Their helicopter was just shot down by Iraqis. But my son Dan , now there , leaves on Nov 7th to come home. He says he has some stories to tell. If I can just have him home safe, I'll be happy even if he is his usual quiet self. But the thing is, on the 21st., after his leave , he goes back for at least six more months. Write me no sympathy, but... ...War IS hell.
Enough is enough. It's time to get the troops out of Iraq and back home. The country is on a collision course with anarchy. How many more needless deaths will it take before order is restored? This is now a lost cause.
I have some friends who are there, and a few that just got back. This is really a bad deal. I HATE to see our guys losing their lives, but if they do not finish it the world will be much worse off, especially the US. I hope they quit pussy-footing around, and start acting more like a military than a police force. My friends have told me that the news coverage does not tell the story, and that most of the Iraqi's appreciate what the US is doing. However, they have also said that with the role they are in that they are just sitting ducks for the attacks. If they have to search every single house, and building they should get all weapons out of the hands of these radical idiots. We all hope and pray that your son, and all the others come home safe!
Bill, Thank you for mentioning your son. It is that kind of thing that helps personalize this war. Often it can become a back drop, a distraction to our daily lives and often petty concerns here in the United States. We go about our day and worry over where to have lunch after church and pre occupy ourselves with the fact that the service was too slow. You and others we know whose relatives are directly involved remind us this is not an abstraction. A few weeks ago a family left to go to a funeral because their nephew/uncle (a young man of about 20) was shot in the neck in Iraq. Today at church I heard one of the teenage girls talk about her pain over losing her uncle (?). I as a parent can only imagine what it must be like to lose a child that you have raised for 18 + years and in whom you have hopes and dreams. This forum is good for many things but it is also a place to vent (as I did with my melancholy dissertation process) and to share a burden. We only know each other in cyber space but there are many here I consider virtual friends. You are one of those. I hope and pray for you Bill. I know you have been through a lot and I hope your son returns safely. North
This war, like most wars, will not be viewed objectively until many years down the road. Time has a way of sorting through the facts of fiction of historical events and eventually presenting a clear and accurate picture.
What do you mean by that? Given the current situation, what actions would a "military" take that we are not currently taking? Do you agree with Trent Lott that we should, "Mow the whole place down, see what happens?"
Trent Lott should go home to Pascagoula, Mississippi and stay there! I still don't understand why the GOP voted for him over fellow Mississippian, Thad Cochran, for leader.
Originally posted by Jeff Hampton: Most of my friends in the military have told me that they thought they should have swept the whole country for any, and all weapons that they could find, and secured the borders as soon as the country was taken over. They have also told me that the troops are spending most of their time training Iraq’s police, rebuilding, policing the people and setting up the Government. Now, I am not in the service, but very close to many that are and this is what I have been told. It makes sense to me though. I do not know the quote above you are referring to, and I do not really know a lot about Trent Lott’s views on this. I am not sure I would go that far, but I would not be far from that. Most of these people are not like us. If we disagree with someone we tend to leave it at that, or let the laws of our country settle the matter. When most of these people disagree with you, or believe different than you they want to see you dead. You are an infidel to them. When they chant death to Israel, and death to America they mean it. So, after watching them kill innocent people in Israel (including Americans) by blowing themselves up, and the 9/11 event I can tell you that I do not have much sympathy for many over there. Just my not so politically correct opinion.
No, most of "these people" are not like YOU. Most Iraqis do not believe that just because a society is different, it should be destroyed. Who is "them." Any Arab? Any Muslim? Anyone with dark skin? Ahh, what's it matter? Just mow 'em all down.
Hi Bill: We'll keep your kid in prayers for safety and a soon return, which is what this thread was originally about.
I, too, will be praying for your son. I wish he didn't have to be there, though. And I wish that we hadn't lost so many good Americans in Iraq. But we do have to be there now, and probably for the foreseeable future. And regardless of the circumstances surrounding the war, it is ultimately for a good cause. The American troops are doing an outstanding job in a very, very tough situation. My admiration is immeasurable. If anyone would like to discuss the war itself, I have started a new thread where the discussion would be more appropriate: http://forums.degreeinfo.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=10633
