well we can only hope that we are mistaken

but i doubt it

Don't insult my patriotism, or my family's legacy by calling me ignorant. My father is a Vietnam vet, and two of my cousins have served in Iraq. So sod off.

interesting

very interesting

I don't give George Bush any credit for anything. He is just a pawn of his money backers and his family. I don't know what you are preaching at me for anyway you probably aren't doing anything to change the world either. At least I am living my life in spite of the crazies running this world with their WAR and their propaganda and their lies and their bull crap.

The elections are rigged anyway and the machines are owned and repaired by people who are all ex-convicts and convicted felons. Hackers proved that changing the vote count was a simple matter that only took about 30 minutes. If you think the elections are not rigged you are living in la la land.

I do my part by knowing what is going on in the real world which is more than I can say for most people who live on their couches , drink bear and watch sports until they are brain dead.

That don't mean jack if you didn't serve yourself. I had two husbands that served in Vietnam and they were so totally screwed up from the experience it made them dysfunctional for life. Also, my cousin died of agent orange and my father serve in world war II. That does not qualify me as an expert on military life because I was not in the military myself. Same goes for you.

The cure for ignorance is education, (but as they say you can't fix stupid) so be thankful that there is a cure if you are ignorant.

I think you should go join up. Not really, but if you are going to act like you know it all, maybe you should go find out for yourself first hand.

jb

Haha, I love the typical adhominem from Americans who automatically think that if you have not been in position A you can not relate to experience B. No wonder we have a such a bad economy--no one thinks practically when it comes to anything. It's like, ya know, we can't possibly know anything about a car unless we've driven it and changed its oil! Yeah, forget the fact that you're exposed to a military lifestyle growing up, forget that you have more friends overseas serving than you do on your own street, that doesn't make you an "expert" (whatever the hell that's supposed to mean), so therefore, your opinion must be completely irrelevant. Yeah, that's right, don't address any substantive argument, just call the person ignorant and move along with your life to make yourself feel better because, hey, it's the American way, right?

just sign up

You might very well be an expert on military life, but you have not experienced it personally. Personal experience of WAR is not something you can appreciate vicariously.

And you are right, my opinion is irrelevant. It is always irrelevant and meaningless. So is yours by the way. An opinion is always irrelevant. It doesn't matter unless you care, and you abviously don't care what I think, and you shouldn't care. I am just a person in your computer.

I don't even exist.

wow you have all the answers don't you? you impeach bush out of your life cuz he's a pawn? does that make sense? why not impeach those who are controlling him? i think it's you who are living in la la land. you need to twist that tin foil cap of yours on a little bit tighter. it's all a conspiracy i say!!!!!

oh yeah since you said it, i do what i can to try and make a difference in things i feel are important. i try and influence people with my music and i try and persuade people to think. i don;t just sit on my ass and live my own little life because i know whats going on around me effect my life rather i impeach them out of it or not.

I appreciate that you are a musician. I am an artist. I effect people with my art. In spite of the destruction in the world, young people are survivors. I did a painting that expressed that called "Unbroken." It won two best of shows, a people's choice award when I showed it only twice. It touched people. Want to see it?

http://www.queenofcoins.com/images/eddie600.jpg

question...without soldiers....then what???

I don't have a problem with soldiers. In fact, a nation is not even recognized as a nation if it does not have a military force.

What I have a problem with is the deployment of our military in third world countries fighting wars like Viet Nam and Afghanistan and Iraq for nothing more than monetary reasons. It is more about money than protecting our borders. It is more about protecting the dollar on the world market. That this is true is a sad thing. This country has been sold out by the fed and the dollar is loosing strength. The war is about the dollar, it is not about terrorism or freedom. This country has been mismanaged financially. We have no gold.

JB

Wow some people and their arrogance and audacity to speculate on the reasons a person joins the service, the acts they go through, and the feelings that you believe they should have.

How many on this thread are in the military, how many on here have been to Iraq or afghanistan? have fought in past wars or conflicts of this country?

I am not a prisoner.
I have not been treated badly or unfairly by the army or the government.
for the most part people in the nation treat me well (not that I care)

The original post said the kid was an "FO, quite possibly the most dangerous job on the battlefield" even tho any job on the battlefield is dangerous- an FO's job(forward observer) is to stand back off the battle and direct any support by fire missions (that's mortars and rockets for those of you who dont know) occassionaly they "paint" a target with a laser- this can be done from over a kilometer away.
meanwhile the troop on the ground is kicking in a door or ducking for cover from small arms and sniper fire. take from that what you will.

there are to many times people in one profession or another just dont want to be left out of the story, so they say crap that is crap just to be relevant. example....

in 2006 the most kenetic battle that US soldiers were engaged in was happening in "Ramadi" one little battalion of 717 men in a city of 400,ooo..... but yet to hear soldiers who were in iraq in other places you would think that they all fought in Ramadi- it just wasnt so.

most of them are embarrassed about what they do there...not because they are killers, but because they arent. they never get to leave their bases (FOB's or COP's).

the ratio of combat troops to support troops is 1 to 8. what does that mean? it means for every door kicker there is 8 men or women who are in country to support him. whether they are mechanics, cooks, transportation whatever...the point is they dont kick in doors.

140,000 troops, divide that by eight, thats how many true combat soldiers are in Iraq.....

those who say otherwise just honestly do not know the facts or are honestly lying to you.

I never had an FO on the battlefield- i called one on the radio once but that was it.

on a separate note- since im a prisoner, Im i also a murderer for killing a man?

if you have never fired your weapon at a person with the hostile intent on killing that person - who by the way was trying to kill either you or one of your friends then your opinions about the goings on in Iraq mean exactly spit, which has turned into a saliva stain on my uniform- but its okay, i'll still wear it with pride.

I'd like to investigate the whole "snow soldier" thing. personally I think it is full of BS. Sadr city only recently has became a hot spot again(it was one at the end of 2004 but was quickly turned around) the FOB is called HOPE, and until about march of 07 was occupied by US forces. it has been in relative peace until recently with the uprising of the militia. You of course have to know about the area right there before you can make any judgements about what is going on---we call it putting it into perspective. about 1.2 million people living in about 10 city blocks...IT IS THE MOST CONGESTED AREA IN IRAQ. An Area that saddam had set aside (wasnt that nice of him) for shiite in and around baghdad. SO yeah, their pissy, i would be to. they have been pissy, and now even more so. easy to get the crowd running in a movie theatre when you cry fire.

Keep your fake tears of empathy or sympathy- all it is doing is running the makeup on your face.


peace

killer Doc, prisoner number 187

gotcha...your comment about don't sign up in the beginning confused me

like I have said before...I will listen to those in the military about the war more than the media