Posted on 01/02/2006 5:36:07 PM PST by jmc1969
Rep. John Murtha, a key Democratic voice who favors pulling U.S. troops from Iraq, said in remarks airing on Monday that he would not join the U.S. military today.
A decorated Vietnam combat veteran who retired as a colonel after 37 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, Murtha told ABC News' "Nightline" program that Iraq "absolutely" was a wrong war for President George W. Bush to have launched.
"Would you join (the military) today?," he was asked in an interview taped on Friday.
"No," replied Murtha of Pennsylvania, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives subcommittee that oversees defense spending and one of his party's leading spokesmen on military issues.
"And I think you're saying the average guy out there who's considering recruitment is justified in saying 'I don't want to serve'," the interviewer continued.
"Exactly right," said Murtha, who drew White House ire in November after becoming the first ranking Democrat to push for a pullout of U.S. forces from Iraq as soon as it could be done safely.
"Let me tell you, war is a nasty business. It sears the soul," he said, choking up. "And it made a difference. The shadow of those killings stay with you the rest of your life."
Asked for comment, a Defense Department spokesman, Lt. Col. John Skinner, said: "We have an all-volunteer military. People are free to choose whether they serve or not."
"Our freedom of speech in this country allows all of us the opportunity to voice an opinion. It's one of our great strengths as a nation," he added.
(Excerpt) Read more at alertnet.org ...
Only if he went on-line as a hot 14 year old girl.
... because the benefits (including the sweet pension) are too good to pass up... right Mr. Murtha?
Would I every vote for Moutha? Never!
"Good the military wouldn't take him now"
My sentiments, exactly. Spineless sounds good, too.
Which addresses your response, which did not address mine:
During Vietnam MOST members of the services were either draftees or joined a branch they wanted to be in rather than being drafted into Army Infantry.
Pretty simple circumstances back then.
What I said and you seem to have missed was that a LOT of those draftees stayed in because they learned there was something more to soldering than they'd been told. Others stayed in because they got nice jobs in procurement or other support and the pay was good.
Although I got out after seven years (for all the wrong reasons) I'm totally in favor of the former and try to remain neutral toward the latter.
Happy new year and note that, other than schools, I spent only one of those years stationed in CONUS.
(All that said, being Army in the years after Vietnam was not the happiest of careers, I expect Marines remained on the short end as well.)
I've got news for Murtha.
The U.S. Military wouldn't accept him!!!
Does he know he is too old to join now?
If I expressed how I really feel about this loser I would have MIB kicking in my door in short order.
Goodness. Do these people just say anything to get the spotlight back on them?
Well, of course not. The military wouldn't take him either. He simply couldn't hack it any more.
Real Americans know the truth, and we know that Murtha and his ilk represent a clear and present danger to the unique American form of government and way of life, which was bought and paid for by the blood of men and women far better than they.
We will prevail, but not, methinks, before the blood of more Patriots is spilled.
"This guy is drunk on media attention."
You got that right! He is suffering from ASS (Acute Schumer Syndrome)!!
Reminds me of when someone said to Billy Martin the Texas Rangers are two players away from the world series; Martin quipped, "Yea, but Babe Ruth and Cy Young are dead".
bump
"...I have to believe that all Marines, current and former, would just as soon spit on this whiny sumbitch as look at him..."
You'd be surprised if you listened to the opinions of some Marines I know.
It's Democrats vs Republicans.
I have participated on several private listserves and it is truly amazing the amount of veterans whose hatred for Bush has caused them to do their best to undermine the moral at home.
These men were friends of mine, and we used to congregate every Novemeber for Veteran's Day festivities in DC.
Not anymore.
It's good he wouldn't join the military today. Saved us a bullet in the back for desertion.
Very, very sad to hear........on many levels.
So he served during a war (along with me) in which our country was NOT attacted. But now he would not serve when our country WAS attacted.
Gee! What could have changed him? Or, perhaps he never really changed at all and it simply became fashionable in Dem circles to be a traitor to your country.
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