The man who set himself on fire

[riverwalker]

The horrible incident of the man setting himself on fire in DC last week, after dousing himself with gasoline, had been haunting me. He seems to have been forgotten already by the public, only giving a name and age (64) and that his family said he "battled mental illness". He was married, a father of 3, and neighbors said he was a "good and kind man". He even had the grace to say "thank you" to those who tried to help him, in spite of his devastating injuries.

I read he gave a "sharp salute" towards the capital before he lit the flames, and I had a feeling in my gut, that along with his age, I just had a feeling. I had to know more.

John Constantino, 64, was an active-duty Marine serving in Vietnam from December 1968 until May 1973, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20131009/NEWS01/310090054/UPDATE-Mt-Laurel-vet-who-set-himself-fire-had-served-during-Vietnam-War?nclick_check=1

We will never know what those five years were like for him, what demons he fought all these years. My Dad was a POW, and I know the generational trauma of war. The war never ended for him, or his family, his children, his grandchildren, will always carry the war with them.
Rest in Peace, John Constantino, rest in peace.

[enlightenment]

1. Very sad.

War. The unwanted gift that keeps on giving.

Sympathies to his family; I hope he found peace, at last.

[seabeyond]

2. Rest in Peace, John Constantino, rest in peace.

[ScreamingMeemie]

3. Rest in Peace, Mr. Constantino...

My heart goes out to his family and everyone who loved him.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. "He seems to have been forgotten already by the public"

Since he was from Mt. Laurel, NJ, which is in the Philly media market, his brief story has been covered here. However the stories indicated that his family asked for privacy, so I don't think anyone wanted to push the publicity any further on this sad story.

My deepest sympathies to anyone who suffered or suffers PTSD from that or any of our other wars and thank you for your service.

[rhett o rick]

5. May he rest in peace. I miss the anti-war songs. The conservatives own the media. nm

[quakerboy]

25. They are still being made.

I hear them mostly in hiphop/rap settings now.

I am gratified I am not the only one who didn't just dismiss this guy from memory. Ive been wishing i knew more about who he was and why he might have done what he did since it happened. I figured I would wait out "current events" and then go back to it.

[malaise]

6. I just shed a tear

for a complete stranger

[HipChick]

13. This has been a local story..

[marble falls]

7. I hope we find out more about him.

[pinboy3niner]

8. R.I.P., brother

[Link Speed]

20. Don't you just know...

most of mine went out via suicide-by-Cops, or self, or that old bitch that just never let go of us.

[Half-Century Man]

9. The Buddhist monks in Viet Nam

used that method to protest the war. My father said that was a sight which could never be forgotten.

[ashling]

15. That was the first thing I thought of

RIP

[grahamhgreen]

35. Seems a likely motive for his actions, to me.

[secondvariety]

10. Rest in peace,sir...

[awoke_in_2003]

11. War fucks people up...

it is not natural to see a friend's head explode. Unless you are a psychopath it will damage you.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

30. As long as profiteers gain from war, peace will never have a chance.

[dougolat]

32. "War Is Not The Answer"

...unless the question is:

If there was a devil, what would he have us do?

[jazzimov]

12. Thanks for your research. I was wondering

what was behind that. I remember seeing images of Buddhist monks protesting war by setting themselves on fire and just sitting there as if they were in complete bliss while they burned. But they were protesting and left no doubt what what they were protesting. This horrible act brought back those images, but it wasn't obvious what he was protesting.

Maybe that was the purpose - to bring back those images to those who can remember.

RIP John Constantino. Whatever your message, may it never be forgotten.

[go west young man]

14. Forgotten so much already

that the actual video from the guy who filmed it has only received 60 views of the video on you tube. Warning this is the video, it is graphic, and disturbing so please be warned.

Obviously this man was mentally ill to do such a thing but the social commentary of of the man filming and the people posting comments is important as we live in a society where things like this are not properly examined. The man needed help in many ways. He obviously did not receive it.

[Rebellious Republican]

16. I posted to the original thread ......

13. Two days in a row, desperate people are committing desperate acts in DC!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=611340

Got this response imeddiatly from DU'er onenote (says it all)

25. Silly you to associate them without any evidence
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=611377

Yes I book marked it onenote! Got your answer now?



Fair winds and following seas shipmate.

[benld74]

17. May you find peace sir, prayers to you and your family

[hopemountain]

18. there was virtually not a single story on any of our major

pacific news papers... i first read about it on saturday in a brief headline on yahoo. truly, our news is censored.

rest in peace, our brother. you will be remembered.

[libodem]

19. .

[Voice for Peace]

21. thank you

[Stinky The Clown]

22. Thanks for posting this.

Thanks for your sensitivity.

[janlyn]

23. Oh no !

I told friends that I was afraid it would turn out to be a veteran ! I was so hoping that wouldn't be the case. That makes me feel so bad !!!! My Dad was a Vietnam vet.
It affected every aspect of our lives when I was growing up. I once said to someone when they asked me what year my dad came home, was 1984.
My dad was one of the lucky ones. He finally got help and things were better. I remember when he left, I was three. I was on his lap and he told me he loved me, my dad never said he loved me again until 1984.
I don't let most things get me down but that poor man and what he did make me heart sick !

[HomerRamone]

24. "Will the Self-Immolation in DC Spark a Tunisian Uprising Here?"

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/278-76/19780-will-the-self-immolation-in-dc-spark-a-tunisian-uprising-here

If the man did indeed douse himself in gasoline and light himself ablaze over the disenfranchisement of millions of black voters like himself due to the Supreme Court's actions, his sacrifice can and must be a rallying cry for all Americans to demand the right to vote without going through the burdensome, costly, unconstitutional process of getting a photo ID as a human right, guaranteed for all Americans. We have the right to know this man's name and his motives, just as much as we have the right to be able to have access to the vote and to have our votes counted in a transparent, democratic process.

[bluesbassman]

26. RIP now Marine.

[avaistheone1]

27. So damn sad.

I was wondering who he was.

Thanks for shining some light on this good man.


RIP

[blkmusclmachine]

28. Tragic.

[Recursion]

29. Semper fi, Marine

Fair winds and following seas. May those demons not follow you.

[silvershadow]

31. May he rest in peace.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

33. thank you for following up and letting us know. RIP N/T

[DLevine]

34. So sad. Rest in peace, sir. nt

[Tuesday Afternoon]

36. Rest in Peace, John Constantino

Thank you for telling me about him.

[Javaman]

37. As mom would say and now I say...

that fucking war.

[mountain grammy]

38. May he find the peace he never found in life...

another casualty of war.

[Octafish]

39. ''Thank you.''

Imagine.

[cantbeserious]

40. RIP

eom

[Enrique]

41. and 40 years from now

some people will still be paying the price for our current wars.

[Blue_Tires]

43. +1

[indepat]

42. Incidents like this and all those killed or suffering major trauma fighting in Korea,

Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Iraq again, among others, are but small prices our government has willingly paid to stop the spread of the evil communism, keep the dominoes from falling, teach the Cubans a lesson, capture a bad-ass dictator-buddy, for the temerity to invade our buddy having skedaddles of oil, and to wipe foreign terraism off the face of the earth, are but small prices willingly paid by those in power.

[LiberalLoner]

44. Very sad. Rest in peace, hero John.