ratm1221
01-23-2009, 12:10 PM
So I was listening to Fresh Air on National Public Radio last night and they were having an interesting discussion. I missed the introductions, so I don't know who they were interviewing, but it was obviously someone with first hand experience with drone attacks. They were talking about a whole new level of PTSD (post traumatic stress syndrome). These guys in Nevada sit in cubicles 12 hours a day killing people with drones half way around the world. After their 12 hours is up they shut down their computer, get in their car, drive home, sit at the dinner table, and hear what their kids did that day at school. They were discussing how this on/off cycle was causing more regular and in some cases even more severe cases of PTSD than soldiers that were actually on the front lines fighting in the Middle East.
They then discussed how there was also a flip side to this. He told a story about him bombing a house. They watched on the screen as they attacked and he said he remembered seeing a guy standing outside and thinking "man, is he in the wrong place at the wrong time." When the missile hit the screen went white and when it cleared up they saw a pair of legs falling and then hit the ground and bounce several times. He said he remembered them joking and placing bets about how many times the legs would bounce. He said that when he went to the attack site to confirm the kills, several guys from the neighborhood told them about the families that lived in the surrounding houses that were destroyed. He said it made him sick to actually see up close what they had done, and would have never thought twice about it while looking at it on a screen.
They then went in to how the video game industry is training for them. They design the Drone equipment and software to play exactly like a video game. They even use the same controllers you would see on an XBOX or a Playstation. The guy that they were interviewing said that the best Drone pilot in the world is a guy that dropped out of school and played video games. He joined the military and tried to be a helicopter mechanic, but failed the test, so they asked him if he wanted to fly drones. He went on to being a trainer.
Anyway, I thought it was interesting and wanted to share.
They then discussed how there was also a flip side to this. He told a story about him bombing a house. They watched on the screen as they attacked and he said he remembered seeing a guy standing outside and thinking "man, is he in the wrong place at the wrong time." When the missile hit the screen went white and when it cleared up they saw a pair of legs falling and then hit the ground and bounce several times. He said he remembered them joking and placing bets about how many times the legs would bounce. He said that when he went to the attack site to confirm the kills, several guys from the neighborhood told them about the families that lived in the surrounding houses that were destroyed. He said it made him sick to actually see up close what they had done, and would have never thought twice about it while looking at it on a screen.
They then went in to how the video game industry is training for them. They design the Drone equipment and software to play exactly like a video game. They even use the same controllers you would see on an XBOX or a Playstation. The guy that they were interviewing said that the best Drone pilot in the world is a guy that dropped out of school and played video games. He joined the military and tried to be a helicopter mechanic, but failed the test, so they asked him if he wanted to fly drones. He went on to being a trainer.
Anyway, I thought it was interesting and wanted to share.