President should show equal respect for all fallen soldiers
President should show equal respect for all fallen soldiers
EDITOR:
I am appalled to learn that President Obama has followed in the footsteps of President Bush in regard to not writing letters of condolence to family members of deceased service men and women due to suicide. It is an act of prejudice to exclude grieving family members of their due respect just because someone in their family committed suicide. Those left behind are no less hurt because it was a suicide versus a roadside bomb. Suicide is a preventable death that is given a blind eye because it is often linked to mental illness be it depression or schizophrenia.
Our president should not ignore the fact that service members kill themselves at record high rates when it is his actions that cause these same members to be put through multiple deployments into war zones. Even first time deployments cause emotional harm to a person through PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury, divorce, religious and moral misgivings of deployment, and so on. Telling someone they must spend the next 12 months plus away from family, friends, and the freedoms of American soil and expecting them to not go into some level of depression is unacceptable. Throwing daily exposure to death, dismemberment, physical and mental exhaustion, alienation, and overall situational fatigue into the mix results in some people becoming unstable and on emotional overload. Suicide feels like it is the only way out of a war zone, the military, and a traumatized body/mind/soul for many of these service members.
Asking for help in the military unfortunately still puts you in league with cowards even though that is not the truth. Seeking a kind, honest shoulder to lean on to recover is considered laziness despite internal reforms the military is working on. Put your boots on and march it out is not the answer.
While both the military and civilian worlds learn how to best prevent suicides and how to support service members seeking help, we must all urge President Obama to show compassion and change and to acknowledge the service these military members gave to their country.
These members of society gave the ultimate price to their country, their life. Let us not forget them of shun their families any longer over the cause of their death. Your acceptance today may save the life of someone tomorrow. Urge President Obama to acknowledge these military members and their service to their grieving families.
CRYSTAL SIEMBIDA BOGGS
Columbiana
Let me count the ways
EDITOR:
Many of us are asking ourselves how an elderly woman came to be murdered in broad daylight in a church parking lot. While we’re at it, we might ask how a once vibrant, working class neighborhood could become so crime-ridden and blighted, how a public school system became so dysfunctional, and why an excellent hospital is now bankrupt.
One answer can be found every day in The Vindicator. Do the math over most 30-day periods, and you will find that at least half of area births are to single mothers. This is not to say that some of these children will never enjoy a stable, two-parent environment. Far too many, however, are doomed to a life of poverty and a lack of socialization. Back in the day we called it “no home learnin’.”
When the feral mutt who killed Angeline Fimognari is made to answer for his crime, you can bet some of his relatives will attempt to mitigate his responsibility by testifying to his deprived and dysfunctional upbringing. If truly sorry, they should be willing to share his sentence.
DAVID CAMPANA
Girard