More coverage: The Patriot Defenders Network patriotwatch.com
Posted on 02/18/2003 7:26:58 AM PST by BOBTHENAILER
Some see America’s patriotic mood waning.
Campujairi, Kuwait – The peace protesters might as well be marching right under the tank barrels.
U.S. troops amassed in the Kuwaiti desert couldn’t avoid news of anti-war protests that swept the globe over the weekend, and it is making some angry, defensive, fired-up and anxious.
They see scattered news reports of opposition to a possible war against Iraq, but the hardest-hitting bulletins come in phone calls home to worried wives and loved ones, said Sgt. 1st Class Victor Oravec, 41, of Fort Knox, Ky., of the U.S. Army’s 3-7 Cavalry.
“They’re saying, ‘Why are we over here when everyone’s over here saying we shouldn’t be?’” Oravec said.
“They hear it. They bring it up to me, and I squash it by keeping them busy, reminding them why they’re here,” Oravec said, just before leading his tank maintenance unit in an all-night training exercise across the Kuwaiti desert.
Many of the soldiers who might be called to fight against Iraq were too young to remember the emotional protests that marked the end of the Vietnam War. Many had not even been born.
Still, some say they take the anti-war protests personally – questioning the jobs they do and their boss, President Bush.
“They get down,” said Oravec, a veteran of the 1991 war against Iraq. “That’s when I come around, try to get them work to do. That’s the only thing I can think of to keep their minds off home and what their wives are telling them.”
Capt. John Turner, 26, of Colonial Heights, Va., whose father was a med-evac pilot for the Army in Vietnam, said soldiers are not decision-makers and can’t afford to get distracted from their training.
“I’m not in this line of work for political reasons. I didn’t come here to be a politician,” Turner said.
Still, he’s especially angry about opposition at the United Nations from France, a NATO ally.
“How would they feel if it was the Eiffel Tower that got hit into (on Sept. 11)?” he asked.
The troops see a possible war against Iraq as part of the ongoing war on terrorism, as the Bush administration targets alleged weapons of mass destruction that could fall into the hands of terrorists.
Protesters call that an unfounded or unproven claim being used to justify a war to control more of the Middle East’s vast oil reserves.
The “No blood for oil” slogan was used in opposition to the 1991 war, too. But back then, in the war to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi invaders, the protests did not seem as widespread and the troops did not take them so personally, Gulf War veterans said.
“That’s their right to protest as long as they know that’s their opinion, not ours,” said 1st Sgt. Stephen Edgerton, 36, a Gulf War veteran from Blackshear, Ga.
“When you’re younger, you’re a little more eager to go out and pick a fight with somebody,” Edgerton said. “With age, you’re not as quick to jump into things without thinking them out first.”
But for soldiers, he said, the bottom line is simple: “I support my Commander in Chief. That’s my job.”
Pvt. Wesley Carr, 23, of Virginia Beach, Va., said soldiers are the last ones who want to rush into unnecessary wars.
“I can understand why they want to protest, because they don’t want any harm to come to us. But a lot of them don’t understand,” Carr said. “I hope, like everyone else, that it does end peacefully. But if it doesn’t and we have to go to war, we have to think of the safety of the United States and all these people here.”
Privately, some soldiers wonder if the patriotic mood and pro-military spirit in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks has evaporated.
With all its soldiers and high-tech war fighting machines, the U.S. military would not have had all its recent success if the soldiers didn’t get so much support from the public, Edgerton said.
“They don’t have to support what’s happening,” he said, “but at least support the soldiers”
Iraq Update
1st U-2 Mission: Iraq reported the first flight by an American U-2 surveillance plane Monday in support of the U.N. inspection mission, marking another concession by the Baghdad government in hopes of staving off a U.S. –led attack. The flight lasted four hours.
Turkey Delays:
Turkey’s prime minister on Monday ruled out a parliamentary vote to allow tens of thousands of U.S. combat troops on its territory until Turkish and U.S. officials agree on the conditions of the deployment.
Does bring back the memories, doesn't it? We heard a lot of that "I support the toops but not the war" B.S. back then, too.
I wasn't around for Vietnam, but I remember seeing old footage of the anti-war traitors back then. I also recall similar sentiments that I expressed during Clinton's war of aggression in Kosovo. I wonder where these jackasses were during the Kosovo War. (Cheering on Sick Willy.)
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I guess they were too busy giving and getting Lewinsky's to notice there was a war on.
That is who we are up against.
When the troops are going into battle, we must take the battle to Saddam's 5th column, and NOT allow them to control the streets, or the media coverage. I am thinking of lots of creative disruption tactics, perhaps sacks of floour thrown over them, and some things I keep to myself.
I was watching coverage of the protests on the abc cbs nbc channels. It was so slanted. First of all, they only showed interweiws with people who claimed to have a son or daughter in the military. Then they kept saying over and over that "many people are protesting for the 1st time" or "they've never protested before". They down played coverage of the damage peaceniks did in the different cities. Any one watching would assume that a majority of Amercians and people around the world are against the war. NOTHING was said about who organized the protestests. There was no mention of THE LARGE NUMBER OF SOCIALISTS AND COMMUNISTS at the rallies. Nothing was mentioned about these groups being the same people who protested our going to Afghanistan after we were attacked 9/11. (I wanted to slap the TV several times while watching this. Lord forgive me, but I hate these stupid idiot hippy wanna-be's) .
I'm sending letters to all the networks that did this. IT IS NOT FAIR THAT THEY SLANT THE COVERAGE LIKE THIS. THE AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW WHO THESE PROTESTERS REALLY ARE. I mean many of them are NOT main stream America. The rally's are organized by radicals. People should know that. The press is delibrately distorting the picture AND IT CAN HURT OUR MILITARY PEOPLE, JUST LIKE IT DID IN VIET NAM. The reason Viet Nam vets were treated so badly when they returned home is BECAUSE OF THE WAY THE PRESS (with help from "the stars"like Jane Fonda) BIASED THE COVERAGE OF THE WAR. Let's not let them get away with it again
A plea to President Bush: Mr. President you can help in this situation because you have the bully pulpit. The problem is that alot of people don't have cable and are subjected to this biased reporting and mis-information every night. I thik it would be a good thing if you could again adress the nation (in prime time) and again repeat the last part of your State of the Union adress about Iraq , its brutality, and the huge list of chemical and biological things that are un-accounted for, and that you don't want to wait until some one unleashes one or more of these on our population. Apparently alot of our people had their fingers in their ears when you were adressing this problem. SO repeat it(In prime time on all the channels, not just cable) again, and again and again and again, even if you have to adress the nation every week. (or maybe you could put your message in an ad and run it on mainstream channels).Perhaps PM Tony Blair could do something similar in England. I would also like to see President Bush ask the American people to show support for our troops by flying their flags and /or wearing flag pins.
Stay Safe !!
You are right. At least the majority of Americans support President Bush and PM Blair. Unfortunately, the Brits support Saddam.
(You have (had) G. Bush, J. Cash, B. Hope & S. Wonder - we have Schröder: no cash, no hope, no wonder)
I love your tagline. It's very creative, but it sounds so sad.
Keep your chin up!;o)
BTTT!
More coverage: The Patriot Defenders Network patriotwatch.com
Is there any point at which you think such demonstrations border on anti-American? If we are in a full-fledged war, isn't aid and comfort being given to the military via the news media? After all, our Founding Fathers could never imagined TV or the internet (taking a page from the anti-gunners), so is there a line?
What about the heads of cities and towns trying to present their opposition to the White House? I recall no such votes being held to poll the citizens of their respective minuciaplities prior to their action. Perhaps not treasonous, but it's certainly a misuse/abuse of their position....
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