Post deployment complex-Vaping Unrelated

[Cadaoryn]

I chose to post this here on ECF to somewhat take advantage of its semi-anonymous system. And because people here on ecf tend to have down to earth personalities and positive good outlooks. Anyway here it goes..

I basically want to know if anyone else has the issue with "first world problems" when returning home. How 7 months in a cruddy place enlightens you on how much you have, and how appreciative we should be in America. And upon your increasing appreciation, you notice everyone from back home has a lack of appreciating things. Both times i have been deployed there have been countless pitty incidences which get blown out of proportion by my civilian friends and family .i feel non-military members havent experienced anything but a society where its OK to lack camaraderie and its ok to lie and its practically advertised to be stuck up. Just want to know if this is the norm.

 

[omiedevise]

as a young guy who traveled to different countries...mostly in europe, I do have to agree that the level of ignorance of the average 'merican joe regarding the realities of the world is pretty high. it's a cultural thing. We've been brought up to believe we're entitled to be standing on a pedestal , and show the world the direction in which it should go. Yet, it's pretty obvious how this is turning up... Our politicians appeal to emotions rather than intellect. They know that they'll get enough uneducated people to vote for them if they push the right buttons...make unfounded promises that make people FEEL good etc. Just look at the current gop debates. Then look at Santorum and the amount of people voting for him...

 

[dankukindly]

I've been on 3 tours, and i'm about to go on number 4 here. I have to tell you i felt the same thing coming home from all of them. I noticed it most on my first trip. I went to the mall shortly after returning home to get some much needed civi's, and i'm sitting outside waiting on my friends to finsh shopping. You know just watching people come and go. completely oblivious to the fact that there is anything remotely dangerous happening. Oblivious to the fact that they have it very nice in comparison to a majority of the world. It's crazy what we as American's take for granted. I can't WAIT to get back to it! lol

 

[Unspokenzero]

That is something that has been discussed by my friends and I quite frequently. American's really don't know how good they have it. I have been deployed quite alot and visited a bunch of countries, I frankly don't really want to go back to America any time soon. The lack of common curtisoy is sickening, I really just want to vomit. We as american's act as if we are owed something. Respect is earned but these are things that we have been taught due to military service.

I have been in the Army for 11 years and I have slowly watched the decline of these new "Warriors" that are coming into the Army these days. They are a reflection of society.

 

[rc10mike]

Yeah Ive felt exactly the same as you OP, but I cant really fault them (friends/family) for carrying on the way they do. They havent gone out and seen how bad parts of this world really are, but at least I can say I have, and that makes me appreciate what I DO have much more. Oh well, as much as I HATE this phrase...it is what it is.

 

[1stGenRex]

After being gone for so long, and experiencing so many different things, you come home and notice that most of your friends are still doing the same stuff they were doing before. Almost as if time stood still, but it feels odd, because most times, our deployed time seems like it's longer than it really was, and you've seen and experienced a lot.

Another thing that really gets to me is how people complain about the most menial stuff (especially via facebook). Ok, so the dude at Starbucks gave you the 3 shots of coffee instead of 4, and now your day is ruined? Let me tell you what a BAD day over in the sandbox is REALLY like for some people....

 

[oldsoldier]

When we took that oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic it also implied that we are supporting and defending their constitutional right to be a whiney asshats and post stupid crap on Facebook, talk bad about us and generally be oxygen thieves.

As was said before, it is what it is. The glorious irony of our system is we protect those that would destroy it and give up our rights to preserve the rights of people that don't even understand their importance or the cost of maintaining them.

 

[dankukindly]

whiney asshats

oxygen thieves

ROFLMAO!!! you spent some time on the trail didn't you oldsoldier?

 

[TravTech]

People in the US don't know what poor / poverty is, so they can't begin to fathom how good they actually have it. As long as someone has more than them, they deserve more too.

 

[PVPuff&Stuff]

I chose to post this here on ECF to somewhat take advantage of its semi-anonymous system. And because people here on ecf tend to have down to earth personalities and positive good outlooks. Anyway here it goes..

I basically want to know if anyone else has the issue with "first world problems" when returning home. How 7 months in a cruddy place enlightens you on how much you have, and how appreciative we should be in America. And upon your increasing appreciation, you notice everyone from back home has a lack of appreciating things. Both times i have been deployed there have been countless pitty incidences which get blown out of proportion by my civilian friends and family .i feel non-military members havent experienced anything but a society where its OK to lack camaraderie and its ok to lie and its practically advertised to be stuck up. Just want to know if this is the norm.

I hope you're adjusting to being back home. It does get easier....but you're always going to have a different mindset than people who didn't go. You gave up a part of yourself. That's something that not everyone will understand, or appreciate.

Regrettably, the camaraderie you will never find again. That was a one time deal, enjoy the memory.

 

[trinifreak]

I think that there are people in the military today who lack camaraderie and act stuck up. I work with a few. I am not trying to contradict your statement, but I do honestly work with people who are like that. I think it should be a requirement that all military members deploy right after school. It will either make you or break you. As a corpsman that works in mental health I have seen many who would rather take the easy road.

 

[oldsoldier]

I think that there are people in the military today who lack camaraderie and act stuck up. I work with a few. I am not trying to contradict your statement, but I do honestly work with people who are like that. I think it should be a requirement that all military members deploy right after school. It will either make you or break you. As a corpsman that works in mental health I have seen many who would rather take the easy road.

There have always been those people. Joining for a specific job or for the college money really isn't the best reason. Personally I think all first termers should be combat arms and that you shouldn't be able to get a "cushy job" until you reenlist. But unfortunately in the military the tail wags the dog -- the logistics and support personnel far outnumber those at the "tip of the spear".

We used to build camaraderie and team spirit in a variety of ways -- but now it is called hazing and is illegal. And don't get me started on the kinder gentler basic training...

 

[JerryRM]

I served at a different time, than most of you, I was a Vietnam era draftee. Don't get me wrong, I had options to avoid the draft, but I decided not to use them. I am proud to have served, but I was also happy to come home. Unfortunately, in general, the American people were not happy to see me or any of us come back.

A couple of years ago, I was shopping at my local supermarket and I saw a sailor there. It shocked me and surprised me to see that no one had talked to him or thanked him for his service. Sadly, it reminded me of when I came home. I went over to him, told him that I was an Army veteran, shook his hand and thanked him for defending us.

To all of you who are serving or have served, my most sincere thank you for defending the people of the U.S.

 

[oldsoldier]

Jerry, thank YOU, but more importantly- Welcome Home. Thats what you really never got and it amazes me and also makes me ashamed that folks in the US just don't/didn't get it.

 

[JerryRM]

Thanks Sarge and no they don't get it. I was deployed to Korea, not Vietnam, which is why I refer to myself as a Vietnam ERA veteran. When I left Korea, there was a cholera epidemic there and I had to carry a card that stated that I had been exposed to cholera. I'm sure that the civilians, who have never left this country, have no idea how it is overseas.

P.S. I was lucky, I had it good, compared to so many other service people, past and present.

 

[Stosh]

I served the same time frame as you Jerry, at that time we were forbidden to go off base in uniform. It was considered to be unsafe to be seen on the street in uniform in the United States.

To all those serving or have served....

 

[JerryRM]

Stosh, yes it was unsafe to be seen in uniform, we were branded as "baby killers". I'm sure that you remember that. Welcome home brother and thank you for your service.

 

[Techwipe]

USCG here, spent a year in the persian gulf and things do feel quite different when you get back. I remember counting the hours till my flight home. Yet, despite that desire, the crew I had overseas was the closest crew of any unit I've been a part of. Not only that, but here I am about to finish my next tour since, and I kind of want to go back. I asked for it as my second choice, but for once in my career I got lucky and got my first. Maybe what I miss was the stranger in a strange land feeling. In the US, if someone's embarrassing themselves, it's an American, and you almost feel ashamed of having them as your countryman, but overseas, it's exotic and intriguing. Maybe I'm just overanalyzing.

 

[monkeybusiness]

I chose to post this here on ECF to somewhat take advantage of its semi-anonymous system. And because people here on ecf tend to have down to earth personalities and positive good outlooks. Anyway here it goes..

I basically want to know if anyone else has the issue with "first world problems" when returning home. How 7 months in a cruddy place enlightens you on how much you have, and how appreciative we should be in America. And upon your increasing appreciation, you notice everyone from back home has a lack of appreciating things. Both times i have been deployed there have been countless pitty incidences which get blown out of proportion by my civilian friends and family .i feel non-military members havent experienced anything but a society where its OK to lack camaraderie and its ok to lie and its practically advertised to be stuck up. Just want to know if this is the norm.

I've been pretty disallusioned with my fellow man since returning from Helmand.

I was also injured which somewhat complicated matters. While protecting Royal Engineers as they denied a Chinook, someone fired an RPG from a house around 600m away (pretty good shot to be fair) it landed around 10 from me. I then fired a belt of 100 on my minimi. All without ear defence (obviously). I went deaf with ringing in my ears, and my hearing didn't return for a day. When it did return the tinnitus remained.

I still have it now. And it really drives me nuts. I picked up a 60 a day smoking habit for a while, because the cigarettes were only a couple of dollars a carton in Camp Bastion 1 market, and only around 18 dollars in the USMC PX on Camp Leatherneck next to Bastion 2. So whenever I was stuck in a sanger I would chain smoke a mixture of fake cigarettes and newports.

I quickly went back down to 20, when I got back to England and was paying £7 for a pack of 20, but if ever I tried to stop, the tinnitus seemed to make the nicotine withdrawels unbearbable.

And people would annoy me. I was fairly happy and easy going before I went, I recall my "decrompression" in Cyprus being the last time I really had fun, that was nearly 3 years ago.

Andf yes, people getting annoyed about petty things really grips my ...... I spent a lot of time working on the IRT, which is the team that makes sure the MERT (medical emergency response team, British version of the Pedros) can do their job, so I got to see a lot of things that were really worth worrying about.

I doesn't help that I've just become a student again in my thirties, and the youth of today are even more pathetic than generation x was.

 

[j10nke]

If you've ever watched the matrix...who hasn't... What has happened to you was you swallowed the pill that freed your mind. It is a blessing and a curse. I am now more aware than ever how complacent and oblivious people are. For example... I am near 200 lbs and when I walk you barely notice on our elevated floor. My wife and her 5'0'' tall family counter parts stampede through the house making more noise than me and it drives me crazy how they could be so oblivious. After years of ranting she notices when other people do it now although she herself still does it to a lesser degree. It's kind of like wondering how a person can walk around with their mouth open... It tires me trying to keep my mouth open. The difficulty you will find is when trying to point these things out to people they will think you complain about everything or are just moody or PTSD (which we are). The question is do you want to put forth the continual effort to enlighten these people to reality or do you want to put your effort towards observing and learning to keep it to yourself to avoid the arguments. No matter what you say they won't get it until they get it.