Author Topic: Things that I am tired of in this war:  (Read 43446 times)

gunsmith

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Things that I am tired of in this war:
« on: January 31, 2007, 11:37:03 PM »
It's a manifesto of sorts from a Staff Sergeant in the fight in Afghanistan.  He had an experience recently while on mid-tour leave to see his wife and baby boy that was the last straw:

    Things that I am tired of in this war:

    I am tired of Democrats saying they are patriotic and then insulting my commander in chief and the way he goes about his job.

    I am tired of Democrats who tell me they support me, the soldier on the ground, and then tell me the best plan to win this war is with a phased redeployment (liberal-speak for retreat) out of the combat zone to someplace like Okinawa.

    I am tired of the Democrats whining for months on T.V., in the New York Times, and in the House and Senate that we need more troops to win the war in Iraq, and then when my Commander in Chief plans to do just that, they say that is the wrong plan, it wont work, and we need a new direction.

    I am tired of every Battalion Sergeant Major and Command Sergeant Major I see over here being more concerned about whether or not I am wearing my uniform in the spot on, most garrison-like manner; instead of asking me whether or not I am getting the equipment I need to win the fight, the support I need from my chain of command, or if the chow tastes good.

    I am tired of junior and senior officers continually doubting the technical expertise of junior enlisted soldiers who are trained far better to do the jobs they are trained for than these officers believe.

    I am tired of senior officers and commanders who fight this war with more of an eye on the media than on the enemy, who desperately needs killing.

    I am tired of the decisions of Sergeants and Privates made in the heat of battle being scrutinized by lawyers who were not there and will never really know the state of mind of the young soldiers who were there and what is asked of them in order to survive.

    I am tired of CNN claiming that they are showing news, with videotape sent to them by terrorists, of my comrades being shot at by snipers, but refusing to show what happens when we build a school, pave a road, hand out food and water to children, or open a water treatment plant.

    I am tired of following the enemy with drones that have cameras, and then dropping bombs that sometimes kill civilians; because we could do a better job of killing the right people by sending a man with a high powered rifle instead.

    I am tired of the thousands of people in the rear who claim that they are working hard to support me when I see them with their mochas and their PX Bags walking down the street, in the middle of the day, nowhere near their workspaces.

    I am tired of Code Pink, Daily Kos, Al-Jazzera, CNN, Reuters, the Associated Press, ABC, NBC, CBS, the ACLU, and CAIR thinking that they somehow get to have a vote in how we blast, shoot and kill these animals who would seek to subdue us and destroy us.

    I am tired of people like Meredith Vieria from NBC asking oxygen thieves like Senator Chuck Hagel questions like Senator, at this point, do you think we are fighting and dying for nothing? Meredith might not get it, but soldiers do know the difference between fighting and dying for something and fighting and dying for nothing.

    I am tired of hearing multiple stories from both combat theaters about snipers begging to do their jobs while commanders worry about how the media might portray the possible casualties and what might happen to their career.

    I am tired of hearing that the Battalion Tactical Operations Center got a new plasma screen monitor for daily briefings, but rifle scope rings for sniper rifles, extra magazines, and necessary field gear were disapproved by the unit supply system.

    I am tired of out of touch general officers, senators, congressmen and defense officials who think that giving me some more heavy body armor to wear is helping me stay alive.  Speed is life in combat and wearing 55 to 90 pounds of gear for 12 to 20 hours a day puts me at a great tactical disadvantage to the idiot, mindless terrorist who is wearing no armor at all and carrying an AK-47 and a pistol.

    I am tired of soldiers who are stationed in places like Kuwait and who are well away from any actual combat getting Hostile Fire/Imminent Danger Pay and the Combat Zone Tax Exclusion when they live on a base that has a McDonalds, a Pizza Hut, a Subway, a Baskin Robbins, an internet café, 2 coffee shops and street lights.

    I am tired of senior officers and commanders who take it out and "measure" every time they want to have a piece of the action with their helicopters or their artillery; instead of putting their egos aside and using their equipment to support the grunt on the ground.

    I am tired of senior officers and commanders who are too afraid for their careers to tell the truth about what they need to win this war to their bosses so that the soldiers can get on with kicking the ass of these animals.

    I am tired of Rules of Engagement being made by JAG lawyers and not Combat Commanders.  We are not playing Hopscotch over here.  There is no 2nd place trophy either.  I think that if the enemy knew some rough treatment and some deprivation was at hand for them, instead of prayer rugs, special diets and free Korans; this might help get their terrorist minds right.

    I am tired of seeing Active Duty Army and Marine units being extended past their original redeployment dates, when there are National Guard Units that have yet to deploy to a combat zone in the last 40 years.

    I am tired of hearing soldiers who are stationed in safe places talk about how hard their life is.

    I am tired of seeing Infantry Soldiers conducting what amounts to SWAT raids and performing the US Armys version of CSI Iraq and doing things like filling out forms for evidence when they could be better used to hunt and kill the enemy.

    I am tired of senior officers and commanders who look first in their planning for how many casualties we might take, instead of how many enemy casualties we might inflict.

    I am tired of begging to be turned loose so that this war can be over.

    Those of us who fight this war want to win it and go home to their families.  Prolonging it with attempts to do things like collect evidence  or present whiz bang briefings on a new plasma screen TV is wasteful and ultimately, dulls the edge of our Infantry soldiers who are trained to kill people and break things, not necessarily in that order.

    We are not in Iraq and Afghanistan to build nations.  We are there to kill our enemies.  We make the work of the State Department easier by the results we achieve.

    It is only possible to defeat an enemy who kills indiscriminately by utterly destroying him.  He cannot be made to yield or surrender.  He will fight to the death by the hundreds to kill only one or two of us.

    And so far, all of our games have been away games, and I dont know about the ignorant, treasonous Democrats and the completely insane radical leftists and their thoughts on the matter, but I would like to keep our road game schedule.

    So lets get it done.  Until the fight is won and there is no more fight left.

    -D
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Cromlech

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Re: Things that I am tired of in this war:
« Reply #1 on: January 31, 2007, 11:55:20 PM »
Quote
I am tired of Democrats saying they are patriotic and then insulting my commander in chief and the way he goes about his job.

I wish that there was a 'cry-baby' emoticon. I guess you can only be a patriot if you show unwavering (and unquestioning) loyalty to your government, right?
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glockfan.45

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Re: Things that I am tired of in this war:
« Reply #2 on: February 01, 2007, 02:29:28 AM »
I agree with all this guy had to say but for two things.

Quote
 I am tired of Democrats saying they are patriotic and then insulting my commander in chief and the way he goes about his job.

"Dissent is the highest form of patriotism" - Thomas Paine

Since when does being patriotic mean we have to forfit our right to question leadership when we feel they are not acting in our best interests?

Quote
I am tired of seeing Active Duty Army and Marine units being extended past their original redeployment dates, when there are National Guard Units that have yet to deploy to a combat zone in the last 40 years.

And theres lies the difference between Active Duty and National Guard. The name of the National Guard alone should tell you what their intended role is in the grand scheme of things. That role is not fighting foreign wars and nation building overseas.
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280plus

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Re: Things that I am tired of in this war:
« Reply #3 on: February 01, 2007, 02:46:37 AM »
Quote
Dissent is the highest form of patriotism" - Thomas Paine
So you're saying Thomas Paine should have dissented against people like Washington and Jefferson? He should have argued against the war and undermined the Revolutionary govts every step and tried to achieve his own solution to the situation? That could have made him the enemy in short time.

In another thread I quoted that I believe Stonewall Jackson had said something about the media being a bunch of spies and traitors. I remembered later that he actually said they were WORSE that spies and traitors becasue at least the spy or traitor is doing what he does for an ideological viewpoint. The media has no ideaology, it's motivation is the dollar.
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Perd Hapley

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Re: Things that I am tired of in this war:
« Reply #4 on: February 01, 2007, 02:55:04 AM »
Quote
 I am tired of Democrats saying they are patriotic and then insulting my commander in chief and the way he goes about his job.

"Dissent is the highest form of patriotism" - Thomas Paine

Dissent is one thing.  Idiotic carping for political gain is another.  And that carping endangers our soldiers and the success of our foreign policy.


That said, this sounds like another unsubstantiated chain mail.
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glockfan.45

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Re: Things that I am tired of in this war:
« Reply #5 on: February 01, 2007, 02:56:55 AM »
Quote
So you're saying Thomas Paine should have dissented against people like Washington and Jefferson? He should have argued against the war and undermined the Revolutionary govts every step and tried to achieve his own solution to the situation? That could have made him the enemy in short time.

 undecided Honestly wheres the comparison here? In a free society one is able to question their government with out fear of persecution. Isnt that what they fought for so long ago? I may not defend the medias viewpoints or agenda, but I do defend their right to print what they want. If a cause is just then the truth need not fear criticism. Perhaps we should all just blindly follow Bush into oblivion. How dare we question warrantless wire tapping, e-mail redirects, secret courts, secret prisons and certian acts that contrast the documents this country was founded on. Perhaps one day we can build camps for all the unpatriotic people in this country, they are after all a threat to national security  rolleyes .
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Perd Hapley

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Re: Things that I am tired of in this war:
« Reply #6 on: February 01, 2007, 03:00:46 AM »
In a free society one is able to question their government with out fear of persecution.

Are you Natalie Maines or Alec Baldwin?  Whine, whine.  Where's the persecution? 

Drama Queen.   rolleyes
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glockfan.45

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Re: Things that I am tired of in this war:
« Reply #7 on: February 01, 2007, 03:11:44 AM »
Quote
In a free society one is able to question their government with out fear of persecution.

Are you Natalie Maines or Alec Baldwin?  Whine, whine.  Where's the persecution?  

Drama Queen.  

The persecution comes from the drooling, brain dead, Bush Brownshirts that feel their revered leader can do no wrong. The same folks who seem to feel that anybody who questions his actions must be a liberal nut job, or sympathetic to terrorists.

In response to your quaint little insult I would sooner be a "Drama Queen" than a Eloi.
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Perd Hapley

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Re: Things that I am tired of in this war:
« Reply #8 on: February 01, 2007, 03:14:27 AM »
The persecution comes from the drooling, brain dead, Bush Brownshirts that feel their revered leader can do no wrong. The same folks who seem to feel that anybody who questions his actions must be a liberal nut job, or sympathetic to terrorists.

As one of the Bush Brownshirts, I'm still wondering where the persecution is.  Questioning your patriotism is not persecution.  Eloi wanna-be.
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glockfan.45

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Re: Things that I am tired of in this war:
« Reply #9 on: February 01, 2007, 03:19:53 AM »
Quote
As one of the Bush Brownshirts, I'm still wondering where the persecution is

The so called "free speech zones" for war protesters comes to mind as one example. Seems to me like quarantining off people that disagree with the threat of arrest for leaving their special sections fits the bill.
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Perd Hapley

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Re: Things that I am tired of in this war:
« Reply #10 on: February 01, 2007, 03:28:32 AM »
The so called "free speech zones" for war protesters comes to mind as one example. Seems to me like quarantining off people that disagree with the threat of arrest for leaving their special sections fits the bill.

Fine, but that's not what you were complaining about, was it?  You were trying to make a martyr of yourself by claiming that this chain mail was a form of persecution. 
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Waitone

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Re: Things that I am tired of in this war:
« Reply #11 on: February 01, 2007, 03:36:59 AM »
If it is a real email from a real grunt then he's describing how American's do war.  Same kinds of observations could have been made during Vietnam.
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glockfan.45

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Re: Things that I am tired of in this war:
« Reply #12 on: February 01, 2007, 03:40:12 AM »
Quote
You were trying to make a martyr of yourself by claiming that this chain mail was a form of persecution.

After rereading my posts I dont see where I offered myself up for martyrdom. I simply put two things into perspective that I saw wrong with the letter. You took it upon yourself to attack me for doing so by dishing out petty insults while never actually contributing anything of merit to the topic. If anything it is you sir that sought to make the martyr of me.
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Perd Hapley

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Re: Things that I am tired of in this war:
« Reply #13 on: February 01, 2007, 03:49:36 AM »
Oh boy.  I was correct in labeling you a drama queen. 
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HankB

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Re: Things that I am tired of in this war:
« Reply #14 on: February 01, 2007, 03:53:26 AM »
Quote
I am tired of Democrats saying they are patriotic and then insulting my commander in chief and the way he goes about his job.
Many of the criticisms spouted by the Dems aren't well reasoned and thoughtful, but are merely  symptoms of Bush Derangement Syndrome - but in a general sense, when the President is wrong, he ought to be told he is. For example, many of the other problems cited by the "staff sergeant" in the original post may be layed directly at the feet of the Commander In Chief.

Let's see what someone else said about presidential criticism:

Quote
"The President is merely the most important among a large number of public servants. He should be supported or opposed exactly to the degree which is warranted by his good conduct or bad conduct, his efficiency or inefficiency in rendering loyal, able, and disinterested service to the Nation as a whole. Therefore it is absolutely necessary that there should be full liberty to tell the truth about his acts, and this means that it is exactly necessary to blame him when he does wrong as to praise him when he does right. Any other attitude in an American citizen is both base and servile. To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or any one else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about any one else."

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glockfan.45

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Re: Things that I am tired of in this war:
« Reply #15 on: February 01, 2007, 03:56:20 AM »
Quote
Oh boy.  I was correct in labeling you a drama queen.  



OMG you are unreal. In the spirit of things here I am going to refrain from responding with how I would label you, however I will say that my point was made already and your lack of anything other than name calling to retort with pretty much proves me right.
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Perd Hapley

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Re: Things that I am tired of in this war:
« Reply #16 on: February 01, 2007, 03:59:00 AM »
Ohhhh, come on, glockfan.  How can I martyr you if you won't play along?   sad
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The Rabbi

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Re: Things that I am tired of in this war:
« Reply #17 on: February 01, 2007, 04:45:13 AM »
Fistful,
How dare you go about martyring posters.  You must be one of those Bush brownshirts.  Never mind he is the CinC and charged with prosecuting this war in any way he sees fit.  Never mind that the kind of "dissent" we have seen amounts not only to Mon morning quarterbacking but has the intended effect of undermining our policies solely for political gain.
There was adequate time to debate and dissent before the war.  Now isnt the time.
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Manedwolf

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Re: Things that I am tired of in this war:
« Reply #18 on: February 01, 2007, 05:08:24 AM »
Quote
There was adequate time to debate and dissent before the war.

When everyone was being fed cherrypicked and edited shoddy intelligence to get us into it?

Colin Powell's little speech with the vial will haunt him the rest of his life.


Perd Hapley

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Re: Things that I am tired of in this war:
« Reply #19 on: February 01, 2007, 05:18:42 AM »
Quote from: glockfan45
You took it upon yourself to attack me for doing so by dishing out petty insults while never actually contributing anything of merit to the topic.

Really?  Let's list my substantive comments and questions (which Glockfan failed to answer) that contributed to the conversation, and then my "petty insults" in response to Glockfan's petty whining. 

Quote
Dissent is one thing.  Idiotic carping for political gain is another.  And that carping endangers our soldiers and the success of our foreign policy.
[Note that idiotic was not aimed at Glockfan, but was used to describe the anti-war pretenders as a whole.]

That said, this sounds like another unsubstantiated chain mail.

Whine, whine.  Where's the persecution?

I'm still wondering where the persecution is.  Questioning your patriotism is not persecution.

Fine, but that's not what you were complaining about, was it?  You were trying to make a martyr of yourself by claiming that this chain mail was a form of persecution.

Oh boy.  I was correct in labeling you a drama queen. 



And here are the "petty insults" that I dared to use.   shocked  As if no one else does. 

Quote
Are you Natalie Maines or Alec Baldwin?  Drama Queen.

Eloi wanna-be.

Another use of the ad hominem charge to run away from real confrontation.

Here are Glockfan's insults.  We could list his "meritorious" comments, if we could find any.

Quote
The persecution comes from the drooling, brain dead, Bush Brownshirts that feel their revered leader can do no wrong.

I would sooner be a "Drama Queen" than a Eloi.

OMG you are unreal.

Hard to see how I come off as the bad guy.
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The Rabbi

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Re: Things that I am tired of in this war:
« Reply #20 on: February 01, 2007, 05:21:56 AM »
Quote
There was adequate time to debate and dissent before the war.

When everyone was being fed cherrypicked and edited shoddy intelligence to get us into it?

Colin Powell's little speech with the vial will haunt him the rest of his life.



First off, it was not "cherrypicked" (whatever that means) or shoddy.  The intelligence was consistent from Bush 1 through Bush 2.
Second, even if we knew then what we know today, war would still have been the right decision.
But this has been debated ad nauseam and anyone who willfully ignores the obvious evidence isn't going to be persuaded by anything I write.
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Re: Things that I am tired of in this war:
« Reply #21 on: February 01, 2007, 05:23:01 AM »
I thought my heavyweight bulletproof vest was well worth it when I did my tour in Baghdad.  I wouldn't have minded getting the newer Dragonskin version, however.

CNN wasn't there to see and film the Iraqi people coming up to me and thanking me for their freedom.  Fat chance the liberals would want to see it, anyway - it would run contrary to their agenda.   sad
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Re: Things that I am tired of in this war:
« Reply #22 on: February 01, 2007, 05:31:04 AM »
I'm tired of everyone who volunteered to be one of the minions of Darth Cheney/Bush Co. complaining about the manner in which they have been treated during their "mission."

Staff Sgt. Cannon Fodder put the bullseye on his own chest for this fiasco: he can keep his manifesto.
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Re: Things that I am tired of in this war:
« Reply #23 on: February 01, 2007, 05:39:09 AM »
I think people volunteered to go kill al Qaeda and Baathists.  I doubt they volunteered to enhance some general's career or appear warm and sensitive on the Today Show.
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Re: Things that I am tired of in this war:
« Reply #24 on: February 01, 2007, 05:47:54 AM »
Hell, I went to make Ezekiel feel all warm and fuzzy.  grin
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