This... is sad...

[Blobby]

Mental health is a huge concern in this country.

I'm sure that's the same in most countries. What's a concern is people with mental health problems having easy accesss to guns.

[Johnny.B.Good]

The only place to "stand" is against first degree murder.

+1

What is the debate here? Stance on what? The war in Iraq? The role of snipers in the military?

Pierre, are you saying you think this man deserved to die for his actions in Iraq?

I hope I'm misunderstanding you here...

[PierreRodrigue]

Without getting involved in the whole gun thing again... It could have been a knife or shovel. Doesn't change the effect of a tragic occurrence.

EDIT: Yup, completely misunderstood. This man volunteered to serve his country, was trained and asked to protect or oversee his countrymen. Regardless of peoples feelings of the war, or the reason we have snipers, he continued to re-up to serve his country, and his people. To be slain in his own back yard... well my thoughts are pretty hot! Hey deserves respect, and gratitude. He was trying to help others re-adjust, still serving as a civilian.

Rest in piece Chief.

[cwrightthruya]

That is incredibly sad.....

Mental health is a huge concern in this country.

That is an understatement as far as the medical community is concerned. And the situation grows worse with each passing year I'm afraid.

[cwrightthruya]

from what i heard it's all that pill popping anti depressant stuff and what's in the tap water.

It's much more complicated than that...trust me.

[Johnny.B.Good]

EDIT: Yup, completely misunderstood. This man volunteered to serve his country, was trained and asked to protect or oversee his countrymen. Regardless of peoples feelings of the war, or the reason we have snipers, he continued to re-up to serve his country, and his people. To be slain in his own back yard... well my thoughts are pretty hot! Hey deserves respect, and gratitude. He was trying to help others re-adjust, still serving as a civilian.

Thanks for the clarification, Pierre. I feel the same way.

[mr drinky]

This is tragic. The incidence of PTSD and other effects of combat are going to be trickling in for 20 years. My gut reaction was why someone would take this person to a shooting range, but that is neither here nor there at this point. The wave of PTSD-related social problems (divorce, suicide, substance abuse and many other issues) is here and will continue to occur for years to come -- and will have to be dealt with. Chris Kyle was trying to help this situation.

k.

[chinacats]

The only place to "stand" is against first degree murder.

+2

[quantumcloud509]

My cousins and friends who served all struggle from PTSD. Imagine waking up and looking out the window of your boat and seeing thousands of floating bodies and then trying to go back to sleep and hearing them bump against your boat all night long. Or imagine breaking into a hostile household which just launched a rocket at your two best friends and in the rush stepping on a 4 year old and squishing him to death under your weight. I get to hear stories like this all the time. All the dudes come back with horrific aggression. Tearing up their dogs with their own hands, thumb wrestling blowing up into full on brawl, stabbing someone with a pen for looking at them wrong. I have nothing but empathy for the fellas that do what they do over seas. I had struggled with mental disorders and have PTSD which I brought on myself from eating too much acid and seeing really twisted sh&t while I was there and flashbacks happen on the regular, but I can see it in their eyes, what they gone through and seen wasn't no game and it hurt them really really bad.

RIP soldier.

[The hekler]

From what I have read/heard PTSD is very prevalent in regular military units but with speciallized units seals/marine recon/ berets, its is much less common. It seems the more close the community you serve with/ the more help and understanding you get both before any action and after really helps combat the development of PTSD. I am in the military but thankfully I should not have to see a type of service where I will have to deal with such, my heart goes out to those on the front lines and I can't only pray I will never be in a situation that will cause me to take another's life.


On another note, thank you for clarifying Pierre the first post was not the most clear and I thought you stood on a side of the argument that I could not empathize with. I am glad you made your meaning clear, from what I have seen/read about Kyle he was a stand up guy having just read "Service" by Marcus Lutrell where Kyle was mentioned several times it seems this is a man who served his country well, saving countless American lives. It would seem when he came home he continued to try and help his fellow service men, even in this case. It is a shame that such a man should lose his life, especially after returning home after a decorated career to what I am sure he thought was the relative safety of the United States. If I am not mistaken this is the same man that faced down two armed assailants at a gas station in Texas after being attacked for his truck, a truly special person who should be remembered for what he did for his country and fellow servicemen.