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| Army Reservist Struck, Killed On Highway 69 |
| 2003-09-28 |
| Hattip to Drudge Authorities said that shortly before 4 a.m., dispatchers received calls from drivers alerting them to a pedestrian on the highway. A few minutes later, police received calls about the accident. "The lady (driver) had just gotten off work. It’s tragic. The lady appeared in front of her and stuck her. She’s very upset, but has been cooperating with us, " Sgt. Todd Chappell said. Police have not released the victim’s name. They did tell KMBC that she was home on leave from Iraq for her brother’s wedding. I think we’ll see more of this on leave cases. I came home in the middle of one six month deployment out of four for a family illness. I had trouble getting my mind back on work after returning to the states and I was on a ship not in a combat area. I would rather see the two week passes granted for a stay in Germany, Italy or Sapin. And maybe two day passes in theater to a safe area with decent food and showers. In my opinion, the two week leave policy will not result in soldiers returning "on the top of their game," as the congressman said. The first two weeks after a deployment are incredibly stressful for an entire family especially if the miliatry member isn’t on duty status. Having to go to work for part of the day is more normal and seems to aleviate part of the culture shock. I can’t imagine sepnding two weeks getting normalized and then returning to the streets of Fallujah. In my opinion, this policy is manufactured for pallatablily in but the end result will be divorces, body bags and civilian deaths. I recommend proceding carefully. |
| Posted by:Super Hose |
| #5 It is very hard to reintroduce a member into a family for a short time and then pull them back out immediately. Not at all. It's hard reintroducing a family member back into the same ROUTINE, at home, and then pulling them back out. It disrupts everything. The R&R program from Vietnam worked differently - the military member and the family members were (usually) reunited in an unfamiliar location, providing both with a break with routine. The best policy the US could employ would be to send the guys in Iraq to Italy and Germany (we have/had several good military recreation facilities in both places), bring the family over from the States, and let them see each other in a non-threatening environment. It would be a boost for both during what would otherwise be very trying times. Reintroducing the military member back into a combat situation (and Iraq is still a combat operation for a significant number of troops) from a R&R location would be less traumatic than returning him from the States back into the same old groove. The US is too familiar to him, and it's easy to snap back into bad habits. Spending a week or two in a non-threatening but unfamiliar environment would be less traumatic and more effective. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-9-28 10:19:13 PM |
| #4 Mr. Crawford is correct when he says that one data point doesn't make a trend. And I imagine drinking was involved in this case. Look at the underlying program, though. On a deployment, it was often easy to get into a work routine that chews up a number of days rather quickly. There were always several hard weeks on the front end and then a number of slow weeks that would pop up in the middle. For out and out stress on a family there is no harder deployment weeks than the two weeks before deploying and the two weeks after a return. Families have a way of pull into a routine when a miltary member is gone. It is very hard to reintroduce a member into a family for a short time and then pull them back out immediately. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-9-28 4:13:08 PM |
| #3 Single point statistics have been the rage with the media for years. |
| Posted by: Anomalous 2003-9-28 4:11:32 PM |
| #2 Also note that it says that police had been getting calls about a pedestrian on the highway. Where I come from you don't call the cops because of a pedestrian walking on the side of the road, even if it is 4am. I assume they meant she was actually in the highway. If so, there's more going on there than meets the eye. Says Super Hose: I can’t imagine sepnding two weeks getting normalized and then returning to the streets of Fallujah. When my uncle was in Vietnam he was furloghed to Honolulu for a belated honeymoon. I have a hard time imagining calmly leaving Hawaii to go back to slogging through jungles and being shot at. |
| Posted by: Angie Schultz 2003-9-28 2:49:44 PM |
| #1 One tragic event makes a trend? |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2003-9-28 1:47:20 PM |