I think that part of his frustration is that they were supposed to go to Iraq and instead were sent to Afghanistan where they are sitting around not doing much of anything. Of course, this may change when winter is over. They don't do much fighting in winter in Afg.
As to the outsider remark I think he was differentiating from the basically understanding comments he was getting from people who seemed to have military background, and the complaints without addressing the issues that he got from others. Personally, I am very upset that Afg. is supplying one half of the world's heroin supply. I wonder if anything meaningful will be done about that?
I didn't start out by saying this was my son as I did not want to influence the discussion one way or the other. I have made enough comments at other military threads, that people who follow them were probably aware of that.
I strongly support and appreciate anyone who serves in our nation's military.
I believe the best thing I can do during this time of war is provide clear rationales as to why this service is successful.
I certainly do not know any details at the level of someone in the field. Nonetheless, I do see the broader picture of how personal testimony will be exploited by commentators to increase the risks for mission failure.
I wish you and your family the best.
I promised to see if I could find information on how many Congresspeople had members of the immediate family in the service. I refined the criteria to those who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan since 2001.
The Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee (R) has a child who has served in Iraq. I have phone messages in to the Senate ASC. No one can give me exact figures so far, and I was told they may not exist. One suggested I research Congressional Quarterly. I have not had time to do that. I know that about 10 years ago when I was helping to organize a local Veterans' Day parade, a significant number, I think at least 1/3 of Congresspeople had served in the military.