Saturday, July 30, 2011

"Kinetic".... a Neologism from the Military

I always talk to the fighters I take care of about the war. I don't want the blood and guts, but I do want to know how things are and what 'the real scoop' is.... I usually get it. The common theme... We are killing the enemy by the hundreds, yes, the enemy, guys with AKs and recoilles rifles who are shooting at our guys.... Beating the crap out of them every time, every where. And it's a hopeless mess (in marked distinction from Iraq).

The money we pour in goes away, the schools we build are destroyed, and the people are not in any state to take the reins of government. That's what they all say. No one knows what the answer is but all say, let's just get out. I don't know if that's smart... just passing it along....

But today I learned two new important things. The first is, PTSD is a real deal. It happens to the extent that even though the patient is doing great at returning to regular non-combat life, that something like a dog jumping on the bed in the morning can trigger a full fledged fists-and-elbows running attack at the poor pooch.

I also learned that folks don't say "in the shit" anymore (probably because the military does not want to demean its newly out and proud members), we talk about a deployment being 'kinetic'. In fact, the young warrior who recently assaulted his dog used this very word in describing his last deployment. "It was 'kinetic', doc"....

"What does that mean?" I asked....

"It means I killed a lot of Taliban"...

"Kinetic".

5 comments:

  1. I've worked all over the Middle East and parts of Africa, in and out of the military. Currently in Kandahar, Afghanistan. I don't have the vocabulary or education to state what the problem is in Afghanistan. The politest term I can come up with is cultural decoherence. Either we take this place over lock, stock and barrel and run it for the next 40 years or we get out and let them rot in their own filth. The only other alternative is to kill everyone over the age of 10 and do some intensive training for the next 10 years, and then maybe, just maybe.....

    We're not staying for the next 40 so we need to stop wasting lives and money and get out. Let Afghans fix Afghan problems (hah!)

    PTSD, been there, done that, mostly worked through it, with the determination that I was not going to let it affect my family. BTW, was he taking mefloquine (Larium) at all? Wouldn't be surprised.

    You are working with and treating the best people in the world and I appreciate your supporting them.

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  2. Kinda related, anyone here know what happened to "Bagram ER Doc" blog? Havent seen a post from him since May and enjoyed reading about all the "hyperkinesis" that came through the door.

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  3. frank,
    Still no story on the demise of blog #1?

    Anon.,
    that's what they all say, absent the genocide idea which I know was hyperbole... thanks for your service

    ER Jedi,
    no word from bagram here either.

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  4. 9-11...
    My Blog???, it came down to sex...
    Mrs. Drackman cut me down to once a month.
    Hey, I'm lucky, 3 other guys she cut out completely.
    I met one of the guys, said "Who told you you could screw my wife?"
    He said "Everybody"
    and I knew it was just a matter of time till Julio the Pool guy would be cleaning out the deepend...
    I think it was when I'd stop in mid-stroke at 3am whenever a great post idea hit me, that old Bloggus-Interruptus
    "ITS EITHER ME OR YOUR BLOG!!!!!" she screamed.
    and she didn't even get the Jack Benny reference when I said "I'm THINKING ABOUT IT........

    but just like Martin Luther King, I've got a Scheme...

    TO BE CONTINUED

    Frank

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  5. Oh Frank.
    Miss your blog, yes I do.
    -SCRN

    ReplyDelete

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