At work over the weekend, I met a young man who was trying to regain truck control and stability as well as work on upper extremity strength in case he was never able to walk again. He was a soldier from Afghanistan, who was blown up. He was only 20 years old. He was telling me that even though he was hurt so badly he has a 60% chance of walking again so he is required to finish. He has three years left.
He was telling me how his whole perspective on the world has changed yet he will be required to be the same person he was before the accident. He was proud to serve his country and his family but now he is anxious about going back and not sure he wants to.
Can identity voluntary change? I don't think we have the ability to say "I want to be smarter and more outgoing". In this case how is the military going to help this soldier so he is ready to go back over seas and have the same fearlessness and pride to be fighting for his country?
I guess I am just confused as to how the military requires this. I am not very knowledgeable about the military and its workings so if anyone knows please let me know. Since meeting him I have become very interested because I don't believe he should have to go back to Afghanistan. Couldn't he just work somewhere in the U.S.?
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Heather,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. I find it difficult that after serving his country and being blown up that he is still required to get better AND go back to the place where he first acquired his injuries. Even though he has a higher percentage of getting better doesn't the United States feel that he has done a lot for his country already?
This kind of reminds me with the psychiatrist for Fort Hood who had been trying to get out of his duties in the army, but they would not comply. Now, before his deployment overseas he injured 30 people and killed 13. Shouldn't the government have learned from this tragedy to not force their soldiers to do something that is not comfortable? It's a confusing matter and I'm sure there is more to the military, but I simply cannot believe they would make this soldier go back overseas when he's has already lost a lot.