queen.

Anyone who studies other people, especially those who conduct interrogations, recognize that a story that has too much specific detail in it is less than likely to be entirely made up and most likely has substantial elements of truth that the individual relaying the tale is intimately familiar with. So, either that 18-year-old kid was you or else you absolutely excel at making up BS.

And finally,

That, and torturing small animals.

Why did you even think to include that detail? That thought wouldn't even cross the mind of any normal person. Those who have the most to hide scream the loudest when it comes to making allegations in an attempt to deflect suspicion from themselves.

It would appear that you're trying way too hard to compensate for something you're trying to hide. I suggest you'd be much better off just not saying anything and keeping your thoughts to yourself, hint, hint!

I get what Phil11 is saying, but I do think he lacks perspective. Not all military people are the same, and I've met both types in my career. What I will say is that I am tired of the mantra that all military people are some kind of hero for serving their country. The people who join the military by and large do so for selfish reasons that have nothing to do with God and country. They like the benefits ( and boy they do collect great benefits). They like the idea that they can retire with full pension at the ripe old age of 47 with health insurance to boot. They go for the adventure or job skills training they might not be able to afford otherwise. They are no more a hero than the other millions of people who get up everyday and go to their less than glamorous jobs. Those average people are what keep the economy rolling and get the important stuff done. And I understand why HR does not like to hire ex veterans. Often times military people come with a whole host of baggage that has nothing to do with the war or service. Many of our veterans are just messed up people.

Plus in my experience many of these so called PTSD people are really just freeloaders looking for a govt. handout without incurring the scorn that other welfare recipients do. Many of these PTSD people have never even seen combat. I know one guy who was a freaking cafeteria aide. He's on 100% disability for "PTSD." What a joke! I've heard countless vets tell me they can't wait for the day they can get out of the service and apply for disability. Many of them have no intention of working or contributing to society once they get out. So in the long run they are just as selfish, lazy, and greedy as the average person.

NIXON WOW I couldn't of said it any better myself a bunch of Malingering fraudulent lying Money Hungry Bastards.

Hey Phill11514, in case you haven't figured it out, the British are fighting in Afghanistan, and were fighting in Iraq! Oh by the way before we became friend's, with Crown forces, we the US, whipped there ass's in two wars.Then saved there ass's in two wars. I would say, the US is up by four!

We...and by we I am talking about folks like me; vets, war vets, disabled war vets...cry, moan, beat our chests about how bad it was and how we just can't seem to adjust. And then we can't understand why employers might not want to hire someone who can't adjust back to civilian life. There is entirely too much "understanding" going on. I "understand" you might have problems. Here, let me give you a hand. The more people "understand" the more folks with ptsd there will be! Tell a person they have, might have, or there's a good chance they could have psychological problems and the number of folks who evince psychological problems increases geometrically. Time to start telling vets, "Ok, we appreciate your service. Here's a job. Now man up and go to work." Yes, there are some whom war breaks. But the majority of those who are weak sisters after going to war were weak sisters before going to war. As to not being able to find a job....Geez! Has no one ever told you the road to financial success isn't a job! Make your own work! There is so much help for vets especially to start businesses. All you have to do is DO IT! Any vet who doesn't work for 5 years after getting out has only himself to blame. Time to quit babying these folk!

It's enlightening to see this shift...from, we were hero's shortly after 9/11/01, to being sent to a second war on a lie, to now you're not a hero. There will come a time when it's not about terrorism and this country will need its "citizen soldiers." You will need us in a way that if we don't serve voluntarily, you'll surely be drafted, in order to fight for your very existence.

Phil and Nixon,

What you commonly refer to as freeloaders, lazy and greedy; we in the military call the 10%. We understand that some choose the military for the wrong reasons. We try to weed them out and we do that by ensuring that each service-member competes for reenlistment and promotion. Those that can't make the cut get sent home. Few fall through the cracks. Just as the military has it's 10%, corporate America has it's 10% as well...to tell you the truth, I'm being very generous with that number. We all know that per capita, there are more crooks in corporate America than there is "bad apples" in the military.

What you don't understand (and sadly so if you were in the military) is the transformation many Americans go through when they enter military service. In recruit training we are stripped down - mind, body and soul - and are reborn; reborn to think and act as if our lives and the lives of our fellow service members depend on it, because in reality, it does. We are put through the rigors of an obsessive training regimen, from best and brightest of our combat tested, drill instructors and sergeants. Our minds are
retrained to learn multiple disciplines, quickly, while under significant amounts of pressure and then apply that knowledge in a combat setting. In order to succeed, we must depend on one another, because my Marines, Soldiers, Airmen, and Sailors success in combat is my path to getting home alive. But most important of all, those initial ideas of benefits, college education, steady paycheck, a roof over your head are secondary to the sense of accomplishment that one gains from a successful mission completed. The sense of pride we gain when we go home and hear from people how proud they are of us and genuinely thank us for our service. It's not an ego thing, it a service thing and in the end all we want to know is that
you understand the service and sacrifice - because it was completely voluntary. Because if no one volunteers - who will fight for you!

Is PTSD real? Well just ask the WW1, WW2 or Vietnam veteran that questions. Tell them they are faking and freeloader. Although the term PTSD was coined 50 plus years ago, the side effects of PTSD are the same no matter the war. Is there any doubt about their heroism? No, I don't think so.

Risk1

The current British government is a lapdog for American interests and the British people know it. And they don't like it. That's why Tony Blair was howled out of office, called "B-LIAR", called "Bush's Poodle", etc. Blair had to take a job in the U.S. because of it. He was basically hounded out of his own country, for giving the order to go along with Bush's invasion of Iraq.

The British realized a long time ago what a mistake Iraq was. That's why they pulled out and left. They are leaving Afghanistan, too. Somebody in the British government finally got a clue, sensed the mood of the British people and realized that after 11 years with no measurable progress, enough was enough.

Ohh, and by the way: The U.S. did not "save Britain's ass in two wars". That's the uysual right-wing American propaganda that gets thrown about by loons who have no idea what they are talking about. In case no one has ever sat you down in front of something called a "history book", World War II did not begin on December 7th 1941 when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. It had already been raging for two full years before the U.S. ever got involved. The USA sat on its hands and did nothing to fight Nazism until AFTER it had ALREADY been attacked - by Japan, not by Germany.

And in fact the USA did not even declare war on Nazi Germany until AFTER Germany declared war, FIRST. if Hitler had not been stupid enough to go off on his own hook and declare war on the US, the United States might have settled for ONLY declaring war against JAPAN, while leaving the battle against Nazism to be fought by Britain and the USSR.

So, kindly spare me the lying propaganda about how "we saved Britain". You didn't "save" anybody. You didn't "do" Jack Bleep against the Nazis until Hitler basically forced your hand by declaring war on YOU, FIRST. You sat on your azzes selling munitions and goods to BOTH SIDES and getting rich for TWO FULL YEARS while Britain burned under the Blitz and Russia was being bled white by the Nazi invaders.

Risk1

While you are on the subject of History, the US tried to invade its nearest neighbor, Canada, TWICE. And got its butt whupped both times.

Reality check, Phil....yes, during the Revolutionary War and during the War of 1812 the U S made forays into Canada. We were basically repelled by the BRITISH troops there. So we didn't win every battle of the wars. But we DID win the wars. After the Brits went home, Canada well recognized that they could not fend us off when we were concentrating on just them.

Wow, Phil, you sure do have a burr under your saddle don't you? I especially like the way you explained that the military is solely for people without any other prospects or a limited future. The part where people, like me, who join/ joined the military don't have any courage and are basically "clueless" (unlike yourself) was fairly entertaining as well. You seem to be fairly well read and an expert on most things. Glad you had the clue many of us didn't seem to have.

Not to mention that people are incredibly ignorant about one fact: we have been in an open period of war since 1990. Bush I and Bush II led us into pointless battle in the Middle East, from which we're finding it very difficult to extricate ourselves ("Wah, why hasn't Obama pulled the troops out?" is the cry of the ignorant, who don't realize that once you're IN it, once you've coughed out several trillion dollars to build camps and bases, you CAN'T just pick your toys up out of the sandbox and leave. It takes a long time to do so, and even now we're running into the "well, our mission isn't done" rhetoric from our own people).

Think about it. Since 1990, for TWENTY-TWO YEARS--an entire generation--this country has been amassing veterans like never before. The V.A. system was never designed to handle this many returning combat veterans, hence the backlog.

Everything from physical therapy to mental health treatments to even scheduling regular appointments takes weeks through the V.A. system! I recently had a sleep study done and, if I hadn't found a lucky, empty slot, I'd have had to wait a full YEAR to get tested, due to the backed-up schedule!

StandUpJokeOff

Tell us again who we were supposedly "at war with" prior to September 11th 2001? The entire cpountry pretty much knew we were actually at peace, not war. There was no Declaration of War passed by Congress. Al-Qaeda is a collection of stateless individuals, they are not a country, a nation cannot be "at war with" a bunch of statless individuals, it can only be at war against countries and other governments. The rest of the world handles terrrorism completely differently and amazingly enough they seem to be doing a bang-up job of it, better than you. They treat it, correctly, as a law enforcement issue. They also know that the way to resolve issues like this is through changing your policies and not going around antagonizing millions of people. If you knew anything about the world outside your trailer park, you might know this.

The Brits understand this better than anyone. Twenty years ago you were probably denouncing the IRA as "terrorists". But the British did not flatten Belfast with bombs. No drone aircraft filled the skies over Ireland zapping people on bicycles. Instead, the British negotiated a political settlement - because that's what wars are, dear. They're political disagreements. Today Ireland is at peace. And the IRA's former "terrorists" now sit in Parliament. They were ELECTED to office. They have POLITICAL POWER. And the Brits got over their "terrorism" obsession, and they changed their policies, because they realized that peace is actually a good thing. You still have not figured that one out. That is why you are still stuck in Afghanistan after eleven years with no "victory" in sight. You don't even know how to decide what "victory" means. You don;t even know how to tell if you are "winning".

Almost forty years since Saigon fell, and you still have learned nothing. You still have never learned how to fight a guerrilla war or insurrection, you still have not learned how to do anything at all except lose. How pathetic is that?

Have you heard of a little thing called the 'Gulf War'?

Go to the American Legion website, Phil. The American Legion is a veterans organization that I belong to, which has members who have served at least one day of active duty during wartime.

The dates are there in black-and-white for you. We have been at war since the Persian Gulf conflict; there has been no "peace," except for those of you who choose to ignore the conflicts of our nation's military.

frivolous

The Gulf War ended in 1991. Once the war is OVER, we have what is known as PEACETIME. So no, we have not been "continually at war since 1990". Perhaps you should ask the doctor to up your meds. you cannot seem to understand that "endless war" is wrong immoral and an abherration, wars are supposed to come to an end once they're done. You cannot be in an endless state of neverending war, you cannot survive as a civilization.

StandUpJokeOff

Do you understand that wars are not "infinite", that you can never ever "take on the entire world" and hope to win? Do you understand that once Iraq was expelled from Kuwait, that the "war" was OVER?

You cannot kill every jihadi or Muslim on the planet, you cannot destroy the entire world just to protect Israel or your precious oil supplies, we and the rest of the planet will not let you do it.

We the American People are not going to accept or bow down to gutting the civilian side of government just so that a bunch of neo-con warmongers can try to consign us to an endless 100 years of war against the rest of the planet.

Thanks for clinging to stereotypes. Now tell us all how many family and friends you know personally who are military members.

I have an uncle that never joined the military and never served in Vietnam, because he became a fireman. He ended his thirty-something-year career and got a full pension the day that he brought a gun to the fire house and was going to blow away his entire squad. Luckily, he went to a nearby bar and told the bartender of his plans, then turned himself peacefully into the police. No PTSD there!

I HAVE served in the military, twice in the US Navy. I have no history of disciplinary issues in either the military or the civilian world (grade school, university, workplace), no financial issues (underwater mortgages, bankruptcy, etc.), no legal issues (I've never been to civil or criminal court for myself or other people--which is a reflection of the upstanding company that I keep), have never failed a drug test (because I don't partake), do not drink (so I've never been to work drunk or hung over), and am an upstanding member of society with a B.A. and additional college experience ON TOP OF having attended two different "A" Schools and doing active-duty enlisted military service.

So g'head. Tell me what a scumbag I am because I'm a veteran.

The amazing thing about some stereotypes is that they are actually based on Reality. As I just finished explaining to someone else here, I just recently had to help some friend sof mine escape (literally, in the middle of the night) from a stressful situation that was being caused by a veteran witth PTSD. He would sit in his room sulking and watching his war porn and then suddenly come out 'flipping out', screaming at people for the slightest thing, slamming doors, punching walls and threatening people. He also came back from Afghanistan with a heroin addiction. He did not have a job (obviously) and needless to say, it was more than a little disconcerting to my friends to come home and find him sitting at the kitchen table with a little scale, weighing bagging and wrapping little $20 baggies of heroin for sale. My friends were terrified (and quite rightly) that he would walk into the kitchen some morning with a gun, they were constantly feeling like they were walking on eggshells around him.

You being perfect and all, I'm sure you have no idea what it is like living next door to a human 'live grenade' whose fuse could go off at any moment and for no apparent reason. The rest of us are not quite so fortunate.

And if you served in an illegal and immoral war such as the Iraq conflict then yes you are indeed a scumbag, and possibly a war criminal. It might be best for you if you did not travel abroad, there are foreign countries that actually really and truly do obey international law and which might be only too happy to ship you off to The Hague for trial.

Phil, it is quite obvious from your post that you know nothing about the military or more likely anything else.

For starters, I have found most military hires I have made to be better team "members" than non-miltary. Unless you have Genereal in front of your name the "my way or the highway" attitude that you so blindly refer to doesn't go very far in the military. Team is a concept that is not only fostered in the military, but one that is difficult to function without.

Some of my best hires have not only been military, but former Special Forces members...independant thinkers, not likely to get stressed, highly intelligient, extremely adaptable, speaks multiple languages...gee, you're right why would anybody want to hire that.

And for those out there that think PTSD sufferers are just going to go into a rage and shoot up the place...where has this happened....and does it happen more than with the civilian population. Not to say that PTSD sufferers are not capable of rage...sure they are, it is one of a 100 possible symptoms, but in my experience, not any more likely than 100 other manifestations that are not aggressive.

As to their being no threat to our country...I'm sure there are 3000 people who used to work in the Towers that would still disagree with you if they could...too bad you weren't one of them, might give you a different perspective.

The only one who seem to be complacently convinced of ther own superiority on here appears to be you...no wonder you're self-employed, who would want to work with or hire you...

Thanks for calling me "perfect" when I never said as such--it must be so much fun to make up your own realities about the world around you and throw labels on people you've never met!

You had ONE bad incident with a military veteran and you are on here riding that horse for all it's worth. "Wah, this was a bad man, all because he was a veteran!" Well, I go to a V.A. hospital on a regular basis for medical treatment and have had NONE with my fellow "troubled" vets.

The United States of America has conducted an "illegal and immoral war," so that makes this entire country a nation of "scumbags," Phil. INCLUDING YOU. Because you didn't protest enough, you didn't leave the country, you didn't make any real effort to not support our war efforts by not paying your taxes or openly protesting.

And do you even realize by calling it an "illegal and immoral war" you're wrongly accusing it of being ONE war when it's been THREE (Persian Gulf, Iraq, Afghanistan)? Or that's exactly what Vietnam and Korea were called? So this country hasn't learned. And its citizens--ALL of them, including YOU--are party to that worldwide abuse.

Phil,

you are definitely displaying signs of ptsd. You had better seek medical help.

um...The U.S. Army and other branches are unique in that they aren't so Top down...yes we take orders in a top down way, but we are also trained to look after our people and make common sense decisions as well, basically a parallel to what a modern American business needs to function properly. Very few of these qualities come from Universities, I have seen both for myself sir.

Oh and BTW that saying is that "organized chaos" is where we thrive best. Think problem solving. Think positive thinking. Think not giving up. Just think dude, especially before you rattle off your priveliged mouth.

Troll, quit spreading hate

StandUpJokeOff

The Persian Gulf conflict was legitimate ONLY because the United Nations Security Council said it was legitimate.

The invasion of Iraq was criminal, immoral and contrary to international law because the United Nations did not agree to approve military action against Iraq. That's what decides if a war is legal and legitimate or not.d ear - The UNITED NATIONS. The USA is not actually the boss of the planet and the U.S> does not get to "decide" if its own conduct is legal or criminal. That's for the world to decide.

That's why Bush Senior, the George Herbert Walker variety, did not just fly offthe handle and invade Iraq back in 1990. He knew he needed the world's permission for military action to be launched. And it was not enough for that military action to "be" valid, it had to be "seen as being" valid. That's why he went to the UN and got the Security Council to pass resolutions authorizing military action - but ONLY for the purposes of evicting Iraq from Kuwait. NOT for the purposes of invading Iraq or overthrowing Iraq's recognised leader.

And Bush going to the UN for that was not a "mere formality". He knew that it mattered. He knew that is he just launched an attack without getting UN approval, it would be illegal, and the whole world would see it as illegal, too. It mattered.

In the case of Iraq, Chimpie always planned to attack Iraq, no matter what the UN found or did not find. And the whole world knew it. And that's why, when Chimpie went before the UN and trried to get them to authorize and give the "Official Sprinkle-Sprinkle" to thewar which the whole world knew was coming, the UN (not having been born under the birth sign of "Stupid") wisely refused and told him to stick it. Whereupon, Chimpie stomped off and started the illegal war which everyone knew was coming anyway.

And predictably the result was devastation. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis died, in a war they did not want and did not support. They did not want to be "liberated". They were okay with living under Saddam Hussein. And if anything the US was happier having Saddam Hussein in power because he was a Sunni Muslim counterweight to Shi'ite Muslim Iran. And the US was happy to have Saddam in power when they basically used him to tie Iran up in an 8-year war (1980-1988). The Iraqis just wanted the sanctions to be lifted, nothing more.

As painful as it is to admit. Phil is more right on than most of you people on here. He's just telling it like it is not as we wish it to be. Military people are often impossible to work with in the civilian world because many of them are just flat out crazy. Many of them do come from backwoods kind of thinking and often do not do well in the real world of diversity because of home-grown prejudices against minorites and women. They don't like to take orders, and they often do not understand that their skills learned in the military just do not apply in the civilian world. They often refuse to see anything wrong with their way of thinking and often insist on doing things their way even when it endangers others or violates company protocols or even the law. In my experience they often turn out to be the worst employees esp. the ones who occupied low ranking jobs in the military, and they leave an employer no other choice but to fire them. And they pose a risk to other employees because they don't take rejection well.

The ones I really feel sorry for are the children of these die hard military types. I've seen more than one case where these people use their so called brand of discipline to harrass and torture innocent children by constantly criticizing, humiliating, and working them to death. They try to cover up for their own sense of inadequacy as a person (often a man) by taking it out on the kids. It's always NO NO NO..Do this do that, get over here, you're a worthless piece of weakling trash, get down and give me twenty. I've seen women marry these types of men and then sit meekly by while they ruin their children's lives. Most times there was nothing wrong with the kid until he came along. I wish these kids had the strength to kick him in the crotch but good, and often there is nobody who will protect these poor children because an abuser knows how to skirt the system. And of course he's an almighty veteran so naturally nobody could fathom he'd abuse his children.

Bless you for your insight.

Very well thought-out.

We had Viet Nam Vets,World War II Vets,and Korean Vets at Pacific Telephone.None of them ever went crazy at work.Some of them did have strange personality's but it was a technical job which attracts nerd.Anyway,they were just as pleasant and hard working as employees who had never served in the military.We had one man who had lost his hearing in one ear which should have prevented him from working in our job title and he received special treatment.He was lousy at the job to boot.There were other job titles that he could have worked at.That to me was wrong to give him special treatment because he served in Viet Nam.The other Vets had no respect for him as he milked it for all it was worth.So there are two sides of the coin in this situation.

Well for starters it's illegal to discriminate against someone who has ptsd. Also, the vast majority of people with ptsd don't shoot up the place.

Best thing is dont hire anyone. Wow, Rick you would lose your job if you even have one.

Huh?

There are a lot of 'vocally sexist' people in the USA, and in the world. Because some of them happen to be in the military you are going to condem all of them? As far as rape, you may want to look at how common rape is on university campuses and how it is swept under the carpet. Then you may decide you don't want to hire any college graduates....orrrr..you could just refuse to hire actual rapists and actual people that vocalize sexist statements in your presence.

Amen Reasonable. The military does more to harm their image than anyone else. I don't like them either, and I don't feel safe with them in charge.

"chickens coming home to roost"

Then pecking everyone's eyes out...

Great. More uninformed, ignorant, media-fed rhetoric by those who have never served.

Read some of my posts. You might learn something.

I've learned that I value my life too much to fight at the command of others.

Bad Animal..I guess it's a good thing that you have other people that are willing to lay their life down for you huh?

Military people don't lay their life down for anyone. They do it for the same old reasons people in the civilian world learn a trade or profession. They do it for the benefits real or perceived. Many could not afford college without the military, or they simply don't have the life skills yet to know what they want to do. Often they are aimless youth. I can say that because I know a lot of these types of kids. I grew up around them. And to the letter almost all of them went into the service because they had few other options.

Military people don't lay their life down for anyone. They do it for the same old reasons people in the civilian world learn a trade or profession. They do it for the benefits real or perceived. Many could not afford college without the military, or they simply don't have the life skills yet to know what they want to do. Often they are aimless youth. I can say that because I know a lot of these types of kids. I grew up around them. And to the letter almost all of them went into the service because they had few other options.

Summed it up pretty nicely. Don't see the rich scrambling to fill up the ranks of this noble profession. I guess having options trumps patriotism..

Exactly, most soldiers are too dumb to make it anywhere else, but in the service. That is the way it has always been. And as for laying down your life for me, since when has America been under attack ? Not since 1812, unless you want me to believe the bush/cheney regime did not have a hand in the WTC demolition. No american soldier has ever laid down their life for me. That is ludicrous. I can protect myself quite well, thank you very much. It does not take many brains to shoot a gun and kill someone. I can train a monkey to do that. Don't confuse being part of the Empire Building project, as laying your life down for anyone fools.

And besides, if we had a war that was REALLY needed, the gov't can conscript people. That's how we won WW2.

I guess you never heard of Pearl Harbor and, well, you are delusional about 9/11. I'm sure you believe that picking up a gun and shooting someone is just like video games but it isn't. It takes training to shoot accurately and it takes something else called a spine to shoot a person, even one that is threatening you or your family. I'm sorry that you are so dismissive and disrespectful about Americans that have lost their lives for this country.

I don't know why you think it is in anyway important why people choose to go into the service. I guess you think that military, law enforcement, teachers, and other people that serve should all take a vow of poverty. Personally, I think that any young person that can look at the situation and realize that there is a way to get an education that they otherwise couldn't afford and a job with health care, that they otherwise would not qualify for, is making pretty good life decisions. Sounds like they are a lot more intelligent than you give them credit for and certainly more intelligent than you seem to be,. Making a smart decision certainly doesn't lessen their service. I don't think you would enjoy living in a country with no military force. You would be in for some very rude surprises.

Well, I have at least one example that breaks the very narrow mold you set up:

My dad was born into wealth but served for 22 years. He did it because he felt a need to do something for his country, not for the crap pay or health care. He didn't do it because he couldn't get an education, either. He had his masters before signing up.

Alex,My Dad was not dumb.He enlisted in World War II.Say thank you to him and others because the Nazis don't run the U.S.A. My uncle died in his aircraft.He was not dumb.In fact he had a great engineering job at his family's engineering firm when he enlisted.My Dad didn't get any cushy benefits.He was in a foxhole in the snow in Italy eating K Rations and shooting at Nazi's.My Aunt received very little compensation in which to raise her two children.So you really need to think before you spout off on a subject that you know next to nothing about.

My brother in law is a vet and he was diagnosed with ptsd. He's the nicest person and he certainly isn't going to be shooting up anything. Don't be a bigot.

@Reasonable: ...Just going by my own experience. ...PTSD folks don't always need to shoot the workplace up to cause big problems. But, please remember, you never KNOW they're going to shoot the place up until after they do. ...In this case, I'd rather be a live "bigot" than a dead fool.

...As far as your brother goes, I'm sorry this happened to him. He is, however, as I said, entitled to SSD, which pays more than many jobs do these days.

That's great, but he actually has a good job that pays substantially more than SSD. Nor do I want my tax dollars to be spent to support people who are capable of working. If you want to be a communist you should leave America.

@Reasonable: ...No Communist here. ...I am against Obama-style handouts, big time! However, I am for helping vets out, always, especially non-volunteer vets. ...Good to hear he has a well-paying job. ...I sincerely hope he doesn't ever have a violent "event" there.

I've worked with some really nasty people too and most of them didn't have PTSD - they were just nasty. We need to stop thinking that just because someone doesn't behave the way we think they should there is a mental health diagnosis for that. No - sometimes people are just miserable - and they probably think the same thing about us.

I do not agree that SSD is the response needed for veterans diagnosed with PTSD. They need to realize their potential and be part of the productive society if at all possible. Automatically putting them on SSD moves them into a class of people that much of society views as dependent, lazy, worthless. That does not mean that any job will be a good fit any more than it is for people without PTSD.

Might as well exclude men from the workforce under your logic. Workplace shooters are always men.

@Reasonable: ...Now you're sounding like an Obamanite by taking something out of context and overgeneralizing. ...Employers should be "skittish" about hiring any man or woman with a potentially violent mental disorder. ...Not only for the coworkers' safety, but, also, for the sake of their own potential liability.

@Anita: ...You are correct. SSD should only be used in instances where there is no other safe choice. And, vets, especially non-volunteer vets should get priority.

And you just sound like a bigot. You're happy with discrimination against vets even though 80% don't even have ptsd because you are not a vet so it gives you a leg up. You oppose discrimination against men because you are one and that would harm your chances. You support whatever benefits you without regard for what is right or wrong.

@Reasonable: ...So, you really ARE an Obamanite, aren't you? ...I NEVER promoted discrimination against vets. I DID promote not hiring ANYONE with a potentially violent mental disorder. ...Get a grip!

...You really are an Obamanite, aren't you? ...LMAO!!

Apparently you are unaware that PTSD does not automatically translate into violence. Some people with PTSD are depressed, or they have fear of loud noises, or any number of other issues that DO NOT translate into them being violent people. The people on here that are making a judgment that all service members with PTSD are to be considered violent and liable to just 'snap and shoot the place up' are doing nothing but showing their ignorance of the subject.

Ironically, many people in the USA are already victims of PTSD and are not veterans. For example, the people that were at the Aurora theater might get PTSD because of their experience. Many people that were abused as children have PTSD. Battered wives. How will you keep all of these people from just 'shooting the place up', I wonder.

linda from north carolina

Ac tually I am self employed and do quite well for myself. So no, I never have to worry about some whacked-out veteran "taking my job". As a matter of fact, I just had to help some friends of mine move out of a stressful situation that involved having to share a house with a whacked-out veteran, who came back from Afghanistan with PTSD and a heroin addiction and who would spend his time sulking in his room and watching his war-porn and then suddenly start slamming doors, punching walls and screaming at people. He doesn't have a job (obviously) and it was more than a little disconcerting for my friends to come home and discover the guy sitting at the kitchen table weighing, wrapping and preparing little $20 baggies of black-tar heroin for sale.

You will find some veterans who think they are super human, smarter than anyone and everyone around them is stupid. (I actually had to fire a veteran like that and discipline others who would not follow procedures critical to our operations, refused to take feedback from supervisors but argued over every direction they were given. Also had to do the same thing with some non-veterans so go figure.) They also believe they are entitled to maximum return on minimum effort. I happen to think the seeds for that life view were sown long before they went into the military.

The point is, there are lots of good people and lots of jerks out there and a history of military service is not a good predictor of either.

Anita--quite right. The military brings in jerks as well as good people. Just like any other organization.

Linda,

Phil is just an idiot. Dont pay any attention to him.

N. Serling

There is no "next big war coming". Nobody "needs" you to "defend" us. There is no conceivable "threat" to the U.S. from any country on the entire planet. None. At. All.

You sir, are an Idiot when was the last time this country was at PEACE! My eyes are not closed and I'm pretty sure everyone in the Middle East does not love the United States get a clue!

Phil: Apparently you have not been listening to the Romney/Ryan demand that we be more friendly to Israel, who is on the verge of attacking Iran. We're lining ourselves up to be right back into creating new messes in the Middle East with everyone from Pakistan to Libya to Syria.

It's bad enough that we Americans are ignorant enough to want to enforce our impressions of freedom onto other countries that 1) don't WANT our type of freedom, 2) are not prepared for their people to HAVE our type of freedom and 3) despise us FOR our freedom. But we as a country are continually sticking our noses in affairs that we cannot settle so easily as we did in WWII. Every campaign we've been in since--Korea, Vietnam, Lebanon/Granada, Persian Gulf, Iraq, Afghanistan--is a conflict that we could have easily returned to five years after we left and found things the same or worse as when we meddled with them.

And as I stated elsewhere, we've been AT WAR SINCE 1990!

You, sir, are ignorant to say there is no "next big war coming" when we've been IN one for 22 years now.

What's wrong Philip no comeback.

@N. Sterling: You are correct. @Phil is incorrect. We do need a strong military and there are active enemies to America within and without. ...This new, gentler, kinder fashion our government is holding our military conduct to is probably causing a lot more cases of PTSD and stress in general for our troops.

N. Serling

We were at peace prior to Spetember 11th, but we were never actually "at war" in the first place because as anyone who knows anything about the Constitution (as you apparently do not) would patiently explain to you, only Congress has the power to declare war and no declaration of war was ever issued by Congress. So no, we are not "at war".

And incidentally no you cannot declare war "On Terror", in case no one has ever explained the facts of life to you "terror" is a tactic, it is not a country, it does not exist anywhere on a map of the planet.

The US government under chimpie Bush used the 9/11 attacks as an excuse to launch aggressive criminal and immoral wars of conquest abroad against countries that had nothing to do with 9/11. The result is that hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been murdered by thugs such as yourself and nothing has been achieved at all except to squander the lives of innocents. The real beneficiary of the aggression against Iraq is Iran, which has more influence and power in the Middle East now than ever before, thanks to the fact that a government led by their fellow Shi'ites has come to power in Iraq. Iraq is now allied with Iran.

Yes, the people of the Middle East do not like you. Did it ever occdur to you that maybe they have their reasons and that those reasons might be perfectly valid, such as the fact that the US has interfered with their countries for decades and installed brutal tyrants against the will of the people in those countries? Why do you think the Iranians seized the American Embassy in the first place? It was because the US government overthreww a DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED GOVERNMENT in Iran in 1953 and installed the tyrant, the Shah of Iran.

News flash, people throughout the world have the right to elect governments of their own choosing even if those aren't the leaders you would "want" them to have, and you don't have any "right" at all to "do" anything at all about it, you just have to suck it up and take it.

...@Phil is obviously an Obamanite zombie who believes what his master, Zombie King Obama, has told him.

Phil--a little helpful advice:

You're already proving yourself to be ill-informed about the military and how it operates on a day-to-day basis, as well as what it means to be a citizen of the United States, which has ALWAYS been a war-mongering country and has seldom gone more than a few decades without a battle (either its own like the Civil War or outside skirmishes).

The more you type, the deeper you are digging your hole of ignorance and the greater your personal prejudice towards those of us who have served this country becomes. You had ONE bad incident with a lowlife who just happened to also be a veteran; stop trumpeting that incident as if that heroin-dealing man was the poster boy for all ex-servicemen.

Phil is an idiot and like N Serling said, when and if a draft is the next 'Big thing", then you Phil need to have your number punched 1st because you Phil are an @!$%#.

Air Force Vet and mother of a Combat Soldier

BTW I don't care if people in the Middle East don't like me I lose no sleep over it.

There wont be any more wars. Obama will see to that. Isnt it great.

linda from north carolina

Actually I am self employed and do quite well for myself. So no, I never have to worry about some whacked-out veteran "taking my job".

As a matter of fact, I just recently within the last two months had to help some friends of mine move out of a stressful situation that involved having to share a house with a whacked-out veteran, who came back from Afghanistan with PTSD and a heroin addiction and who would spend his time sulking in his room and watching his war-porn and then suddenly start slamming doors, punching walls and screaming at people. He doesn't have a job (obviously) and it was more than a little disconcerting for my friends to come home and discover the guy sitting at the kitchen table weighing, wrapping and preparing little $20 baggies of black-tar heroin for sale.

Wow. Great. It seems you've fallen for the "one bad apple" stereotype.

I daresay I've encountered far more civilians dealing in drugs than military personnel. And I was IN the military both after college and after spending fourteen years in the civilian workplace in between my two terms, so here's a news flash: my experience trumps yours. There are jerks everywhere, and more of them can be found among Americans that know nothing of putting their country first, because they're too busy putting THEMSELVES first.

I put my country first by NOT contributing my services to a war machine whose only purpose is death and destruction. I make my community and my country a better place because I build things, I don't destroy things.

And no, I don't "need" you to "defend" me, so STOP DOING IT.

Phil you'd be the 1st wussy to cry for your mommy and @!$%# your pants if you'd ever be placed with the F--KING honor of protecting our country.

The "war machine" is a stereotypical media hype phrase for what they don't understand.

Look up BRAC--Base Realignment and Closure. Take a look at how many communities collapsed when the economic support offered by the military was taken away. Think of how many students have been able to complete college and bring that "intelligence" that you treasure to this country, thanks to the G.I. Bill. Realize how many low-income individuals joined the military and managed to improve their lot in life through discipline, education and DEVOTION TO DUTY.

Clearly, you're incapable of defending yourself, Phil. So I'm being the responsible American citizen and looking after my fellow man... even though it is oh-so-not-chic to do so these days. Enjoy it.

Oh, and Phil? I'm a woman. So you just get on over here and hide behind my skirts from the realities of the big, bad world. I'll take care of you, son! :-) I'll keep you informed about things... like, when and if the current war ends... here to help!

StandUpJokeOff

What part of "I do not 'need' your alleged 'service', I do not 'need' your 'help',m I will never, ever 'thank you' and I will not pay for your 'help' " are you having trouble understanding? It must be terribly, terribly traumatic to you, convincing yourself that your "country called you" (no, they didn't, you asked to join or begged to join your country, not the other way around) and discovering that no, we actually do not "need" you for anything.

Again, it's amazing how your MAKING UP REALITY.

I never, anywhere said that my "country called" me; I joined voluntarily as a responsible, sober, clean and patriotic American, of my own volition and my own sense of duty to the country that has sheltered and provided for me.

If you're going to make things up about me and other people and use your clearly active imagination, then at least get them RIGHT.

Phil, I know this is a waste of time but you are obviously completely unaware that the military is primarily in place as a peace keeping force. We have bases in strategic locations to ensure that other countries don't perceive us as an easy mark. We provide training and assistance to people in countries that do not have a strong military and we ensure that our enemies are aware that there will be consequences to an attack. I really think you would be in for a very unpleasant surprise if the military did not exist.

Enma3 - those who are making shallow, stereotypical comments are the ones who have never dared to put anything so noble as the needs of their country ahead of themselves. I don't feel angry towards them so much as I pity their blind, cruel ignorance.

Enma3

Your husband served in another illegal and immoral war, one which millions of Americans marched and protested against precisely because they did not want him and other Americans fighting in an illegal war to defend a puppet regime that had no support even among its own people. Your husband fought for nothing. Today Vietnam is seemingly America's new bestest buddy because America fears the Chinese and wants to cozy up to Vietnam, so the U.S. now has diplomatic relations with Vietnam, U.S. vessels make port calls in Vietnamese ports. And meanwhile the Vietnamese are still defiantly and proudly Communist.

My freedoms were never ever "endangered" by Vietnamese communists, by Cuban communists, by Nicaraguan Sandinistas, by Salvadoran leftists, by anybody. Nobody ever fought in Vietnam "on my behalf". They might have done it because they had some stupid and misguided idea of "patriotism", they might have done it because they were drafted, but they never did it for me.

Forty years ago right wing loons warned that "if'n we don't stop 'em in Vietnam, they'll come all the way to San Francisco" and similar lying B.S.

It's been 37 years since Saigon fell, where is that "maasive invading commie army"? Did they get lost somewhere along the way? Stopped in Thailand for some pad thai and bubble tea? Please let me know when they get here, I'm getting old and I'd really like to be able to climb up to the roof and watch the fireworks beforre I get too old.

Tell your Husband thank you for his service during the Vietnam War. Don't listen to Philip.

Thank you N. Sterling-I gave up listening to Philip quite some time ago! I don't listen to the selfish, insecure and immature!

Ditto what Serling says: thank you to your husband!

...All of the BEST gunsmiths I've known have been vets.

Good point! Hadn't really considered that trade.

Steelermama

Stick to boinking rednecks in your trailer, honey.

Ohh, and by the way, honey: go a bit easier on the eye shadow and eyeliner. It's one thing to wear makeup, it's an entirely different matter to go around looking like Crayola gang-banged your face.

Phil, NOW you've passed the line from being simply ignorant to arrogant and stupid.

And you're STILL making up your own realities about strangers you've never met and know nothing about! Perhaps you should see a psychiatrist about that condition of being unable to deal with reality. Let them help you stop from making assumptions and being rude to others.

Practice peace, love and understanding! Just the way Jesus would want it! :-)

Actually, you are the one who is arrogant and stupid.

See if you can follow this:

I do not "need" you to "defend" me.

I do not "want" you to "defend" me.

I will not "pay for" you to "defend" me.

I have no "enemies" whatsoever.

The world IS NOT "a dangerous place" at all. It is a very, very safe place, as long as you do not go around interfering in other countries' internal affairs, overthrowing other countres' leaders or presuming to tell people in other countries what kind of political or economic system they are "allowed" to have.

I am not threatened by Muslims, by Saddam Hussein, by Vietnamese communists, by El Salvadoran guerrillas, by Nicaraguan Sandinistas, by anyone.

My freedom is absolutely free. I do not need or want your "help". I never "asked" you to do anything at all for me.

Therefore, what is arrogant and stupid is for you to "do" something that I never needed, never wanted, never asked for; for you to arrogantly and lying claim that you "did it for me" when in fact you did it for yourself; and for you to then arrogantly and petulantly demand that I "thank" you for doing exactly what I never wanted or needed you to do in the first place.

N. Serling thank you for your service and @!$%#bags like phil are not worth your time.

N. Serling

Yes, Pakistan has terrorists. Pakistan has also already suffered far mnore from terrorism than the US ever has or ever will. They have taken far more casualties in their own battle against extremism than the US ever has, but nobody says a thing about "their" casualtyies because as far as you are concerned "American" lives are the only ones that matter.

You can never, ever "kill all the bad guys". You have been in Afghanstan for ELEVEN YEARS. That's twice as long as it took to win World War II. And what have you accomplished? Nothing, nothing at all. The Afghan people hate your guts, as thye hate all invaders, and they support the Taliban. You can never, ever defeat the Taliban. The Taliban are Afghans fighting on the soil of their own country and they will never stop fighting you no matter how many years you are there. The Russians tried it with methods a thousand times more brutal than you and they failed, you will never succeed where they failed, all you can do is paint a happy face on another military defeat.

When you are attacked you should respond by treating it as a police incident, because that's what it is - a CRIME. That's how Clinton handled the first bombing of the WTC and that was exactly the right thing to do, he allowed the justice system to handle it without antagonizing the rest of the world or creataing more terrorists by angering millions of people around the world with illegal invasions.

If in the past there were times NATO would not respond as you claim, then there were probably very valid reasons why they did not respond and why they were absolutely correct not to. The fault was not with NATO for not regarding you as their boss to tell them what to do, the fault was with you for not realizing that what you were doing was wrong from the beginning.

Phil11514, you are on of the most ignorant libral j-offs. You have no clue what you are talking about. Go back to the 60s before it's to late, or just die.

klind - Please seek psychiatric care at your earliest convenience. You will be delighted to know that ObamaCare will cover mental health treatment. Or better yet, help us save some money on health care costs, and just eat your gun.

First of all World War II is a completely different type of conflict so leave it alone. Second the Taliban was quickly thrown back during the early stages after the initial invasion it was about 4 months I believe.

The Whole country was behind us and the Taliban was pretty damn close to getting wiped out.

I know the Soviet Union were there before us but get your facts straight the Taliban didn't just walk all over mother Russia especially there Spectnaz people. As for Pakistan they reap what they sow I'm sure that place is so normal.

Don't get me started on Clinton!

N. Serling

The Taliban was never "thrown back during the initial stages of the invasion". They simply took off their uniforms and melted into the countryside and blended back in with the civilian population. That's what a guerilla force does.

That's the part that you cannot fathom. That is why you cannot understand why you are losing. The Taliban are not some "foreign occupying force". The foreign occupying force is YOU. The Taliban are Afghans. They LIVE there.

@Phil11514,

Report This Item As:

No Value

Inflammatory

A copy of this has been submitted to Newsvine via email. At least a week suspension should be applied! Phil you have NO PLACE TELLING ANYONE AND ESPECIALLY A MEMBER OF OUR MILITARY TO EAT HIS GUN!

You are ignorant and an embarrassement to the Democratic Party and the Human Race.

If I still was in a position where I do the hiring our military would be my #1 source. My first question would be do you have a qualified friend looking for work that you served with? My second would be when can the two of you start. Third do you have any more men and women that you personally recommend.

To all those that have served or are currently serving: Thank You for Service and you are in my thoughts every single day. I wish I could do more but a large part of how I vote will be based on how our veterans are treated.

Wrong Again dirty hippie! During Operation Anaconda when they had Osama Bin Ladden in the Tora Bora complex when the Air Force was dropping down hell on them he came pretty damn close to getting rolled up. He Squirted out why because the Taliban and Insurgents like the Cowards that they are always using defenseless humans as shields and greatly exaggerate civilian casualties this is straight out of there manual that's a fact. I know the Taliban have Afghan sleeper cell that's been hiding among ANSF and local security problem that has been a problem for awhile and is nothing new. Show's you know nothing. 'For your general knowledge for the most part Taliban and Insurgents don't wear uniforms they are unlawful combatants that are not entitled to protection under the geneva conventions but still get it. I know me and my buddies have put plenty 5.56 and 7.62 in them.

And with gems like this

Tired of talking to you don't have a nice Christmas or new year's and go @!$%# yourself you worthless @!$%#!!!!

N. Serling won't be here much longer

klind - Please seek psychiatric care at your earliest convenience. You will be delighted to know that ObamaCare will cover mental health treatment. Or better yet, help us save some money on health care costs, and just eat your gun.

Like I said Phil you are ignorant. Go back to the 60s were you belong. I am glad that the mojority of people in this country are not scum like you. I am glad that vet's get discounts at most stores. I bet you are jobless and need handouts. You are a fool.

Today's military are members of which class?

the blamee

its truly sad there are people like you who denigrate the sacrifices these men and women have made in defense of their country only to be kicked to the curb when they get home.

As a retired veteran I thank those who are serving today and hope employers will educate themselves on PTSD. For civilians who have never served in the military: a little respect and compassion for these veterans is warranted.

The truly sad thing is: our representatives in Washington are trying to cut benefits to Americas finest: the armed forces. They are the 1% who make daily sacrifices to ensure our freedom. Please don't turn your back on a veteran because they have PTSD.

What I see of veterans in the workforce is a band of brothers and sisters to each other, an exclusive club dedicated to hating non-veterans, a secret society that wages war here at home against anybody who didn't serve, based upon the following made-up "Rules of Engagement" against anybody who didn't need to serve, based upon imaginary reasons and phony criteria that they created out of their own twisted minds. First, because non-veterans were smart enough and employed enough and fed enough and housed enough to not have had to enlist. Secondly, the non-veteran had unfair advantages and options. Third, that the non-veteran had prospects. What I see of veterans are psychopaths who cover their inability to get along in civilized society by fighting the war their leaders where too cowardly to take to the enemy, not fought against their "fellow" Americans. The veterans I see in the workplace have declared me their sworn enemy (since they had their pansy as*sess licked in every Third World country they got themselves thrown out of), and conduct their guerrilla war back home through back-stabbing, dirty tricks, back-biting, lying, cheating, two-timing, home-wrecking, in a philosophy that says "if you are not with us then you are our enemy" loserdom. They play with peoople's lives, countryman and women against their own countrymen and women. But what do you expect from a bunch of miscreants that live by a code that says "tyranny in defense of freedom abroad is not despotism to be inflicted upon the populace here at home."I have no use for veterans. You are everthing that is wrong with this democracy, you and your buddies that make up the criminal, shyster politicians and banksters that have almost (not yet) destroyed a whole economy. Being the son of an officer in this "man's" Army, I thought that I had experience a childhood of this pathology in private life, before I had to go out to war in the real world. You all suck.