George W. Bush Destroyed the lives of more than 500,000 Men and Women

The illegal and immoral wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, waged by George W. Bush, forced many of our nation’s bravest and best young men and women to return to war zones a number of times. The human brain lacks the ability to survive this type of torture.

Fact: Bush’s lies and incompetence, which placed our nation in two unwinnable and costly wars, are unforgivable sins for which he was never prosecuted or punished in any way.

More than 4,500 American military lives were lost in Iraq. More than 2,400 were killed in Afghanistan. Add to this the thousands who suffered serious injuries and committed suicide, and the number rises to more than 12,000 injured or killed in wars we lost.

However, one number no one has ever reported, another failure by the mainstream media, is the number of Americans who were seriously damaged by PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. These mostly men and a considerable number of women lost their ability to live a normal life after returning from multiple deployments to war zones. The latest records show the numbers surpassing 500,000.

Our military was unfairly treated by the Bush administration. They were forced to serve multiple tours in battle: some were sent back to war zones five times. This is unconscionable. For this reason alone Bush must be remembered as one of the worst presidents in history. Sending American soldiers back into battle repeatedly is an inhumane act and a display of severe cruelty and lack of concern for others. “War is good business.”

PTSD is manifested by anti-social behavior, including drug and alcohol abuse, fits of rage, paranoia, and of course the inability to sustain normal relationships with others. The results are tens of thousands of men and women who are incapable of maintaining relationships with families and friends, and keeping steady employment. In extremes, they appear to be mentally ill. Homelessness is all too common.

For 249 years our nation’s leaders eagerly sent our young men and women to war, without any concern for what happens to them when they return.

I leave you with a personal note. I’ll try to keep it short.

My biological father met my mother in Seattle, Washington in 1945. He was discharged from the United States Navy, and she worked for Boeing during the war. I was born in 1946.

The main thing I remember about my parents is their constant verbal battles which sometimes became physical. When I was five years old, they had an extremely loud argument. I was found unconscious. The doctor diagnosed my condition, the reason I became comatose, was a severe migraine headache. The cause was stress. Yes, that can happen to small children. I had frequent migraines until I was over the age of 30.

The fighting continued, and I kept dimes in my pocket which I would use in a phone booth to call the cops if their confrontations became violent. I hated my father. I remember the words I said on the phone when my mother called to inform me of his death. He was 61 or 62 years old. I simply said, “good riddance.”

They had divorced when I was still a boy. I never had a chance to learn about the events he faced during WWII.

As a writer, I research PTSD frequently. I no longer hate my father. I know now that his alcoholism, anger, and inability to keep a job were related to his experiences in WWII. I feel sorry for him, for my mother, for myself, and my younger brother.

Our situation was not uncommon.

Our government praises our military forces when they are engaged in conflicts in foreign nations. However, when they return home, they are often forgotten. This must stop. It is additional piece of the puzzle which proves that the corrupt government of the United States places “profits before people.”

Op-ed by James Turnage

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