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Back from Iraq

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by jimmyrose, Mar 14, 2007.

  1. jimmyrose

    jimmyrose Member

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    We met my wife's nephew at the airport this afternoon while he had a short layover on his way home. He's been in Iraq for some time, and showed us some video taken from his tank during some action and other shots/videos of his platoon. He was stationed just outside of Ramadi (sp?).

    I was curious to how he felt about what was going on over there and was careful not to inject any of my opinions; he's most likely going back and I didn't feel any desire to add to any doubts he might have. Besides, it was clearly an opportunity to simply listen much of the time. Overall, he believes he's helping to defend our country but doesn't really feel this is can be "won" in any conventional sense of the word. We didn't specifically speak to the original reasons for us invading, but I was getting the impression that he (and a lot of them) knew it was under false pretenses; despite that, he felt they were "there" and everyone there had volunteered to be there (I don't agree with this, but again, not the place, not the time for that discussion). He clearly had no love lost for Dubya.

    He had very little respect for the Iraqi's in general. His comments were that they lived primitively, and seemd to just enjoy blowing crap up, but my impression is that he was dealing most with insurgents, and didn't have much in the way of contact with those not trying to kill our troops.

    He was VERY interested in what "we" (meaning the general public) thought about the war. Again, we didn't want to be the ones to make him doubt himself or his sense of purpose if he was returning to the suck. We told him everyone wants our troops home safely and quickly, but that at this point a sudden massive withdrawal would probably be disastrous to the region.

    It will be interesting to have a frank discussion about this when he's home for good, without all the eggshell walking...
     
  2. Skynight

    Skynight New Member

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    May God bless him and keep him safe.
     
  3. Prius The First

    Prius The First New Member

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    NEWS FLASH!

    WASHINGTON DC - The Pentagon has admitted that or the first time, in a bleak new report, that some of the violence in Iraq can be described as constituting a civil war.

    http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/03/14/...q-Civil-War.php

    The best thing we can do is to support our Troops by bringing them home and bringing them home now.

    God Bless him and his service as well as all of our men and women fighting this illegal war for oil.
     
  4. member

    member New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ZenCruiser @ Mar 14 2007, 09:54 PM) [snapback]405878[/snapback]</div>

    To think otherwise would be a bit insulting don't you think?

    I constantly hear politicians try to insulate American soldiers from American sentiment, as if they couldn't handle it. These people obviously have some mettle to be getting shot at daily and still carry on. What could anyone possibly say that would be more demoralizing than sending soldiers into a war for literally nothing?

    The current administration has put our soldiers in an impossible situation which insults everyone.
     
  5. Proco

    Proco Senior Member

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    I'm glad to hear your wife's nephew was able to come home safely. Here's hoping he won't have to go back.
     
  6. jimmyrose

    jimmyrose Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Display Name @ Mar 15 2007, 09:55 AM) [snapback]405999[/snapback]</div>
    Well, since I'm not in his head, I have to deal with what comes out of his mouth - most of it was flavored very patriotically and almost "canned", but I really don't know him well enough to be able to discern his true feelings in an hour. It's only the second time we've met, he lived in CA for many years before signing up.

    I wasn't trying to insulate him, but I also didn't feel that if he was truly believing in what he was doing, that expressing my own opinion wouldn't serve any other purpose other than letting him know how I felt. If his attention were to waver just a little based on my beliefs and he was injured or killed as a result, well, I don't want to deal with that.
     
  7. MarinJohn

    MarinJohn Senior Member

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    If you talk to him again before he redeploys please offer him our thanks and prayers for a safe return. Let him know no matter how many feel about the situation we are thankful for his and his family's sacrifice, and admire his courage. (Omit the truthful part about how sad some of us feel for the innocent Iraqi citizens caught in the crossfire). Neocons take note: I didn't say ALL Iraqis.

    In these cases (only), like you, I'd offer my ear but not much opinion. I was disappointed when Schumka's son returned but did not give us his personal account on PC.
     
  8. Lywyllyn

    Lywyllyn New Member

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    I hope that his training and his instincts will continue to serve him well. Tell him that we all support the troops, not necessarily the administration (leave that out though) and wish for a speedy, safe and permanent return.

    Thanks for sharing!
     
  9. Rangerdavid

    Rangerdavid Senior Member

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    Right or wrong, our men and women are over there, doing what our country has asked of them, and doing so as valiently as anyone could. I hate that they're there. I hate the administration that sent them there. One life lost under these false pretenses is one to many, but the fact if that they are there. And as long as they are there, we need to make sure they are as well supplied and armed as they possibly could be.

    I'm glad you didnt bring up to much of the controversial stuff with him. There will be time for that and for his own reflection when he's home permanently, and even out of service at some point.

    God Bless our troops!!! Every single one of them!! Bring 'em all home as fast, and as safely as possible. Protect our country HERE...... not over there. God bless America...
     
  10. member

    member New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ZenCruiser @ Mar 15 2007, 01:25 PM) [snapback]406258[/snapback]</div>
    I see. I appreciate your posts because I don't get much opportunity to hear anything from those who've been there. You seem to have handled the situation with sensitivity which is always good. Here's to his continued safety.
     
  11. jimmyrose

    jimmyrose Member

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    Hi all,

    I wanted to thank you all for the wishes for our nephew to return home safely - we will certainly share that with him; I think he'd appreciate it.

    I originally posted this with the intent (that many here picked up on - smart Prius people that you are) to share what his thoughts were minus as much as possible the political opinionating we all do. I really wanted to know what his impressions were, and I was surprised/impressed that he wanted to know what ours were.

    I would like to take the opportunity to state, as Rangerdavid and lywyllyn (jeez, that took three attempts to spell right) and some others have: that despite our disapproval of this war from the beginning, our anger is not directed at the troops but at those that placed them there so frivolously. I don't believe anyone on this board blames the troops; I hope some of the posters who continue to equate attacking the administration with attacking the troops in many other threads will finally understand this.

    Peace.
     
  12. desynch

    desynch Die-Hard Conservative

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ZenCruiser @ Mar 14 2007, 11:54 PM) [snapback]405878[/snapback]</div>
    Don't bring him here.. he'll probably be infuriated to see how liberals always seem to blame America.. or support the bad guy.. or talk about how Soldiers are being "wasted".
     
  13. Lywyllyn

    Lywyllyn New Member

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    Hey .... all of us *liberals* agreed to keep him focused on coming home safe and sound ...then he can join the discussion. :D

    So stick to the agreement and if you bothered to read the posts above you see that most of us blame the "decision makers" which by the way include Reps and Dems, as they both voted to send the troops in the first place. :p
    No one blames the country, the people or the troops!
     
  14. desynch

    desynch Die-Hard Conservative

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Lywyllyn @ Mar 16 2007, 07:24 PM) [snapback]407068[/snapback]</div>
    As long as this is true then I'm fine. If I see any hippies spitting on Veterans, then I'll have a problem.
     
  15. Lywyllyn

    Lywyllyn New Member

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    Dude you have to get rid of that 60's movie reel ... besides those veterans can take care of themselves with a nice smack on the back of the dreads :)
     
  16. LaughingMan

    LaughingMan Active Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(desynch @ Mar 16 2007, 08:17 PM) [snapback]407066[/snapback]</div>
    SIGH. Liberals do not blame America. We criticize high level policy, but that's a criticism of the bumbling Bush administration, not the country we live or the troops we send overseas. If you confuse the two (the Bush Adminstration and America as a whole) you've got other problems.

    It seems that staunch pro-military and pro-war Republicans like John McCain have used the word "wasted" about our soldiers in Iraq... but clearly, that was a slip of the tongue on McCain's part. If you're talking about Obama, he also made the same slip of the tongue and both have apologized for it.

    You cannot make a blanket statement that Liberals hate the troops. I do not. I feel a great anxiety and sadness that we are continuing putting them in harms way for a goal that may be way out of our reach, but I am proud of their service to this country.

    This type of anti-liberal garbage you are spreading is getting annoying.
     
  17. jimmyrose

    jimmyrose Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(desynch @ Mar 16 2007, 08:34 PM) [snapback]407078[/snapback]</div>
    I see this term a lot. Do we even still have "hippies"? And do they have problems with their salivary glands? :D
     
  18. Lywyllyn

    Lywyllyn New Member

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    I think he is still hung up on that dread locked, vegan hippie chick, who stood him up at the peace rally :p It has clearly upset him much. I hope we can help him out over fine local Microbrewsky ;)

    Peace!
     
  19. LaughingMan

    LaughingMan Active Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(desynch @ Mar 16 2007, 08:34 PM) [snapback]407078[/snapback]</div>
    It seems to me that Veterans coming home have much more to worry about things like :
    1) medical conditions and bureaucracy they have to deal with at this country's medical centers
    2) lives they had to put on hiatus for the years they've spent on duty

    Having liberals spit on them is probably WAY off of their radar. Modern liberals have directed their anger at the SOURCE of the problem, the Bush administration, and not the soldiers. The soldiers are just doing their job, and cannot be blamed for high level decisions like how the war was handled.
     
  20. jimmyrose

    jimmyrose Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Lywyllyn @ Mar 16 2007, 08:53 PM) [snapback]407090[/snapback]</div>
    :lol: :lol: