Chris kyle shot dead

Really, RC.
You expect to die in the field. Not with friends and comrades.

I think rc was looking at a bigger picture. While a sad, tragic end, it does not surprise me.

Sad sad day for the spec ops community, the Kyle family, and all the people who know this American hero.

I know he was a great GI, and a great American.

So were many of my old dear friends who had PTSD from WWII, Korea, and Vietnam.
Before any of us, myself included, knew what PTSD was.

Some of them fell on the sword later in life, long after it was over.
And they shouldn't have tried to continue in that line of work anymore and make a living off of it.


I'm sorry.
But you either know fellow vets like that and understand it.
Or you don't.

There is nothing I can do about that either.

rc

That sucks.

I reay don't know what else to say.

Damnit. That just sucks.

rcmodel said:

I know he was a great GI, and a great American.

So were many of my old dear friends who had PTSD from WWII, Korea, and Vietnam.
Before any of us, myself included, knew what PTSD was.

Some of them fell on the sword later in life, long after it was over.
And they shouldn't have tried to continue in that line of work anymore and make a living off of it.


I'm sorry.
But you either know fellow vets like that and understand it.
Or you don't.

There is nothing I can do about that either.

rc

Click to expand...

Falling on the sword and having it thrust into you by those you try to help are vastly different.

Damnit...

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

Deus Machina said:

Really, RC.
You expect to die in the field. Not with friends and comrades.

Click to expand...

+1. That is the only interpretation of that phrase...you live or die on the field of battle...not at home helping others recover.

And I'm a veteran...and I'm a hard and callous mo-fo.

Horribly sad.. I don't know what to say.. I have dealt with veterans who have had issues. My father is a Vietnam Vet.. I understand why RC says what he says.. But killing your own comrade, there is never an excuse..

No sympathy for the one who killed such a brave and noble soldier.

I give tons of sympathy, love and respect to Chris Kyle and his family.

Falling on the sword and having it thrust into you by those you try to help are vastly different.

Click to expand...

Kinda like my old army buddy who got beat to death with a coffee table leg by another Vietnam vet a few years ago?

He was trying to help him too.

But he hadn't written a book, or continued to try to "Live the Life" in BDU's and Original Instructor Belts, and make a living off of it after his discharge either.

So nobody gave a dam.
And nobody except his family and a few other vets who served with him even know who he was a few years later.

He was just another unknown Vietnam vet with a bronze star who was in the wrong place, doing the wrong thing, by trying to help another vet with problems like him.

I totally agree this Chris Kyle killing is a tragedy, and it should never have happened.
But I contend all the 5th. Army snipers I served with and built rifles for didn't come home from Vietnam and try to make a living off of it by writing books and going on TV shows like they are doing now.

But that was then, and this is now, and I should shut up!
Some of this simply can't be communicated well, or at all, unless.
Well unless!


rc

rcmodel said:

Kinda like my old army buddy who got beat to death with a coffee table leg by another Vietnam vet a few years ago?

He was trying to help him too.

But he hadn't written a book, or continued to try to "Live the Life" in BDU's and Original Instructor Belts, and make a living off of it after his discharge either.

So nobody gave a dam.
And nobody except his family and a few other vets who served with him even know who he was a few years later.

He was just another unknown Vietnam vet with a bronze star who was in the wrong place, doing the wrong thing, by trying to help another vet with problems like him.

rc

Click to expand...

Which is ok? Where is it in reality that being killed by a fellow comrade is acceptable, or at the least, passable?

RC, your friends death is no less, and no more, tragic than Chris Kyle.

Yes, Chris had made a name for himself, but a lot of that was thrust upon him.

It's awful when any vet gets killed, but it happens. It's senseless and tragic and it sucks, but it happens.

Do the senseless deaths of our veterans deserve more attention? Who knows. I just want to be left alone, and when I die, however I die, I don't want to be made an example of.

I never met Chief Kyle, nor did I follow his career or his civilian endeavors very closely. Still, the loss of men like him, and like your friend simply suck. There's no way to justify senseless murders, and trying doesn't do any good. It just rubs people the wrong way.

Rest easy Chief, we have the Watch.

Semper Fi - fair winds and following seas...

What a sad sad day He was a true hero who went out of his way to teach what he learned to others to help stop the bad guys

man, sad

rip

RIP

Once the 24 hour news cycle picks up on this is it will be held up as an example of the violence inherent in the gun culture, just you watch... gotta push the agenda.

Who knows whether the killer was a vet and seriously, who cares? By murdering people and taking their stuff, the killer gave up any honor he may theoretically have had and became just another worthless goblin. A waste of salt.

And this isn't the first time a goblin has killed a vet who survived the horrors of war. It happened to a soldier back from Iraq at a bar not half a block from my work. Don't let your guard down. The punks can absolutely kill even the strongest.

RIP

Additionally, there is once again some notion that PTSD may have contributed to the murder. Please don't spread this nonsense. PTSD does not make anyone into a murderer. If some yahoo decides to shoot someone or beat them to death with a table leg, that ain't PTSD. Maybe it's some kind of psychotic disorder, or maybe it's just an evil choice. But it isn't PTSD. This nonsense keeps getting spread by those who ought to know better, and in the end every vet with PTSD is deemed a potential mass murderer by co-workers, bosses and friends. It's an ANXIETY DISORDER folks. It doesn't mean your damned cereal is telling you to kill people.

If the "goblin" was a vet with PTSD, I think it's a bit out of line to be calling him a "goblin."

Actually, let's leave phrases like "goblin" to the gun rag hacks. Sounds too much like "gook" to me.

If you need to dehumanize people to bring yourself to fire on them, maybe you need to reevaluate some things.

ETA:

Cosmoline said:

Additionally, there is once again some notion that PTSD may have contributed to the murder.

Click to expand...

Perhaps not PTSD by itself, but sometimes it's just the tip of the iceberg. That's not saying everybody with PTSD is dangerous, but it's silly to think that some aren't.

If the "goblin" was a vet with PTSD, I think it's a bit out of line to be calling him a "goblin."

Click to expand...

Goblin is a title that's earned. If he murdered two men and took their truck, then he's a goblin. Whatever else he did or didn't do is irrelevant. He's a worthless waste of salt and nothing else. I don't have any respect for those who will murder in cold blood. Esp. when someone is trying to help them out. A person like that will kill his wife, his kids, or YOUR wife and YOUR kids. He's no good.

Some people are garbage when they go into the military and garbage when they come out. Obviously this guy was one of them. Not the military's fault. The sole responsibility is on the shooter's hands. And I hope they burn him for it.

That's not saying everybody with PTSD is dangerous, but it's silly to think that some aren't.

Click to expand...

I'm not aware of military trauma causing ANYONE to become a murderer and thief. Anxiety disorders don't lead to schizophrenia. That's an urban legend and does a disservice to those vets suffering from legitimate war-related disorders.

Cosmoline said:

If he murdered two men and took their truck, then he's a goblin. .

Click to expand...

I think you also missed the larger point that "goblin" is a juvenile term. Or does the guy hang out near Mordor on his days off?

I'm afraid the better terms violate the house rules.

Probably true. I just generally dislike the concept.

I talked with a psychologist at the VA when I got some surgery done. He said the condition these guys are in coming back from overseas is terrible and there's a huge need for mental health professionals. Much of it is addiction to pain meds the military is so adept at handing out.

Our current crop of vets are having a lot of problems with brain injuries from IEDs. This can affect people in a lot of ways, including bizarre and violent behavior.

A lot of pro football players have had a similar issue, to the point of where they're donating their brains to a "brain bank" to study the issue. Apparently the condition they suffer from can't be diagnosed until post mortem.

Getting shot at the shooting range is one of my fears that I can never fully dispel.

When there are "unknowns" around I have my guard fully up.

When there are friends around I have my guard fully up. And advise them to watch each other's backs, if there are unknowns around.

And I have a loaded gun in my pocket at all times when I'm alone, or first to arrive, or last to leave, unlocking or locking the gate. And my head is on a swivel.

It's sad that someone who served our country died in this fashion.

But, see a lesson in his death. Learn something from it. That way it's not wasted.

My .02.