I almost cried in the airport when I saw a group of soldiers on their way.

to Iraq. I overheard them talking and they are scared shitless. I think it is worse over there than any person can even imagine. There were about 30 and I guess they were flying to a hub to be shipped off to die for a lie. I couldn't help but think that in 6 months, so many of them would be either dead or injured. I am so sick of the right saying that the anti-war protesters and progressives do not support the troops. Of course we do! We don't want them to be blown to bits for Halliburton. We want them to be with their families and live long, healthy, happy lives. :cry:

His mother protested against W this summer. For all of W's optimism, just check www.icasualties.org for the dead, wounded, and what's really going on. These poor troops.

what are his view's on the war? Does he support B*sh?

The driver rolled down his window, and I thought he was going to try to heckle us, but he just said, "I'm going to Iraq in three weeks." He sounded so scared and helpless. :cry:

Tucker

I don't blame them. :cry:

He was so young, just a kid, trying not to show that he was scared, and it really hit home why we were standing out there--because kids just like this one are being sent out to die for * and his oil buddies.

I hope that kid, and all the others, come home alive, and soon.

Tucker

perpetual war freaks have to admit they didn't know what they were doing.

As a part of my job, I end up helping soldiers shipping out deal with getting services, bills, and the like worked out so they know everything is getting paid and their family members can still live a semi-normal life while they're gone. It's tragic to listen to some of them. I've not encountered one yet who wasn't a "good soldier" about it all, but some have been shaking from anxiety and stress. One broke down after we were done. He'd had a hellish day dealing with a couple of companies, and we make it as easy as possible on them, pretty much just asking them what they need us to do and doing it with no hassles. The contrast apparently unhinged something. He unleashed his wrath about the electric company and city utilities giving him static, and when he was done, he sobbed uncontrollably for about 1.5 seconds, then steeled himself to press on.

And some idiots say these people don't need counseling help.

It keeps me in a simmering state of rage almost every day.

...we lost 7000 men a week, I think.

Are you saying we should be happy because the casualties are not as high as a WORLD WAR??

I suppose this is how people that come up with things like Purple Heart bandaids think. Let 'em die. Let 'em fucking die.

maybe he/she was simply saying that this could, and maybe will, get a lot worse.

Edited to add: I HOPE that's what she (I looked at her user profile--she was around during WWII, which must have had a pretty substantial impact on her) was saying, and not that she was minimizing the losses so far.

I was thinking about how awful it would be to have to face that casualty rate here, now, if things get worse. Two thousand men gone is already a tragedy--I don't know how we could face that much higher number--it's quite inconceivable to me.

It's GOT to stop before then!


P.S.--I wasn't around quite then, but my parents certainly were; I remember them talking about the war and how much it affected their lives. I SURE hope the kids today don't ever have to face that.

care to discuss this issue with me? I am willing to do such.

;-)

Pulling over the coffee and the popcorn, should be entertaining...

they will never be the same. When they return home they will be a lot more different than when they left. There's something tragic in the loss of innocence. A metaphor for the last five years in our country's life.

So sad to see them sent into a real-life nightmare based on Bush's lie.

BTW, this is another good opportunity to plug the movie "gunner palace" if you want to see what it's really like for the soldiers in Iraq.

This young man went into the Army voluntarily. He's finished with both basic training and school. I don't know yet where he will be stationed. I'm hoping he doesn't have to go to Iraq. I have a strange feeling he probably will.

My mother later said I had this look of sadness and fear in my eyes. I never understood what she was talking about until a friend of mine received his orders to Vietnam. Then I knew. That look in his eyes.....

if you know waht you are looking for, you can identify combat vets, just from that look

My Dearest Benjamin Elliot Summers. I love that boy something fierce and I just can't stop crying.:cry: :cry: :cry:

On a lighter note the other night when Ben called his baby sister Peyton who is four asked him "How are things in Wine Rack?"

I got some good wool yarn for two helmet liners but have been frantically finishing up my daughter's school sweater before the real cold hits. I've been thinking of starting another one, and if your son needs one, I'd be more than happy to make one for him.

Those helmets are solid plastic right on their heads and do nothing to insulate. Night guard duty can be very cold, with the wind and all. A knitter designed a great pattern for a helmet liner that's really a balaclava with a wider opening for the goggles, and I think it's really good.

Of course, if he wants socks instead, you won't have to twist my arm. Mmmmm . . . socks. So fun to knit . . . :)

Let me know how to reimburse you for the shipping. Thanks so much.

You're crazy! It's my honor to knit for your son, and you put that money away. :) I'm just worried he's cold and getting wind-burnt. He may be your son, but he's also all of ours, defending our country as he felt he should do. He's a hero, and he deserves even a little bit of support like a warm helmet liner.

I saw five " troops" no make that human beings shipping out for the shrubs. I felt so bad. I got them each a prepaid phone card. And they say we dont support the troops.

Full of jerky, and red vines, and 100 slim Jim's, and cashews, and pistachios and told him to please share. He didn't need to be told of course he is a generous person.

I also have a phone card set up for him where if he drops to less than 50 minutes it immediately kicks on 700 more so I told him to let any other Marine that doesn't have phone access borrow it. Because he will never have to worry about running out. That made him happy because he knows of several guys that really want to call home or girlfriends and they just can't afford it.

And I'm told I don't support the troops because I fight against the war. Hey FREEPER SCUM go enlist...who knows you might get some of Benjamin's goodies!

side note if your son needs a phone card pm me please or - and i dont mean to push religion on you - if you want me to add him on my churches episcopal flyer let me know and than I can email it too you. Again only if its okay. Hugs your way, and contact me if i can help. I hate this war but not the warriors.

He is good to go on the phone side. I will PM you his address and I'm sure he'd appreciate the flyer. Just knowing people are thinking of him means so much.

weekend before he ships out of Ft Hood in November to go to Tikrit. Hope you are doing ok Binka. Sounds like you are sending a huge box to your son. You know how much he and the other soldiers will appreciate it. I will be doing that soon myself....


When I see the Bush children in this war, then I will know George Bush has made a sacrifice for this country....

When I went to the Community Send-Off for the troops, they (the troops) were all lined up in formation and I looked down the line realizing that maybe 25% of them would be either wounded or injured.

It was tough.

Some of them I remembered seeing in uniform before: Cub Scout Uniforms, Cross Country Team uniforms, Football uniforms, Youth Basketball Uniforms. But this was different. Very different.

And I couldn't do anything about it.

Damn/

is in the Natl guard and he is coming back to work next week after his second tour in Iraq.

He went for around a year in the beginning of the war and came back to work after that for about six months before getting shipped off again. When he was back for that six months, he said that it wasn't so bad there and that the main thing he had to deal with was boredom. He said he only experienced a few episodes where his base was hit by mortar fire, but it was pretty much irrelevant and he never fired a shot or really felt in danger. I almost got the feeling he was in a way dissapointed he didn't see 'real' action. He had some pictures to show, but they were mainly just of abandoned palaces and the desert.

This second time, right before he was about to go, he told me they were sending him to some sort of urban warfare training right before he left(funny beacuse his specialty is Psy-Ops). Anyway, we didn't hear too much from him while he was there this second time, but his wife works here in another dept and she would give us updates from time to time. She said he was having a pretty bad time there this and that he would tell her that he was going on missions and then she wouldn't speak to him for a week...that must have been agony.

I just spoke with her last week about him. According to her he has been back for 3 months and is still a nervous wreck. (They gave him three months to rest before coming back to work) Even when he is driving here, he is constantly looking around and worried about ambushes. He cant sleep well and always feels like he has to be alert.

I am glad he is back safe, and unharmed (barring psychological damage) but I think it goes to show how things have gone there...They have gotten much worse.

I will give an update when he comes back next week. I spoke to him once briefly at our company picnic since he's been back and he said this time around he's got some REAL stories and pictures to share with me.

I feel sort of demented about it, but I can't wait to talk to him about it.