Israel and Gaza should be preparing for a tsunami of mental health crises

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
October 14, 2023

When responding to your citizens being slaughtered by terrorists is being protested, this world has gone insane.

Last week people in Israel were minding their own business when they were attacked, dragged out of their homes, gunned down at a music festival for peace, and children were decapitated. It has been reported that the terrorists were ordered to target schools to kill as many children as possible.

The people of Gaza did not order it but the terrorists running their country did. Israel responded by targeting places they knew were occupied by them and those places included being among civilians. Many of the innocent people have been killed in the process of killing the terrorists.

The people of Israel want to live in peace. The people of Gaza want to live in peace. Their leaders have to defend their people. So what is the answer when it is not an army against an army? No one knows.

Israeli people cannot allow what happened to them to be forgotten about because it was committed by terrorists. Yet the people of Gaza should not be punished for what the terrorists did. What's the answer?

No one knows what the right answer is unless it is finding a way for both to be able to live in peace but hatred has taken over too many. The terrorists are like well-armed bullies intimidating everyone else to the point where they fear standing up to them.  The terrorists are outnumbered but the citizens do not have the weapons to fight against them. What's the answer?

When you live in constant fear, can you heal from the terror you've already survived? How do you heal when the threat never ends? How do you heal when you've spent your entire life living with it? If you have #PTSD you don't have to wonder too hard because you know what the result can be like. For me, I was only able to heal from the worst that was done to me when the threat died. The only way for the people of Israel and Gaza to begin to heal is to have the threat to their lives die. The problem is hatred does not die. It spreads. It doesn't have to be allowed to spread unchallenged if people refuse to surrender to it. If they find enough hope for peace, they will refuse to give up on achieving it. Who can deliver it when both sides want vengeance?

This is happening in Ukraine too. We cannot forget about what they're going through. What happened here on September 11 only lasted a day but what if it kept on happening? We responded by starting a war in Afghanistan that lasted 20 years and another one in Iraq. Our military was responding with the rules of warfare while they were playing by their own rules. The terrorists did the act but the people of the nations paid the price. It was not military against the military but with terrorists living among the people. Our response did not work. How does the Israeli government think it will work in Gaza?

No matter how it ends, Israel and Gaza should be preparing for a tsunami of mental health crises that will vastly outnumber the number of wounded bodies.

UPDATE

Planning on visiting Arlington National Cemetery? Better have ID with you.

Arlington Cemetery Implements 100% ID Checks Amid Iran Fears

Military.com
By Hope Hodge Seck
3 Jan 2020

Arlington National Cemetery is tightening its security protocols and warning visitors to report suspicious activity in the wake of a U.S. strike that killed Gen. Qasem Soleimani, head of Iran's elite Quds force.

Family, friends, and loved ones visit gravesites in Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, May 27, 2019. (U.S. Army/Elizabeth Fraser)

In a series of tweets Friday afternoon, Arlington staff announced that the cemetery, located by the Pentagon and across the Potomac from Washington, D.C., is implementing 100% identification checks at all entrances.

"Effective immediately, all visitors 16 years and older (pedestrians, drivers and passengers) must present a valid state or government issued photo identification upon entering the cemetery," cemetery staff said in tweets. "Visitors include all funeral attendees, tourists, and personnel on official business."
read it here

Afghanistan Veteran Shocked After Being Photoshopped by ISIS

US Army vet who served in Iraq and Afghanistan shocked to discover he's in an ISIS propaganda video 
Daily Mail UK
By TOM WYKE FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 10:19 EST, 18 December 2015

One of the photos is an iconic image taken in 2006 in Afghanistan by photojournalist Richard Nickelsberg, showing two men with bandages wrapped around their heads.

Two wounded soldiers were being taken back to the nearest hospital following the ambush. Will Hammond features in the video (top right, holding a gun)

American army veteran Will Hammond shocked to see himself in ISIS video
Footage uses a 2006 photograph of Hammond from Afghanistan tour days
Mr Hammond said he was surprised by the quality of the video's graphics
He compared it to a National Guard commercial

An American army veteran was shocked to discover that he had unknowingly featured in an ISIS jihadi propaganda video.

Will Hammond, from Alberta, Canada, was told the staggering news by a friend and was shown the footage on social media.

The 35-year-old, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said he was 'shocked' as 'it's not every day you find yourself in propaganda.'

Titled 'No Respice', the video was produced by one of ISIS's top media branches, al-Hayat Media Center. They produce many of the top high definition films with slow motion features and animations.
read more here

Son of Army Psychiatrist "Homegrown Terrorist" Gets 10 Years in Prison

Son of US Army Doctor Gets 10 Years on Terrorism Charge
ASSOCIATED PRESS
By PAUL J. WEBER
AUSTIN, Texas
Sep 25, 2015

A former top University of Texas student who pleaded guilty to charges of recruiting terrorists said Friday he was not anti-American and expressed remorse before a federal judge sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

Rahatul Ashikim Khan, a Bangladesh-born U.S. citizen and the son of a U.S. Army psychiatrist, is among what federal officials call a growing number of so-called homegrown terrorists who are trying to join or help Islamic insurgents fighting in Syria.

FBI spokeswoman Michelle Lee said the bureau has identified roughly 200 people in the U.S. over the past couple years who have planned or traveled overseas to help insurgents.
read more here

July 4 Celebrations Canceled at UK Bases Due to 'Threat Assessments'

July 4 Celebrations Canceled at UK Bases Due to 'Threat Assessments' 
Stars and Stripes
July 3, 2015

A C-130 Hercules from the Air Force Reserve Command's 440th Airlift 

Wing at General Mitchell Air Reserve Station, Wis., sits on the ramp

during a 4th of July (2007) fireworks display. (U.S. Air Force archive photo/Joe Oliva)

The U.S. Air Force has canceled 4th of July events in Britain due to “local threat assessments,” it was announced Thursday.

A statement on the website of Royal Air Force Mildenhall said RAFs Lakenheath and Mildenhall called off celebrations set for Friday and Saturday at Royal Air Force Feltwell.

“The decision was made due to the most current local threat assessments. The base continually surveys the security environment alongside host nation counterparts and must take appropriate measures based on those assessments,” the statement said.

The statement quoted Col. David Eaglin, 48th Fighter Wing vice commander, as saying the decision was taken in the interest of safety.
read more here