Hunters and soldiers: brothers in arms (this is hard to believe)

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http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_3300.shtml


Thanks to the Associated Press (AP), I recently learned about an innovative new method in psychological therapy: killing. Thanks to the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), wounded American soldiers are now attempting to “recover” from their violent trauma by, well, imposing violent trauma onto defenseless animals.

"The PVA learned many years ago that participating in sporting events helped restore self-confidence and that ‘can do' attitude to someone who has received a catastrophic injury,” said Bill Kokendoffer, president of the Mid-America Chapter of PVA. "We older injured, like myself, try to show the newly injured that life is not over after an injury, just changed.”

"It is about giving them the experience,” added Lew Deal, a retired Marine who serves as director of outdoor programs for PVA. Deal’s venue of choice was the Great Turkey Hunt 2008 in Miami, Oklahoma. Four paralyzed veterans took part this past April. One of them, according to AP, “earned his inclusion” by getting shot in the head while serving in Afghanistan. The goal, according to organizers, is for the hunt to serve as a “mechanism to set a psychologically wounded service member on a path of healing.” (Reminder: this is not an SNL skit.)

When one of my local daily papers—AM-NY—ran this story, it provoked two angry letters in the following day’s edition. “What perverse logic is at play here?” asked the first reader. “How about feeling better about yourself and helping animals, children, or community?” A second reader objected to “victims of violent actions or situations” seeking to “feel better about themselves by creating other victims.”

While it may seem a more obvious choice (for sane people, at least) to give wounded humans an opportunity to heal through efforts that involve compassion and caring, we must never forget the deep connection between volunteer soldiers and the American hunting culture.

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Or, as Albert Einstein sez: “The pioneers of a warless world are the youth that refuse military service.”
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[tuckessee]

1. Doesn't surprise me at all.

Maybe that's because I know lots of modern soldiers and lots of modern hunters.

Thrill killing is a major motivating factor in both types.

[tularetom]

2. It does seem sort of oxymoronic - if not just plain moronic

I have no problem with the guys going hunting. It can be an enjoyable experience.

But to treat people who have been shot at by allowing them to shoot at animals - I don't get it.

Maybe the attraction is "Here -shoot this turkey. You can get the aggression out of your system without being scared that the turkey is gonna shoot back. You can feel like a man again"

[NickB79]

7. It probably helps to sit in the peace and quiet of the woods for hours at a time

The vast majority of time spent hunting is just sitting or quietly stalking through the woods for hours. Many times, you don't fire a single shot all day. Most hunters don't succeed every year, but they still enjoy it just as much even when they don't bring home a deer or turkey.

And yes, I know that a soldier could just go out with no need to hunt, but I think that a lot of men have issues with just walking in the woods for the simple joy of peace and quiet. There's a macho issue to uphold: walking around for no reason may seem a little less macho, while taking a gun along and calling it hunting seems manly.

[navarth]

3. nothin' makes ya feel like a man like killin' somethin'!!!

yeah! tear their guts out! Kill! I'm pretty horny now....:sarcasm:

[TheMightyFavog]

4. Taking a look at these replies...

No wonder why we have a hard time getting rural folks to stop voting for the very Rethugs that have been screwing them over for decades.

So these veterans find hunting and being out in nature theraputic? I'm not one to question it. If it works, and it's not illegal, it's fine by me.

Oh, and by the way, those animals are not as defenseless as you think. Typical response from someone who has obviously never gone hunting in their life.

[T Monk]

5. the lure of hunting nonwhite humans recruits many to military service

[bpj62]

6. PVA

PVA is a non-profit organization that does lobbying on behalf of veterans who have suffered some sort of paralysis. One of their biggest departments is the sports department which handles a multitude of sporting activities from wheelchair basketball to bass fishing. Many soldiers were hunters prior to joining the service and this is just a way to try and give them a sense of normalcy. Depending on the severity of the injury some vets have trouble lifting items such as a rifle and they need assistance from able bodied people. My wife worked for PVA for 8 years so that is why I know so much about them. Its not about killing a defenseless animal its about trying to help someone readjust to society with a body that doesn't do what it once did. Spend time with someone in a wheelchair and you will see what I mean.

[ensho]

8. it is not about the wheelchair, it is about killing when you don't have to

kill is the keyword here