This Marine is Tired

E-mail | September 11, 2004 | Protected

[r9etb]

One hell of an article. The Marine who wrote this sounds like a very good man, who looks to go very far in life. It is one of the most clearly-written discussions I've seen, from any source, on what's at stake.

Thanks for posting it.

[ProudEagle]

Bump for later reading.

[reed13]

USNA '89 BUMP

Keep 'em flying Marine! Damn proud of you!

Navy Football 3-0

Go Navy - Beat Army!

[clintonh8r]

Semper fi mega-bump!

[getmeouttaPalmBeachCounty_FL]

"If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." Do not give the enemy a foothold in our Nation's public opinion. He rejoices at Fahrenheit 9/11 and applauds every time an American slams our efforts. The military can succeed here so long as American citizens supportus wholeheartedly.
Sleep well on this third anniversary of 9/11, America. Rough men are standing ready to do violence on your behalf. Many of your sons and daughters volunteered to stand watch for you. Not just rough men- the infantry, the Marine grunts, the Special Operations Forces- but lots of eighteen and nineteen year old kids, teenagers, who are far away from home, serving as drivers, supply clerks, analysts, and mechanics. They all have stories, families, and dreams. They miss you, love you, and are putting their lives on the line for you. Do not make their time here, their sacrifice, a waste. Support them, and their mission.

Hoo-freakin'-RAH!!!

[dd5339]

Well worth the read!

Semper Fi

[Inspectorette]

Bump!

[getmeouttaPalmBeachCounty_FL]

You will love this!!!!

[MoralSense]

It's a good letter. Great writing. But virtual pamphleteering makes me a little uneasy these days post-Rathergate. Why don't these fine fellas contact NRO or something and have them publish it, instead? Even if this is a fake source, it's a good oped.

My thought exactly. I make a point of reading e-mails from soldiers, and soldier and Marine blogs, and this just doesn't sound like one of them, however noble its sentiments are. It's way too long, too well-written, too professional. And by the way, the purported Orwell quote cannot be attributed to Orwell; it's a kind of urban legend.

[getmeouttaPalmBeachCounty_FL]

Yeah, baby!

[bobsunshine]

Thank you for posting this.

Dear Marine, thank you and God Bless you and all the men and women that are protecting us. You all are doing a wonderful job.

[GunnyB]

Bookmarked. Thank you for posting this. What an eloquent young marine.

Small point. Please capitalize the "Marine" part...

[cwiz24]

My apologies...That was a typo. I meant to capitalize it.

[r9etb]

You know, on further reflection this letter (and the many others like it) represents another area where the MSM has lost its monopoly on the news to a "new media" -- e-mails, this time.

Just after reading this article, I recieved an e-mail that originated from a USMC major (I have no idea how many times it was forwarded). Basically, he says (again) that the MSM is misreporting what's actually going on in Iraq.

I have no doubt that the e-mail you posted, and the one I received, have by now made it into thousands -- maybe tens or hundreds of thousands -- of inboxes. Direct from the front, and directly confronting the MSM spin on the war.

Bottom line: no more can the MSM claim sole rights on the broadcast of information. The internet has unalterably changed the way information is spread. It no longer requires huge presses or expensive broadcast studios. The dynamic has changed.

[sandlady]

If it's any consolation to you, I'm in contact with several Marines in Iraq. To a man, they feel exactly as this young officer so eloquently has stated.

Two Marine friends of mine just returned from Iraq last week and they feel the same way. They are officers so I asked them point blank about the troops: is their moral high, are they affected by the "debate" here at home, how do they feel about what they're doing?

They said the troops remain highly motivated and want to do their job. Only a fraction of the Iraqi populace is violent. Our military regularly interacts with local people who are glad they are there. The culture is different over there-they are used to seeing (and carrying) weapons openly, but the majority truly want to get on living in a "free" society. It will just take time. They can't fathom us pulling out of there in the foreseeable future. Right now, a big obstacle to the military doing their job is that there are protected areas that our troops aren't allowed to penetrate. That's where the enemy holes up (ie mosques.)

They had satellites and got some news. They said they watched a lot of FOX over there and saw nothing misleading in the way FOX portrays the Iraq conflict.

[r9etb]

It's way too long, too well-written, too professional

Disagree. The writer is purportedly a USNA grad, and a pilot, which puts him up near the top in the "smarts" department. Given that he is intelligent, has time on his hands to both think and write, and a burr under his saddle about the MSM, I can see a young guy being able to write like this. My great uncle wrote a similar letter in WWI, not long before he was killed in action at the age of 23.

I think it's probably legit.

[Calpernia]

The Marine Corps is tired. I guess I should not say that, as I have no authority or responsibility to speak for the Marine Corps as a whole, and my opinions are mine alone. I will rephrase: this Marine is tired. I write this piece from the sands of Iraq, west of Baghdad, at three a.m., but I am not tired of the sand. I am neither tired of long days, nor of flying and fighting. I am not tired of the food, though it does not taste quite right.

[Teacher317]

Send that man some articles on Rather's collapse. He'll see that the MSM is crumbling... then show him the polls (51-42 as of today) and he'll see that we just might be "getting it".

[StarCMC]

Copied and pasted to email. What an AWESOME responsibility WE have here to support them over there!!

[Teacher317]

Not much else to do in the desert than edit, re-edit, re-write, and re-tool a fine essay like that. 'Tweren't no sit-down-rant.