A lesson in what happens when the voices of caution are ignored
There have been numerous articles from many different sources over the past several years about the dangers of traumatic brain injuries to our veterans. There have also been articles about the possibility that soldiers with traumatic brain injuries were improperly cleared to return to duty. Since these articles were not full of gung-ho pro-war hyper-patriotism, not many paid attention to the information, least of all anyone in the military establishment. If the shootings in Afghanistan over the weekend lead to violent confrontations that cause further loss of life, it is important to remember the history of our involvement in Afghanistan and the possibility that this incident was preventable.
There are reports that the sergeant involved in this weekend's shootings had suffered a traumatic brain injury in Iraq before being deployed to Afghanistan. It is, of course, entirely possible that the information that the media is reporting is inaccurate or taken out of context or incomplete. Even if the information is true exactly as reported, that is still not evidence that the brain injury in question contributed to the shootings and at any rate, "traumatic brain injury" is a wide category that encompasses a variety of different conditions.
But if this information is true as reported, it raises a lot of very disturbing questions about the present-day fallout of the Bush Administrations rush into a war for which they weren't entirely prepared. It is very possible that lunatics may have been sent to fight the war in Afghanistan. I have to wonder how many more of them may have slipped through the cracks and may now be ticking time bombs among our forces who pose a serious danger to their comrades and to the people of Afghanistan. It is likely that there are ordinary Afghan citizens who are now wondering the same thing.
There are reports that the sergeant involved in this weekend's shootings had suffered a traumatic brain injury in Iraq before being deployed to Afghanistan. It is, of course, entirely possible that the information that the media is reporting is inaccurate or taken out of context or incomplete. Even if the information is true exactly as reported, that is still not evidence that the brain injury in question contributed to the shootings and at any rate, "traumatic brain injury" is a wide category that encompasses a variety of different conditions.
But if this information is true as reported, it raises a lot of very disturbing questions about the present-day fallout of the Bush Administrations rush into a war for which they weren't entirely prepared. It is very possible that lunatics may have been sent to fight the war in Afghanistan. I have to wonder how many more of them may have slipped through the cracks and may now be ticking time bombs among our forces who pose a serious danger to their comrades and to the people of Afghanistan. It is likely that there are ordinary Afghan citizens who are now wondering the same thing.