“Green-on-Blue” Attacks in Afghanistan Create 24/7 Stress on Families of Soldiers…

by | Sep 3, 2012

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57495797/mother-seeks-answers-in-green-on-blue-attack/  Following excerpt from this site…

Marine Lance Cpl. Gregory Buckley

Marine Lance Cpl. Gregory Buckley

 (Credit: CBS News)

The rest of us can only imagine her grief but everyone can agree with what she is saying.
“I’m so proud of my son, but this shouldn’t have happened to my son and I want answers,” she said.
A spontaneous wake occurred on the front lawn of their home on Long Island. The local baseball team walked over from the field across the street and stood in stunned silence as Buckley’s father, gasping for breath, tried to comprehend what had happened. “He was gunned down,” he said. “He was gunned down with a weapon that we supplied.”

http://www.stripes.com/news/panetta-acknowledges-taliban-role-in-increased-green-on-blue-attacks-1.185807  Quote from this site…

One of those steps is a “guardian angel” program that would provide security during meetings between NATO and Afghan troops, which Panetta said “involves identifying one individual to stand to the side so that he can watch people’s backs and hopefully identify people who would be involved in these attacks.”

Families need to have some comfort with relative safety of loved ones serving in combat.  Usually there is a break in combat for soldiers on the front line, so family members can check in and get some level of comfort “we made it through another day.”  But with the increasing danger of surprise attacks from Afghanistan police, there is no safe house or zone for our soldiers to take a safe break from the threat of attack and the stress of war.  One encouraging sign is the “guardian angel” program referenced above.  This is the same kind of program that is effective when soldiers need to sleep without fear of being killed while in the middle of combat and on the highest level of alert.  Whether we talk about it or not families become a part of the battle field and on alert 24/7 when they feel their son or daughter is not safe at anytime, even when in an area is designated as secure.  The challenges of moral injury and PTSD become even more exacerbated under these conditions, and the broader implications on family members waiting at home in constant fear must be considered…

Steve Sparks
Author
Reconciliation: A Son’s Story

About the author

Steve Sparks is a retired information technology sales and marketing executive with over 35 years of industry experience, including a Bachelors’ in Management from St. Mary’s College. His creative outlet is as a non-fiction author, writing about his roots as a post-WWII US Navy military child growing up in the 1950s-1960s.
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