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www.notalone.com/ is a great site and resource for anyone who has deployed to combat and come back or for a family member or close friend of a service-member who has deployed and is now back. I was turned onto this site by Brandon Friedman of votevets.org.
There are stories here that you can relate to or you can easily reach to others like you and get help. You can reach out via the forums and link up with other guys/gals that have deployed and come back to deal with the reintegration at home. It only takes a few minutes to click around the site and may be the best few minutes you have spent since getting back. The people that run this site are not book-trained shrinks or chaplains, they are soldiers, they are families and friends of soldiers. Most importantly they are like you, becuase you are NOT ALONE.
A new site has been created called the Center for Military Readiness has been created. According to the About page on the site;
The Center for Military Readiness is an independent, non-partisan 501(c)(3) educational organization formed to take a leadership role in promoting sound military personnel policies in the armed forces. CMR is a unique alliance of civilian, active duty and retired military people in all 50 states, and is the only organization that concentrates on military personnel issues full-time.
The Center for Military Readiness endorses the following principles:
* The purpose of the military is to deter aggression or, if necessary, fight and win our nation’s wars with as few casualties as possible. * Equal opportunity is an important consideration in the making of personnel policies, but if there is a conflict between career considerations and military necessity, the needs of the military — and the nation — must come first. * The armed forces should not be used for political purposes or social experiments that needlessly elevate risks, detract from readiness, or degrade American cultural values. * Sound personnel policies are as crucial as advanced weapons systems in preserving readiness and a strong national defense. * Decisions to deploy troops must be made not by international authorities, but by the Congress of the United States and public officials who are accountable to the American people. * Essential elements of military culture, such as discipline, efficiency, and high standards in training, must not be compromised or degraded in order to advance sociological goals at the expense of readiness.
A while back I wrote this entry, blog.bouhammer.com/2008/12/2-us-soldiers-accused-of-abusing-detainees/ and since then I have been in contact with CPT Hill. This issue is not over yet as CPT Hill is fighting to get the discharge upgraded from “other than honorable” to an honorable discharge.
Recently there was an Op-ed piece written in the Washington Times by retired Major General Paul Valley, retired Lieutenant General Thomas McInerney and retired Colonel Andy O’Meara on what an injustice this was and arguing why the discharge should be upgraded. Check it out at www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/24/interrogating-army-justice/.
I had a problem with polls on my site, but the problem is now fixed and the polls work. The polls is at the bottom of the posting located at blog.bouhammer.com/2009/02/america-see-the-coffins/ or you can vote on the sidebar.
