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Living beyond Iraq
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Also by Alec Luhn:
- Behind closed doors (April 17, 2008)
- Battle-scarred by bullets, benefits (March 4, 2008)
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When Josh Gaines became the first Iraq veteran to publicly reject medals earned in the conflict, the act was a political statement as well as a personal catharsis.
The former army reservist mailed two medals and a letter explaining his reasoning to then Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld during a protest at the Capitol Wednesday. Gaines’ action was unprecedented for a veteran of the Iraq War, according to spokesmen from the Madison Veterans Center and Iraq Veterans Against the War, as well as a fellow serviceman.
But while Gaines hoped to encourage dissent over a war he believes is wrong, the move is also part of a “healing process” in his life after Iraq, he said.
After he returned from active duty overseas in March 2005, Gaines experienced difficulty with post-traumatic stress disorder.
“I was real heavy into alcohol, really numbed out in life,” Gaines said.
His tolerance lowered by 13 months of sobriety during his mobilization to Iraq, the disgruntled veteran began drinking often.
“When you get home, it’s like going to Disneyland for the first time, every day,” he said. “I lost track of what was important for me in life.”
His alcohol abuse, in combination with an attitude of invincibility held over from his time in Iraq, culminated in a drunken driving offense in May 2005.
Gaines was discharged from the army in 2006 for failing a urine test, he said. He had been smoking marijuana to help him eat and sleep: He lost 20 pounds in less than three months and was suffering from constant nightmares, Gaines said.
A spokesperson from the Army Human Resources Command declined to comment on the reasons for Gaines’ discharge.
Gaines eventually ended his downward spiral, he said, with the help of a state-sponsored counselor appointed after his drunken driving conviction, and turned his efforts toward raising awareness about the Iraq War.
Former comrades-in-arms weren’t surprised when Gaines rejected his medals.
Sholom Keller, a veteran of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, went to basic training with Gaines and described him as a typical “good soldier.”
But serving in Iraq is enough to recast any soldier’s outlook, according to Keller.
“After having been through that experience, I’m not surprised at all that a soldier would turn in his medals,” he said.
Ryan Hill, who served in the same unit as Gaines in what they used to jokingly refer to as “the bad place,” said the move is characteristic of a soldier who was always “pretty quick to speak his mind.”
Hill shares Gaines’ ire over what the majority of their unit saw as the pointlessness of its service in Iraq.
“We didn’t have a defined mission,” Hill said. “We were taking up space and hoping rockets and mortars didn’t hit us.”
In his letter to Rumsfeld, Gaines faulted leaders for sending his unit into combat without proper armor and overwhelming it with a poorly regulated security assignment.
Gaines said he "felt like a phoney" upon receiving his two medals, which came as a surprise when they were awarded to him in a crowded tent in Kuwait after his unit left Iraq.
"Guys were actually fighting over which medals they wanted," Gaines said in describing the process that began with soldiers requesting awards from commanders.
He didn’t apply for the two decorations, which Hill said every soldier in the unit likely received.
Although Gaines has not drawn the condemnation of the military for returning his medals (a spokeswoman from the Wisconsin Dept. of Military Affairs said he has the right to express his opinions however he chooses), he should be ready for the scrutiny now directed at him as a public figure, according to Madison Vietnam veteran Tom Deits.
“It’s a John Kerry situation,” Deits said. “What is he really saying? Did he do it to protest the war or to gain a public foothold? … Is Josh coming from the heart?”
And although Keller won’t be rejecting similar medals anytime soon, that’s only because he misplaced them and hasn’t gone to a supply store to buy new ones.
“My service in Iraq … what I took on, on behalf of my country, only to find out the Iraq War was illegal, immoral and unjustifiable, is not worth a trinket to parade around on my chest,” he said.
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Once again, if so against the war, why hasn’t Gaines returned his GI Bill and the money received for college. Again this is nothing more than political grandstanding and a lackluster protest at best. However it has earned Gaines what he seems to seek the most; attention, press coverage, and a Cindy Sheehanlike fame.
So it would seem Gaines returned suffering from PTSD instead of using a well established Medical system in place to handle such problems (albeit not a good one since we erroneously cut medical care and VA benefits) he chose alcohol and drugs.
Seems to me Gaines got exactly what he wanted his college benefits on behalf of the Government he now protests against. A quick and easy way to get out of the military without fulfilling his obligations (turn up “hot” on a urinalysis usually results in a quick discharge from the military) and now his 15 minutes of fame.
Gaines is not a person to be pitied, instead he played the system like a finally tuned fiddle and the Herald has given him the next platform in his scheme.
You are an ass. They don’t give benefits to those dishonorably discharged.
@4:51
Too bad he’s not a college student, so there’s “nothing” to return. And besides, if he was, he is entitled to keep his money despite his disagreements because he WORKED for it. You may say he also worked for his medals, but he rejected those because he found no honor in keeping them.
“Hill shares Gaines' ire over what the majority of their unit saw as the pointlessness of its service in Iraq.”
Opinions of two members of a unit do not make a majority. If this was a stated opinion of these two members it should be stated as such. It is extremely poor journalism to make such broad statements of fact like that unless it is verified by the reporter (aka, interviewing a majority of their unit members for confirmation.)
If the the majority of their unit really felt the same way as all them why were “‘Guys … actually fighting over which medals they wanted,’ Gaines said in describing the process that began with soldiers requesting awards from commanders.” If they really felt it as pointless why would they want medals proving their service there?
Secondly, to a comment made earlier, a discharge for drug use is not necessarily always a “dishonorable discharge” it is just the most common for that reason. If it was deemed there were mitigating factors it could be a “general discharge” or even a “medical discharge” if it was deemed to be part of a cry for help.
they were fighting for the medals partially because it’s a source of status in the military and in the civilian world. your logic is pretty shaky on that one. they don’t have to think the deployment was worthwhile to want medals that look good at the birthday ball.
OK, one i have an other than honorable discharge for failing my UA. two, benefits are important to any servicemember who served. Three, the only reason my buddy Hill decided to speak up is because he thinks its important. Four, not everyone is always willing to make a statement about their unit because a lot of them have new families to worry about. Stick to the subject matter about all of this. This story is about a veteran who wanted to make a statement to get people in this contry aware that this war needs to end. Our nation is not safer fighting over there instead of having them here protecting us at home. Where did the original terrorist come from on 9/11? oh yeah saudi arabia not Iraq! The allegiance that this administration has to the sunni saudi royal family is more important for international buisness than to extend positive diplomacy to prevent further funding for an insurgency in Iraq.
Joshua A. Gaines
"If we wouldn't have been in Iraq … we probably wouldn't have seen all those people lying in the streets dead (during Hurricane Katrina)," Gaines said.
THAT, is the stupidest thing anyone has ever said, in relation to bringing the Wisconsin Army National Guard back from Iraq.
Governor Doyle would NEVER send them to New Orleans. It’s a state force, dimwit. Louisiana is not Wisconsin. And exactly when was the last time that the WIANG mobilized for a natural disaster??????? The last time was a flood….from a river….lasted a couple of days…..
And for the record, I don’t recall seeing people lying in the streets dead in NO. What other stupid comments can you make, Josh?
gahh.
Some guy who can’t spell his name or put a cognitive sentence together said…
“Our nation is not safer fighting over there instead of having them here protecting us at home.”
What does that mean?? Our troops should be here fighting us or protecting us??? It does not make sense…
If I read into the question….when is the last time we had a terrorist attack? Riddle me that, Batman.
“Gaines is not a person to be pitied, instead he played the system like a finally tuned fiddle and the Herald has given him the next platform in his scheme.”
Yep. And I can back it up. Like a can of worms, Josh?
Josh, you are an idiot looking for political acknowledgement. I’m a veteran from 2 tours in Iraq and 1 to Afghanistan. The wars are not BS. Secondly, while we might have been attacked from Saudi Arabia, you don’t attack the attackers, you get rid of the ones that tell them what to do. To give you an analogy you could understand, if the United States attacked someone from Japan, as we have the ability to do so (but we won’t), you don’t attack Japan, you attack the United States, and go for the leaders. So what did we do with Iraq, we went for the stupid leaders.
I hope you get the acknowledgement you want, because you didn’t open anyones eyes, you just got became another one of the people that open there mouths on something they don’t know anything about. Have your free opinion that everyone is entitled to and enjoy it. Just don’t think you’re going to be praised for it down the road.
I’d ask you to give away all your medals because you don’t deserve them, give away something that is worth it, EVERYONE gets a National Defense and the GWoT for just serving. That’ll make a statement that we can all appreciate, you don’t deserve them.
While the war in Iraq is a highly debatable topic, the correct information has to be put across. We may have been attacked by Saudi Arabia, but the fact of the matter is you don’t attack where you were attacked from, you get rid of the cause.
So this can be understood, take this example:
If the United States was to attack North Korea from Japan, North Korea wouldn’t attack Japan, they would attack the United States.
Another note, why get rid of worthless medals because ANYONE doesn’t think they merit them? WHO CARES?? Get rid of something important because I’m sorry, they aren’t deserved anyways from this perspective. Make a stand by getting rid of a Silver Star, or a Navy Achievement Medal… Not a ribbon or medal given to EVERYONE just for serving in an area or during a certain time.
What the United State is doing in Iraq is a lot more important than the common misunderstanding than the “oil” everyone thinks we’re after, or the “waste of time”, that is the usual conception. It’s trying to help out a majority of people in Iraq and getting rid of the terrorist threats from where they came. If the people of Iraq didn’t want the help, we wouldn’t be there.
It’s the way that changes need to occur and the way they are presented that focuses on actions and reactions from the reciever. Take that into account and get more information. It’s a lot easier to understand from a perspective such as mine. I’ve served two tours to Iraq and one in Afghanistan.