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Anti-Empire
Human Rights in IrelandIndymedia Ireland is a volunteer-run non-commercial open publishing website for local and international news, opinion & analysis, press releases and events. Its main objective is to enable the public to participate in reporting and analysis of the news and other important events and aspects of our daily lives and thereby give a voice to people.
Lockdown Skeptics
Voltaire NetworkVoltaire, international edition
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'Vietnam Syndrome' affecting IDF national |
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news report
 Friday November 15, 2002 14:54 by Blisett
 War has other costs as well that are frequently NOT discussed until years after a conflict ends—the psychological devastation. While an American emmisary arrives to Meet with Prime Minister Sharon to discuss "conflict maintenance," (a new word for your lexicon of newsspeak), there are reports of a a new syndrome, Intifada Vet Syndrome, reported in Ma’ariv, a centrist newspaper. Have you seen this on TV? Eitan Rabin reports: "They were highly motivated and enlisted in the most elite units. They served in the IDF for three years and sometimes even more. They fought in the harshest battles of the Intifada, but they were also forced to deal with the Palestinian civilian population. Now, after they have been discharged, the difficulties, the personal crises, the instances of self-berating begin to come to the surface. The scope of the phenomenon is frightening: dozens of them went to the Far East as backpackers, where they came under the influence of drugs, including some instances of heroine and cocaine. A few tried to commit suicide or to hurt themselves…. "We received over 900 requests by parents with terrible stories. Stories about drugs, attempts at suicide, about emotional distress. We are talking about veterans of the most elite units such as Sayeret Matkal, the Naval Commando, Duvdevan, Duhifat. "One of the central problems that crop up in the course of conversations with the veterans is the Intifada. ‘The soldiers cry, blame themselves for having abused Palestinians, cruelty, disgracing and humiliation. Now, after having been discharged, those sights return to them in their minds like a nightmare. Suddenly, the soldier, the combatant, who was called 'Rambo' in the army, goes to India, there he experiences a different reality of quiet and tranquility. When he returns he understands what he has done. He tries to escape reality, to smoke drugs, but he can't manage,’ said one of the doctors in the village. It is difficult to put one's finger precisely on the emotional damage caused. A high-ranking IDF officer said: ‘It isn't shell shock. It isn't post-trauma. It simply is a serious emotional crisis, and that is a real time-bomb.’ |
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Comments (5 of 5)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5Since December of 1994, the Veterans Administration (VA) of the US has authorized payment for Veterans to learn the Transcendental Meditation (TM) program when prescribed to an eligible Veteran by a VA doctor for a stress related condition.
A scientifically documented solution for improving creativity, increasing intelligence, and overcoming the problems of stress in life, including high blood pressure and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The Transcendental Meditation technique has benefits in four areas of life, mental potential, health, social behaviour and world peace.
http://www.mum.edu/veterans/welcome.html
On a lighter note here is a story of a Vietnam Vet who later travelled to India and then Nepal to become a Buddhist monk
http://www.hundredmountain.com/Pages/pageone_stuff/rahula2.html
The fact that some of the Zionist racists are becoming stressed out is a real tear jerker, perhaps they should all bugger off back to the states and the other countries they came from, this could help to eliminate their problems and then the Palestinian people could live in peace in their own country.
Re my last comment, I was of course referring to the "settlers" on the West Bank and Gaza, not to the population within the borders of the Israeli state.
Des
A good nights rest makes one think more clearly lol.
Fuck off Ray, I know where you live!!!!
"DES"