Posted on 10/29/2011 7:10:08 AM PDT by Perdogg
I’m hiding behind a monitor? I’m a combat veteran, dude. I hid behind a Stryker a few times, but that’s how it is sometimes.
You can blame me and my brothers (literally and figuratively) all day long for the failure in Afghanistan. I’m not changing my mind that we’re executing the mission we’ve been given with the resources we have (time, money, mission, and equipment).
I’m also not changing my mind that we went there for a reason, it was a good reason then, and it’s a good reason now. If we need to re-look at the mission objectives, fine. My stance on this is perfectly clear.
I’m not changing my mind about it being inappropriate to call the wife of a service member a “kool-aid drinker” when she reminds people of the reasons we’re there. You want to defend such a comment? Go ahead, but you’re not on solid ground there.
If you don’t like that answer, then I don’t know what to tell you.
Bless You, Marie, and Your Dear Husband.
There is a daily thread that Prays for Our American Heroes and Our Nation. We also pray for the families.
Would you like a daily ping?
You really should run for office.
Did you see my posts to Marie? Especially the ones where I praised her, and her family for their service to the country?
And if you are a combat vet I will say the same thing I said to Marie, God Bless You! I support you, and I don't know where you can find in any of my posts calling Marie a "kool-aid" drinker, and if you do "search replies" I didn't reply to that FReeper who called her a "kool-aid" drinker. I never ever said that about anyone who is in the military or a family member of the military. I have USAA Insurance and they don't give that to random people, so you can quit with your statement that I am somehow anti-military. My grandfather fought in the F'ing Royal Airforce during the Battle of Britain, and my father fought in Vietnam. I couldn't be eligible to be drafted due to many medical conditions. That doesn't mean I don't support each and every one of our troops whole heartedly so don't you dare question my patriotism or I will eviscerate yours.
When the anti-war nuts protested in Chicago in 2003 I along with other Chicagoland FReepers organized a Support Our Troop Rally drawing 3000 strong!!! Would you like pictures?
To say I blame your brothers makes me sick. How dare you POS, do you know I've lost friends over there? Don't talk about your f'ing brothers!!! Just because I don't wear the uniform doesn't mean I don't care about people I consider brothers, while not brothers in arms but brothers like stated in the Bible.
I NEVER criticized a SINGLE member of the United States Army, Navy, Air Force or Marine Corp all which I have friends serving in one of the four branches.
So you can rot in hell for all eternity and I really don't care if you bash abuse. Every one of the mods knows my support for the troops is unwavering. So bash abuse, bash it again, and you will get nothing.
I praised Marie and told her that I was praying for her and her family.
I am sick because you served you think I should bow down and worship you? What about Major Hassan? He wore the uniform? So take your BS that you all are Saints and shove it. I stood up to the anti-war thugs, I have friends and family in every branch of the armed services. I had a great uncle survive Guadacanal only to die a dozen years later from an illness he picked up during his service in the South Pacific. So take your questioning of my patriotism and shove it!!! There are plenty of ex-military who turned out to be bad people.
You sir, are making the generalizations here. You assume because I don't support the way Barack Obama and his PC Generals are running this war that I am some how an anti war nut job who should be out protesting? Like I said where are all the left wing anti war groups? They protested because they hated George Bush, they don't care about the troops.
Have you been in the basement of the Pentagon meeting with the under Joint Chiefs during a Congressional briefing? I doubt it. I have. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures they don't allow cameras or cell phones in that area of the Pentagon.
So you can continue to rant on how you are some amazing hero like George S. Patton, but don't you dare question my patriotism for criticizing Barack Obama, someone who had zero military experience, and I doubt he had many buddies who were combat vets. Last I checked his friends bombed the Pentagon.
You can search all the way back to 2001 and you will see that not one of my thousands of posts criticizes an American soldier with the exception of those from the Religion of Peace who decide to go jihad on their fellow soldiers...
I just saw an update on this. The casualty list has been updated to 5 US servicemen and 8 civilian contractors.
I witnessed his rise to power and believe I was the first in 2005 to say this guy would be President after meeting him.
Am I happy I was right? Hell no!
But am I going to bow down and worship him and his moron advisers, then re look at history folks!!!
If we fought World War 2 like we fought this current war in Afghanistan we would all be speaking German or be thrown in an oven...
I am therefore very sorry as I realize that the efforts of your husband and the other U.S. servicemen and women are likely in vain. The reason is that Afghanistan has been controlled by the religion of Islam for centuries, and as such has a long history of violence and strife, with no tradition of democracy and the freedoms we take for granted.
Having lived in the Muslim world, I realize that many of the common people want only to live their lives in peace, and to have a chance to get ahead. However, what we in the West do not understand is that, with Islam, the most radical factions often end up in control. The reason is that they can claim to be the true and authentic expression of Islam. And the more radical and violent they become, the more they solidify their power as more moderate voices are silenced. If they do not remain silent, they are dragged from their homes in the night. It happened around us.
Thus, your husband has doubtlessly met and worked with many Afghans who earnestly desire peace. And it is heartbreaking to realize that their hopes will never be realized, for when the foreigners (American military) leave, the country will revert to warring factions slaughtering each other until one gains the supremacy.
Few people know that in the 1950's and 60's there was a concerted effort to Westernize Helmond province in Afghanistan. Huge amounts of money was spent to build an infrastructure of roads, bridges, modern homes, schools, libraries - everything needed to foster a democratic revolution in the country. The story is told here:
http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article14411.html
The period photos show Afghan men and women dressed in fashionable Western attire posing in libraries, going to the cinema, and working as engineers and in modern radio studios.
In the end it was a dismal failure; today almost nothing remains of all the money spent trying to "modernize" Afghanistan. Helmond province is today just as backward as any other province of the country - you can scarcely see any lingering effects of the well-meaning - and costly - cultural experiment.
The reason is we failed to grasp the hold that Islam has over the country; an iron grasp which rejects all attempts to introduce "Western progress." While many of the common people are thankful for Western aid, once again, their leaders would prefer to live in the middle ages than accept what they consider infidel Western values.
You acknowledge, correctly, that the problems run very deep. What perhaps you will one day come to realize is that the problems are so deep as to be impossible to address without a fundamental restructuring of how people think - which would require challenging the authority that Islam holds over their lives. This is something that the U.S. under both George "Islam is a religion of peace" Bush and Obama has been loath to do. We have even permitted an Islamic constitution (sans Western freedoms of religion, etc.) to be instituted in Afghanistan. What hope can we then have of bringing true change to the country?
All the best, and once again, my heartfelt thanks and appreciation for your husband's service to his country.
Didn’t you get the memo? To be a FReeper you must be a pacifist after January, 2012/ sarc
Marie, thank you for your service and your husband’s. My husband is in Kabul as well. I breathed a sigh of relief when I heard from him yesterday. Thankfully he should be home by Christmas. `
From one soldier’s wife to another, God Bless you, Marie — it’s people like YOU who also sacrifice daily keep this country safe ...more than they’ll ever know.
Thanks for reminding us why we are there.
Thanks, from the bottom of MY heart to all the families w/ loved ones there. We lost a friend last year to a roadside bomb in Kabul. He was a great Christian man and father to five.
People don’t really have a clue as the hell you go through. It’s the lonliest post in the world.
As a military wife, I understand your fear, your lonliness, your anxiety ... many of us are THERE with you ALL, always, in prayer — please know that.
To the morons who have replied on this thread . . .If we were being directly attacked here in the US, I have NO doubt you and YOUR ilk would be the first ones to run screaming to the military to ask for protection.... which they would do — without any hesitation. So, imagine that scenario next time you want to make snide remarks TO the troops who are carrying out their duties as prescribed by law and our leadership.
Yes, thank you!
Consider it DONE! Hare is today’s thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2799896/posts?page=9
I mean, what was the point of all the sacrifice, hard work and death if we give up before the job is done?
‘commander zero’ has already told the taliban that we will be pulling out next year.
8:}
I would only wish that those who pray at the alter of self grandizing, power hungry, perfumed princes would be cast aside and let our warriors execute orders that will bring decisive victories.
When we see our heroes cast in prison or killed or maimed for no other reason than a misguided sense of fairness or sensitivity towards an adversary bent on using our tweaked R.O.Es, when 65 NCIS, congressmen, news media etc., can not present a case so they leave a Marine twisting in the wind for 6 years.....it can't help lose but faith in our leadership.
"...a couple of years?" It's been 10 years. Having visited many undeveloped countries in my Navy years, I have some perspective on said countries. No, some simply do NOT want to advance. The Western world has given and given and even tried to help them produce, but they still hold fast to their backward beliefs.
Some peoples cannot be brought into Western ideals of individual freedom - think collective Amazon tribes or think Native Indian tribes who still sit and drink and rely on this Nation's largess, even with their casinos. I disagree with you, especially about those whose lives are built around fanatical religious beliefs.
Gonna change the Catholics, also? They still hate Protestants. Luckily, they don't bomb each other, but Islamists will continue to do so. They live by their insane theocracy. They always will. Islamist simply can't grasp or don't want the concept of liberty. You think you can rehab every one? Ain't gonna happen. We will never change their way of thinking as long as they hold on to mohammed's teachings. The only thing we have to protect our way of life is massive force and annialation if need be, and not nation building.
Point in case: Look at the so-called palestinians. They get big bucks and encouragement from the West year after year and were given their piece of the pie with Gaza. What have they done with that freedom, except immediately destroy Israeli infra-structure and made themselves bigger victims? They got their slice of this rock, but still teach their children to hate and kill Israelis. They will never be satisfied until their historical hatred of the Jews results in extermination. And this is right now as I type this.
You are wrong, my friend. Some peoples/cultures will never accept Western values. Although, the Kardashians and Jersey Shore don't help our cause...har!
So how long do you think we should stay in the ME? 2 or 4 or 8 or 10 or 20 years more? How long until these tribal barbarians learn to appreciate our ideology? I have hopes for Iraq, but Aftganiscrap is a lost cause. All we should do is keep those barbarians from aligning with Pakistan (which has the bomb) and others through clandestine means.
Next time they hit us in mass, and they will, carpet bomb those 7th century wannabes into their century that they so adore. There is a time to exterminate totalitarians. We did it with the Nazis, facist Italy, and imperial savage Japan.
ONE BILLION Muslims on this rock. If just 1% is radical (which is being generous), do the math. I'd rather see them all just disappear than just ONE innocent American child die because of their hatred. Think Dresden and Tokyo when they hit us again.
Apples and oranges. Viet Nam was an ideological/political war. Aftganiscrap is a religious war even though no one wants to admit it. Ideas can be changed with reason over time; religious beliefs are more difficult. Although I agree with both of you that our ROE have not been sufficient because of civilian PC concerns.
Sorry, I'm still for a CIC that stops this crap and tells every one point blank, "We get a mass attack, then we carpet bomb all involved, including nuke capable nations". Yes, I know it's not that simple to discern who was backed by who, but a loud message like that would give a reason for pause.
We would no longer be the "paper tiger" that World sees now. Everyone knows our capabilities, what they really need to know (actually fear) is our willingness to use them, unlike Korea and Viet Nam and now Aftganiscrap. Although, we did make an impression with Iraq, but as soon as we leave, it will be business as usual with Iran.
Yup, the nuclear genie is out of the bottle and I fully expect a tactical nuclear war before I'm gone (61 years old). That's why we should make an example of some shithead nation, so the World remembers what we did in WWII.
Similar things were said when Britain first went into India.
A couple hundred years later India had advanced enough to play at least a small part in the modern world and today it is a thriving democracy. Had the British not made the venture, it would not have happened.
Some peoples cannot be brought into Western ideals of individual freedom
Perhaps not our model...and perhaps only after centuries in some cases. Each country over there is unique..some will advance more rapidly than others. But the goal is to move the world along and this war is accomplishing that purpose.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.