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Thread: Help me feel better about this...

  1. #1
    madmaxine
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    Sad Help me feel better about this...

    My cousin is getting sent back to Iraq by the Army. He spent a year and a half there doing a front-line MOS, during 2003-2004. "First one in, last one out" kind of deal.
    I wish I could joke around about it but we all know what the deal is.
    I wish the average American would stop and think about how many broken promises and shortchanges we've been handed by this administration.....they have even broken promises to military personnel, but those affected (in a way) forfeit their right to complain....what a bum deal.

  2. #2
    AudreyLeigh
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    Default Re: Help me feel better about this...

    I feel you. My cousins 2 years were supposed to be up last April... they sent him back to Iraq in March for a year... only the gov't can get away with this crap...

    One guy did fight back and Im not sure what the outcome of it was but he wouldnt go back... his time was up and they were trying to extend it and he went to court over it. Anyone hear of the outcome of that?

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Help me feel better about this...

    Dont know what to say to make you feel better maxine but we must not loose faith in those who are serving us and we need to continue to support them no matter what the administration does - times are tough ...

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    Featured Member Hello_Kitty27's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help me feel better about this...

    All I can say is this ... my bf's cousin is currently in Iraq and his wife (cousin's wife) is in Afganistan. They got married ONE week before being deployed, and that was Over a year ago. They both signed up and knew what they were getting into, but it still makes me sad that they can't see each other or their families. When they do call to say hi, it's always very short and to the point. His cousin seems to have gone into a bad depression while he's been there, but he refuses to talk about it. It's a terrrible situation.

    On the flip side, i have a friend in the Air Force, who keeps re-enlisting over and over again, He enjoys it and really believes in what he is fighting for. He was done about 2 years ago, and he signed up again for another four years and went to Iraq shortly after. He emails me pictures of him with the Iraqi people, most of which thank him and bring him little gifts and tell him terrifying stories about Saddam Hussein. He is re-signing with them again after this, but he'll be in the US, in South Carolina, I think.






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  5. #5
    madmaxine
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    Default Re: Help me feel better about this...

    I also found out one of my best male friends re-enlisted. He's the most gallant person I know, and I'm proud of him.
    I am saddened by some of the actions the military has taken to reduce costs- they have shifted the burden towards "the citizen soldier" so they can close bases & reduce payroll- why keep a full-time soldier on payroll when you can yank a Reservist?
    Tough times, but America shouldn't let our fears allow our government to hoodwink us.

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    Featured Member Hello_Kitty27's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help me feel better about this...

    Don't get me wrong, I don't really agree with a lot of what's going on. Personally, I can't believe they would even think of closing as many bases as they are! I hear ya on all this. I just wish all of our men & women would come back happy and breathing.






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    God/dess Bunny's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help me feel better about this...

    I know my dad was drafted during Vietnam and was sent to Africa. He was only supposed to do one assignment out of the country. I don't know if this was a rule for everyone or just becuase he was married but sure enough they said he had to go to Vietnam after he'd spent a year in Africa. He was actually on the plane and finally my mom or my gramma got through to somebody who was able to get him pulled off the plane becuase he wasn't supposed to go in the first place. The military owns you. They can do what they want and get away with it. When my brother was in the Navy they had him painting ships with NO ventilation and wouldn't buy him a respirator. Finally he started having severe chest pains and went and bought himself a respirator. I am very proud of all of those who serve in our military but I just hate to see what some of them go through, especially when it's not necessary.

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    God/dess Casual Observer's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help me feel better about this...

    The greatest asset in our military is our all-volunteer force.

    While you might not agree with the policy in Iraq--either in concept or execution (or both)--when you sign your name on the line, you know what you're getting into; I certainly did, and that was during the first Gulf War.

    So while I empathize with your situation, your cousin's service is what makes the country great.
    Idealism is fine, but as it approaches reality, the costs become prohibitive.

    William F. Buckley, Jr.

  9. #9
    madmaxine
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    Default Re: Help me feel better about this...

    I agree with the all-volunteer force being a good thing- I can't imagine what it was like to be drafted to fight a war you didn't believe in. But I also believe in "the poverty draft" and that many young people seeking a way to betterment get sickened, injured or killed for little recompense.
    All things aside, my cousin is the one you'd want next to you in a war zone. Which is why he's getting sent back.
    I wonder what the world would be like if it was run by real alpha males who could fight wars themselves instead of sniveling twit trustfundians in three-piece suits....?.....Just a thought.....

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    Default Re: Help me feel better about this...

    wonder what the world would be like if it was run by real alpha males who could fight wars themselves instead of sniveling twit trustfundians in three-piece suits....?.....Just a thought.....
    Wars would be a whole hell of a lot more brutal towards our enemies than they are now. Politicians now are too worried about public perception to wage war correctly (and perhaps Media has too much access to things).


    At any rate, my brother is in the Marines... he signed up right after the invasion of Iraq. He knew what he was getting into when he joined... though as things turned out he ended up getting shot in the ankle and now he wishes he could be in Iraq to join his mates. Not being over there has been giving him nightmares about what might be happening to them.

  11. #11
    Banned Madcap's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help me feel better about this...

    Quote Originally Posted by madmaxine
    I wonder what the world would be like if it was run by real alpha males who could fight wars themselves instead of sniveling twit trustfundians in three-piece suits....?.....Just a thought.....
    Offhand, i can thing of a literal handfull of leaders through history that actually got into it and fought themselves... Alexander the Great and Leonidas I. It's never been a remotely common thing.

  12. #12
    Featured Member GnBeret's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help me feel better about this...

    Quote Originally Posted by Ramieel
    Wars would be a whole hell of a lot more brutal towards our enemies than they are now. Politicians now are too worried about public perception to wage war correctly (and perhaps Media has too much access to things).
    ^
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    God/dess Bridgette's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help me feel better about this...

    Ugh, yeah. Media: "omg they're KILLING people here!"
    Well DUH! It's friggin WAR dood! WTF do you think happens in WAR??? Media and too much focus on being PC is (among other things) why we've accomplished just about fuckall in Iraq this time.

    Quote Originally Posted by pheno View Post
    When you lead a nontraditional life don't try to measure it with traditional milestones.

  14. #14
    madmaxine
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    Default Re: Help me feel better about this...

    Uh, not to mention major fudging was done to get a war rolling in Iraq. My thoughts are varied on that. You haven't seen pain until you've watched parents try to throw themselves into graves where their kid got laid down forever in their uniform. I know we can console ourselves with the fact they chose a term in the military.....it's their bad luck that they got chosen for a fake war.
    Ah, you know what, I won't write anymore.....I wouldn't be suprised if this thread gets cleaned up. I don't envy Pryce and his "Poo" dilemma.

  15. #15
    Veteran Member TJAndDani's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help me feel better about this...

    It amazes me how quickly the thread starter turns this into a political discussion.


    Ok since I seen no one else with expierence I will inject my opinion. Dont take it personal, but someone needs to show you how things really are.

    First quit your whining. I knew when I signed up that I could be shot at for the next 8 years of my life, yes they own you for that long. I learned to accept it.

    Next, the majority of deaths have been accidents. Not IED accidents, just bullshit accidents numb nuts #1 gets ran over by a humvee. Happens all the time, because it happens in a sandbox it is a major story. A fairly common occurance with airborne units is someone burning in. It happens, people die all the time in training.

    Also when you are assigned to stand on a corner and guard it. Thats what you do. You stand there and guard looking for anything out of the ordinary. These guys are still guerillas, they have no massive army. If you're hot shit and you stand on your corner looking like you will seriously fuck someone up at the clack of a bolt sliding home nothing will come of it. Just the opposite of that is true. If you are standing around staring into space, looking at your watch, bullshitting with some iraqi women(it happens, they're not all religous muslims). Your ass is going to be lit up.

    Maybe I am bias because I was in, and I still have lots of friends that are in. Three of my close friends are still in, one is still in force recon, one is a ranger, and the other is SF. Which sounds like the start of a really bad military B movie, but that is how we ended up. we all enlisted at different times. But death happens.

  16. #16
    madmaxine
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    Default Re: Help me feel better about this...

    With all due resepct TJ, these are my feelings. (I can't be more specific about our situation lest someone see my comments on here ; P.)
    Yeah, death happens, but it smarts when it seems like it didn't need to. I do know plenty of families who are proud & at peace with the fate of their son or daughter fallen in war. One of my favorite people is a unapologetic Vietnam vet. Wars will never end & death happens. I know this.
    But this is what I feel.

  17. #17
    God/dess Gynger's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help me feel better about this...

    MM,

    As you know, I completely understand.. not sure if I can make you feel better as I wish someone could make me feel better as well.. latest news is that this nonsense is not ending any time soon.. hubby sent me an email saying that his unit has been told to expect a return in about six to eight months...


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  18. #18
    madmaxine
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    Default Re: Help me feel better about this...

    *UPDATE*

    He's leaving soon. I am feeling nauseated, near tears frequently.......he doesn't want any of us to see him leave at the Armory....he just wants to report & go.....This is going to be such a hard year.

    Don't forget about these guys.

    PS I always remind myself, If this is how I feel, imagine how he feels.
    Last edited by madmaxine; 01-05-2006 at 01:21 AM. Reason: being a chick

  19. #19
    mermaidnz
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    Default Re: Help me feel better about this...

    cant he just shoot himself in the foot or something to get out of it? or like just run away? heck thats what id do.

    who cares about being a uh whats it called when you bail on armed forces before your time? anyways-that. you only get one shot at life!

  20. #20
    madmaxine
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    Default Re: Help me feel better about this...

    Unfortunately, in the US desertion during wartime is an offense punishable by the death penalty...given the circumstances, the best thing is for him to suck it up and do another tour, & all of us will pray mightily that no harm befalls him. I talked to his mom over the holidays & it's going to be agonizing to sit at home & wonder what's going on over there. During his 2003-4 stint in Iraq, I told him I "prayed like a m*therf*cker" for him. I really did, every day.

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    Default Re: Help me feel better about this...

    TJ. you sound like a real hard ass. Do they make action figures with your likeness?

    My count for this war is:
    2 former unit mates dead
    3 former unit mates maimed beyond comprehension
    2 best friends with shattered marriages and high blood pressure(FMF Corpsmen)
    and thousands of people I never met who are dead and injured.

    By my tally, war sucks and should be avoided at all costs.

    I'd give all I had to see the war end tomorrow and all our troops back home with their families and no more innocent iraqis needlessly killed.

    I find it very difficult to be a fan of mass killing, which is all war is.
    You can't love something you think is flawless - me


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    God/dess Rhiannon's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help me feel better about this...

    Quote Originally Posted by madmaxine
    Unfortunately, in the US desertion during wartime is an offense punishable by the death penalty...given the circumstances, the best thing is for him to suck it up and do another tour, & all of us will pray mightily that no harm befalls him. I talked to his mom over the holidays & it's going to be agonizing to sit at home & wonder what's going on over there. During his 2003-4 stint in Iraq, I told him I "prayed like a m*therf*cker" for him. I really did, every day.
    Exactly. They don't go easy on anyone skipping out on their obligations any time, but doing it during wartime.. And you're signing your death certificate. My brother deserted the Navy the very day that his ship left for a Med cruise. They found him within 2 years, and he spent some time in jail. After the jailtime was finished, they were going to make him do some time in the Brig.. But they gave him a dishonorable discharge and sent him packing instead.

    Sh0t.. TJ hasn't been around since I handed him his ass and "humiliated him publicly" for his "Ask me anything..." thread, so chances are he won't respond to you.

    (((((((Maxi))))))) If you need to rant or anything, I'm here.

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    God/dess Mastridonicus's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help me feel better about this...

    Yea maxine.. I hope everything goes well for him as well.

    People are not ruled by their memories.

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    God/dess dlabtot's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help me feel better about this...

    Quote Originally Posted by TJAndDani
    First quit your whining.
    Not only is this unbelievably rude of you, it totally inappropriate for you to think that you have the right to tell other people what they should and should not say. Speak for yourself and let others speak for themselves.

    Quote Originally Posted by TJAndDani
    Next, the majority of deaths have been accidents. Not IED accidents, just bullshit accidents numb nuts #1 gets ran over by a humvee.
    That is simply untrue, a blatant falsehood. Perhaps you believe it, but that doesn't make it true.

    Fatalities by cause of death



    Maxine my thoughts and prayers are with your cousin and you.

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    Default Re: Help me feel better about this...

    Maxine, my thoughts are with your cousin. Any ideas where he's headed? I know a few people from PA's 1/109th, and they're Johnny-On-The-Spot in ar-Ramadi. If he's headed there, maybe I could give them a heads up to keep eye out for him?

    Practicalities aside....
    Military upbringing aside...
    Military ex-boyfriends aside...
    Enlistment attempts aside...

    I have a real fucking issue with war, specifically declaring war upon another nation (as opposed to defending oneself on your home turf).

    I don't have an issue with the people who fight it; I have an issue with the people who send those troops to fight. Because you know what? THEY DON'T GIVE A SHIT BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE ANY OF THEIR OWN SKIN IN THE GAME.

    I'd really like to see world leaders have the balls to go toe-to-toe with EACH OTHER when they have an ish, instead of sending thousands (or millions) of other people to do their dirty work for them.

    But, therein lies the problem: It would involve actually having BALLS, and would require leaders to be able to walk their talk on a personal level, instead of hiding out in bunkers and running around with a private security force. Something that will not likely be seen in my lifetime.

    (...and, no, I'm not winning any popularity contests in my predominantly military / veteran family...)

    ~~McCain

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