The New Crutch
The other day I had to go to the hospital to check on a soldier. He had gotten in a serious accident related to his drinking, driving, then wrapping his car around a tree at a high rate of speed. When I saw him, he was in relatively serious condition with a spinal fracture and a long road of therapy ahead. He is now unsure about his future, but it probably involves some UCMJ, jail time, and possibly a less the honorable discharge. I spoke to his parents afterward as they were concerned about his treatment and they brought up that he had been complaining of PTSD symptoms. The thing is this particular soldier had never left the FOB, and our FOB never had a rocket or mortar land close to populated areas. His job didn’t even require him to leave the TOC.
