Okay...I've got to rant to someone

I have now reached my limit with the current state of our military. Not the soldiers in general, but those in charge. I just found out something and needed a place to rant.

Before I begin my rant, I should say that my father was in the Marines for 30 years and I and my two brothers were all born in military hospitals. Also the older of my two brothers served 6 years in the Marines. So I personally have nothing against our military until now.....

The younger of my two nephews decided to join the Marines (like his dad did) back in November. Under normal circumstances I would not have cared, but these are not normal times. I was very upset!!

I asked my brother why he didn't try to talk him out of it. He hates Bush as I do so I didn't understand. Well he felt a draft is coming and Stephen wanted to get some money toward college and my nephew is 21 so...

Anyway, he was to report just after Christmas, but that changed and he was told to report 3 weeks early so off he went. Turns out they didn't have enough people to fill the current platoon down at Parris Island.

Well my nephew has been there since then. He and a friend who joined together and arrived 2 weeks later(another long story)were both put in a strength training class because they couldn't do the required pull ups and other physical things the Marines require.

Now the Marines are trying to blame Stephen and his friend for not telling them that they both had sustained injuries to their bodies when they were younger (Stephen broke his arm when he was 12 and his friend David hurt his neck in High School on the wrestling team) The guy who recruited them told them both not to say anything. GRRRRRR!!!

NOW they have released his friend and sent him home, but they are still holding my nephew and they want to send him home to see a Shrink!!!!!!!!!!! They still won't release him. Yet according to him he has been sick with pneumonia for weeks and he's still sitting in this training class.

I AM BEYOND ANGRY!!!!! Why in GODS name do they want him to see a shrink. My nephew is a sweet, loving kid, who has never hurt anyone and only wanted money to help him go to college to become a chef.

I'm crying as I type this because I don't know what to do for him. This just makes no sense to me. Why won't they just discharge him for health reasons. Why are they trying to screw him up.

I'm not sure how much more I can take of this crazy country we live in. I just don't recognize it anymore.

I'll stop now. Thanks for listening.

:cry:

But I wish you and him good luck with everything.

Why don't they use the shrinks at the Training Command? Every Boot Camp has them. Have they offered him a discharge? What I remember from my service time it was possible to get out with a general discharge during training.

I feel for your nephew. I wish him good luck.

... people they deem unacceptable. They're sending him to a shrink who will eventually hand him a form to sign that his physical condition is a result of alcoholism or drug use. That prevents him from filing any disability claim or challenging his dismissal.

Sorry to say, but I've heard about this routine before. If they try this on him, tell him not to sign the form and to see the JAG office.

who were all given general discharges about the third week for past drug usage. All six told their recruiters they'd experimented with marijuana but didn't like it, didn't smoke it, wanted nothing to do with it. But there were quotas to meet and paperwork to process so all six got sent to Texas so they could be humiliated and discharged, poked about by psychiatrists and sent home in disgrace three weeks later.

That was 35 years ago. Doesn't seem like the military's changed at all in the intervening years.

kid who was afraid of water. A visiting local camera crew caught the kid being assaulted on tape while in the pool area during a training session. The tape showed the officer hitting an obviously scared kid. The next day...the young man is found dead in the pool - death occurred during training.

Now I'm not saying that all drill sergeants are evil, they have a job to do but don't you think we are not seeing the effects of "trickle down" training? If it is okay to beat and torture prisoners maybe its okay to "toughen" up the kids using similar methods. They join up for the best of reasons, they agree to do a difficult job in exchange for certain considerations. Once in, they get the shaft seven ways to Sunday, stop loss, lousy pay, eroding benefits and when things really hit the fan...they get to tote the note for all of the poor decisions made by the ivy league, chickenshit warmongers that created the mess to begin with. Does anyone really believe that the people who will end up serving time for the abuses at Abu Gharib thought all this stuff up themselves? They were doing what they were trained to do - obey orders.

I have a thousand questions and certainly don't have any of the answers but when are the American people going to start protecting these kids who have volunteered to protect us?

Rant to us anytime :hug:

stint in the AF. A LOT of them. I share in your anger.

all the while you are upset about him seeing a shrink, and i am thinking, he gets to come home, he doesnt have to go to iraq, this is a good thing.

hugs and kisses to him when he gets home. i am glad he is coming home

haven't made the decision yet. This is just one of the things he told his folks.

I don't know what is going to happen. I'm just at a loss with the whole situation.