"The Impact of Killing" - re: soldiers but relevant for everyone

[revjen45]

Never having killed anyone (thank God) I can't comment on PTSD from personal experience. The closest I have ever come was having someone who went shooting with me blow his own brains out with my gun. It was mighty ugly. It would seem that PTSD is a mark of humanity. Like the previous post said, someone who blows the smoke off the muzzle and feels nothing is not normal. Having to kill another human being, no matter how justified, damages the soul of a civilized person. To those who have done so in defense of the benefits I enjoy as an American, Thank you.

[Big Don]

How many people have actually had to deal with death or dying, especially traumatic death? Seeing someone die in a hospital bed or lying in state at the funeral home is different than being there at the time of the traumatic death, be it war, law enforcement, emergency medical service, etc. I wonder if that changes how you look at death or possibly taking a life.

As a firefighter/paramedic, I had to work with traumatic death. I didn’t receive any counseling, other than what I got from friends, family and my pastors. I still have mental “scars” from some of my calls (especially the kids) but they are scars, not open wounds. They’re there, I know they’re there, but I don’t dwell on them.

I have been asked innumerable times, by a variety of people, “What’s the best gun to have for home defense?” I’ve always asked, first and foremost, “Are you truly prepared to take a human life?” Many of them had to stop and ponder that thought because they’d never thought about the possibility. Some wouldn’t pursue the firearm issue, others would. I am going to make sure, from now on, that those who proceed with the purchase will also have access to the article we’re discussing.

Finally, I was in a situation where a creep said he was going to shoot me but he was also 50 yards away and no firearm was visible. I was on the phone to the Sheriff’s office as this was proceeding and had my legally-carried pistol in hand, inside of my vehicle.
I had already resolved I would shoot him if he made a move and displayed a firearm. As pointed out earlier, I knew my life would be very different from that point on but I also knew I’d have my life, which was far more important. I felt no hesitation and was fully prepared for killing this man if he brought it on himself. I also felt an incredible relief when his “gun” turned out to be his finger. I played the whole scenario out multiple times, wondering what I could have/should have done differently, especially from a “tactical” standpoint. At no time have I wondered if I could have killed him because I had already resolved that issue when I decided to carry a firearm. That being said, I do not want to kill anyone because I know it will affect me in ways I will never know until it is too late. But, I will be the one who is alive.

[HowdyZ_28]

IS IT JUSTIFIED??!!!! That's what it came down to for Me...


I will not speak for anyone else because everything effects everyone differently.

I'm a 21B, Combat Engineer
I've shot/killed at distance and I've shot/killed up close during raids, I've also had to "clean up" after the M2 Bradley (25mm) and M1A1 Abrams (120mm)...

In every case, I have been there to See/Know what the "bad guy" was doing.


I've seen these things effect people in MANY different ways. But 99.9% of the time it didn't effect them till much later, which is good from a combat stand point.
I always hear civillians say: "Oh, he never talks about the war"
But I also always hear soldiers and recruits say: "Once I joined the military/went on a deployment he started telling me all these stories"...

There is a reason for that! Same reason that a combat vet (that has ACTUALLY seen combat) will tell you that the media shouldn't be there....
Because "most" civillians do not/cannot understand!!!
We are comforted most by people who have endured the same things....

That being said, the Army is actually trying (annoyingly so) to help the "Active Vets" with PTSD. Many programs are in place now to help with dealing with what has happened.

At the end of the day, the reason I'm able to sleep at night is because I know the things I have done were done in order to save the lives of my fellow soldiers or my own.

Scott

[Capt. Charlie]

We are comforted most by people who have endured the same things....

Well put, Howdy. Thanks for taking a mature and thoughtful approach to this.

And by the way, welcome to TFL, and thank you for your Service .

[HowdyZ_28]

Just doing what needs to be done Capt. Charlie.
But thanks for the support... It's GREATLY appreciated by ALL of us....



Scott

[BlueTrain]

I was the first one on the scene at a bad traffic accident on a rural road in West Virginia a few years ago. There was one fatality and two seriously injured in another vehicle. Although it was somewhat gory, though nothing like a bomb blast or anything like that, I don't really think it was anything like a shooting incident. The dynamics are just so different. It was an accident. There was also an auto accident that took place in my front yard early in the summer in which a car wound up on its roof because my tree was bigger. But the driver didn't get hurt because of seat belts and air bags.

About veteran's experiences, I think there may be little discussion on the part of veterans because the subject may simply not come up as often as you might think. My father was a WWII veteran (Italy) and was a POW for a year in Germany. He talked a great deal about his POW experiences but not so much about his combat experiences. It never occurred to me in all those years to ask him. After all, none of the things he went through were of his own choosing. He just managed to live through them.