Spanish troops find return bittersweet, anything but triumphant

Boston Globe ^ | 05.09.04 | Charles M. Sennott

[rface]

BADAJOZ, Spain -- For centuries, Spanish conquerors have been coming home to this rugged, remote terrain near the border with Portugal. The gray stone castles and the towering cathedrals that dot the rocky countryside were built 500 years ago by native conquistadors returning triumphantly from the New World after plundering its riches.

Last week, Spanish soldiers hastily withdrawn from service in Iraq by the newly elected government of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero returned to the sprawling military base here and a welcome-home ceremony. A sign at the base entrance read, "Todo por la patria," or "All for the Country."

But many of the soldiers said they were having a hard time mustering much pride about their homecoming, and they were anything but triumphant in their return to a country where the vast majority opposed the Iraq war. They certainly don't see themselves as conquerors, and they aren't returning with riches.

"It didn't really feel like that much of a homecoming for us. It felt more like a political celebration for Zapatero and those who never wanted us there in the first place," said Manuel Garcia, 31, a sergeant in a brigade that was among the entire Spanish contingent of 1,300 troops ordered home.

[ big snip ]

Over coffee, the soldiers grumbled about what they viewed as the staged homecoming. They said that on the day they arrived, they were not given a rest but put through a training exercise for the ceremony the following morning. They said that many fellow soldiers, who had come back in the earlier wave of troop charters back home, were on vacations with their families when they were ordered back to base for the ceremony.

The TV footage of the ceremony shows Zapatero flashing a broad smile that political cartoonists love to lampoon. The soldiers said they couldn't hide their disappointment that the prime minister did not directly address them and left it to Defense Minister Jose Bono.

"A lot of us were wondering, 'Who is this parade for anyway?' " Collado asked........

[ big snip ]

[jocon307]

WOW, from the Boston Globe, that's pretty amazing.

I feel for these folks, I'm sure they served bravely. I'm sorry their countrymen didn't support them and didn't flip the proverbial bird to the terrorists.

What will Zapatero do when the next bomb actually explodes?

[marron]

I think the Spanish are going to miss Aznar, who was a real man and a real human being.

[Wheee The People]

Spanish conquerors = oxymoron

[marron]

I think it is almost a certainty that the baddies will try to throw the US election similarly, with a very high profile attack in the weeks leading up to the election.

The Kerry camp will use it to claim that they should be in power. The only question is whether our "moderates" and "independents", the folks out there who don't know what they believe and can't be bothered to focus until the week before, will be as easily swayed as were Spain's.

[SandRat]

The Spanish Troops a finding out what we learned 30 years ago you let socialist pigs control the media, the universities and a good part of the government or more and the military is spit upon.

[river rat]

Spain has a lot of company in their new circle of surrender monkeys...

France, Germany, Turkey, etc......all backed away from the struggle of the century...

Terrorism is NOT the enemy...
Terrorism is simply the vehicle of Militant Islam to enslave the world....
Fundamental Islam is the enemy, and Saudi Arabia is the whore that gave birth and suckles the murderous little bastards..

Old Europe is allowing Militant Islam to invade, conquer and subjugate them ------ again!

a POX on their asses..

Semper Fi

[I still care]

The way the troops were treated on return, the unfinished business they knew they had left, the disdain with which the Spanish viewed their dedication -

Don't think it won't happen here if Kerry wins. It will be like 4 years of Carter, of American shame and aimlessness.

My mother always said that Reagan was the greatest president "Because he made Americans feel good to be Americans again". But Kerry is of the hate America first crowd, no matter what he says now.

[Incorrigible]

[sully777]

"The TV footage of the ceremony shows Zapatero flashing a broad smile that political cartoonists love to lampoon."

---

We had a socialist ne'er do well president named Jimmah Carter that had a broad smile cartoonists lampooned while he, Madelaine Neverbright & Co. made America a joke. Nothing new under the sin, I mean sun.

[McGavin999]

I feel so sorry for the Spanish soldiers, it will be decades before they live this down. Eventually, the real history of this war and why we went will come out and then the disgust at those who opposed it will be recorded for all time in history books.

[jpl]

I think it is almost a certainty that the baddies will try to throw the US election similarly, with a very high profile attack in the weeks leading up to the election.

Great Britain is far more likely to be targeted than we are. Such an attack would create the exact opposite here than just about anywhere else.

[GadareneDemoniac]

I don't know anything about the Basque separatists, but if I was them, I'd be rubbing my hands together with glee! Now they know how to get what they want - just inflict enough damage with accompanying spectacular news coverage and presto...

[Capt. Tom]

Terrorism is simply the vehicle of Militant Islam to enslave the world.... Fundamental Islam is the enemy, and Saudi Arabia is the whore that gave birth and suckles the murderous little bastards..

Well said.

When God wants you to kill non- believers you don't have much of a choice but to do it. And the Muslims are doing it all over the world.

As non-believers we don't have any choice but to kill them and poison Islam.

A good dose of democracy and western culture can bring down that religion. That's why we will be fought tooth and nail by the true believers. - tom

[Belisaurius]

They are getting a taste of how it sometimes felt to be in the US Military 1992-2000.

[Enterprise]

"The TV footage of the ceremony shows Zapatero flashing a broad smile that political cartoonists love to lampoon."

Every time I see that man I swear I think it's Mr. Bean.

[BillyCrockett]

They've got to do a movie about Spain with Mr Bean!

[Trapper]

What will he do? Disband the Spamish (Spanish) army and move to France.

[river rat]

"A good dose of democracy and western culture can bring down that religion."

Personally, I would prefer throwing lots of lead into their asses, and burning their temples of hate to the ground....

Until the "moderate Muslims" take the lead in the destruction of Wahabbism and the teaching of hate --- all Muslims should be considered as partners in crime.

Where once, I believed Islam represented a religion - I now refuse to acknowledge it as any more than a murderous cult..

Semper Fi