Posted on 09/17/2001 2:31:41 PM PDT by SAMWolf
'Don't ask me to kill ... or to die'
I am a 19-year-old college student. I joined the Oregon National Guard two months before I turned 18.
I write about the possibility of war. I am still in shock about everything that has happened. I want the people responsible to pay for their crimes.
And those are the only people who should pay.
If we go to war, it will be my generation that will have to go. America will ask us to give up our dreams and to die for our country. We will be asked to leave our loved ones, to leave our educations and to die alongside our brothers, sisters and friends.
Please don't ask us to do this. I am not afraid to defend my country, but I am afraid for my country. Enough people have died already. Please don't ask me to kill others or to die myself in the name of revenge.
LAURA VILLANI, Private first class, Pendleton
What an absolutely horrible thing to say!
It was intended to be just that.
She needs an attitude adjustment. She needs to understand that getting only those people who were directly responsible is not enough. We need to commence an all-out, relentless campaign against all terrorists, and against all who aid them. A permanent war.
Otherwise, they just keep coming.
Yes, it's in the Northeast part of the State.
The operative here is the word "ask". Since when was a soldier ever "asked" to do anything. Someone forgot to explain to this dimwit that she doesnt own herself anylonger...she is an instrument of death, and exists at the pleasure of her supior officers...
Also, I should let you know that Pendleton (where this caller is from)is about 200 miles east of Portland, and is about as conservative as you can get. I think that Lars' show is simulcast statewide (or a lot of folks listen via the internet).
BTW I like your Freep name!
You can't fault her for not knowing those things yet... about the only thing that will convince people like this will be her witnessing that American spirit of patriotism and self-sacrifice in action, if they will be convinced at all.
The reserves WILL be called up. Little children, like this Laura, need to face reality, and stop living in a dream world.
Every person can rise above the average too and succeed better than their peers.
The following message is from my son, a cadet candidate at the USAF Academy Prepatory School.
I'm not sure if ya'll will get this or not since we are at Delta. I woke up this morning, still not believing this happened until I saw a picture of a neverending caravan of ambulances on the streets of NY and the hundreds of body bags laid out in front of the Pentagon. Another friend of my sent me this picture, and another young Cadet Candidate, Jonathan Lee, wrote this statement. I myself am afraid for our country, our children. But, maybe this is the wakeup call that this country needs. I love you all, and I'm thankful that we share a common bond, the greatest of all.
The next message is from a classmate of my son's. The author is 18 years old.
To Whom it May Concern: Today was devastating. There is not much I can say right now. I have cried through pretty much most of it. I know a lot of people can not seem to believe or understand what has happened to us today, but I do. And I am very proud of my country because I know we will prevail. We have become soft as a nation, but will grow stronger because of these acts against us. Like our President George Bush said, "We will hunt down whoever did this." As I watched and saw the Israel Prime Minister stand up and speak to his nation, and tell them and us that his country will do everything that they can to help us, I was proud to be an American. I knew that all those times that we helped save their country their doing the same for us now. I know a lot of people were very critical of us sending troops to vietnam, but they also didn't understand what we were fighting for. The moment that they were fighting for was now. In order to form a better world we must all stick together. And in order to do that we must have Love and respect for each other. It is sad that it takes measures such as these to bring us together as a society but there is a reason for everything. Unfortunately, from day to day most of us who are realist just live to tomorrow and whatever happens tomorrow we will worry about tomorrow. There are however those few idealists that I know sound stupid sometimes but look to tomorrow to prevent these kinds of things. It may not be hard for those that didn't know anybody in that area or that this happened to but for me I realize that those were real people who had normal lives just like you and me. They are no longer with us. A lot of people may say that they don't care, well, some won't care until the brief ten seconds before they die and it happens to them too. Colonel [name withheld] said that most of those people in that building probably thought it would never happen to them. Well, it did. That just made me realize that, it could happen to me. To me, today struck at my heart in two ways. The first was when I saw that plane ram into the tower. I felt I had just been shot in the heart. The second was when I saw the senate stand up together at the press confrence and sing together and show the unity of America even in our diversity. For me this was truly an awesome moment. They were strong. We are strong. And I love America with every bit of my heart. That is why I am here. To protect her. Thank you for listening.
This, from our future military leaders, bodes well for our country. And here's a picture my son sent to me.
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