I am so fucking sick of this accursed war right now

[Giant Robot]

As I have said before, I am a counselor on a crisis hotline, as in suicide hotline. I am disgusted and enraged by the number of people that I have experienced calling lately, whose problems center around the fucking war in Iraq, upset with family over there, having limited means because there is not enough income since the main provider was sent over there, having to face up to what they did over there and trust me these people are sickened and guilt ridden by it, as well as facing their second or third deployment. Obviously I can't tell you about the specific calls, and this may not be complete or indicative in its ramblings due to confidentiality, but fuck isn't it enough.

I do not have the words to talk to someone who is facing yet another deployment over there. I have to stop myself from crying when I talk with the vets from Iraq. I work to prevent people from taking their own lives, and that may be what these soldiers are doing just by going back over there for another deployment. I fight myself not to tell them I am sorry for this, as I am not sure yet if that would be therapeutic or not.

I hate this war so very much for what it has done to people's lives. It is disgusting to see so many lives lost in this pointless conflict. It is reprehensible to see so many lives shattered for it.

I feel sick right now.

[Phentex]

1. I feel your pain.

And it's all for nothing really.

:(

[Heidi]

2. Thanks for doing this important work, Giant Robot.

I was a crisis line counselor for three years and I remember how hard it is. :cry:

[Giant Robot]

3. Thank you Heidi

This is year 5+ for me. It is terrible, disheartening, scary, depressing, funny, joyous, miraculous, and a whole lot of other things, sometimes within a span of 5 minutes. I am just so disgusted with this now, i cannot stand it anymore and I want to scream from the roof tops to bring the troops home now. Stop this destruction of people's lives. Please stop it.

[Heidi]

4. Can you take a break from it?

I was a volunteer so I was doing only about 15 hours per week. I understand that if you're doing it professionally, a break is harder to arrange. But we can't be strong for others if we're personally struggling. We're _not_ robots. Love and light, Giant Robot. :hug:

[Giant Robot]

9. Full time employee

and the staff is dwindling. Odd, people don't want to do this for a living for low pay. I try to take care of myself as best I can, and right now I needed to vent. Thank you for listening and caring.

[BikeWriter]

6. It will still be the same for some of them in forty years, if they survive...

It is for me at least. Thank you for trying to help them. :patriot:

[spillthebeans]

5. And people dying in Walter Reed or Rammstein are not even counted

or people committing suicide etc. I've heard the real number is 5000 and people with PTSD is significant higher

[Deja Q]

7. Must... resist... temptation to... copycat... thread!

:rofl:

[Giant Robot]

8. Thank you n/t