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| Stressed-out 'Marlboro Man' files for divorce |
| 2006-06-28 |
| Too bad... Marine whose photo made him war icon had just renewed vows An Iraq war veteran whose photograph in the Los Angeles Times and profile in The Chronicle made him an icon of the war filed for divorce less than three weeks after a wedding paid for by a sympathetic public. James Blake Miller first came to the public's attention in a 2004 Los Angeles Times photo, in which the grubby, exhausted Marine lance corporal takes a break from combat in Fallujah with a cigarette dangling from his lips. The picture earned him the nickname "Marlboro Man." Miller, 21, filed for divorce from his wife Jessica, 23, on June 20. The two had been married for more than a year, but renewed their vows June 3 at a formal event at a Pike County, Ky., golf course paid for by well-wishers who had read about Miller's struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder in The Chronicle and elsewhere. Miller -- who publicly discussed his battles with PTSD -- said Monday that he was still deeply grateful to those who paid for the wedding, but that dealing with day-to-day issues on top of his stress from the war had become too much to deal with. "I'm looking for time to try to figure out what exactly I need to do -- not just for me and Jessica, but for myself as well," he said. "I love Jessica, I really do ... but I can't be with her." Jessica Miller said she still hopes the couple can work out their issues. "I think neither one of us recognized the scope of post-traumatic stress disorder, and what it does to you and what it does to people around you," she said. "Now he's got to figure out how to deal with PTSD before he can deal with me." Like her husband, Jessica Miller said she was grateful to all those that have helped the couple in the past months. "Now, more than ever, he needs our support and for everybody to respect his privacy and let him clear his head," she said. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs and other organizations, male veterans with PTSD are more likely to report marital problems than veterans without PTSD. Military mental health experts have suggested that may be linked to the recent surge in military divorce rates. Between 2001 and 2004, for example, divorces among active-duty Army officers and enlisted personnel nearly doubled, even though troop strength remained the same. |
| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #4 Has anybody told the young gentleman that Seratonin re-uptake inhibitors are the latest thing in PTSD treatment? And that PTSD is considered part of the constellation of anxiety disorders, along with panic attacks and obsessive-compulsive disorder? And finally, that it's possible medication may only be necessary for a year or so in order to enable him -- with the help of a competent counsellor -- to break the mental cycle causing him and his dear wife such problems? They sound like a loving couple, who deserve to have everything work out well. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-06-28 13:54 |
| #3 There must be other stuff going on with him as his June 2006 chevron still has him as a Lance Corporal. A LCpl in 2004 would typically be a Corporal (or higher) by now with the Corps' typical 18-month advancement period at that grade, especially after at least one "tour". The Marine in our family went from LCpl to Sergeant in that same time period (after two tours). War does take a terrible toll. A young marriage, and the stressful seperations, really add to a myriad of problems for both spouses. Our prayers are with both of them. |
| Posted by: Mullah Richard 2006-06-28 12:52 |
| #2 Not to mention the fact that getting married at 20 or 21 in/of itself is tough enough. The msm of course focused on military divorce rates which by and large are pretty consistent when you look at civilian divorce rates of the same age groups IIRC. |
| Posted by: Broadhead6 2006-06-28 11:18 |
| #1 you could tell from that picture that the young man was clearly suffering from the stress of war. It doesn't surprise me that the left would choose him as their icon. The exhaustioin/pain in his face fits their idea of soldiers in our military. The one good thing about our MSM is that their complete block out of the heroism of our soldiers actually does them a favor. While making heroes out of soldiers may be good for the overall war effort - it ruins the lives of those who become suddenly famous. That kind of fame is like heroin - feels good but screws up your mind. |
| Posted by: 2b 2006-06-28 11:14 |