Marines literally dying for a thrill

[thedrifter]

Marines literally dying for a thrill

Risky behavior cited in fatalities

By Jeanette Steele
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

September 7, 2003

In a tragic footnote to war, some Marines returning from combat in Iraq are losing their lives to risky behavior such as speeding and driving drunk.

Throughout the Marine Corps, 31 service members have died in nonmilitary vehicle accidents since late April, when troops began trickling back home. The numbers spiked in June, when at least one Marine a week was killed in car and motorcycle crashes.

The year is surpassing the Corps' five-year annual average of 50 crash deaths, even though many Marines weren't home driving for five to six months.

Marine leaders are worried about what they call the tide of unsafe behavior, which some experts link to a danger-induced adrenaline rush.

The Pacific Forces commander sounded an alarm in July about motorcycle deaths caused by speed, fatigue and not wearing helmets. Fifteen Marines have died in motorcycle crashes this year, about twice the five-year average.

"I want to address my growing concern over the unacceptable number of motorcycle mishaps occurring throughout the force in recent weeks," Lt. Gen. Earl Hailston said.

At Camp Pendleton, safety officers recently urged unit commanders to watch for younger Marines who might be prone to find danger.

"It goes down to the small-unit leader. They know who has had a hard time in combat," said Gunnery Sgt. Richard Foyt, acting director of the base's safety center.

The problem, which also was noted after the Vietnam War and the 1991 Persian Gulf War, is partly chemical, say mental health experts.

Those experts say a serviceman's body becomes accustomed to the constant stream of adrenaline that keeps him going during combat. When he gets home, he is more likely to seek activities that start the pump again.

The phenomenon is seen in both young and seasoned combat veterans.

"The constant pressure, the stress . . . they had to go through to survive the war and get their job done. When you come back, there's no need for that, and yet they are so used to it," said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Bettye Burns, chief of counseling at Camp Pendleton's intervention and treatment branch. "They really miss the rush."

Burns counsels base Marines who volunteered for therapy because they felt unsettled after returning home from Iraq. She sees telltale signs of adrenaline-tinged behavior. One group member reported driving his truck much too fast without realizing it, until he glanced down at the speedometer.

"They really don't recognize it as risky behavior," Burns said. "They just know they are feeling good again."

Combat veterans may also react more intensely to common annoyances, such as freeway traffic or loud noises, she said.

Base counselors are telling wives to be patient with their husbands' tempers, which may be short because of pent-up emotions, but never to accept domestic violence.

(Camp Pendleton's police chief said there have been no recent cases of such assault on the base.)

Jeffrey Matloff, a Veterans Affairs Department psychologist who works with veterans in San Diego, said combat is the biggest high most people will ever experience.

"It's hard to turn off that stuff," he said. "That's why thrill-seeking behavior is what some seek out."

Most new war veterans will adjust on their own or get help, Matloff said. But if the problem progresses, in rare cases it turns into post-traumatic stress disorder. Matloff heads the VA's post-traumatic stress disorder clinic in San Diego and has worked with Gulf War veterans who didn't seek treatment until years after combat.

The disorder develops when people begin to regularly crave the rush, he said.

"If people start scanning for dangerous excitement to be triggered in everyday situations, that's what we label as a symptom of PTSD," Matloff said.

Several Marines are already casualties of the post-combat adjustment period, although it's not known whether their risky behavior was prompted by their combat experience.

A recent example was Lance Cpl. Erick Rodriguez, 19, a Camp Pendleton truck mechanic who came home in July. Late one August night, Rodriguez was in the passenger seat of his Honda Civic during a deadly street race on a Los Angeles County freeway.

Rodriguez was killed, and the driver, another Marine, was injured when their car left the freeway and smashed into a tree.

A 20-year-old Marine from Camp Lejeune, N.C., was killed in June after he and three friends drank at a bar and then sped home over a two-lane highway in the Marine's home state of Maine, where he had been on leave after returning from Iraq, Maine police officials said.

The Marine's Jeep Cherokee went off the road and hit a tree, ending his life and injuring his friends. He was driving the Jeep, officials said.

Another Camp Lejeune Marine who earned television fame as the "rapping Marine" in Iraq came back and engaged in dangerous behavior that didn't cause injuries, but landed him in police custody.

Lance Cpl. Alex Rivera, 21, was home in Long Branch, N.J., when police arrested him for brandishing a pellet gun while driving down a city street. The Monmouth County, N.J., prosecutor eventually reduced the charges to a misdemeanor, a county spokeswoman said.

Rivera provided a lighthearted moment in the war in April when an NBC news crew videotaped him rapping to entertain Iraqi children.

The Marines, knowing the potential for this problem, have tried to set up roadblocks.

In May, the Marine Corps commandant, Gen. Michael Hagee, ordered commanding officers to provide "warrior transition" talks to returning troops and to have chaplains and medical personnel on hand watching for potentially serious cases. He also told bases to give pre-reunion talks to families.

The commandant also ordered a "stand-down" from work for all units within aweek of return to discuss safety issues, including off-duty driving.

At Camp Pendleton, Burns continues to offer post-combat therapy groups. She has just finished one eight-week group with five Marines, and a similar one will begin next week.

The Marines say they are trying to warn troops against the danger they might pose to themselves.

"The Marine Corps recognizes the true tragedy when a Marine returns safelyfrom deployment only to be killed in a traffic crash," said Lt. Col. Benjamin Moody, executive assistant for Marine safety at the Pentagon.



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Jeanette Steele: (619) 718-5182; jen.steele@uniontrib.com


http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/n..._1m7risky.html

Sempers,

Roger

[the humper]

After doing a tour "In Combat" you're not human. At least your mind don't work as a NORMAL human, for awhile. It takes time for the mental faculties to "adjust" and start reacting "rational". And for some, IT NEVER HAPPENS!!!!!!!!
SF
NC