Posted on 10/25/2007 1:18:42 PM PDT by TheDon
Ismael Rougle knew. He served in the Army during the Vietnam War and suffered the loss of good friends there.
...
And though she liked to pretend otherwise, Nancy Rougle knew, too. Her son feared that this would be his final combat tour and had told her so. They all knew the cost of war. "But not like this," sighed Ismael Rougle as he struggled to consider a world without his eldest son, Larry. "No, not like this." Ismael Rougle learned Tuesday afternoon that his son, a 25-year-old U.S. Army sniper, had been shot in the stomach and killed in Afghanistan's volatile Kunar Province. On Wednesday afternoon, the grieving father was bent under the hood of an old truck, his oil-stained hands contorted behind the leaky radiator as he recalled the day his then-17-year-old son had come home to say that he was going to join the Army. "I'd never suggested it," said Ismael Rougle, who had served 25 years in the Army. "But he had it in his mind that this is what he wanted to do. And he was so proud."
...
Two years later, in the wake of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Larry Rougle departed for his first combat tour. He was 19. Over the six years that have followed, family members said, Larry Rougle served two more tours in Afghanistan and three in Iraq. "Six tours," Ismael Rougle said. "Six." Family members say Larry Rougle never complained about being called away from home, not even after his then-wife gave birth to a daughter, Carmin Jade, now 3 years old. He loved the girl more than anything, they said, but remained proud to serve and committed to victory.
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(Excerpt) Read more at sltrib.com ...
Not to defend Clinton but senior Bush began the destruction of our military.
We had the draft during Viet Nam. Opposition to the draft was the primary tool the anti-war crowd had to turn public opinion against it.
And we would give the Democrats that weapon again because????
The volunteer military is working quite well, thank you.
CBO Weighs In on the All-Volunteer Force
Who Bears the Burden? Demographic Characteristics of U.S. Military Recruits Before and After 9/11
Exactly
Bump ! Bump! Bump!
We need a draft of ALL citizens 18 -25 because that shares the burden of the war fairly.
No one gets to be an arm chair general cheering the children and loved ones of OTHERS on, they get to pray for their own.
The loss of good paying jobs and the high cost of college is driving middle class kids with no where else to go into the service.
I say a shared sacrifice is needed
No need for draft...just need folks from Ft. Livingroom to enlist...
Okay...you take the first watch (with) or be in the foxhole with the person that was drafted and didnt want to be there...go ahead...
For those of you wishing for a draft, please think very carefully about your position...
An all volunteer, professional, military...is far better than a conscipted one.
sorry...”conscripted”
“I consider it no sacrifice to die for my country. In my mind, we came here to thank God that men like these have lived rather than to regret that they have died.”
General George S. Patton
“pretty much say that they’re tired of all the deployments- the so called “dwell time” is bullshit...after a month of recovery, they were right back in the field, ramping up for the next trip...speaking only for myself, and my experiences, adventure went out the window with first contact...”
Bottom line is we don’t have the troop levels for a sustained combat environment in two theaters. That is why troops are being put through the mill. The effort, mission, and purpose is entirely worth it in my opinion and I acknowledge that that is up for debate with others, but Afghanistan cannot be allowed to fall, i.e. NATO pulling out. Too much catastrophic risk with Pakistan. Soooo, where do we go from here? A larger standing army, shorter tours, longer periods of down time. When you look at the big picture, and whether people want to acknowledge this or not, but our nation has NOT been placed on a war time footing: We don’t have a draft, we have not taken out Tehran, and we don’t strike AQ in Pakistan, and we could be more functional in Iraq by letting Iraqis go out on patrols and get their asses blown up for their country and we provide air and spec op support. I’ll step down now.
Amen. God bless and comfort the Rougle family. Deepest thanks and appreciation for Larry Rougle’s service to our country. Heartfelt prayers.
Then if we are not going to have a draft, we need a greater troop capability to handle the two war front, which costs money. Why doesn’t Bush ask for it? Do you think we have enough troops? Standby for my answer.
INFANTRY
Ha ha. At least somebody is getting it, and isn’t afraid to voice it publicly. AAand, bombardment is not troops on the ground, thus, no occupation. Terror from above. I’m concerned about that year of food in the basement, though.
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20071025/D8SGFH3O0.html
Well said. I have to agree.
You got it! - People suggesting we need a draft are complete fools - full stop - end of discussion - They don't have a clue about today's modern military and the warriors fighting in it -
We do not need a draft in the least - And those serving absolutely don't want one.
You imply something I did not.
Since you did ask, I do not feel that combat arms strength is where it should be. Congress should have been more aggressive on funding increases to our military numbers since 9/11. Right now its in little spurts here and there.
To grow a fighting unit takes time. Funding a Division’s worth of troops takes 1) Funding 2) Pulling the leadership and cadre from other units thereby weakening them 3) Bringing in the privates and staffs 4) Training the individual tasks and then 5) Training the collective tasks. It takes time, time we’ve been wasting since 9/11.
Me? I’d like 4 more Mec Divisions and two or three SF Groups - but what do I know about such things?
I agree with you about the adventure part too. After the first time it is kill or be killed, it’s just very damn serious business that you want to be over as soon as possible and for all the suffering experienced along the way to mean something important when it is finally over.
“It takes time, time we’ve been wasting since 9/11.”
You got that right. Its like 9/11 was the “Movie of the Week”, and that’s so...’last year.’
Europe will wake up when one of these fanatical groups decides to try and smoke the pope, or blows up the Louvre. These maggots go for impact.
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