Reflections from a guy in the military....

Feb 08, 2007 08:37

"If you're not Liberal when you're 25, you have no heart. If you're not Conservative when you're 35, you have no brain."-sometimes falsely attributed to Winston Churchill ( Read more... )

philosophy, politics

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Comments 13

mustafear February 8 2007, 15:20:58 UTC
Haha! I've been saying that for years, rocket. Pericles had the same idea and it sure seemed to work for them! Three years mandatory service in the Armed Forces (in some capacity) would do this country's populace a world of good.

People are stupid, Brian. I thought that was already confirmed. YOU are punished for turning on your brain. Just keep it up and train your own son to think, too!

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souderwan February 16 2007, 16:58:26 UTC
I appreciate the sentiment, ladies. Honestly, I'm quite happy with our all-volunteer force, though. Our men and women are among the most motivated and highly trained warriors on the planet and I think that a lot of that stems from the fact that we sign up to do this job.

That said, I wouldn't mind making everyone go to boot camp. :p

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layrenelement February 8 2007, 16:02:36 UTC
That really is very sad and I heartily agree with everything you said. You really can see and history does repeat itself if we don't learn from it which evidently most of the American public has yet to do. I support our troops proudly and those who don't, well, would they rather be the ones doing the fighting? People forget all the good that's been accomplished over there, strictly because they're not there. I think if some of the naysayers had to go to war a time or two, they might come out with a different perspective and think twice when they started bashing.

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souderwan February 16 2007, 17:13:20 UTC
Thanks, hon. I appreciate it.

Truth be told, I think that if the naysayers went to war a time or two, they wouldn't be so anxious to support going to war in the first place (yep, that's right. A lot of these people are the same ones who were gung-ho in the beginning).

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turtlefaen February 8 2007, 16:38:02 UTC
We’re already starting to come home from Iraq to empty airports (Anybody remember that stirring commercial a couple years back when the veterans came home to a standing ovation? Where’d that go, huh?).

Unfortunately, like everything else after a long exposure, the public gets desensitized to things that should always matter. I remember being on a plane and the crew making a point to acknowledge the Military personnel on board so they could get on or off first. Not sure if that happens anymore.

So, we pay the soldiers a decent wage, take care of their families, provide them with housing and medical care and vast social support systems and ship obscene amenities into the war zone for them, we support them in every possible way

The term 'decent wage' made me wince. People in jobs that put their life in extreme danger deserve more than a 'decent wage'. They deserve more than the list above cites that they get. The writer should be ashamed to begrudge them that.

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souderwan February 16 2007, 17:18:38 UTC
Unfortunately, like everything else after a long exposure, the public gets desensitized to things that should always matter. I remember being on a plane and the crew making a point to acknowledge the Military personnel on board so they could get on or off first. Not sure if that happens anymore.

I remember when no matter where I went in uniform, I could always count on at least one person saying something positive to me. Over the past year or so, though, I can remember a "thank you for your service" exactly one time. I'll be ok with that provided the pendulum doesn't swing the other way...

The term 'decent wage' made me wince.

Yeah...me too. I get paid pretty well and I'm not complaining. But I know what an E-5 with a family gets paid in the military (used to be one) and "decent" is kind of a stretch.

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irregardless February 9 2007, 02:54:27 UTC
We were inundated by constant gruesome news of death or misery

Indeed, and the most virulently anti-war types celebrate every time there's a 'milestone' in the number of U.S. deaths, so they can update their blogs, protest signs & press releases. The most recent such benchmark was the 3,000 figure, passed back around New Year's Day I think. Of course, that's a ridiculously *low* number for a military occupation that has lasted nearly 4 years and involves 100,000+ troops. In fact, it's comparable to the average death rate here in the U.S.

Tim
(linterambiel's husband)

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souderwan February 16 2007, 17:21:25 UTC
The most recent such benchmark was the 3,000 figure, passed back around New Year's Day I think. Of course, that's a ridiculously *low* number for a military occupation that has lasted nearly 4 years and involves 100,000+ troops. In fact, it's comparable to the average death rate here in the U.S.

You're absolutely right, Tim. That's one of the things that irritates me more than anything. This obsession with every casualty makes me wonder how the US would have responded if we had embedded reporters and accompanying live satellite feeds beaming back to the folks back home on the beaches of Normandy during WWII.

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swanfae February 11 2007, 17:30:28 UTC
I just want you to know that I also think it is terrible how soldiers are treated today. At my church, those who have served/are serving every year are asked to stand for recognition of their service to all of us and we applaud them. Recently, a soldier, one of our own due to marrying one of our own was killed in the line of duty. We all stand behind and support his family and we all stick together. There were over 800 people at his funeral and we will never forget. I'm proud of our soldiers.

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souderwan February 16 2007, 17:22:54 UTC
Thank you. I shared this with some of the guys in my office and they all smiled. It's nice to know the sacrifices are not unappreciated. :)

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