No more UAV Drops?

[thehobbit]

To be honest, other than the "chair flying" experience, I tend to think that UAVs would be a decent career move. You're home everynight for the most part, and what you do on a daily basis is actually impacting the war. I think that flying patrols over Baghdad everyday would be satisfying, but most of the time you'd just be burning jetA. Those UAV guys go to work, kill some badguys, go home. Of course that does lead to a very high stress level, and I completely understand how these guys can get PTSD. Just my $.02 as a completely outside observer.

Yeah you could be home every night, except if your the dude over there that has to launch and recover them.

 

[bunk22]

Those UAV guys go to work, kill some badguys, go home. Of course that does lead to a very high stress level, and I completely understand how these guys can get PTSD. Just my $.02 as a completely outside observer.

Not so sure I'd buy that. Soldiers or Marines in the , sure, but not a UAV driver lol

 

[The Fez]

Yeah you could be home every night, except if your the dude over there that has to launch and recover them.

Last I heard, the launch and recovery deployments were going from 120 day rotations to 365. So not only are you stuck flying UAV's, you're in the desert longer than most other flying units.

 

[Hacker15e]

Not so sure I'd buy that. Soldiers or Marines in the , sure, but not a UAV driver lol

So, just how *would* you define military members who were psychologically and socially having trouble adapting to their "normal" lives based on the stresses they are feeling as a result of their participation in combat operations?

The idea that you have to physically be in danger to experience PTSD is just simply not true.

UAV guys aren't in any way competing or comparing themselves to boots on the ground. It's not like there is a finite amount of PTSD that can be diagnosed, and if a UAV dude gets a diagnosis he's stealing it from a soldier who might deserve it more.

Easy to scoff, tough to accept as real, but occurring none the less.

 

[ian]

Last I heard, the launch and recovery deployments were going from 120 day rotations to 365. So not only are you stuck flying UAV's, you're in the desert longer than most other flying units.

i've heard that the deployed spots are voluntary

 

[The Fez]

So, just how *would* you define military members who were psychologically and socially having trouble adapting to their "normal" lives based on the stresses they are feeling as a result of their participation in combat operations?

The idea that you have to physically be in danger to experience PTSD is just simply not true.

UAV guys aren't in any way competing or comparing themselves to boots on the ground. It's not like there is a finite amount of PTSD that can be diagnosed, and if a UAV dude gets a diagnosis he's stealing it from a soldier who might deserve it more.

Easy to scoff, tough to accept as real, but occurring none the less.

I'm not claiming to have PTSD, but I've had a lot of thoughts about the things I saw and participated in while working with UAV's. Bodies of civilians being dumped next to the Tigris, watching American soldiers get killed, watching the relatives of the people I just shwacked holding the remains of their family member as their bodies cool off...it's not a video game to those who realize what they're doing. Thanks for understanding Hacker.

i've heard that the deployed spots are voluntary

They are...as long as there's volunteers to go. With a one year deployment in their face, those volunteers may not be so apt to step up.