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The Wright Perspective℠
Social Commentary from the C-Suite to Main Street℠
A Blog by Gary Wright II
Is the Puppy Killer Marine moving to your neighborhood?!?!
Friday, March 7th, 2008
By now everyone has seen the video of the Marine in Iraq throwing a puppy over a cliff to its death. I am as disgusted as the rest of you and in no way are minimized this incident, but think about this:
We are all outraged over this horrendous murder with no visible sign of remorse or sensitivity. Why are we not all equally outraged over the Iraqi men, women, and children who were put to death earlier in the day? Have we dehumanized these people to a point that their life no longer matters???
I am a disabled veteran, and this guy in no way represents the rest of the military. Almost all of our soldiers and sailors are honorable people - this guy is the exception.
Here is the problem: Our military teaches these kids how to murder, shows them how to do "home invasions", how to ambush, how to torture, and how to sleep at night after doing all of these "duties." Our military is failing us because they never teach them how "not to kill" - they never 'deprogram" them.
When I go to the VA hospital, I meet Vietnam veterans going to weekly group counseling sessions to help them deal with what they ordeal that they went through during the war. The war has been over for decades, but these men and women still suffer on a daily basis from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. When you see a homeless person, odds are that they are a veteran. They have no way to integrate back in to society once they do get home from the war.
America - guess what! These "killing machines" are going to be coming home soon to a neighborhood near you! Our older veterans fought in a jungle, so they are rarely triggered by their environment at home. Some people think our young people are fighting in a desert. Wrong! They are fighting in an urban setting with houses and danger behind every door and around every corner. When they get back home, what environment will they be living in? They will be in a similar urban environment that will constantly remind of their battles. It isn't going to be their fault. We are responsible for creating these monsters.
Another issue we have is gang members in the military. The History Channel just ran a story about this issue on their series 'Gangland." The department of defense says that gang members aren't a problem in the military and that they represent less than 1% of our service members. Like the show pointed out, 1% of our military is a LARGE NUMBER. There are enough gang members in the military to fully man several military bases. The military refuses to recognize this as a problem.
Our law enforcement officers will not stand a chance when these gang members leave the military and come back home. The police are simply not trained to counteract military tactics. They also don't have the equipment (guns, armor, and ammunition) to deal with this kind of threat. An incident in California that occurred in 2005 was a textbook example of this problem.
We are all angry at the marine who is a puppy killer. Who made him such a cold blooded killer? We did. When they come back home, who will have to deal with them? We will. Who will be affected by these issues? All of us.
I am proud to be a veteran, and I am proud of the brave men and women who server our country. WE MUST TAKE GOOD CARE OF THEM when they come back home or "puppy killers" will be living in YOUR neighborhood!
Best regards,
-- Gary Wright II