Staff Sergeant Robert Bales

The top military story in the last few weeks has been the 17 murders in Afghanistan by Staff Sergeant Robert Bales.  This has been front page news which isn't surprising since it is really the only news from the war front.  I remember when 9-11 initially happened and it was all over the news.  You could read or watch anything without it reflecting on the war on terror.  It is only a formality during the trial that he will be found guilty and be sentenced to Fort Leavenworth Kansas which is reserved for the most hardened military criminals.  It is the only maximum security prison in the military.  We will probably never hear the full story behind what drove this soldier to do these crimes.  We do our military servicemembers a disservice by not really understanding what they are going through.  Soldiers see it as a means of weakness to admit that they can't handle their feelings so they don't seek help.  Our leaders are busy preparing and training soldiers to be ready to deploy and fight the enemy and really aren't fully trained when it comes to watching for the signs of mental unstability.  Soldiers are humans and they really can't compartmentilize their feelings.  Even while deployed you are wondering what is going on with your family.  One bad letter from the homefront can change everything for that soldier in the deployed theater of operations.  This war has been going on for almost 11 years now and soldiers are tired both mentally and physically.  On top of that the American people are saying that the war is no longer popular.  I have almost 5 years of being in a war zone as both a soldier and as a government contractor.  The average American can not fathom what our service men and women see and do on a daily basis in order to protect their freedoms.  Don't judge every person you see in uniform just because of the terrible acts of a select few.  I know that I served with some of the best and brightest during my 20 plus years and I salute them all.