  Version 8.2 |
|
|
|
|
<-- WNest 2.1|
|
Wren's Wrants
& Wramblings
|
Features... News Links Who Is Wren W Nest Logos |
Go to the... |
| Witchvox Chapter: Wren's Nest News | Chapter Page Views: 59,684,546 |
 After War, Finding Peace And Calm In A Garden Author: Peter Applebome Source: New York Times Title: AFTER WAR, FINDING PEACE AND CALM IN A GARDEN Reggie Mourning wears a Marine Corps sweatshirt and two 9-millimeter pistol rounds on a chain around his neck. There’s an M14 round hanging from his keychain. His tour of duty with a mortar unit in Vietnam was long in the past, but never really ended. After coming home, he worked for years as a trucker with the jagged rhythms of the war zone wired into his brain — sometimes barreling cross-country, drunk and stoned, with only his dog as a companion. In 2007, sick, exhausted, on his way to becoming homeless, he made it to the substance abuse program at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center near Newark. “I was more or less a Neanderthal — everyone was scared of me,” he said. “I have a problem with people. Period.” But when he speaks of this year’s harvest at the center’s vegetable gardens — the tomatoes and eggplant, lettuce and kale, basil, squash, corn, peppers, collard greens and the rest, he sounds like someone who, in a way he never expected, has found a measure of peace. | |
| Community Thoughts: There are 2 comments posted | Reverse Sort |
| Human Gardening | Nov 30th. at 4:18:06 pm EST |
|
R. Cicero (Seattle, Washington) - Email Me I'm talking about the gardens of human ugliness the Marines grow in their strange pursuit of perfection. I have yet to meet a Marine that didn't have something a little bit to seriously wrong with them. In my immediate family, one Marine was a blackout, bed-wetting alcoholic, while the other offed himself in a down moment. And those are just the surface details. Needless to say, I did not pursue enlistment. The thing is, I don't think ANY of our Armed Forces prepare 'individuals' for positive reintegration into the civilian world. I've also met some whacked out, sociopathic ex-Navy. Even the Air Force spits out some ugly customers, especially these days. They've upped their 'warrior' training you see, in the wake of 9/11. To the last person, they have ALL participated in, witnessed, or been the victim of hazing. Some in boot, but most actually in service! Hence the Army's rather ridiculous 'battle buddy' program, which I suppose guarantees that hazing will now ritually occur in pairs! I've concluded that whether or not you are good enough for the military, but you will definitely have at least some adjustment problems on the outside. I do think that most of those people were perhaps at their best IN the military. But that's just a guess. Ultimately I think 'Full Metal Jacket' spelled it out: the Marines don't want robots, they want KILLERS. No one in the services goes without rifle and/or sidearm instruction, and 'aggressiveness' training. I actually admire how they are trained, and what they can become. It's just the world suffers for it, and always has. |
| The NYT | Nov 30th. at 11:36:16 am EST |
|
Zodiac (Waverly, Nebraska) - Email Me Wants to remind you that Islam does not cause people to go crazy and start killing their fellow soldiers. The stress from the war on terror does. :D |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright 1997-2010 The Witches' Voice Inc. All rights reserved
Note: Authors & Artists retain the copyright for their work(s) on this website.
Unauthorized reproduction without prior permission is a violation of copyright laws.
Website structure, evolution and php coding by Fritz Jung on a Macintosh G5.
Any and all personal political opinions expressed in the public listing sections (including, but not restricted to, personals, events, groups, shops, Wren’s Nest, etc.) are solely those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinion of The Witches’ Voice, Inc. TWV is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization.
Sponsorship: Visit the Witches' Voice Sponsor Page for info on how you
can help support this Community Resource. Donations ARE Tax Deductible.
The Witches' Voice carries a 501(c)(3) certificate and a Federal Tax ID.
Mail Us: The Witches' Voice Inc., P.O. Box 341018, Tampa, Florida 33694-1018 U.S.A.