Depression Experiences in Law Enforcement

Depression is a psychological disorder that results from traumatic experiences that people encounter in the course of life. National Institute of Mental Health (2009) explains that, â€Å"when a person has a depressive disorder, it interferes with daily life, normal functioning, and causes pain for both the person with the disorder and those who care about him or her.†Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Depression Experiences in Law Enforcement specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Depression interferes with the normal life of a person as it results into loss of interest in activities, pessimism, fatigue, insomnia, irritability, persistent aches and feelings of hopelessness amongst other symptoms. Although there are many attributes of depression, traumatic experiences are the major causes of the depression in most people. For instance, law enforcement officers experience traumatic incidences during the ca use of their duties such as frequent shootings, deaths, intimidation from the media and public, risking their lives, dangerous working environment and humiliating domestic violence amongst many other stressors. Since traumatic experiences relate with depression, does the trauma that law enforcement officers endure over the years make them susceptible to depression? Yes. The traumatic experiences that the police officers encounter and endure during the course of their duties make them susceptible to depression. As aforementioned, depression is a psychological disorder that occurs mainly due to the traumatic experiences in life. Since law enforcement community frequently encounters traumatic experiences, it has contributed to high incidences of depression among the police officers signifying that trauma is the cause of depression. The trauma and stressors that are inherent in the police profession contribute significantly to the police officers’ depression. Leeds argues that, à ¢â‚¬Å"police officers experience frequent and ongoing stressors in their work that range from cumulative stress – constant risk on the job, conflicting regulations, and public perceptions that may be inaccurate – to critical incidents: violent crimes, shootings and mass disasters† (2009, p.4). All these stressors and traumatic experiences are potential causes of depression that have made police officers become susceptible to depressive trauma. The police profession is emotionally stressing and physically dangerous; therefore, it elicits depressive feelings that expose police officers to depression. Anderson (1998) argues that, â€Å"police have been tuned to dissociate from their emotions or suppress their emotions in order to be able to endure the scene, but chronic, long-term and cumulative stress takes its toll on police officers resulting into trauma syndrome.†Advertising Looking for research paper on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The police officers endure traumatic experiences to a point in life where they trigger overwhelming depressive feelings that cause depression. Although the police officers may tolerate many traumatic incidences such as witnessing the death of fellow police officer or criminal ordeals, after a certain period such memories resurface and elicit depressive moods. This illustrates that traumatic experiences associated with policing cumulatively increases susceptibility of the police officers to depression. Retirement studies of the police officers have shown that many of them suffer from the depression caused by the traumatic memories related to the cumulative experiences, which occur throughout the police life. Violanti argues that, â€Å"law enforcement officers experience varying forms of job-incurred trauma throughout their careers; residual effects can eventually create trauma during retirement as officers may develop symptoms of po st-traumatic stress disorder from carrying accumulated emotional baggage into their retirement years† (1997, p. 5). Since traumatic experiences of policing have psychological residual effect that lead to the depression, researchers recommend that, the police officers should undergo psychological counseling and training before and after retiring in order to alleviate depressive trauma. At this point, it is clear that the trauma that law enforcement officers endure over the years make them susceptible to depression. References Anderson, B. (1998). Trauma Response Profile. American Academy of Experts in  Traumatic Stress. Web. Leeds, A. (2009). Police Officers’ Responses to Chronic Stress, Critical Incidents and Trauma. Law Enforcement Bulletin, 1-8. National Institute of Mental Health, (2009). Depression. Web.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Depression Experiences in Law Enforcement specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Violanti, M. (1997). Residuals of Police Occupational Trauma. The Australasian Journal Of Disaster and Trauma Studies, 3(1), 1-8. This research paper on Depression Experiences in Law Enforcement was written and submitted by user Javon Anthony to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Title IX Research Paper

Title IX Research Paper In 1972 Congress passed the Educational Amendments. One section of this law, Title IX prohibits discrimination against girls and women in federally funded education, including in athletic programs. Since its arrival, in regards to athletics, there have been arguments for and against the many aspects pertaining to this law. Title IX has had a large impact on high school and college athletics in the attempt to give females an equal opportunity, but the means by which they are achieving this goal is an ongoing debate.The basic Title IX statute provides: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance (DeHass 2002)." Two years later the "Tower Amendment" was proposed. This was introduced by senator Tower and was an amendment that would allow revenue-producing sports to be exempt from being calculated int o Title IX Compliance.Women, Sport and Title IX PanelThis amendment was eventually rejected. There was other attempts made at altering Title IX coverage when it came to athletics but they all died before reaching the House or Senate floors. In 1975 the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare had drafted the regulations for Title IX, including one section, which dealt with athletics. It requires institutions to "effectively accommodate the interests and abilities of members of both sexes(Cooper 2003)." This required drastic changes. Athletic facilities and support services for men and women now had to be provided on an equal basis. No longer could you focus all your marketing on male sports while ignoring the female sports. The same went for the facilities requiring that all locker rooms and playing fields be equal in quality.Since the acceptance of Title IX the entire scope of high...

OJ Simpson Trail Case Analysis Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

OJ Simpson Trail Analysis - Case Study Example As for the blood sample, the actual killer had spilt blood near the shoe prints at Bundy. Secondly, the blood that had been spilt at Bundy matched Simpson’s blood type. The gravity of the matter here is that a paltry 0.5% of the population would match with this sample. Again, Simpson had sustained fresh cuts on his left hand, after Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman’s murder. The same blood type was also found in Bronco; and in foyer and master bedroom to Simpson’s home. Again, the same blood type was found in Simpson’s driveway. There was also blood type found on Simpson’s socks in O.J. Simpson’s home. The blood type on Simpson’s socks matched Nicole’s. As can be seen in The Trial of O. J. Simpson: the Incriminating Evidence (2013), the glove evidence also heavily implicates Simpson. For one, a left-hand glove was found left at Bundy. The right-hand glove was found at Simpson’s residence. Again, the gloves were Aris gloves, and were size XL. Again, in 1990, Nicole Brown had purchased a pair of Aris XL gloves at Bloomingdale. Importantly, from 1990 to June 1994, O. J. Simpson had been wearing Aris Light gloves of size XL. As if the foregoing is not enough, the shoe evidence directly implicated O. J. Simpson. The shoe prints that were found at Bundy were from a size 12 Bruno Magli shoe. Again, the shoes had and left a bloody impression on Bronco carpet; and the impression was consistent with a Magli shoe. Importantly and interestingly, Simpson wore a size 12 Bruno Magli shoes. Again, it is important and interesting that the driver who was to take Simpson to the airport could neither see nor reach Bronco and when phone calls began getting through to Simpson, there were peculiar reactions from Simpson, revealing Nicole Brown’s death. Prima facie evidence on the other hand is the evidence that when uncontested, would establish a fact or bring about a presumption of a fact. In this case, the fact is that O. J. Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and a waiter Ronald Lyle Goldman. Secondly, there are indications that O.J. Simpson’s actions may have caused the deaths of the two. First, at 9:36 PM, Kato was seen by Kato Kaelin wearing a dark sweat suit. At 10:40 PM, 10:43 PM and 10:49 PM, Allan Park unsuccessfully tries to get to Simpson through his intercom. Between 10:50 and 10:51, Kato Kaelin heard three thumps on the wall outside his room. Again, at 10:54, Allan Park saw a six-feet tall man weighing about and 200 pounds and in dark clothes, walking across Simpson residence’s driveway. At 10:55, Simpson lied to Allan Park about his whereabouts. All these developments are indicative of Simpson’s identity and an unclear conscience. The applicable code that the prosecution was brought under is public good. The prosecution acknowledged that the case was for the public good and that to this effect, justice is dispensed with equal measure and even-handed ly. For this, the case was titled, People of the State of California vs. O.J. Simpson. The prosecution also ensured that s/he is not engaging an unrepresented accused and that the accused is accorded all his pretrial rights like the right to a preliminary hearing. It is for this case that O. J. Simpson had a solid defense

Lesson Plan 8 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Lesson Plan 8 - Assignment Example Once they are finished pasting the pictures on the cardboards, they will be arranging themselves in a line by page numbers and presenting their â€Å"story†. 9:12 – Students should present their picture storybook to the class. They should form a line in front according to the page numbers. Each student must give his/her own sentence to the page he/she is holding to complete the story. There are 16 pictures in the story. 9:35 – When they are finished, they should go back to their seats. Teacher will bind the students’ story book with a yarn. Teacher will ask students what is different or same with the Teacher’s story & their picture story book. In class Assessment: The students will arrange themselves in a line and re-tell the 3 Little Pigs’ story by giving their own sentences for the pictures they are holding. Teacher will assess if students are able to re-tell the story by the sentences they will give to the pictures. Homework: A picture of a house is pasted on their notebooks with this sentence â€Å"This pig made a house of _________†. Students are asked to finish the sentence. They should write the material they want for the pigs house. They should also draw the material they want on the house and color if they

Changes to the law on Squatting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Changes to the law on Squatting - Essay Example A study established that there are approximately one billion squatters around the world, and also noted that squatting has not been sufficiently debated on academic or policy grounds. Section 144 of the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act, 2012 (S144 LASPO 2012), of the United Kingdom (UK), made significant changes to the law that criminalize squatting under some circumstances, including the intention to stay there. This paper will give a background of the law on squatting in the UK, explaining why it has been contentious and further analyze the changes that came into force on September 1st 2012, and consider their wider implications. Squatting in England can be traced back to 1381, where it was one of the major factors that led to the Peasants’ Revolt, and the 17th century when it was associated with the Diggers (Waterhouse 2005). They claimed ownership of common and waste land and cultivated it. It was the initial land tenure system that the peasants knew. W ith the passage of time, the development of agriculture and settlement necessitated land ownership and, hence, boundaries. In Wales, a tax policy as well as a population expansion in the 17th century forced a part of the population to move into the countryside. There, they squatted and built their own property on common land under fictional traditional assumptions, resulting in the development of small housing units. ... ributed to the large numbers of failing businesses in urban centers, which propelled squatting in Cardiff and Swansea, and was supported by statistics from the Advisory Service for Squatters (ASS) that squatting in Wales and England had doubled since 1995. In England, after World War I, many homeless people took up squatting as a necessity, but the post-World War II era gave rise to a bigger wave of squatting, which carried on into the 1960s’ wave of housing crisis. In 1946, servicemen returning from the war and their families were installed in empty properties by Harry Cowley, together with the Vigilantes (Roberts 2006). This was in retaliation to the severe housing shortage. Later in the 1960s, the Family Squatting Movement was developed. It aimed at mobilising people to seize control of empty and unused property and turn them into housing facilities for the homeless families that were on the waiting list of the Council Housing. Studies have suggested that it was common to r espond to homelessness by squatting, with at least 40 percent of the homeless opting to squat. More recently in the early 1970s, a conflict grew between the initial Family Squatting Movement activists and a newer group of squatters who were simply opposed to the landlords’ right to demand rent. They claimed the seizing of property and staying without rent was their right and a revolutionary political action (Reeve 2011). They were actually young and single anarchists, not truly homeless families, strongly against the idea of seeking agreement with local councils on the use of idle property. In 1977, the Protection from Eviction Act and the Criminal Law Act were introduced, and amended in 1994 after media campaigns that claimed homes were squatted when the owners were away, tightening the law

The Influence Of Interest Groups In America Politics Essay

The Influence Of Interest Groups In America Politics Essay As we look the history of America we all can see big influence of the interest groups, the interest groups has effected in policy making design in almost every law changing process. The interest group has highly effect of our lives by affecting their views on American government. The interest groups have been complexes dependent upon interaction among individual persons common interest in policy making. The interest group creates formalized only to look after their interest, other word they only function because they to influence policy making movement. The interest group cans lobbying for any cause or reason in any form of law or any regulation. Interest group has access to many types of extra push to make sure they can influence law making process. I think interest groups are one type of the chain which makes influence in policy making .Today, I am going to form interest group and lobbying ageist the local state of Georgia calls the blue law, which is prohibiting any sell of the al cohol on Sunday and also supporting new policy that state government of Georgia should allow to sell alcohol in gas stations and liquor stores. I have lived in Georgia for the last twenty years and I have got several businesses which does sell alcohol. I have work in convince store more than eleven years and almost every Sunday I have to say to my costumers No, sorry I cannot sell beer. As business owner I hate to say that I cannot sell you but I am losing my alcohol sell on every Sunday. People in Georgia have been suffering for really long time that they could not buy beer on Sunday because the governor of Georgia does not sign the bill that was approved by state legislator. The bill went on his desk for two times but he never sine for it just keep saying that he totally believes that Sunday is religious day and people should not buy alcohol. The question of the whether state of the Georgia should allow to sell alcohol on Sunday is very importation issue, allowing alcohol sell on Sunday will bring many positive effects in state of the Georgia. All over in America each state has their own different method of local laws that allow controlling the government. In State of the Georgia we have law of that prohibits sell of any kind of alcohol and beer on Sunday since it is religious day. In this day and time we should not put religious views on our business. The government should not interfere to any types of regulation in business. As I am current owner of the several businesses in Georgia, I have from interest groups which will lobbying ageist the law that prohibits the sell of alcohol and beer on Sunday. The interest group will called Georgia Alcohol Dealers Association and I am going to be president of this group. In short form we can say that GADA which is short name of Georgia Alcohol Dealers Association. As president I will bring all the wholesalers, retailers and people who make the beer and alcohol on one group and we will to fight against this ridicules law that prohibits sell of alcohol in Georgia. Moreover that I wil l bring all the people who will support this group and try to gain local support in state of Georgia. The issue of the not selling alcohol on Sunday is related to public so I will make sure I will try to join everyone who is willing to support my interest group. If I can make it public issue by saying it is totally wrong to people who want to have alcohol drinks. This is going to very strong word because when people here, that this law effects on personal freedom of people they will surely join my group. I will get more people on my side because I will them it is for the public interest, I am sure by doing this I will make my interest group more organized and more stronger. I will also appoint different people different positions like secretary, chief members and board of directors, which will handle different types of task. Talking about how to make interest group I will never forget the words that I read in the book written by Bentley it is called The Process of Government, It is first, last and always activity, action, something doing the shunting by some men of other mens conduct along changed lines, the gathering of forces to overcome resistance to such alterations, or the dispersal of one grouping of forces by another grouping.'(Bentley, 176). In this quote he is trying to show the value of the interest groups. Bentley is trying to say that when you form a group it will make much bigger impact than individual. He is believe in power of the interest group got in system, this is the best example for me and now I will flow his theory and make sure that I will have very strong interest group so I will success in lobbying against the law in Georgia that prohibit the sale of alcohol. In my interest group I will make sure that every individual who is part of the group will band with each other really good and they will help each other out and find the solution of how to change the blue laws in Georgia, by doing this I am sure we will have one effective interest group. Which will make impact on Georgias Governor Sonny Perdue and I will make sure we will reach our goal. I am very confident that my interest group will find large amount of member with same the same cause that I believe in. My main goal is to target the Georgias governor because he is the one who did not sign the bill which he gets on his desk couple times in last three years to allowing sale of alcohol in Georgia. My interest group will prove that a democracy is a system which is rule by the people because the most people in Georgia are against this blue law of state. Sonny Prude will sign this law which will allow selling alcohol in Georgia on Sunday when he see majority of Georgian wants to able to buy alcohol in Georgia. He is public official elected by public and he must acts as name of public on other words he should consider public opinion. Since my interest group is pro business I will get money from all retail business owners who join my interest group. When people or any corporation will contribute any money I will make sure that I will establish a personal relationship and make sure what they want out my interest group. Most likely first I will go to Budweiser and Miller group who got most sell of alcohol in Georgia after that I will get more support of local distributers who will provide alcohol to retailers and last not the least I will go retailers for money to operate and bring all of them together so we will get more outcome of my interest group. If still I need more money I will have couple events where we will try to fundraiser to support all our expenses. I believe that money does not buy power so we have to make ourselves herd we need to get signed by people who support us. I am very sure that more people will support this pro- business policy. Once I make the group I will make them aware of what is wrong with current law and how we need to change it. First, I would let my group know that the current law is effecting on peoples personal freedom who like to buy and drink alcohol on Sunday. This law is because it harms our personal freedom and that why it is un-causational. In America we cannot put churchs law on everyone who lives in state of the Georgia. Moreover that we need to separate the government and church by passing new bill that will allow selling alcohol in Georgia. There is no way this law is making any sense it is just hurting local business. There are also many restaurant owners get in my interest group, they have to pay every year more money just because they have to pay more money to state since they are the only ones who serves alcohol on Sundays. I have talk to many restaurant owners they strongly believe that it is just extra burden on them since they have to pay extra money just to support their sells on alcohol. It is also good when you know what kind of people will argue against your interest group here is one example of one of my customer who strongly believes we should not sell alcohol on Sundays he said that, Many people believe that alcohol consumption is a destabilizing influence in the society harming families and children. Certainly millions of children around the world are negatively impacted by their parents alcoholism. Thousands in the USA are killed every year by drunk drivers. Alcohol sales are not the tax base that funds the city/county infrastructure and community improvements as another poster implied. Rather, they are the beginning point of many burdens on our society. I seriously doubt that the taxes collected on alcohol sales come anywhere near to paying for the negative impacts on our society. This is very true argument but you cannot just stop selling alcohol all over the America or you can not just ban it. I am sure state government is collecting large amount of taxes out of alcohol sell. We should not forget that for those who oppose alcohol sales on Sunday, they too are have a choice just dont buy it. Government of Georgia is dependent on their different tax items to support their state budget. The tax on alcohol is also called sin tax. According to investigation done by MSN money market Georgia is paying highest amount of alcohol tax after Alaska in nation. Normal tax average is around .15 cent on every $ 1 but in Georgia we pay 1.15 cents on every $1 that is more than 100% tax on alcohol. I think it is just not fair who lives in Georgia because they have to pay higher tax on beer and they cannot buy alcohol on Sunday. This law is hurting one of the very key business in Georgia, the club business. One of the biggest clubs of south east is run by my cousin and he said that they could not stay open on Sundays just because they could not serve alcohol. There are more people in Georgia drink in restaurant and drive back home on Sunday just because they do not allow buying alcohol and drinking at their home. These will create unsafe endearment for everyone who is on road on Sunday. There are just more people driving drunk on Sunday than another days of week. If we allow alcohol sale on Sunday most people will drink in their home not in bar and then drive back to home. It will create safe environment for everyone who is on the road. In Georgia we will have less DUI and fewer accidents related to alcohol. It is always win -win situation for the consumers who want to drink on Sunday and local police departments who gets fewer accidents related to alcohol. We live in totally democratic county and we shall not favor any religion over others. The blue law is place based on Christian beliefs. It will show that state of Georgia is supporting Christian religion. I know our country is found on Christian beliefs but our county makes different then rest of others country is that we have allow to follow any religion that we like. Laws like this will create unfairness over other religion. People of the other religion will think that why their belief is not accepted as state law. Thats how our country find it was liberty to all. Just like in Christianity, Hinduism is also prohibit to drink and sell alcohol at all, so people who follow Hinduism will going to ask for the laws that will prohibit and sell on alcohol at all in state of Georgia. I have always wondered why people who have a certain belief feel it necessary to impose their belief on others. As American I always know that we should always look everyone equally and laws like this makes tot ally wrong, and if you Christian and if you do not want to sell or buy alcohol you can do that too. There is no way we can punish entire people of Georgia by not allowing the alcohol sale. I also read in books that people who go in church drinks wine anyways so there is no way they mind over selling or buying alcohol. If state of Georgia allows selling alcohol on Sunday, they get more money as sales tax and it help to cover the Georgias deficit which is around 2 billion dollars according to AJC. Mayor of Atlanta Deke Copenhagen said on one of his interview that if we allow to sell alcohol in Georgia we will have overcome the deficit in budget, which is great thing for state Georgia if we overcome the deficit .We could also boost our tourism because it will be convince for the people who is coming from outside of Georgia who really wants to have fun by drinking beer and wine on Sunday. I know there are people who always go outside of Georgias state borderline like in Alabama, Florida and Tennessee to buy alcohol. This way we are hurting our own business in Georgia because people do go outside of state to get beer and alcohol. It is one of the big drawbacks that businesses are taking in Georgia State. en the state and church. This law effects on peoples personal freedom who like to buy and drink alcohol on Sunday. To push my policy on step further I will make one opinion poll and mail it to everyone in state of Georgia who is related with alcohol business. This way I will also publish my policy to gain more areas that I will not cover and I will get peoples opinion and there is another poll that had been take place before. This is very important key to my interest group because if I get positive poll saying that majority of Georgian people wants to buy alcohol on Sunday. This poll is very important, it will show the strong evidence to prove that people of Georgia is really supporting this policy. In that mailing I will include different question among them I make sure that I will include that if you ever try to buy alcohol on Sunday? And I will also ask that if you go church on every Sunday? Asking question like this makes people think that we do not need to law because it does not have any logic. In this technology era, I will also use computers to also push my policy. I did make a web page where my interest group member can log in and also can blog our achievements. On the web page I will also add petition where you can sign it and it will directly e mail to me and also to governor of the Georgia. I will also make Google group and facebook group to get more support from students from all over the Georgias colleges. This way I can introduce my policy to young people who use computers regularly. Creating groups online will bring more attestations and we get more longtime support, doing this I share my thoughts and other peoples views. I might get some important contacts or important information out of my web page which will help to get succeed in lobbying. I will also have this link that I find where you can go and sine the petition called Sunday Alcohol Sale in Georgia doing this people can put their information on petition and sine it witches will go directly state representative. It will be really effective because when I will have more and more people sine for it so we will have our interest group stronger. Work cited Arthur Bentley, The Process of Government, Page. 176. blog.al.com/breaking/2009/12/limestone_county_church_loses.html. http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Taxes/best-and-worst-taxes-by-state.aspx

The Women’s Army Corps of the Vietnam War :: Vietnam War Essays

The Women’s Army Corps of the Vietnam War We went to a foreign country in service of our country . . . we gave aid and encouragement to a whole segment of our brothers and sisters . . . we survived a war . . . we are noble . . . we are brave . . . we are adventurous . . . we are an active part of world history . . . we are interesting . . . we have lived such exciting lives . . . we have gone far beyond the boundaries allowed to most of our sisters . . . we did it together . . . and we still have each other. Patricia â€Å"Mama-san† Brimeyer, Army Service Clubs, Vietnam 1968.[1] Introduction Male soldiers have a distinct voice when they speak of war. Jonathan Shay, M.D., Ph.D., author of Achilles in Vietnam, can best explain the voice of a male soldier. Dr. Shay creates a system that explains how and why male soldiers react to war in the ways they do. Dr. Shay’s system is based on the story of Achilles in Homer’s epic The Iliad. The focus of the system is to compare the reactions of Achilles’ soldiers to war, with the American male soldiers’ reactions to the Vietnam War. Dr. Shay’s system is based on eleven stages:  ·Betrayal of â€Å"what’s right†  ·The shrinkage of the social and moral horizon  ·Grief at the death of a special comrade  ·Guilt and wrongful substitution  ·The berserk  ·Dishonoring the enemy  ·What Homer left out (other obvious similarities)  ·The soldiers’ luck and God’s will  ·Reclaiming the Iliad’s gods as a metaphor of social power  ·The breaking points of moral existence  ·Healing and tragedy During stage one, the betrayal of â€Å"what’s right†, the soldier’s moral world is violated by a commanding officer’s betrayal of the soldier’s moral order.[2] During the Vietnam War American soldiers experienced the betrayal of â€Å"what’s right† when those who held all of the power and responsibility broke the trust of the soldiers. Stage two, the shrinkage of the social and moral horizon, refers to the breaking of a soldier’s family, civilian, and military ties. The social bonds of a soldier are lost once war begins, sometimes culminating in the complete alienation of the soldier from any bonds, social or military. Grief at the death of a special comrade, stage three, is when a fellow soldier is killed and his fellow troop members are overwhelmed by the sadness his death. The Women’s Army Corps of the Vietnam War :: Vietnam War Essays The Women’s Army Corps of the Vietnam War We went to a foreign country in service of our country . . . we gave aid and encouragement to a whole segment of our brothers and sisters . . . we survived a war . . . we are noble . . . we are brave . . . we are adventurous . . . we are an active part of world history . . . we are interesting . . . we have lived such exciting lives . . . we have gone far beyond the boundaries allowed to most of our sisters . . . we did it together . . . and we still have each other. Patricia â€Å"Mama-san† Brimeyer, Army Service Clubs, Vietnam 1968.[1] Introduction Male soldiers have a distinct voice when they speak of war. Jonathan Shay, M.D., Ph.D., author of Achilles in Vietnam, can best explain the voice of a male soldier. Dr. Shay creates a system that explains how and why male soldiers react to war in the ways they do. Dr. Shay’s system is based on the story of Achilles in Homer’s epic The Iliad. The focus of the system is to compare the reactions of Achilles’ soldiers to war, with the American male soldiers’ reactions to the Vietnam War. Dr. Shay’s system is based on eleven stages:  ·Betrayal of â€Å"what’s right†  ·The shrinkage of the social and moral horizon  ·Grief at the death of a special comrade  ·Guilt and wrongful substitution  ·The berserk  ·Dishonoring the enemy  ·What Homer left out (other obvious similarities)  ·The soldiers’ luck and God’s will  ·Reclaiming the Iliad’s gods as a metaphor of social power  ·The breaking points of moral existence  ·Healing and tragedy During stage one, the betrayal of â€Å"what’s right†, the soldier’s moral world is violated by a commanding officer’s betrayal of the soldier’s moral order.[2] During the Vietnam War American soldiers experienced the betrayal of â€Å"what’s right† when those who held all of the power and responsibility broke the trust of the soldiers. Stage two, the shrinkage of the social and moral horizon, refers to the breaking of a soldier’s family, civilian, and military ties. The social bonds of a soldier are lost once war begins, sometimes culminating in the complete alienation of the soldier from any bonds, social or military. Grief at the death of a special comrade, stage three, is when a fellow soldier is killed and his fellow troop members are overwhelmed by the sadness his death.