Family Of Arrested Soldier Says Iraq Changed Him

[johnnie]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=387&e=2&u=/ibsys/20040422/lo_wews/2107547

<snip> "The family of an Ohio soldier arrested for killing his wife says that serving in Iraq changed him into a different person."

<snip> "Sheffield Lake native Army Sgt. James Kevin Pitts was arrested Thursday in Lakewood, Wash., in connection with the slaying of his wife, 28-year-old Tara."

<snip> "He's like, 'something is different with me,' he saw kids die over there and it messed his mind up," said Joshua Pitts.


"He was a lot different, he talked crazy, he acted crazy, all he talked about was killing people and death -- he talked about killing people in Iraq," said Pitts' sister-in-law.


I have a feeling we are going to be seeing a lot of this. This guy lived a few miles from me which seems to bring some of these things closer to home.

[bluedeminredstate]

1. Very sad.

We don't know the toll this will take on these men and women. And many of them are so young...
This will affect generations.

[skooooo]

2. that is so sad......

...why didn't he get some mental health screening from the military? It couldn't have been too hard to tell something was wrong if they had tried to find out.

[AlCzervik]

3. Remember all those guys

that came back from Afghanistan? I forget at which base but like 5 of them killed their wives after being home for only a few months.

[Dr Fate]

4. Could this man is a victim too?...

I am not saying people should not be held accountable for their actions- and I dont know all the facts of this situation.

But does this guy belong in jail?

My old boss was in combat in Vietnam and he hit his small child a few days after coming home- they basically sent him back, or he just went back...

My old Boss seems okay to me- I think this kind of thing could be a temporary side effect or somthing...

Who knows- I feel awful for the whole family...

[keithyboy]

5. Viet Nam vets returned much the same way. Many still suffering.

Two couples very close to our family had a terrible time after Viet Nam. The husbands were so different when they returned home the wives could not believe it and even the children couldn't deal with their dads. It was so sad. Both divorced. On man is homeless living in a shelter for years and years.

[AlCzervik]

6. My brother in law

and his unit were all diagnosed with diabetes, all of them that came back, the VA says it has something to do with napalm possibly but it hasnt been confirmed. These men an women are going to need alot of support both physical and mental when they come home.

[ithacan]

7. war fucks people up...

But the chickenhawks in the white house don't give a shit about the soldiers...

[pennylane100]

8. I would want to know a bit more about his prior history

before I would judge him. If he was a nice guy with no history of
domestic or any other kind of violence, I feel very sorry for him and hope he gets the help he deserves. If, however, he has a habit of beating up on people then he belongs in jail.

[Ernesto]

9. Let's give this one a big "DUH?"

Well no swingin'shit, sparky!.... I'm soo sick of all the DU bleeding hearts that seem to think Marines in the Faluga theatre are some sort of meanies because they want to do their job. Their JOB is to KILL people & destroy things, period. Think about it folks: would you rather go to bed without the knowledge that US Marines are on duty around the world in your behalf? ..... Let's get real, it's a shit job & most of YOU have NO idea of how it can f**k up a man's mind... SEMPER FI always!

[skooooo]

10. Huh?

Who said they were "meanies"??? The point is that they are not given the skills or counseling to re-enter society. Why jump on everyone's back here? You're not saying anything that no one already knows.