Louisiana Nat'l Guard

[esskreemr]

Hundreds are being pulled back to Louisiana. For those of you with military experience serving overseas, what's it going to be like for them? You finally get pulled from the warzone of Iraq after an extended tour to return home to the devastation that awaits you in your home state. I can see serious psychological ramifications.

[Mergs]

It's going to probably be tougher on them because this is home. But since they have been in combat, they may be able to supress the emotional impact until it is all over. But then that'll create an even bigger problem later on.

The other thing that I hope they don't do is give them weapons, at least for a while. They are coming from a 'shoot first, then ask' environment, which is NOT what you want in this situation. I doubt these guys will be put on patrol, they will either do humanitarian work, or be released to see to their families.

[ThatReallyHurt]

I hope they're able to see their families before they do anything else - I'm sure a lot of them are having as much (or more) trouble finding out about their relatives as people in North America are...

[Mauler]

My brother is a Naval Officer (LT). I was about to let him know that I've been training with the Red Cross in preparation for deployment to the disaster struck area down in the Gulf region (Gulf Coast). He told me that he just received an order to deploy to the Gulf region as well.

I replied, "Oh, cool! You're going down there, too? Maybe we'll come across each other while we're helping those folks out! Want me to bring a couple of Sabres?"

He clarified for me that he wasn't talking about the Gulf Coast region. He's leaving the country this weekend for a six-month tour. All he knows is that he's headed for some place in the Baghdad area.

[Mauler]

The other thing that I hope they don't do is give them weapons, at least for a while. They are coming from a 'shoot first, then ask' environment, which is NOT what you want in this situation.

More like, "Shoot first, don't bother asking afterward." That just might be the primary reason why the frontline soldiers returning from combat duty would make a perfect candidate for shock enforcement given that situation is bad enough. Local population continues to calm down as the days go by, and the pertinent leadership gets better and better information, so it didn't have to come to that. But back in initial stage of this disaster, it really did seem like it might have to come to US Marines returning homeland only to play a part in enforcing quasi-Martial Law.

[Mergs]

More like, "Shoot first, don't bother asking afterward."

And you know this, how? You make it sound as if when rounds are fired in combat it is done indiscriminately. That may have been true (somewhat) in the past, but not now. Especially when collateral damage effects are taken into consideration for every operations, from Corps to Squad level.