Another Casualty of War

Last night, I received the nightmarish news. It was my brother on the phone calling to tell me that a childhood friend of ours has descended into Meth addiction, and is currently nowhere to be found. He went on to explain how "S" had returned from his tour of duty in Iraq, where he was stationed with the Marines, and had been experiencing PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). Apparently veteran affairs didn't give two craps about him, and he was not offered any exit counseling or therapy. Thrown to the dogs "S" picked up Crystal Meth as a means of coping.

First his wife left him, and then he was barred from visiting his children. Eventually he lost his job, his house, ... everything. His last known whereabouts was at a shelter run by Veteran Affairs, but he has since gone missing. His teeth are falling out, his skin is covered with self inflicted sores, and he's become a full-blown paranoid delusional. Word is, last family member to pay him a visit had the misfortune of using his bathroom, and as they exited the room they were met at the door with "S" shoving a handgun in their face while screaming 'I told you not to flush the toilet!!'

From Tim's perspective, "S" is like a brother. After the State slapped our parents with the neglect suit, which eventually led to Tim's emancipation, the two of them were inseparable. For those two boys, life on the street at the tender age of 14 bred a level of codependence akin to the bonds developed through warfare. Tim now feels it's his responsibility to track down "S" and try to save him. The call last night was more or less a plea for assistance in that endeavor. I love my brother dearly, and I have a great deal of respect for "S," but I don't know what to do.

I spent the better portion of the day researching methamphetamine addiction and it's effects, yet I feel no closer to understanding this than when I first began. The man is armed and dangerous, and judging by his physical deterioration, on the brink of death; indicating that his addiction is severely advanced. Odds are, if we do find him, he won't be receptive to anything that we have to say because he will no longer view us as equals, (not having been subjected to the war), and as anyone who's studied social psych will attest, that's what is necessary for any true communication to occur under duress.

It's been a very long time since I've felt this conflicted. Fuck this war and the lives that are being destroyed by it.