Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Discharge.

This is coolbert:

Here from way back in 2004, is the story of the modern-day Eddie Slovik? Thanks to the The Independent:

U.S. troop, freshly arrived in Iraq, an Arabic translator, recent graduate [?] of the Defense Language Institute [DLI], sent into the "thick of the action", with the American Special Forces [SF], exhibiting combat fatigue EVEN without having seen a full day of battle, being branded a COWARD!!

"US sergeant branded a coward mounts furious fightback"

"Combat Stress"

I recall this case very well. Troop, having skills highly sought after in Iraq [American able to speak Arabic], ONLY TWO DAYS [?] ON THE GROUND, SENT TO WORK WITH A SF UNIT, sees a dead Iraqi cut into two pieces. Man then vomits, collapses physically and mentally, no longer able to perform his mission.

Sent to the "rear", not even having spent a full day [?] in the combat zone, faces very serious charges, cowardice, dereliction of duty, etc.

Returns to the states, his case finally adjudicated, the man receiving a general discharge, less than honorable, our linguist seemingly happy with the way things turned out.

The Independent refers to this obliquely as an example of "combat stress". Well, the man had not even been in the combat zone for a full-day, saw his first casualty, and that was it for him? Combat stress is obviously related to prolonged fatigue of a physical and mental nature. Prolonged usually meaning LONGER than a DAY?

General discharge was suitable in this case. Highly trained and highly needed individual just fell apart!

coolbert.

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