US Soldier Reacts to Congressional Election News

Of course the majority of soldiers trust their commanders, especially their immediate commanders. Of course many of them believe in the cause and believe what they've been told by this government. They wouldn't have had nearly the success they've had if they didn't. And make no mistake about it, the soldiers have had success. They've held their own for four years despite an incredibly idiotic plan that's put them in bad position after bad position.

Acting as though one soldier speaks for the entire military, however, is quite idiotic. And acting as if a soldier who is in the middle of a war zone has the best perspective on the situation as a whole is even dumber. This guy, assuming he's a real person, believes in the mission because he's got to believe in it. And I don't fault him whatsoever for any viewpoint he holds.

Now, morons like yourself, who still believe that this war is a good idea and that the Bush administration hasn't screwed this shit up royally from the jump, I've got an issue with you. Because you have distance. You can look at the war from an outside perspective and see our soldiers dying, the lies that were told to put them in that position and the continued march towards chaos this war is taking. You should know better when the idiot who devised this shitpile plan tells us we need to "stay the course." Sadly, you don't.

 

Then maybe you should read the letter that started this thread, because the guy prety much describes a whole unit. You can call it "one guy" if you want, but to do so you'd have to skip actually reading it.

 

Look you dope, since I'm the only one on this thread who bothered to verify the letter's authenticity, perhaps it's safe for you to assume that I actually have read the thing.

Just because an individual claims to speak for his whole unit doesn't make it so. Any more than one Marine not knowing the name of the Secretary of Defense can be taken to mean none of them know it.

 

I've got a buddy, who went to Harvard on a ROTC scholarship, and he did two years in Iraq. He absolutely cannot stand W. Bush, Rumsfeld, Cheney, and the whole collection of douche bags running this boondoggle. He could sit here and fire off a letter about what a clusterfuck Iraq is, how the conservatives have hijacked this country and driven it into a ditch, and write circles around this soldier. Does he speak for his "entire unit?" Fuck no. Does he speak for all the men and women in uniform? Fuck no. It's stupid to pretend otherwise. And guess what? The same is true for this guy.

Deep, if you've got such a fucking hard on for this war, walk down to your army recruitment office and sign your ass up. It's pretty easy to act tough and macho when it's someone else, or someone else's kid, riding over IEDs in jeeps without proper armor.

 

More for the anecdotal bonfire -- my brother was one of the first guys in Iraq, where he was awarded a bronze star, then did another stint in Afghanistan. He's going back again soon, though not sure when. He was thrilled with Tuesday's results. Voted for Kerry, too. To suggest that a vote against the GOP is a vote against the troops and a sign of hatred for them is the biggest display of dumbassery I've ever seen. Seriously, this particular soldier can go fuck himself if he really believes that all of us who voted Democrat do not support the troops.

As for Bush vs. Kerry, my brother found it hilarious that Bush and his Chickenhawks could actually maintain an ounce of credibility on defense against a guy who had actually been there.

 

I thought this was an interesting article, especially the last five graphs, on newsweek.com that discusses what people in Iraq thought of the election -- both locals and the troops.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15652522/site/newsweek/

 

That's some weak-ass shit, D_B.

I mean, weak.

 

Feeling bad about plans to de-fund the military?

 

Tell it to the guys making body armor with soup cans now, ChickenHawk.

 

At least they are getting some! (however late it may be)

 

They should have had it before the war started. That they didn't speaks to incredibly poor planning and a lack of respect for the troops on the part of those doing the planning.

 

You know, I've had friends, colleagues, employees under my watch that come up with the stupidest, misinformed opinions about everything under the sun -- about the workplace or otherwise.

I dismiss it as stupid bullshit.

Just because something I would view as a misinformed opinion is a soldier's opinion, doesn't mean I think twice about dismissing IT as stupid bullshit too.

Serving the country doesn't make you immune from being a dumb ass or vice versa.

Some of the smartest people I've been around -- of both political persuasions -- have been in the military, and they'd be a credit to whatever profession they went into.

And some of the most socially irresponsible fucktards -- of both political persuasions -- I've known have been in the military, and would be a detriment to whatever they did.

Military people are human. There's good ones, bad ones, smart ones, dumb ones.

Wearing the uniform of any country doesn't make the dumb ones any smarter or more informed ... probably the opposite as their dumb asses no doubt think the uniform gives them impunity to have whatever moronic opinion they want, and worse, the unchecked permission to occasionally act on it. (see prison abuses, etc.)