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    Hamilton NolanAdrian Chen
    10/30/13 1:22pm

    Do you think more and more drones are the future of US warfare? Do you think land-based drones will be coming? Do you think the US military will ever allow drones to kill people with no human oversight?

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      Brandon BryantHamilton Nolan
      10/30/13 2:12pm

      Drones, however you feel about them, are here to stay. The technology is there and with greater transparency and accountability can be used for good.

      The mars rover is technically a land based drone.

      If the military ever gets that far then we know that they are not doing that for the benefit of their fellow man.

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      OhHeyLadyBrandon Bryant
      10/30/13 2:41pm

      Why do you support killing innocent Martians?

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    MizJenkinsAdrian Chen
    10/30/13 1:11pm

    So...how many of us are itching to ask if he's single?

    *raises hand*

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      charlitosMizJenkins
      10/30/13 2:37pm

      Im wishing he is gay and single.

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      Brandon Bryantcharlitos
      10/30/13 2:40pm

      I'm not gay (sorry, not a fan of the wiener), but I do have a lot of gay friends that are great people.

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    GingerbreadmanAdrian Chen
    10/30/13 6:02pm

    (X-post from my post on Gawkers FB feed)I was a UAV operator in the US Army from 2002-08 and I think this dude needs to STFU. He had it so easy. Granted, from where he sits, its the hardest thing he has ever done. I did everything he did, without the luxury of staying in the US and I still had it easier than most soldiers I worked with. Pic from 2003 training before deployment to Iraq.

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      Adrian ChenGingerbreadman
      10/30/13 6:10pm

      thanks for the comment.

      The GQ article mentioned the reaction to Bryant in the "drone community." I'd love to hear more about that. What is the drone community like, and how do they meet up/communicate? Are there like FB groups, blogs or what?

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      GingerbreadmanAdrian Chen
      10/30/13 6:14pm

      There are a few FB pages, Intel Connections, UAS News are a couple. There are 2 communities as far as I can tell. There are the engineers/company people who make them, and the guys who are actually hired and deployed to fly them. I did a tour as a civilian contractor and they are hiring ll kinds of people to do the job. In my class to learn to fly the civilian UAV, I was the only one out of 6 that had prior UAV combat experience.

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    mc_chicken_nuggetsAdrian Chen
    10/30/13 1:10pm

    How are you dealing with your PTSD and do you find that giving your story helps? Wishing you well!

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      mrjenkinzmc_chicken_nuggets
      10/30/13 1:18pm

      Good question. I would like to add a follow-up. I've known many soldiers suffering from PTSD that have benefited from a relatively new psychotherapy called Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Are you familiar with EMDR? If so, could you please comment if it's helped you, or your fellow soldiers, in treating PTSD?

      I realize my question is very personal, so I thank you ahead of time for your service and your honesty. I can't imagine either being easy.

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      Brandon Bryantmc_chicken_nuggets
      10/30/13 1:57pm

      I'm not dealing with it very well. I have days (especially after I give interviews or talks) where I get really really depressed and I don't want to interact with anyone. I also refuse to take any sort of medication because I want to Batman through all the mental bullshit.

      Telling "my story" helps only so far as I believe it is the right thing to do. Instead of having to deal with this myself, I now have to deal with whatever I have as well as criticism and scrutiny. Because I don't want others to be hurt just in case somebody does decide to physically do something, I tend to keep to myself.

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    McMikeAdrian Chen
    10/30/13 4:39pm

    During his six years as a U.S. Air Force drone sensor operator... mostly from bases in the U.S., thousands of miles away from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. Years later, he's dealing with PTSD

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      PrayForDentonMcMike
      10/30/13 11:22pm

      Yeah. Fuck off.

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      ReigntasticPrayForDenton
      11/02/13 7:32pm

      Why? How dare he present an opposing viewpoint.

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    rosarioAdrian Chen
    10/30/13 1:11pm

    What were the tactics used by the Air Force to convince you that this was OK? How did they manage to rationalize killing people from thousands of miles away without trials or courts? How accurate were the drones you operated? How much collateral damage was there?

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      Brandon Bryantrosario
      10/30/13 2:34pm

      First, I was told that "our mission is to kill people and break things." When I questioned that I was told, "the needs of the Air Force come first." When that didn't work, it was, "you better do this or you'll be dishonorable discharged" or "given paperwork that will affect your career," or even, "shutup and color."

      The rational, which is completely logical by the way, is that we don't have to put any military member in harms way. They were looking for ways to lessen the impact on ourselves because they knew that the more people that die on our side, the less likely anyone back home would support it. Introduce this technology, but they don't do a very good job of explaining it or even humanizing it.

      This technology is probably one of the most accurate things in existence. Very little collateral damage happens as the warhead on the missile is very small and hand guided in to impact. That being said, we can have all the intelligence in the world and mistakes can/will happen. War isn't clean and no amount of polish will make it so.

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    Nilla WafflerAdrian Chen
    10/30/13 1:19pm

    How do you feel about the quality of the treatment you've received for your PTSD from the military (assuming you've gotten it)? Has it been effective? Was the diagnosis given in a timely way or do you feel like they should have identified it sooner?

    Also thanks for being willing to share your experiences and answer our questions.

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      Polly Jenna StoneNilla Waffler
      10/30/13 1:25pm

      I have a related question to this. Do you feel there's still a stigma within the military for seeking help for PTSD?

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      FickleFrecklesNilla Waffler
      10/30/13 1:39pm

      I also have a related question... We have, by all accounts, what seems to be an epidemic of PTSD across all branches of the military. How important do you think it is for the military to incorporate preventative measures as opposed to just treatment after the fact (and only after someone seeks help)? Do you think there's even a remote possibility of this happening?

      Also, does it bother you when people say "thank you for your service" when you seem to have (based on the GQ article) strong moral objections to what you did while in the air force?

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    prettyprettychickenAdrian Chen
    10/30/13 1:13pm

    What separates you from being a mass murderer? And how do you deal with that on a daily basis?

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      cuntybawsAdrian Chen
      10/30/13 2:47pm

      I'm surprised that you know - or can estimate - the number of people you killed. Is this helpful in dealing with after-effects, or would you think that not knowing (as many pilots in the Vietnam era did, for example) would have been easier? And does the military tell you this total?

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        IAmNotADamnWriterAdrian Chen
        10/30/13 2:20pm

        Brandon, what was the epiphany you had after six years of exterminating 1,626 people that made you quit doing it? And what is the worst thing about killing people with a drone that causes you to suffer PTSD?

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