Military

[andrea]

O.K.
Nothing too political, but anybody here in the military, and if so what do you think about what''s going on

Non-military view as well

My husband is in the navy, and I''m petrified he will be acivated since several guys in his unit have been deployed

Including my cousin we just saw off today

Is anybody worried what might happen in the U.S.

Since this is well shared site, please, nothing to derogatory

 

[Talonnav]

Well, my husband is a navigator in the Air Force, and he currently deployed overseas. The "war" with Afghanistan is still going on.

Can't forget about those guys too!

I'm ready for the US to go to Iraq and well kick their ass. Enough is enough... Sadam has had 12 years to comply with the resolutions. That's 12 years too long.

I don't sit around and worry over if something is going to happen in the US. I won't live in fear. I have a hard enough time getting through each day as it is.

Heather

 

[Iceman]

If you are for the war or not please think about this.


There is not a draft ~ These people are doing this because they love their country. Its
volunteer to join the military.

People will die ~ at least give them the support on them being over there so you can
sleep at night knowing they are watching our back.

We live in such a vacuum here in the USA. Sadam , the other day took out a guys
tongue for speaking out against him, tied him on a pole and let him bleed to death, the
torture chambers / people shredders / rape rooms are just a small part of what these people go through on a day to day thing.

Not to support the military over there is supporting another Hitler.

A news reporter got an interview with a person in Baghdad.

He said you will find it hard pressed not to find somebody that has not had their
mother,husband,children tortured or disappear under sadams rule. Can anybody
fathom living like that?

This is more a humanitarian cause then a war.

War? This not a beginning of a war its an end to one that was started 12 years ago.


Andrea ~ Im so proud that your husband is in the service and my prays will go out to
him and all the others , that serve this country and make it so Im free.

I fully support the President that has the balls to do this.
They know more on what's going on over there then we do. Im sure we will be
shocked on what's been held back.

I fully support our troops and thank them every day for being so patriotic and loving
this country as much as I do.

As far back as the history of my family will go in the USA. They have all be patriots and fought for freedom.

Fighting for freedom , if its in our country or for others freedom is the same to me.

Can you imagine living over there and being a woman ?


Take care and let the 350 men in delta Force make a quick/ safe extraction to end this fast.

 

[Rank Amateur]

**My husband is in the navy, and I'm petrified he will be acivated since several guys in his unit have been deployed**

You can be proud that he has chosen such an honorable profession as the military. Tell him that the support out here in the heartland for this action against Saddam runs deep and wide.

R/A

 

[oldminer]

As an ex-Army Medic, I support the troops going in harm's way to protect our country and the freedom we enjoy. It is difficult to defend lanching a first strike, but if we know the intentions of a strong enemy, don't we reserve the right to eliminate this threat? I think we do. Surely, the American public has been told only a small fraction of the reasons to fear Saddam. Maybe there is a lot more that would be just too much to burden us with.

Rather than see the safety of the US and the rest of the free world spin out of control at the whim of a nut, there are many good reasons to support the troops......

I hope for their safe and victorious return. For those in their way, there will be countless casualties. It is a shame, but life is so cheap in certain parts of the world.

I also hope the tactics employed give our soldiers the lightest casualty rate possible. War is counter to safety. May it end very soon.

 

[dimonbob]

Hi Guys,

I am a retired ex U.S. Navy Submarine Service chief. My 20 years were spent during the "Cold War", like when we had our finger on the trigger during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Several dozen missile submarines, each with 16 multiple nuclear warhead missiles all ready to wipe out a huge section of real estate. What did we think about? Our families back home. Everything else was on automatic.

If your Navy husband is assigned to a ship in the gulf, he will be a lot safer than the Marines and Army guys. He will be clean, have 3 squares a day and have his own bunk to sleep in. The dirt soldiers will not have any of the above and face more danger.

This is a necessary action that we have to do. It is too bad that the first Mr. Bush had to stop when he did. Hopefully this will be over soon.

 

[mike04456]

I served in the Navy before college and have a VA-rated disability to show for it. I would have been there the first time around had my enlistment not been cut short. But guys I knew did go.

As Iceman said, we have an all-volunteer force, and those men and women know what they're doing. I too hope this is over as bloodlessly as possible. CNN is reporting that some Iraqi troop are already surrendering, before anything has even started.

I wish it had not ended up like this. The outcome seems inevitable--Saddam is not likely to have ever backed down--but it would have been nice if we could have done it without making the entire world hate us. It's hard to imagine that just a year ago, after Afghanistan, we had such respect and affection from the rest of the world.

I'm frankly more worried about the aftermath--Iraq will fly apart at the seams like it did the first time, the moment Saddam is gone--and what North Korea might do. I hope Kim Jong Il doesn't get it into his head that he's next and decide to invade South Korea while our back is turned. A second Korean war is likely to be an absolute bloodbath.

 

[Iceman]

We now have 45 countries that back us.

Even Afghanistan has sent support.

The people that hate us will always hate us no matter what we do.

Korea is the next war we need to finish. I hope they learn from this so this wont happen.

 

[mike04456]

----------------
The people that hate us will always hate us no matter what we do.
----------------

That's a cop-out. Our actions do have consequences. The way our government behaves does have an affect on what other nations and peoples think of us. To act as if all this vitriol directed our way is nothing but mindless anti-Americanism without any rational basis is very condescending and part of why foreigners get so annoyed with Americans.

We may have 45 countries that have expressed some degree of support, but only 2 that are contributing warm bodies. And most of those countries, especially in the Middle East, have no popular backing for what they're doing.

 

[Rank Amateur]

The Middle East contries are in a tough spot. They know that Saddam is the worst kind of Arab, yet blood is much thicker than water. The know the Iraqi people will be better off without Saddam, but don't have the WILL to do anything aout it. They also know that Israel is strengthened if they fight among themselves, but they really don't get along with each other, either. They talk about a unitfied Arab people, but won't give up any of their fifedoms to actually unify. The love the west yet they hate the west. It's a difficult culture for me to understand.

Nobody knows what the common Arab on the street thinks about his government because he (respectfully?) refuses to criticize the king. Yet that same person will use the foulest of language to describe Jews or our government. One forcefully said word seems to be more important than one forcefully done deed. Their bretheren in Kuwait were raped and pillaged, but it took the USA from 10,000 miles away to DO anything about it. Weird. 100 Million Arabs right next door wouldn't take on Saddam.

I am not capable of understanding these people, but I do know that deep down, in spite of their lack of apparent support, they will be happy when we kick Saddam out of Iraq. They might even thank us.

Not.

 

[mike04456]

RA, you make some good points. The Arab peoples are by no means united in favor or in opposition to anything, which is part of why that part of the world is so backward and poverty-stricken. The last meeting of the Arab League apparently degenerated into a shouting match because no one could agree on anything with respect to Iraq. It's sad because the wealth of that region could support so much more prosperity than it does.

I don't think too many people will be sorry to see Saddam go. The governments in the Middle East are either afraid of him (the Gulf Emirates) or hate him even more than they hate the U.S. (as with Iran). The Islamist groups absolutely despise him, in part because he has persecuted them from the moment he took power. His frequent posture as a devout Muslim is a complete fabrication. Even Osama bin Laden has called repeatedly for his overthrow, which makes those claims of cooperation look very thin to me.

I fervently hope that Bush is right and that the Iraqi people will welcome us as liberators. The sight of people dancing in the streets of Baghdad as U.S. tanks roll into town would go a long way toward restoring our international image. I don't know how likely that is, though. I suppose we're going to find out.

 

[andrea]

I am VERY proud of my husband, and all who stand up for what it means to be a nation of individuality.

He's actually a Chief builder SEABEE. So he's land based. Funny that he's in the NAVY since he sinks like a rock, and doesn't even like the water. But none-the-less, he's very good at what he does.
Let's just hope this all ends soon, without much damage.

 

[mike04456]

The Seabees are a proud outfit. I knew a few in my Navy days. Has he made you watch "The Fighting Seabees"? It's very big with those guys. I've heard it's required viewing at Seabee School.

 

[fire&ice]

----------------
On 3/19/2003 5

6:59 PM Rank Amateur wrote:

The love the west yet they hate the west. It's a difficult culture for me to understand.
They might even thank us.

Not.

----------------

R/A Did you happen to watch Tom Friedman's special on the Mideast? This dichotomy in thinking was a prevailing theme. I, too, have a hard time understanding their culture/religion? How can one have such strong opposing sentiments?

 

[fire&ice]

----------------
On 3/19/2003 5:51:40 PM LawGem wrote:

The last meeting of the Arab League apparently degenerated into a shouting match because no one could agree on anything with respect to Iraq. It's sad because the wealth of that region could support so much more prosperity than it does.

----------------

Watching clips of that "meeting" saddened me. Before they kicked the "press" out, one "leader" had a light bulb moment and told another "leader" his mustache sucked (to paraphrase).

 

[AGBF]

Back to the original topic:

Babblingal's husband is an active military officer. I am not sure she has published the branch on the 'net, so I don't want to do it "for her".

 

[andrea]

LawGem-
Are you KIDDING me!
We OWN a copy of "The fighting seabees"

And about every other movie that has something to do with the bees.
Fortunately he doesn't make me watch them though, however he does try to shame me into them. Luckily I'm not the shaming type.

 

[Rank Amateur]

----------------
On 3/20/2003 8:39:47 AM fire&ice wrote:



R/A Did you happen to watch Tom Friedman's special on the Mideast? This dichotomy in thinking was a prevailing theme. I, too, have a hard time understanding their culture/religion? How can one have such strong opposing sentiments?


----------------

Nope. I didn't happen to see it. This dichotomy sure does intrigue me.

Though the word "macho" is used by and for Spanish speaking people, I think it applies perfectly to the people in countries like Iraq. They speak loud and carry a small stick.


I hope all these little piece of crap countries are watching to see that Uncle Sam carries a big 'ol wuppin' stick and will use it if necessary. Especially on thugs and punks. (Are you listening North Korea?)

 

[babblingal]

Thanks AGBF for not *outing* which branch. My husband works in a sensitive area, and it makes me feel a bit more vulnerable and protective of our family and him

Here is what I wrote in one of the other forums, and it seemed to sum up how I feel well, so here it is again. Sorry if it is a repeat for any of you...

I was *strollered* to peace demonstrations in the late 60's early 70's. I have a HUGE commitment to peace and am not opposed to people protesting the war. I would not chain myself to my husband's military base to protest a war because I feel to do so would not accomplish anything because the people going in and out of the gate are merely doing the job our government pays them to do. In order for these protests to have *teeth* they should be done where people with power can see them. Demonstrating at the military bases does not achieve much, in my opinion.

My husband has a picture of me with a sign that says "Disarm by the year 2000" taken during the 80's at a "No Nukes" rally.

While my husband may be doing a job I wish he didn't need to do, I nonetheless support him and the people he works with. Our family makes a lot of sacrifices for his commitment to serve his country. I admire his fortitude, even if I don't always agree with what his job requires him to do.

 

[babblingal]

I also wrote this:
I too agree with the idea that there is more to this(the reasons for war) than what we all know and understand. I am not sure I want to know what it is because it just might tick me off that my husband, and other military like him ,are being put in harm's way for it. However, there are reasons to want Saddam out of the picture and yes he has done inhumane acts that need to be stopped from occurring again. As for the belief that our government is going to war because of it, well I don't buy into that. There are plenty of other countries that are equally inhumane (pick and Arab nation, any Arab nation!) and we do little about those places and we aren't going to war with any of them.

We have people in our country living below the poverty line and not receiving appropriate medical care, yet our president isn't outraged about that. It is not my belief that we are invading Iraq because we are now fed up with the way Saddam has been behaving. We are finishing something that was left unfinished 12 years ago. I would feel better if the president just said "Hey, we need to finish this up. It's a loose end." I don't see anything wrong with saying this if it is the truth, but sadly being truthful is not the tool of successful politicians. : (

Actually if the president just said "Osama and Saddam planned the WTC attacks. We have evidence to support it. We are going after Saddam." I would be able to accept that reason too. It makes sense. The other BS doesn't. At least not to me.

I think we should have taken Saddam out the first time, I guess if first you don't succeed...

I also feel that while I know what our country could do to them, I worry about what they will do to us in return. This worries me more than anything else. It is a culture our country has difficulty understanding, and this is why I am so concerned about what could happen next, I don't think we can predict it based upon cultural norms/mores.

 

[mike04456]

----------------
I hope all these little piece of crap countries are watching to see that Uncle Sam carries a big 'ol wuppin' stick and will use it if necessary. Especially on thugs and punks. (Are you listening North Korea?)
----------------

Personally, I hope North Korea is *not* watching this and that they go back to minding their own business and dealing with their own basket-case of a country. The last thing we need is for them to start a preemptive war because they're worried about being next. Iraq is a push-over; they would not be, not in the least because they could level Seoul in about three days with all the heavily-bunkered artillery and rockets they have in range just over the DMZ.

 

[mike04456]

----------------
LawGem-
Are you KIDDING me!
We OWN a copy of "The fighting seabees"

And about every other movie that has something to do with the bees.
Fortunately he doesn't make me watch them though, however he does try to shame me into them. Luckily I'm not the shaming type.

----------------

I know where he's coming from--it was "An Officer and a Gentleman" that got me to enlist way back when. There's just something about those Navy movies.

 

[Rank Amateur]

----------------
On 3/20/2003 11

8:43 AM LawGem wrote:

----------------
I hope all these little piece of crap countries are watching to see that Uncle Sam carries a big 'ol wuppin' stick and will use it if necessary. Especially on thugs and punks. (Are you listening North Korea?)
----------------

Personally, I hope North Korea is *not* watching this and that they go back to minding their own business and dealing with their own basket-case of a country. The last thing we need is for them to start a preemptive war because they're worried about being next. Iraq is a push-over; they would not be, not in the least because they could level Seoul in about three days with all the heavily-bunkered artillery and rockets they have in range just over the DMZ.
----------------

They certainly would not be a pushover, but as they get too big for their britches it might give them something to think about. We could never do to Korea what we are doing to Iraq unless we can get their own people to overthrow Jung El Dung. We'd need to think of another way. I agree that invasion would be WAY too costly. Especially for what there is to gain.

While we can HOPE that they mind their own business, it can easily be seen that providing food and shelter for their own people NOT a concern to them. You can't "go back" to doing something that you have never done. Amassing a large military IS their focus. The question is, "Why?" I personally have no idea. Blackmail?

 

[babblingal]

And here is another posting...

The big difference in how the military will operate this time around is in the number of active duty who will go and the experience of years in the militaryrepresented in the ranks. Following the end of the cold war, there was a large reduction in force, following the RIF, there were a many members who felt upset that the military *pinkslipped* some of the most experienced of our military. This left a young and inexperienced group of military. Then on top of that, the military then turned around and began heaping tons and tons of TDY, (temporary duty away from home) on the remaining members. Just because the military has fewer members, does not decrease the work load!

This in turn created a terrible morale problem and made many choose to now get out of the military when their *time* was up. Fewer people are reinlisting/reupping than previous to the end of the cold war. The amount of reservists who will be deployed is higher too, I believe. There is also a pecking order regarding how reservists are treated and how the active duty are treated. Rules that apply to reservists do not apply to active duty and vice versa. This also can cause morale problems.

In the end, I hope we won't have to go to war. War is hell and even though I am married to someone in the military, I still wish we didn't need a military and the people of the world could live together in peace.

Kumbaya, dammit! LOL

Oh, and let me add that the above statements I made about the military, are my personal opinions based upon my having lived thru the Gulf War deployments, Kosovo deployments and having been married to an active duty military member with almost 15 years of service under his belt.

 

[AGBF]

----------------
On 3/20/2003 12:29:33 PM babblingal wrote:



Oh, and let me add that the above statements I made about the military, are my personal opinions based upon my having lived thru the Gulf War deployments, Kosovo deployments and having been married to an active duty military member with almost 15 years of service under his belt.

----------------

Oh, dear. I didn't realize that intimacy with a member of the armed forces was necessary for participation in the discussion. Well...it has been many years, but I think I can claim similar knowledge of only the more *maritime* services. The marines and the Coast Guard positively leap to mind when I go back a few years. Oh...and both were Vietnam era, too. Does that count?

 

[babblingal]

AGBF,
I didn't mean my comment to be exclusionary for anyone! I only meant to define where *I* was coming from and why I feel as I do. Sorry if I didn't state that clearly.

Better?

 

[andrea]

It's interesting to hear all sorts of views, and opinions, but I think my biggest concern is for my children. If something were to happen (here in the U.S.) would my family be together, and would I be able to protect my children.
Aside from that, I'm not too terribly worried. Iowa seems to be of no interest to most

 

[Iceman]

Here is my Grandpa in WW1 ~ one of those guys?

 

[Iceman]

He is the one in the crowd that looks like this.

 

[AGBF]

----------------
On 3/20/2003 2:49:26 PM Iceman wrote:

Here is my Grandpa in WW1 ~ one of those guys?
----------------

No, Ice, it wasn't one of them. There are a *few* years of difference between World War I and the Vietnam War and the men with whom I was intimate were Vietnam War era. Also, as I mentioned, one was Coast Guard and one was a marine. That fellow appears to be army .

Hugs,