That’s Army wife Ashley Wise’s effort to call attention to the need for better PTSD treatment for her husband Rob and others in the military who’ve been affected by their tours of duty. She was frustrated at her inability to get the attention from Army brass she thought was needed. Her first idea, according to leafchronicle.com: “I kind of want(ed) to take my clothes off and streak across the 101st command building, because then maybe the general or someone would listen to what I’m saying.” She ultimately decided that approach might have been counterproductive. Instead, she’s started a website and Facebook page “to raise awareness; to battle back for healing; to create hope and take away the feeling of being alone.” [h/t Instapundit]

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77 COMMENTS

    • Neither of us are him. Neither of us are them. We can’t ever truly know the thoughts/feelings of others or the reasons behind their actions.

    • but what does any of that have to do with her trying to get help for her husband? dont fall for begging the question and poisoning the well which is what is going on here by asserting an assertion and trying to discredit her and her husband. and what kind of anachronisms are reading, that think that picture makes her a slut. They are barely racy.

    • It’s obvious matt doesn’t have much empathy nor respect for others. And he gets just as much as he gives.

    • thats still poisoning the well and begging the question…. asserting an assertion and trying to discredit him, maybe he was a medic that saw a bunch of horrible things.

  3. Please go back on your meds, or double the dosage or whatever.

    Even if you have no compassion whatsoever, as a practical matter, we don’t need a bunch of trained warriors wandering around with their heads all messed up.

    • Even if you have no compassion whatsoever, as a practical matter, we don’t need a bunch of trained warriors wandering around with their heads all messed up.

      Sounds to me like a justification for tougher screening instead of the “we’ll accept anyone with no future” recruiting mentality we currently have.

  4. If the American Empire was honest about being an empire, I’d be cool with that. Cloaking it all in “human rights” and “equality” isn’t acceptable.

  5. as a vet who has my own issues, I applaud any effort to call attention to the plight of our veterans. to me, it seems inconceivable at how the branches of the service & the VA come up with some of the decisions that they do, all in the name of saying the right thing (or more properly, not speaking the truth, but covering up our veterans’ conditions with PC speech).

    that which we do in our 20’s can have long affect us in our 50’s.

  6. Kent State was a couple of bad days, Washington in 1932 was a couple of weeks, the Civil war was over in 4 years, The soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan have put in pretty close to 10 years of deployment after deployment after deployment. Many found out when their enlistment contract was up, the government said Nuh UHH!, you have to stay in and continue, even though you thought your time was up due to national security needs. Called “stop loss”, it allows the Army, Navy Marines and Air Force to hold on to people it feels are too critical to let go. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop-loss_policy

    So I don’t know how big this particular soldier’s sign-up bonus was, or even if he got one. But I sure won’t begrudge him any of his benefits for PTSD. Matt, I’m assuming you have never served in the military, and have no clue as to what benefits that veterans earned according to their contract of enlistment, and have no idea what multiple deployments over many years can do to some one. I actually didn’t think that this was an “incendiary” image, just a way for a concerned wife to make a point about some of the problems many returning vets are dealing with. I wish her and her family well, and that they get the care and help they need.

    • I’m sorry, Matt, but I disagree with you. What you and I may know (in regard to poor treatment by the VA), I really do not think is anywhere on the mind of our young men & women entering service. Call it blinded by idealism, if you will.

      May I ask you a simple question: upon graduating High School, did you really see the world as it is? -that you were fully aware of the pitfalls of decisions you made later, down the road?

      Please, I am not trying to argue with you over this, but perhaps point out that, whether right or wrong, these poor conditions still exist, and they need serious addressment.

      I served 9 years, ’87-’96, and now, years later, am suffering a broken body directly related to actions when I wore the uniform. The men & women coming out of theater today will have the mental scars of what they saw and what they did “over there” for a long time. Is it really your suggestion (as posted earlier) that one of your solutions be that we conseal carry to shoot down one of these individuals, should they snap? How about we demand the VA system be corrected first.

    • Many found out when their enlistment contract was up, the government said Nuh UHH!, you have to stay in and continue, even though you thought your time was up due to national security needs. Called “stop loss”

      It’s called “don’t make a deal with the devil”. You chose to sign away your freedom for some money, now you’re going to reap what you sowed.

      • Their “deal with the devil” protects your right to say insulting things like you just said.

      • Thats hilarious. For some money? There are vwry few that joined for the pittance we make. I qualify for public assistance on my army pay. It was hardly a deal with the devil either…. when you enlist you literally swear an oath to protect and uphold the constitution of the united states. Im not saying that everyone here needs to agree with it, but if you enlist you fo because youre swearing tou will. This belief in something greater than oneself is the reason most join, and “reaping what you sow” in this case shoupd be a fair treatment in thw vwry least. Certainly noy a punishment. Whether toi agree with ameeican policy or not, service members are not policy makers, and america relies on us for safety.

  7. I support her effort in trying to change the services our vets are receiving. There is plenty wrong int he VA that needs fixing, and she hopefully will get the ball rolling in at least one area.

      • A slut? What is even remotely slutty about this? She isn’t showing more than you can see in numerous magazines, nor is she acting promiscuously. Why so judgemental?

        • @Libertarian:

          Looks like you’re enjoying your right to free speech. Good for you! Bear in mind that it is a right which men far greater than you shall ever be have died defending.

        • Here’s hoping you have ample opportunity to share your message with many of them.

          Here’s also hoping that you encounter the ones with self-control issues.

  8. Matt,

    Her husband put his entire life — including marriage and career — on hold to serve in the U.S. military for every citizen’s benefit. While I am about as opposite of a “bleeding heart liberal” as one can get, I truly believe we the people owe our servicemen and women.

    The extent to which humans can mistreat other humans is almost unbelievable … and war is the pinnacle of mistreatment of people. A person who is immersed in this environment for years suffers psychological injuries and needs treatment. This man suffered his injuries for our collective benefit and he deserves our collective support — morally and financially.

    • I don’t think he understands his hate either. From his posting history here, he seems to want to come off as a cynical, world-weary soul who has finally learned the truth of it all. With a little random racism thrown in. Or something.

      It’s best to just ignore him.

    • I do.

      This weekend’s training in St. Louis, MO proves why: we are the enemy.

      Wake up, man.

    • Hey matt, Canada is just to the north, Mexico a little farther south. Don’t let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya.

    • Her husband put his entire life — including marriage and career — on hold to serve in the U.S. military for every citizen’s benefit.

      [citation needed]

      Please, enlighten me how murdering and raping some brown people that I’ve never had any interaction with and pose no threat to me or my way of life is to my “benefit”?

      • I assume your request for a citation is not about military service people putting their careers and marriages on hold.

        To what extent military action in Iraq was necessary and beneficial for “we the people” is impossible for you and I to answer — we do not have access to the intelligence that was the basis for military action.

        My argument is that the very existence of our military personnel benefits all citizens. Who knows how many attacks and invasions our military personnel have stopped directly (boots acting on the ground) and indirectly (their potential to repel and/or respond)? Whatever the number, I can guarantee you that it isn’t zero.

        If your beef is with the entire policy of our military, I understand and would probably agree with many of your points. That is a topic for a different discussion.

        • “we do not have access to the intelligence that was the basis for military action.”

          actually, we do. Its a book called “the grand chessboard”. read it and youll understand why we have a military presence in iraq and afghanistan.

  9. like many other soldiers of my generation, they went to war with good intentions, signing up to fulfill their duties and obligation to their nation. They strived to fight in a honorable war, though they discovered our wars are not honorable but the actions of imperial hubris that only bring needless death and finality.

    its not about not expecting the horrors of combat, its about expecting your country to be engaged in war honorably, which it is not.

    General Patton and the greatest generation fought a honorable war to prevent the fall of western civilization to the authoritarian Axis powers. America stopped fighting honorable wars as soon as we became a empire.

  11. I could do without the exhibitionism, especially when it’s involving welfare parasites who generally sit at home, stuff their faces, and cheat on their loved ones while they’re away.

    I feel sympathy for everyone with PTSD. I hope they heal. I don’t think this is the right way to bring attention to it, though. This is what it is: attention whoring.

    • …welfare parasites who generally sit at home, stuff their faces, and cheat on their loved ones while they’re away.

      While I realize that this is not the majority, it really saddens me to see how often it is true. I saw a picture of a bumper sticker the other day, had the Marine Corps globe and anchor on the left, and on the right is said, “My girlfriend’s husband is fighting for YOUR freedom.”

      I don’t know many people dumb/brave enough to actually put that on their car, but I have known one or two who could have. I also know a couple of ooRAH types that would enjoy removing the sticker from the car, possibly by taking the bumper with it, or trying to scrape it off with their own bumper.

    • Michael, what would be the right way to bring attention to this? Perhaps she has tried everything else, and is getting no results.

      • That was my thinking as well, having exausted every venue she could think of with zero results, she came up with this as a way to spread the mesage that some vets need more help than families can properly give.

        As to the claim that all people signing up in the military are fully informed and aware that they have a good chance of suffering PTSD, traumatic brain injury, etc??? I think the recruiters of the various services talk about everything else BUT those things. And I think the young folks signing up are more interested in the skills, pay, and benefits. I remember all too well my first few job interviews when I was a teenager thru my early 20’s. I seldom asked the right questions.

  12. To those that support this cause, I thank you. To those that oppose with accusations of being an “attention whore”–I understand where you are coming from. Better to sit and judge the action of others than risk putting yourself out there to be judge, ridiculed, hated, etc. It’s a good policy to have to stay safe. My internal code prevents me from sitting and saying nothing. I used to judge and make fun of people who did what I am doing too…until I walked months and years in shoes that drove me to the point when something had to be done. I look in the mirror daily and know what is right and wrong–what needs to be changed and what needs to be left alone. The world would be a much better place if everyone used their manners and treated others how they want to be treated.

    • Yes, matt, but your judgment of her is incidental to what she’s doing, it’s not the point of it. I truly believe you act the way you do specifically to get judged. You revel in the role of the edgy outcast. If people stopped paying attention to you, you’d likely either stop, or take your acting out a step further until you could again get the reaction that you want.

    • God bless you, Ashley, and your husband, Rob. Please deliver to him my thanks for his service.
      I am one who believes that service in our U.S. Military is always honorable. It matters not the reason for a war, all war is insanity and war is inevitable, part of the nature of man.
      I believe that our country is still the greatest country in the history of the world. It started as, has continued to be and will remain a shining light for liberty and freedom in a very dark world.
      To many we will always be the enemy and because of them a few must sacrifice so that the many continue to live in freedom and comfort.
      Unfortunately there are those so self-centered they are incapable of even knowing others have given for them. We need to make sure those who control the reins of government never forget those sacrifices.
      Again, God bless you, Ashley. Please know you are not alone in fighting for our returning fighters.

      • Matt, our continued success after the destruction of the state would depend upon a high level of voluntary cooperation among individuals. I reallly don’t think you’d thrive…

    • Tell him thanks for his service and send him our best wishes. And please disregard Matt for us, as he is being a stupid, ignorant, FLAME DELETED troll.

      BTW, I HAD A FREAKING EDIT BUTTON AND HAD TO USE IT!!!!

      • You’ve been a dick this entire post, saying our soldiers are war criminals and deserve the punishment of PTSD. So yes, you’re trolling.

      • By saying his conscience is the root of his PTSD, you’re accusing him of being evil. His PTSD could stem from being in a fox hole during a mortar attack watching his friends be disintegrated. Or it could be from something else.

        Having dealt with a bout myself, I can tell you it could come from anything. When I was sixteen, a friend of my little sister’s accidentally hung himself playing in the basement. He was nine years old. I spent the next week in their house babysitting a six year old girl and a thirteen year old boy. I had to answer questions from the youngest one about why mommy was crying nonstop for days. And trying to explain to them how life was going to change from then on. It was a very traumatic experience for someone so young.

        PTSD can be triggered by pushing oneself to the psychological and emotional breaking point for an extended period of time. Especially if you don’t vent out the frustrations and give your mind time to rest. That’s what happened to me. I never walked away from those kids. I buried what plagued me and did what I had to do to get the people who were looking up to me through everything. Then, I had to deal with those consequences. Everyone has a different breaking point. I know I went through less than anyone in the battlefield did, so I’m sure just surviving a tour could do it.

        So yes, by implying his conscience was the root of his PTSD, you were making assumptions you had no business making. For that, you are ignorant and stupid. And for that, you are a troll.

    • Ashley Wise, thank you for what you’re doing. Whether we agree with a particular war or not, we should support the service people who are asked to fight it.

    • Hey Ash, I suppose your internal code doesn’t stop you from cheating on your spouse either. For those of you that have drank the kool-aid, Mrs Wise is an adulterer and there have been pics on the web to prove it. I support the effort just not the harlot behind it.

      • The internet’s an awesome place to toss around unsubstantiated accusations.

        Or, let’s say they are substantiated. Let’s say she slept around on him while he was overseas. If she’s still married, and the evidence is as available as you say, then her husband must have made his peace with it, and with her. Which makes it, at this point, none of your goddamned business, if it ever was to begin with.

        • It becomes my goddamned business when she tries to represent an organization that deals with an issue for which I am intimately familiar. It becomes my goddamned business when she puts herself in the spotlight behind said organization. It becomes my goddamned business when I remember the faces and the pain of those with whom I served when they found out their significant others were fooling around. Thank you and have a nice day.

        • Nope, sorry. We stopped the practice of sewing a red ‘A’ on a woman’s clothing well over a hundred years ago. People do things, people make mistakes. If true, it still wouldn’t negate the point she’s trying to make. It’s still her life. And her husband’s. And it still wouldn’t be your business.

        • We do however hold accountable those who put themselves out as role models. The idea and effort behind Battling Bare is solid and I truly hope it can help some people. That being said, when a person places themselves at the head of an organization, and then fundamentally betrays the idea that drives the organization, they pretty much get what’s coming to them. I’d like to see organizations like Battling Bare prosper but I, nor anyone I know, will pledge a donation to an organization that allows a hypocrite to lead.

        • John is right.
          A soldiers second greatest enemy is an untrustworthy cheating spouse.
          Did Ashley or anyone else ever ponder the possibility that her husband is mentally struggling because of her cheating on him?
          At the very least it is probably a major contributing factor in his poor mental health.

  15. I guess once the recession is over and there is money to toss around again we can talk about spending more taxpayer money on socialized healthcare for her husband.

  16. I’m sure thankful for the one intellectual heavyweight on this forum. Linking to a succession of Wikipedia articles at best only tangentally related to the topic at hand requires the sort of sustained mental effort most of us will never achieve.

  17. Matt says he would destroy the state to make things better. Well, TTAGers, we have found the snake in the grass. Trying to make us look like idiots to the world. Not to mention, he’s spent time in a jail. So, he’s either a cop, or he’s a convicted criminal. Given his comments on people drinking the koolaid, a cop is out if the question.

    Here’s my response Matt:
    Move. To Africa. There is hardly ever a functioning state there, so no one to serve the koolaid. Just one problem, still plenty of war. hmmm. Seems unavoidable. Good luck in your new home, though.

    • 1.) Why were you in jail then?
      2.) Koolaid bit is implied. You accused him of potentially murdering US citizens on orders. That would mean he drank the koolaid. Get the connection?
      3.) Exactly the type of person we don’t need here.
      Antis: Gun owners are racists!
      Matt: I’m not a fan of blacks, I live around too many as it is.
      Way to live up to the stereotype. Very nicely done.
      4.) Never served, blew out my knees in high school. Great respect for those who did.
      5.) I’m a guy, I have a had my current genitalia since birth.
      6.) Never burned a flag. Recommended one burned once, per proper disposal techniques in the laws.

      🙂

      BTW, weed takes the rage out, as my online Xbox buddies tell me.

    • Oh, yeah, it’s * you’re a service member. Ignorance of grammar is usually a sign of ignorance.

  18. WTF did he/she think would happen when they went to war?

    +100

    We had soldiers for thousands of years before PTSD was invented. My view is that PTSD is just a euphemism for “wasn’t tough enough to deal with the shit involved in their job”.

    Besides, war used to be a LOT more brutal than it is now.

  19. “It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag.” — Father Dennis Edward O’Brien, USMC

    • Like I said earlier,really? You posted that where people can see it? In regards to all your posts Matt, Really?

    • What a bunch of nonsensical babble. Rights are not things that can be granted or taken away. If they were they would be privileges. No one gave us rights. The revolutionaries defended their liberty against the tyrannical forces that were trying to stamp them out.

      Furthermore, when has a soldier won a constitutional law case? When have soldiers worked to repeal unconstitutional laws?

      They’ve merely defended the interests of our government (rightly or wrongly) at home and around the world. I’m not surprised that a Marine would be that full of himself.

  21. So keeping the subject on topic instead of on a troll, I think her actions are definitely appropriate and she just wants to see if there are other women like her that need this kind of help for their families. To be honest, she seems to be an amazing wife. Between how many women cheat on their husbands who are overseas, and how many of them break up or divorce or just go into train wreck relationships, I give this woman all the credit in the world. She is standing up for her husband which is awesome. A cute woman who is loyal to her husband (and takes pictures with guns) is definitely a winner in my book. Hopefully this image circulates some more and her husband gets the attention he deserves.

  22. Some computer games have an “ignore” button which stops any comments from selected people from showing on your screen. Wonder if we could get it here?

  24. seriously? there’s people who are outraged by this? although this thread makes it easy to spot the guys who never served.

    neither did i, but upbringing had enough decency to instill into me a sense of respect for people who did.

    good luck, naked-back-of-girl girl, i think this was exactly the sort of thing you needed to do to get people to pay just a little more attention. sorry there world is filled with assholes.

  25. So many of you simply see the photo and do not learn the background. This woman loves her husband. She is standing by him no matter what. How many others do that these days? Not many. One tiny issue and one or the other spouse says bye. I admire and give all accolades to this fine woman who was willing to go out on a limb and do whatever it took to get enough attention to get the help her husband needs, regardless of why he needs it. That is enough to gain my utmost repect. Those who are writing against her should be so fortunate to have someone in your life who will stand with you under these circumstances. It is clear from the vast majority of international response that the world is on her side. I thank God for that.

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