Why Are 22 U.S. Military Veterans Taking Their Lives Each Day?

In response to my (admitted off-topic) piece about the suicide rates in the U.S. military, frequent commenter MarcoPolo writes: I’m certain many service personnel wouldn’t thank you for bringing them home. For some this is the job they love. The military life, including the prospect of danger and combat, is why they joined.

I hear you.  This reminds me of a conversation I had on this subject 30+ years ago with an aging anti-war activist that went like this:

I happened to be in Oceanside, CA, the town neighboring the Marine Corps’ Camp Pendleton, where soldiers on leave go to drink and hook up with girls.  I came across a shop selling T-shirts, and I was moved to find one that read; “Built to kill, not to care.”

I asked my anti-war friend, “If these kids view the act of killing as if it were a college football game, why am I so worked up about keeping them out of harm’s way?”

I’ll never forget her answer: “Do not be fooled into thinking that any sane human being has a native instinct to kill people. These kids are carefully indoctrinated into the idea that fighting for the U.S. is a good thing, or at least a necessary thing, and they eventually conclude that they need to “act like men” and just go out there and kill.  At a certain point they learn to like it, but trust me, very, very few of them arrived in that horribly toxic mental condition.”

I’ll leave you with Bob  Dylan’s poetic take on this, recorded in 1963.  It brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it; I hope you’ll be similarly moved.