Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for March 07, 2011

Generics?

This strip strongly reminds me of the Star Trek: Next Generation episode “Encounter at Farpoint” where it portrayed early 21st soldiers as being controlled by drugs.

Eerie.

@Fairportfan2

I think you meant Hoyt Axton.

http://www.allthelyrics.com/lyrics/hoyt_axton/

A psychoactive, migraine medicine, an opiate, and two sedatives. Army strong!

This arc has just made me sad.

Worried about Ray…What’s the difference between what he’s doing now and being a soldier in Miami for the Cartel? Thin line…

Vets back from Nam hooked on smack was so messy. This new generation of properly cultivated and supplied addicts is much better for business.

Just proving the point that all the meds in the world still are not correcting the problem.

Ah, the good old Navy Corpsman, where a weary Marine went for pharmaceutical comfort.

2 Things - 1: I know NO Soldiers in my unit nor any other who run around drugged up on anything. In fact when one of our Soldiers arrived for BA one medication, he was REQUIRED to provide documentation for his prescription and the reason for it and to keep that on his person at all time. He was NOT allowed to do ANYTHING other than paperwork-level tasks while on his medication.

2: Let’s not forget the rest of that song - “If I were the President of these United States, I’d declare total war on the Pusher Man.” Be careful what you wish for…

Orion

I’m with you, rickmac1937.

Does this mean I now have to look at every soldier as being drugged up for action? Sad.

Elvis got hooked on drugs while in the army and look how he turned out.

In ‘Nam they only GAVE us cigarettes. We found a little pot on our own, but “hard drugs” were “after my day”. Well, other than alcohol that was freely dispensed if you were in the right place.

The docs provided my son and his friends with the best “big pharma” could provide on their deployments this time around with our current wars. Other friends in the Army reported the same “difficulty” being provided drugs- all you had to do was ask.

Even slightly addictive stuff became big business via the US military. The US government in cooperation with the Coca Cola company used the excuse of terrible tasting over-chlorinated water to push Coke on our troops, and used them for establishing markets with our overseas allies on both fronts. A look at the corporate footprint of Coca Cola before and after WWII tells the tale.

Yep, the military always makes sure it’s troops have their cancer sticks and caffeine.

As one of my professional counseling colleagues, who works with active duty soldiers, once told me: “My job is to put a band-aid on them so they can get back to the field. The meds are a quick fix–we gotta treat ‘em and street ‘em.” No wonder it’s difficult to readapt to “normal life”… after a few deployments, the amygdalas in these guys’ brains are probably the size of basketballs.

rand, Coca Cola was a lot better tasting and safer than the water in many of the places our troops went. Still is. Apparently those who were met by our soldiers seemed to think so too.

This strip goes against the “Can’t wait to get back to the world of battle where everything makes sense” strip on Saturday.

Research has shown that 2 types of individuals sign up to be soldiers. One is the “SJ” combination who sign up out of a sense of duty and the desire to be in a structured environment of protocols and routine. Mel is a perfect example of the classic reliable soldier, and I could see her being prescibed vallium if she had come across some particularly nasty stuff during her duty.

The other temperment is the “SP” thrill-seeker. That’s the Ray we saw on Saturday, the type of person who feeds off the rush and would be doing other dangerous behaviors in a civillian occupation. I don’t see the connection between that soldier and the one we see today who needs drugs to push it behind him. Why would he want to dull his senses if the battlefield is his “home”?

Testimony in front of Congress (about 4 years ago) by a Captain in Special Operations; “We kept hormone tablets in the rec room in a dispenser on the wall and called them “Salt tablets”.”

Is it any wonder our returning troops commit suicide, murder and the like?

In WWII, the military is said to have encouraged soldiers to smoke cigarettes in part because of the psychological effects of nicotine, which produces (in small doses) a state of relatively calm alertness–good for the situation in which nothing happens for several hours and then all he11 breaks loose. In comparison, caffeine produces alertness, it’s accompanied by jitters. You don’t want a jittery finger on the trigger…

I don’t have any hard data, but it seems that the military is no longer encouraging soldiers to smoke. Caffeine in the form of “energy drinks” (notice Saturday’s reference to the “Red Bull-soaked world”) seems to be the new stimulant of choice… which may be related to what at least appears to be a higher frequency of itchy-trigger-finger incidents compared to past wars.

I have a bad feeling, with all these deployments, it’s almost like Ray’s caught in a form of Deer Hunter Roulette. I sure hope Trudeau isn’t setting Ray up to be a Fallen Hero.

Good thing it’s just a cartoon.

Orion-13, thanks for your attempt to provide a counter-balance to the discussion. I’m not saying “big pharma” isn’t a problem. I’ve been out too long to act like an expert on what’s happening now, but it does seem like this thread is a bit one-sided.

There was a time when lots of us were popping “Ranger Candy” – 500mg Motrin (or was it 800mg? They were big pills) – probably to detrimental levels, and I know Percocet was common later, but I didn’t know anyone who took valium while down range. On the other hand, shortly after I got back I sought counseling and the Dr. prescribed anti-depressants after the very first appointment. After reading the side effects I tossed the prescription and prescribed myself Jack Daniels. Not my wisest decision.

Unfortunately this segment on PTSD is right on the money. Like the soldier in the cartoon, these veterans know the names of all their meds. Some want a quick fix in the form of medication instead of counseling. Suicide rates are higher than the civilian population. Reach out to a combat veteran. It may keep them on the road to recovery instead of destruction. Pray for these veterans and those who care for them. Even if the war ends tomorrow these veterans have a long road to recovery.