I start training for Iraq

Im sure the prayers of people who intend to
put boots to the throats of someone based
soley on religious and cultural differences
will not go unanswered :rolleyes5

 

There are those who assert that every prayer gets answered- it's just that the answer isn't always what we want it to be.

 

OK I've read enough on this thread. Most all of you have excellent views regaurdless of your side of the argument.


Here are my two cents. The start of this thread was made by a young soldier who was only using words to hide his fear. I know this because I've been a soldier since 1988. I know the transformation from civilian to soldier then back to a normal human. He is only on the first part of his transformation. I chalk some of his comments up to immaturity and ignorance. I also applaud him for serving his country.

I respect that some of you view us as repulsive. This is what in my mind makes America great. You can disagree. It is your right. You can do this without reprisal from the powers above. If everyone in the world were to enlist in an army we would all end up at war for sure. There is a balance in this world. We learn this on the playground as children. Everyone of us has seen a bully on the playground. We all hated it. We may not have wished him death but we were secretly happy when someone bigger and badder came along and put the bully in check. There are actually very few people that I have ever met that can't be pushed into a fight. I have only been in one fight in my personal life in my whole life. It was a situation of take an ass beating or try to defend myself. I'm rambling.

I have been to Iraq. I saw some of the most beautiful people I've ever met in my life. They are friendly and warm. Agree with everything they believe in I can't. I can appreciate that they have their own views on life. I embrased them and their culture. I never shot anyone yet I was in contact with lots of them while there. For those of you that truely think we are there because we enjoy killing are sorely mistaken. I think your views are based on lack of knowledge. I have seen an eight year old boy that had his tounge cut out of his mouth because he had made a joke about Sadam when he was six years old. I ask you this....If you were his parents and lived in a country were you couldn't protect your children would you want another country's army to come in and change the status quo?

I am a father of a seven year old boy. I can't imagine the horor that the parents had to have felt that day. I would have dropped to my knees and prayed to some god somewhere to please help.

Yes there are those that don't want us there. I understand how I would feel if there were a foreign army in my home town. I often wondered how the German's have stood us having bases in their country yet that is just how the world works. We can't all agree but we don't have to hate.

I'm rambling again and I'm going to close this post. I hope some can open their minds to try and see all sides of this issue.

 

well, maybe your not like that - and i know not all are like that. but i know plenty from my school who are exactly like that, who are over there now or will be going soon or will be graduating soon and commissioning as 2nd LT. i've had conversations with guys who hope they becomes a machine gunner so they can mow down entire cities just because they are Iraqi/Muslim/booger buts/"whatever new word you give our enemy"...i know poeple who want to firebomb Iraq out of existence. people who want to set up a .50 cal sniper rifle and just pick off people and see there heads explode. i could go on with more, but i think i can stop now. these type of people are out there in command positions and it sickens me. there is no honor in that mentality. but put those people on an equal footing with the enemy and they'll quiver and run away with there balls in there throat.

 

The word Muslim, perhaps? And what is 'this' your speaking
about? Because your reference to Germany would lead me
to understand that your 'this' is referring to the war itself,
whereas what I said was directed soley at your comment
about putting a boot to Muslim throats.

 

Ha.

I'm pretty sure that America went to war with Germany because it created jobs and boosted the economy, helped perserve trade routes with continental Europe, and because America was under heavy political pressure.



... and don't give me that Pearl Harbor bullshit.

 

Name of the prophet? Which one, Jesus? haha
Not all muslims are the same, and only 20%
or so of mulslims live in the middle east dood.
You statement was general, inclusive, and
misinformed, hateful, ignorant, etc.

 

Yes, money, power, and hidden political agenda.

Like every other war the US has participated in lately.

You're not "liberating" anyone, soldier.

 

When did I call you racist?
And perhaps the reason why hateful and ignorant
are used when all else fails is because you ARE, and
a person comes to realize they may as well be
speaking to a brick wall.
This war was started by arabs flying planes into
a building, who by the way were not from Iraq, in
the name of Allah? Who told you, Fox news?
Being spoonfed your 'truth' must be wonderful.
Never have to think for yourself, must work wonders
on the brain

 

9/11 is a very cheap excuse to go out and kill lots of Arabs.

A couple of guys, who happened to be Muslim, crashed a plane into a damn tower and now you have to declare war on all of Islam because of it?

9/11 is overrated as it is. Happened way too long ago, and it wasn't as tragic as a million other events in modern human history.

 

I have to admit that I like the way you write, there's something powerful about it.

Sadly, you aren't saying much.

...and I do not call America home, it's more of a "pit stop" for me. Get a college degree, help the economy a bit by purchasing lots of tobacco products and wine, and then get the fuck out.

 

well you're right that no one SHOULD join for the money but after talking to recruiters, they seem to make joining the military an answer to all your financial troubles. that's the recruiters job. they have a way of making it seem that no one else will take care of YOU the way the military does

You'd be surprised(or not)by how many people join just to make someone proud. to make up for the wrong they did in their lives. I know alot of people who joined b/c they wanted to make their parents proud. they wanted to seem important. now they regret it. so even if someone SHOULDN'T join for those reasons, it still happens.

He does? I guess I disagree with you there.

 

i think people need to understand the psychology of the average soldier

soldiers have one primary function: to kill

this is why they first break them and indoctrinate them first to obey orders and secondly learn to kill people. targets are normally people orientated, once you get used someone shooting at humanoid shapes, it programmes the mind to accept this new state of affairs.

all soldiers are taught to shoot preferably to kill, centre of mass is the easiest mark, it is big and in a short time it become quite easy to shoot someone dead over say 300/ 400m from a variety of stances.

an army comprised of people thus indoctrinated to obey orders no matter what they are (who in their right mind would willingly charge into a hail of bullets?) is priceless. soldiers believe that training will save them from death which to some extent is true but becomes a lie when fighting eventually happens. every soldier believes they will make it thanks to their training. it is this indoctrination that makes them compliant with sometimes stupid orders, they are led to believe that matters of political and military strategy is safe in the hands of someone who knows what they are doing. the military disasters of history tends to point to the conclusion that in the majority of instances many people who should know what they are doing don't hence the disaster, throw some hazy misguided politicians into the mix and you have hundreds of thousands permanenetly wounded from a war no one will ever rememeber.

a soldier that doesn't believe in what they are doing ie their orders are correct and necessary is useless in the field. what use would a soldier be if he endlessly debated the political and social ramifications of his actions in a firefight?

the average civillian should be careful who and what he supports. the head of a democratic government is usually the person who utilises soldiers to whatever ends. by blindly supporting "the troops" you give encouragement to the government. a soldier has no voice. this is why it is so important that governments should be chosen wisely and with care as the general public has no control over what these soldiers are used for.

you may empathise with soldiers and their situation but not blindly support them.

 

Hmm... if we're talking experience, then how about this...

I lived in Israel for 7 years, backpacked around all the Muslim countries surrounding it, talked to thousands, if not tens of thousands of Muslims.

I've read Hizzbollah literature, talked to ex-Hamas militants, talked to many Mossad agents, prominent Israeli politicians, etc, etc, etc.

Basically, you ain't got shit on me when it comes to knowing them Arabs

 

tell me about greater israel.

any takers?

 

I know the history of my own country way too well.

Which is why I completely disagree with practically everything America does... but I will not talk about Israel. That topic has been used up on these forums, and I'm tired of dumbfuck ignorant liberals preaching about how the land belongs to the Palestinians, and blah blah blah.

 

You need to stop reading them History textbooks, they're very biased, ya know?


Why do I live here? I do not oppose the country, I oppose the country's government. I, unlike you, don't just a whole collective of people by the actions of a few wankers.

 

Haha man. I honestly hope 'Owls' don't become like you.

 

where's chuck? i know he would have something to say.

 

i know he's in ft.hood but too bad he's not around to get more involved in his own thread.