Doctor fears war's horror kept hidden

[Barrett808]

Doctor fears war's horror kept hidden
By Diane Carman
Denver Post Columnist

Dr. Gene Bolles is often accused of being a pacifist. It's not something he considers an insult.

He makes no apologies for his distaste for war, which he considers a failure of civilization, not a triumph. And he says he's not against all Bolles spoke of "young kids having their extremities blown off, their eyesight lost, their brains badly injured." He treated "a whole bunch of kids who will have chronic pain from secondary spinal problems for the rest of their lives."

In this war, he said, with all its powerful artillery, he saw much more serious head injuries with more damaging concussive effects than in previous wars.

And, as with Vietnam and other wars, the numbers of soldiers who will suffer post-traumatic stress disorder will be staggering, he said. "Traumatic stress is not appreciated as a serious problem yet," he said. "It will be." wars. He understands our need to defend ourselves.

...

Bolles spoke of "young kids having their extremities blown off, their eyesight lost, their brains badly injured." He treated "a whole bunch of kids who will have chronic pain from secondary spinal problems for the rest of their lives."

In this war, he said, with all its powerful artillery, he saw much more serious head injuries with more damaging concussive effects than in previous wars.

(more)

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~115~2575561,00.html

[Ernesto]

1. Oh really?

Is that why, @ 60 years of age, I still wake up in Vietfuckingnam after another lousy dream?

[DBoon]

3. My 80 year old father-in-law

still wakes up thrashing about in the middle of the night from nightmares about WWII.

[keopeli]

5. Thank you for your service, Ernesto.

[TahitiNut]

9. Well, next time you wake up there,

.... c'mon over to my hooch and we'll have a couple o' vodka gimlets and toast Charlie.

[Sabriel]

10. My mom said my dad had another nightmare last week

He flew F86's in Korea and still wakes up screaming, apparently. We've always tried to get him to talk about it, and he never would. He doesn't want to "burden" us. Ack.

[shanti]

11. my dad

was a marine in korea and won't talk about it - ever.

[barb162]

15. same thing with my dad a WW2 vet, I think the PTS lasts

their whole lives

[Briar]

2. "Dr. Gene Bolles is often accused of being a pacifist."

So, "good" Americans think pacifism is a crime?

[wicket]

4. If pacifism is a crime, arrest me now

[bobthedrummer]

6. Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Betrand Russell...

they were examples of organized non-violence, but we are dealing with fascism in DC and the Pentagon.

It must be robustly confronted, imo.

on edit:The first objectives included the main hospital in Fallujah.
Medical staff were "neutralized", The Geneva Conventions are deemed "quaint" by the candidate put forth by Bush for AG and the US tortures detainees, yet never charges them with anything, in a US military tribunal system.
:wtf:

[jokerman93]

7. Pacificism isn't a crime

Pacificism isn't a crime. It's weakness - which is un-American. Now go shopping.

</sarcasm>

[Rex]

8. My grandfather could never get over his hatred for the Japanese

He went all over the Pacific fighting Imperial Japan, got malaria and saw some nasty jungle fighting in WW II. He also was a life long yellow dog dem - that's how deep wounds go in war.

To bad our "leaders" think war is just a game to be played out by young people. Don't any of our older warriors in power have any pride left? Any shame at what is going on in Iraq?

The future is going to be hard on our children.

[Ernesto]

12. Interesting..... Who could blame him?

I felt the same about Vietnamese "gooks" for years until I picked myself up & snapped out of it. Just today I was visiting with a Viet gal of about my age here in Ca. She was from Danang (one place where I had been} & I told her that I regretted the whole thing. Then she mentioned......... the heart break of Iraq. Funny how the affected people are soooo much wiser than our elected officials.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

13. I posted on this same doctor earlier...from RMN article

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1046930

I admire this man for speaking out. He is getting the word out...a true patriot. MKJ

[struggle4progress]

14. kick

:kick: