A sad ending to this story, but at least there's some closure for the family.

@Gameboy

He'd probably been debriefed, but PSTD isn't the sort of thing that goes away easily.

@Nick

Unfortunately it's almost inevitable that someone will try and use this for an agenda. I can only hope the only agenda it gets used for is to push for better mental care for our veterans.

I feel deeply sorry for this man and his family nya. Any sane person rather for or against the war should know this is a sad incident, and those who will exploit this should not sleep at night nya.

Many people here feel the same as I and millions of other Americans do. The care for our Soldiers is inept and out of control. It is one of the major issues I have waiting to here about from any of the candidates this election season in any of the political parties. I have heard next to nothing. What a sad situation.

@ CommonEffingSense

Didn't we say no soap boxing here, and woop dee dee have a bowl of me. Coming from a Military family doesn't make you an expert on PTSD. FYI I come from a military, oh heres the kicker joined the military and had PTSD.

And wow saying "There's a diffrence between just war and a unjust war" is BS! I can tell you right now, only people who have a pleasure in killing would not go "I just shot a man, what have I done?!" I can tell you from the way I am, I would have PTSD from killing a man in self defense or accidental homicide.

Don't you dare take a Marines death or any brance of service from ANY country to further pro-war or anti-war soap boxing. A death is a death and honorable war or not, this man died with honor so don't you dare attempt to disgrace him.

Once again I'm sorry soap boxing from a soldiers death just angers me to no end.

That's so sad. :(

I can't even imagine what these people are going through.

Wow. How sad...

I thought soldiers had to be debriefed after returning home. A family member of mine was in Iraq a few years back and was told not to drive until after he had been debriefed (for fear of flashbacks). Was he not yet debriefed? Or was he just that upset?

Just a thought and I hate to take this off topic but doesn't stuff like this kind of help the argument that video games don't desensitize us to violence. Obviously I don’t know Eric Hall at all but being as young as he was chances are he played a lot of violent games. And after witnessing what he did first hand he really wasn’t prepared for it.

PTSD is the forgotten ailment. Not enough is understood about, and not enough resources are put in place to help deal with it.

RIP.

Sounds like he may have been trying to escape a brush fire by hiding in the culvert. He may also have had another flashback and panicked. But the official investigation is still ongoing.

That's awful, my condolences to his family.

At least they found him. But this is truly sad news.

Also Post Troumatic Stress Disorder is so hard to overcome, you don;t know what it is like to live with it until you have experienced it in some way or another.

It is so hard to control something like that when it happens in the mind...it is something that I feel no one can fully control or get over.

We can only hope that this case will be used to further the research to PTSD, got a couple of friends in my dorm who are in the army/marine corps nd I hope all goes well for them when they deploy.

Post Troumatic Stress Disorder is very real, and is hard for non-sufferers to understand. A close relative of mine was hit by a car years ago (nearly died). To this day, she has nightmares about it and has trouble at road crossings.

Its not a matter of "if" certain anti-game folks exploit this, just a matter of "when".

Condolences to the family.

Have any games tried to simulate PTSD? It'd be kind of interesting to have a game where it looks like an FPS, you fight one level and you're either wounded & evac'd or win but wither way the actual full game is an RPG or adventure where you have to cope with the aftermath. Might be a good way to raise awareness of the condition.

"Have any games tried to simulate PTSD?"

Not that I'm aware of, but I do know some therapists have used FPSs to try to trigger certain emotions in PTSD patients in order to help treat them. It's not usually the patient playing though, just watching the action on a screen.

Some games have done flashback type events. MGS 3, where you go down the 'Sorrow river' surrounded by all the ghosts of those you've killed up until that point in the game. Max Payne, where you twice 're-live' the trauma of finding your wife and child murdered (those were whacked levels...)

Rest in peace.

What a sad ending. Condolences to his family and friends.

@ Aliasalpha

Actaully yes Max Payne had PTSD, they we're flash backs and bad dreams.

PS Sorry for double post.

Not quite sure what to say here. The POW/MIA tribute seems appropriate because, by all indications, his mind never really came back from the sands. Rest well brother, and godspeed.

It's a sad story, but should someone with PTSD really be playing a game about war? That's seems a little irresponsible. It's like someone with liver disease swilling a few at the bar. One has to take responsibility for one's own health. For that matter, Saving Private Ryan, Full Metal Jacket, or the endless war coverage could have done the same thing.

@SpiralGray

It's in human nature to do things to ourselves that we shouldn't. Especially when we're very far from in our right minds, which is unfortunately the case for most sufferers of PTSD.

My condolences go out to the family.

But the potential for a political scandal is nauseating, Florida? Jack Thompson is a Florida attorney.

Ergh.

This is why i really believe that the people who make decisions about VA services should not be some REMF, but someone who has had frontline combat experiance. They would know what those who had served went through, what kind of problems they'd suffer from, and how to best treat them.

It's sad that events like these show the short-comings in the VA system.

To remember our fallen son, I have no words that can express the feel we all have, only a poem that have been spoken hundreds of thousands of times before.

The Final inspection by Anonymous

The Marine stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as brightly as his brass.
"Step forward now, you Marine,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
The Marine squared his shoulders and
said, "No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint.
I've had to work most Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep...
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here,
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here, Lord,
It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was a silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Marine waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God,
"Step forward now, you Marine,
You've borne your burdens well,
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."

Well I don't think JT has attacked CoD4 yet. So I guess that's his next target. That asshole better not use this against the game.

Slightly Off-Topic, but, What is a Culvet?

wow Gryphon, That Poem was amazing, it;s really deep.

as for the story, it's such a sad end, I don't support legislation usually, but it might be worth putting a disclaimer on the game for future reference, the same with movies, just to let them know that it can cause flashbacks.

Sad, but honestly this really had nothing to do with video games. His flashback, IMO, can be triggered in many different ways, not just with COD4. I am sure watching BHD or SPR will do it to hi also.

Not sure why GP keep reporting it......may to help the medis fan the flames (or blames)?

What a tragic ending... I'm sure he was a fine soldier and a good American.

Semper fi, indeed... semper fi...

@Joker

WTFever, guy.

Same thing as 'justified' homicide (ex:self defense, your home, intruder) versus non. Common sense says that of couse it's present in either.

And common fucking sense says to reduce it by minimizing any non-justified behaviors (ie, present conflict).

Dont get it twisted; I COME from a family with a military background, I'm NOT against the idea of engagement with a purpose.. but don't think that EVERYONE is deluded enough to think for one second what's going on now is "justified".

Sad...RIP.

The Gunner's Dream (from Pink Floyd's Final Cut)

Floating down through the clouds
Memories come rushing up to meet me now.
In the space between the heavens
and in the corner of some foreign field
I had a dream.
I had a dream.
Good-bye Max.
Good-bye Ma.
After the service when you're walking slowly to the car
And the silver in her hair shines in the cold November air
You hear the tolling bell
And touch the silk in your lapel
And as the tear drops rise to meet the comfort of the band
You take her frail hand
And hold on to the dream.
A place to stay
"Oi! A real one ..."
Enough to eat
Somewhere old heroes shuffle safely down the street
Where you can speak out loud
About your doubts and fears
And what's more no-one ever disappears
You never hear their standard issue kicking in your door.
You can relax on both sides of the tracks
And maniacs don't blow holes in bandsmen by remote control
And everyone has recourse to the law
And no-one kills the children anymore.
And no one kills the children anymore.

Night after night
Going round and round my brain
His dream is driving me insane.
In the corner of some foreign field
The gunner sleeps tonight.
What's done is done.
We cannot just write off his final scene.
Take heed of his dream.
Take heed.

@getwellgamers, Now that you mention it, I worked CS for the OG CoD, and had a caller who was really worked up about it. Turns out the guy was a WWII vet, and he got so upset, he had to put his wife on the phone who explained to me that it wasn't the game per se that got him upset, as it was just the situation. So I asked, "Ma'am, do you really think your husband should be playing this game?" I mean...I was amazed a WWII vet was into FPS's, let alone one about WWII. But hey, I guess he really just wanted to shoot Nazis...

JumJum: That is very innaporpreate to say that about the Marine.

EbonHeart: Sadly exploiting events is how we get things done. We did that with the spanish american war, Civil war. The Topeca vs Board of Education case had to be exploited just to end segregation in America. I do agree that it sucks when people abuse such events. Are little friend will exploit it just like he did with the suicide of a well known Metal gear fan.

By the way for people that don't know what a culvert is, it's a enclosed conduit for the flow of water. just imagen it as a tunnel that water travels through.

Dude. This sucks.

why the fuck is the us fighting in iraq anyways? i havent seen ANY nuclear bombs found huh george? or weapons of mass destruction w/e.

@ those who helped me understand debriefing

Thanks. I never really asked my relative what was involved in debriefing as I didn't want to pry. Also, he seemed pretty well adjusted (even drove despite being told not to), so it didn't seem like he needed it. I guess I though they talked to the soldier more to identify the ones that might have potential problems. Even if they did, I'm sure some would still fall through the cracks.

Sad to know. But atleast the family got some closure. :(

May your soul find peace now, Eric Hall.

My condolences to all his families and friends.

To Gameboy: Are you kidding? The guy was obviously suffering from PTSD and that can stay with you for the rest of your life. The debriefing so to speak is nothing to help soldiers deal with that crap. A military debriefing in short goes like this: OK men, you're going on leave. Don't drink and drive, don't beat your wife, and don't rape your dog.
That's pretty much it.

@alexander224:
Your words are best left to be ignored.
You are simply ignorant and predjudiced. In fact, I could pre-judge that you are a Fox News fanatic as well.

@Ebonheart

Soapboxing.. *rolls eyes* ...pot, kettle. *sigh*

I spoke nothing whatsoever of being a 'PTSD expert' thru being in a armed forces family, nor a sufferer.

Is there ONE single mention of the EVENT or INDIVIDUAL mentioned in the article above in my previous post? Take your OWN damned "Don’t you dare take a Marines death.." -soapboxing and shove it.

We're talking about MINIMIZING COLLATERAL DAMAGE HERE.

Plain and simple. No party affiliations, no sides, just common fucking sense. To say there's no difference between a justified mobilization of force and not.. I'll just let your own ignorance speak for itself.

I'm still confused that someone's gonna give a traumatized war vet a game like COD as a coming home present.

Condolences to the family.

The really sad part about this story/event is how steadfastly our government tries to "protect the children" by constantly attacking violent video games, but at 18 we all, at least guys do, have to register for selective service and we start getting calls from recruiters. Apparently video games that portray violence are bad, but real world situations that will leave a mark on you for the rest of your life are okay because they are in defense of some perceived greater good. Maybe I've missed it, but why don't legislator’s attack America's Army?

that's why i play halo