A soldier's story

I always find it interesting that those who disparage our country and the troops are always considered heroic, gutsey and folks to be honored. Usually those few folks are disenchanted with military life and the sacrifice required of them. I have found in my dotage that there is usually two sides to every story but that is usually not presented. All we hear is the constant drumbeat of the disaffected. I hate war like the next guy but when you tear the troops apart on the words of one or a few individuals that raises my hackles. I've always wondered how morally straight you folks are or are you in this for self advancement.Check out some of the true heroes once in a while you may find them equally inspiring

I would agree that this is indeed very interesting. Even more interesting is a "Supply Clerk" being diagnosed with "post-traumatic stress disorder". As a military retiree (27 years service) I can only surmise that she must have been a victim of shrapnel produced by all those flying paperclips. As usual, good old Colman doesn't let the facts get in the way of a good story.....

The sound of disenchantment with the war in Iraq has grown from a whisper in 2003 to open criticism in the last presidential campaign. Probably best captured by the phrase 'Support Our Troops - Bring Them Home'. Certainly not disparaging those who serve. As a
person who opposed this preventative war from prior to its beginning. Who first reaction to 9/11 was to pray that Bush not over-react. Who viewed Vietnam Vets Against War teach in which declared anyone against the war in Iraq was an honorary Vietnam vet. I have been made to feel less than American for disagreement with the Bush administration through the main stream media as well as popular sentiment. I do not get this from veterans from the Vietnam era. Theirs is a more studied view. More generous to those who oppose war. What I had hoped for was that the stories of the returning vets be told. This has been done in part with the movies 'Ground Truth' and 'Body of War'. So rather than disparaging those who served in Iraq and came back to tell the story. We should listen and learn. We should hear the entire story. Not just what has been presented by 'embedded reporters'. Or vetted by the current administration. We should be listening to all of the truth of Iraq. We should not repeat the mistakes of the Vietnam era which shunned the returning soldier. Any soldier. We should not belittle their pain. Nor their new-found insights. They were purchased at great cost. We simply say welcome home. We all own this war. Those for it and those against it. We all own its horror, grief and destruction.
Welcome home Cpl Bateman. Thank you for telling your story. Thank you for your service to us all.

I find this story very powerful and very inspiring. She is indeed a hero. This country has has led us into this terrible war....a war that will make heros of no one.... a war we should all object to. I find the first two comments above disconcerting indeed. We need more people of conscience.

I congratulate Chantelle on her courage and determination to stand for peace in a time of such deception. I believe that it must be so difficult for these brave men and women, in our military, to serve leaders who deceived them and the American people. These men and women in governmental leadership positions have a responsibility to be transparent and truly honest with the American people when it comes to decisions that put us into war. We were led to believe that the leadership in Iraq helped to mastermind 9/11, were extremely close with al Qaeda and had weapons of mass destruction that were directly pointed at the destruction of Western civilization. We were terribly deceived into believing that Iraq was an "axis of evil" that had to be eliminated. Our political leaders put these brave men and women into a situations where they suffered injuries, disabilities and in many cases the ultimate price of death.
How can we not support them when they return and provide them with all the health care that is required and all the financial support that is necessary for their acclimation back into our society. We commit such grave sin when we neglect the needs of our fellow citizens. Along with these men and women serving in our military force, we have also neglected the Iraqi people. It will take a great deal of compassion and diplomacy to regain our integrity that has been so exploited and manipulated by this administration. I pray that under our new president that we will embark on a new direction that will ultimately help support the common good in all people. I will pray and wish Chantelle, and the members of the American military, all of our support towards their good will and safe return.

You have got to be kidding me. Does Coleman also find heroism in illegal immigration, Catholic politicians who promote and protect abortion and euthanasia? Supply clerks don't get PTS. Those who have been in the thick of fighting repeatedly and seen their friends torn apart by the enemy get PTS. As a 30 year veteran, there is more to this than the story holds. I suspect the "Catholic Reporter" which I hardly ever read, is inclined to this type of story over those of "real heroes" who risk all on the battlefield so the Coleman McCarthys of the world can sit in comfort and write what they want.

Veteran to Veteran,

I applaud Cpl. Bateman for having the courage to follow her conscience
and speak out against the war. We anti-war veterans are fighting a battle on all fronts, the inner struggles and the outer ones. But we keep going, because that's the one thing that we did bring back from our experiences, to keep fighting... this time we are doing it for our country and not for the military. We realize that their is a fate worse than death, our silence- which makes us prisoners of conscience. It does't matter if we were a supply clerk or a submariner, we were all part of the same war machine. We medicate ourselves because the VA is ill-equipped to handle the overflow of veterans in need, by trying to bury the pain with anything-alcohol, drugs, sex... whatever it takes to get our minds away from it for just a moment. It's a struggle everyday to for some just to wake up and not want to kill themselves. By speaking out and educating the public and changing one mind at a time, we give ourselves a chance to regain the humanity that was lost. As for those who criticize us, you only make us more determined.
Peace!

Usually those who take a stand, especially in a brainwashed country like America, are always criticized by people without understanding. I.e Vietnam veterans against the war. Now all the sudden they are heros?

As your hero George W Bush loves to say, history will be the judge.

Please keep ignorant comments to yourselves, or better yet go watch some foxnews you McCain supporters:-P

Sarge and Doug S, God bless you and thank you for your service. 27 - 30 years of service is commendable and includes time in Viet Nam. I hope you are well. The problem with your remarks are that they epitomize the attitude our military and society have in honestly facing a person who gets PTSD. It's easier to attach a twisted stigma to it than admit to having it, much less getting help. Cpl Bateman came home with PTSD. Deal with it. She's dealing with it. It's possible to have your friend get blown up in front of you while you are handing him a paper clip in Iraq.....but then you know that. Sarge and Doug. I'm glad it didn't happen to you....or did it? How Cpl Bateman got PTSD, I don't know. I am surprised at your poor attempt to joke about a serious issue and mock a job as important as supply clerk or any military position. It smacks of ignorance. I would hope that other military leaders with your experience are finding a way to assist returning soldiers with PTSD instead of mocking them as you have chosen to do. As a civilian who chose to serve in Iraq in the red zone with our military for two years, I will say that it's time that those who are stronger than others, refrain from righteous judgment regarding PTSD, listen to a viewpoint from which we all might learn something new and be grateful Sirs, that you and I don't have it....or do we? Thank you again for your service but don't stop now that you are retired. Returning soldiers with PTSD are no better than or less than you or me. We're all in this together. Thank you Sarge, Doug S and Cpl Bateman for your service and God bless you. I'm glad you are all home now.

It's good to see young people who have fought in this war taking a stand against it. Corporal Bateman deserves credit for speaking out and I wish her well.

It's interesting to me that people like 'Sarge' can make such rapid judgements about this young woman without having ever met her, without knowing the conditions under which she served and with no knowledge of the experiences she went through. Of course, for many like him, ignorance of the facts just makes it easier to judge.

First, I must say thank-you to those who stand in solidarity with those of us in the GI resistance movement. Your support is appreciated beyond measure!!

Now, to respond to some of the nay sayers. I believe that many of the comments I am reading, particularly the personal attacks on my service and mental health, are made out of ignorance. This is my attempt to inoculate that ignorance.

I am not "disenchanted with military life". On the contrary I have an abiding love for the Marine Corps and continue to be a "stellar Marine" on all accounts. When I placed my feet on the yellow footprints of Paris Island, SC I did so with the knowledge that I may someday be asked to make the ultimate sacrifice for my country and the willingness to do so. What I did not bargain for, is that my government would betray my oath to my country and ask me to make that sacrifice for war profiteers and geo-political interest that benefit the few and persecute the many. That along with No-bid cost-plus contracts, dehumanization of a people I was sent to "liberate", and the refusal of the government to fully support its returning vets is the source of my disenchantment. Believe me, I am not alone in my sentiment. It is my experience that GI support of the war is scarce. Choosing to stand against the status-quo in sacrifice of liberty and livelihood is no easy task, and dare I say heroic, which probably accounts for why our numbers are growing slowly. For the record I stand to gain nothing except a trip to Ft. Levenworth, a negative discharge status, and harassment on many fronts. And being an anti-war activist isn't exactly a Fortune 500 kind of job.

Yes, I am a "supply clerk". But as far as I know mortars and rockets don't really care about my MOS. PTSD is not about your job, it's about enduring a trauma beyond the realm of normal human experience and your minds inability to reconcile that. If you can for a moment take yourself to the instant in your life when you felt the most terror, magnify that by about 1,000 and then live that moment EVERY moment for about 7 months to the point that your conscience can no longer process it. Your mind relegates the intense fear to your sub-conscience and surprises you when you least expect it, like when somebody accidentally slams a door. Then ask me about PTSD symptoms. Imagine what you might feel while standing alone at night guarding your co-workers against people who may or may not be about to take your life when they get up to go the bathroom. Now imagine carrying that feeling with you in places you used to feel safe, like in your bedroom with your mother. Then talk to me about PTSD symptoms.

Duty, honor, and country are the reasons I enlisted. Duty, honor, and country, are the reasons I resist. Honor the warrior - not the war!!!

Love & PEACE!!