I don't know the details about the GP poster. But a lot of people didn't "volunteer" for as much service in Iraq or Afghanistan as they wound up doing.
Yes they initially volunteered but then "stop-loss" happened and they had to stay in the active military for far longer than they were originally told they would.
Also many people were serving in reserve units or the National Guard (aka "weekend warriors") and entire units wound up being sent to Iraq because we didn't have enough active duty soldiers.
There's a hard to use .mil website that has details.[1] E.g deaths just in "Operation Iraqi Freedom" (there are additional ME deaths not included):
Not only that. Many reservists were called up to active, and then sent back to reserve a day or so before their year or whatever of active would have qualified them for full active benefits. In other words, essentially a full year of their lives were stolen, but they didn't get the benefits that were supposed to compensate for that year.
I want no sympathy personally, and I really don't like the "hero" talk. Nobody I ever met in the infantry was oblivious to what they were getting themselves into. Especially not in the airborne. I mean really, they throw you out of airplanes with parachutes made by the lowest bidder. Everyone laughs about dying to cover the fear.
When you sign up they are very clear that the term of your enlistment is 8 years whether or not you serve 4 or 5 active. They can call you up anytime in that 8 years. It sucks but again it's not a violation of trust. Still being stop lossed to go back is hugely terrifying for guys ready to transition back to civilian life.
Some guys out there really need help. Fallujah and the Korengal were meat grinders. I haven't met a single guy who was boots on the ground there that isn't seriously messed up from it. We owe it to them to get the care they need but the VA is an absolute crime.
> I haven't met a single guy who was boots on the ground there that isn't seriously messed up from it.
War is hell.
I remember hearing about neighbors who came back from Vietnam in around 1970, and they also suffered PTSD (of course I don't think we had that acronym then). And I knew an Army NCO (recipient of the Silver Star) who served two tours in Vietnam. He slept with a loaded .45 under his pillow, probably "cocked and locked" as they say (at least hopefully it was "locked"). And it wasn't because he lived in a bad neighborhood.
Its a shame that we still haven't figured out how to get help to those who need it, how to help ease those guys off that razor's edge that they needed to maintain in order to come back alive.
> When you sign up they are very clear that the term of your enlistment is 8 years whether or not you serve 4 or 5 active.
I was in for six, well back in the previous century. I don't recall having that explained to me when I joined, but it probably was. I did however learn before getting out after my six that I was still subject to recall until the eight year clock ran out.
