"One minute we're trying to catch a fly ball; the next minute, we're praying not to get blown into a million pieces," said Sergeant Harterson, 35, from Jacksonville, N.C., as Black Hawk medevac helicopters flew over Warhorse and Bradley fighting vehicles kicked up dust in the distance. "That's how messed up our life has been. But man, we still need sports, because we need to have that escape."
"The only reason we got this nasty job chasing roadside bombs is because we are expendable," said Staff Sgt. Jeff Rayner from Nashville. "They need bodies, and we provide them. We clear the roads, but we're still treated like dirt here."
"Hey, we might make their country a little better, but a lot of people are still in poverty, a lot still hate us and look at us like they want us dead," he said. "How's that for boosting your morale?"
Okay, now I am not a psychiatrist but I do work in the mental health profession and I just have to tell you these guys are in an extreme mental health crisis! As a lay person I would say that they have some PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), definitely some severe depression, and definitely a lot more that I am not qualified to guess at. There is a good possibility that thee guys are so highly strung that they are making some mistakes on a daily basis. Some of these mistakes are probably fatal for the innocent Iraqis.
It is time to face facts, the war is over! We made a mistake going in there and we are not going to make it all better by staying any longer!
