This isn't funny. Take it seriously.

Know too many Marines that found their wits end at the end of their own rifle... 2 in Mateo, one in the Stumps, so fucking many in Cuba I lost count. It's a shitty day when you wake up and find your brother offed himself over demons not even you could see.

There is no solution, only measures to take to help those less determined. 13 weeks to become a Marine, a week or so to get civilized and then released back into the wild... something is wrong there. Everyday it was Kill Kill Kill, then it was wake up and sit around the house because you can't quite find the motivation to get in the rat race, the girls you knew are married off, you're old buds are to the winds... 8 months and $20,000 in savings later, binge drinking and staggering back from every bar in walking distance... ultimately you either click on and snap to or you go sit in the dark with so much blame and guilt that living no longer seems like a viable alternative. Making targets of living people has it's downside.

Going from having 30 + brothers you bleed with everyday, to breaking the routine you've been washed into following to having the alone time to reflect on every single thing is overwhelming... for some.

And the worst part of it is there is no longer a clear-cut benefit to this war in Iraq (as opposed to the war in Afghanistan, which I believe is justified). These poor soldiers who come home maimed and crippled have to be asking, "What has my government achieved that was worth losing my legs over?" And there is no definitive answer.

At least in Vietnam we had a clear purpose to prevent the hostile takeover of a friendly nation and curb the spread of Communism. At the time, it was a noble and worthy goal. Unfortunately, we took a lot of casualties and more or less failed in the end. But at least there was a purpose. Iraq doesn't have that.

This was started as a political war that the White House thought would be a cake walk. It quickly turned into a quagmire that we are now stuck in for better or worse. The casualties climb every day and the benefits of staying in the fight disintegrated long ago. We're morally obligated to stay until we can provide the Iraqi people an infrastructure, police force, military, and safety at least equivalent to what they had under Saddam Hussein, as absurd as that is.

As for that main point, I don't think anyone who signs up for military service is fully prepared for what they may be asked to do, see or endure. You pretty much have to know someone who has been in a major war (WWII, Korea, VietNam), and has had frank, blatant discussions, and even then, it's hard to comprehend.