Comments on: There’s an Old Saying About Where to Find Sympathy

By: 1SGinTN

1SGinTN — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:32:14 +0000

Here is some first hand info regarding the Konduz Valley, by a man who was there: Vincent G. Heintz
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YWRkMTQ3Y2E2MzA0Yzk5YmVmZGQzOTZhMDNmYjMzZTU=

By: redneck_hippie

redneck_hippie — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 01:04:35 +0000

a lack of a sense of proportion. The reaction from them, as far as I can see, is hypersensitivity whether it’s danger to the mayfly or an inadvertent war death. Could be related to their moral relativism. Or they’re just idiotic. Or both. Anyway, I wish the left would content themselves with saving the mayflies and let our military get after the bad guys, and especially without all the hystrionics.

Lefty claims that we are murderers is crazy, seeing that the collectiivists, Maoists, Leninists, Stalinists, and their ilk killed their own people in multitudes of millions. But, of course, the hysteria of the left is feigned. If they cared an ounce about preserving life, they’d have a different political platform completely and they’d have cheered Bush/Cheney on for defending Iraqui freedom against all odds.

By: LJ "Beaglescout" Miller

LJ "Beaglescout" Miller — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 21:08:26 +0000

In other news, it is possible to care and also obey the laws of war.

By: Raven

Raven — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:09:43 +0000

By: 1SGinTN

1SGinTN — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 08:51:31 +0000

By: Raven

Raven — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 03:04:32 +0000

Whether we won or not in Iraq will be seen in the next decade or so. Yes. We gave these people the right to vote for the government they want for the policies and purposes they want.
But did we destroy our enemies or did we merely remove their facade of forced cooperation?

Japan and Germany are so scarred and terrified as nations that they have not even Considered the idea of going back to war since the ’40s. The mere idea that Maybe they should Talk about Considering rebuilding their military for defense purposes with a resurgent and threatening North Korea caused the complete collapse of Japan’s government inside of a week.
They may not be our closest friends right now, but we can rest assured they will Never be our enemies again.

Do we have that same certainty with Iraq? No. I don’t think so. And we have done Nothing, long term, to dissuade our other enemies from pursuing the ultimate violence of war. It has been such an utter failure in that last regard that North Korea decided the Truce was no longer worth keeping back in May. They haven’t, arguably, fired a shot yet, but they declared the truce over.

No. I am as yet no fan nor friend of the “New” “friendlier” way of waging war. I want a return to “When you have them by the balls, their hearts and minds will follow.”

By: Raven

Raven — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 02:57:49 +0000

Mind spelling out the acronym?

By: janis

janis — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 22:04:17 +0000

The notion that people of the caliber of our military fighting for the peace and prosperity of others with no claim to accruing wealth or power for themselves out of the deal is just so foreign to those who seek power for themselves in order to dominate others and squelch freedom.

By: 1SGinTN

1SGinTN — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:24:50 +0000

in Viet Nam. Some of the lessons there were used by GEN Petraeus for the Surge in Iraq. See the book by Lewis Sorley, “A Better War”. These methods will been seen again in Afghanistan. We do have a track record of success in COIN warfare, but an track record of failure in political will. We need to channel the steadfastness of Lincoln in 1864.

By: Hooah_Mac

Hooah_Mac — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:47:50 +0000

I’m becoming more aware every day how much my view of the world has changed since I have been a Soldier, and particularly since I became an NCO.
As a civilian, your co-workers are periphery people in your life, some of them might become friends. As a Soldier, your co-workers are your family, your backup, your responsibility and your lifeline, and their well being becomes more important than your own, and the only thing more important than them is accomplishing the mission.

By: Raven

Raven — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:38:34 +0000

while you survive…

By: Raven

Raven — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:37:24 +0000

Keep in mind that, for whatever reason, these “civilians” were hanging out with the bad guys.
We know we can’t kill the bad guys if we let them get away every time they get into close proximity with “civilians,” so we do what we must.

By: Raven

Raven — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:35:11 +0000

We don’t wage war for economic purposes. No cross-border raids or capturing of oil fields to fuel our economy.
America wages war to destroy her enemies. You can’t do that the way we’ve been trying to do it. It’s a big part of why we didn’t win in Vietnam. It’s why we went into Iraq in ’91 and back to Iraq in ’03. The refusal to go as far as necessary is why we’re still at war in Korea.

By: 1SGinTN

1SGinTN — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:27:42 +0000

of course, mom2. But I’m glad you expressed yourself, nevertheless. Dialog is all about understanding each others point of view, rather that ranting and name calling. Thanks.

By: Steph C

Steph C — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:07:42 +0000

When a war is taking place where you are and you’re in a situation such as this, you have two choices. With either one you’re likely to die anyway, so why become the shield in the first place? They want liberation from the Taliban but they don’t want to engage in liberating themselves? It’s the same thing we saw in Iraq until it hit a certain point where they finally realized some were going to die anyway and made the choice to die for something worth dying for.

Passivity does not work in war. I have some sympathy for the civilian deaths but not as much as would suit the progressive media. Call me cold-hearted if you want.

By: Hooah_Mac

Hooah_Mac — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:52:37 +0000

This is exactly the problem with televised wars and the modern viewpoint. People sit at home in their laz-y-boy and get to thinking that combat is easy, but dead people are awful to look at.
Meanwhile, they never experience the life or death nature of being a Soldier. They never understand what it means to kill or be killed, the feeling of being on 100% alert for hours or even days at a time. They never have to scramble to get a buddy to safety while he bleeds to death. They never have to consider that their next action could be their last, and the last for their buddies. When someone has experienced these things, then they understand why calculations are made on the battlefield to a different standard than elsewhere.

War is a terrible, ugly thing. We fight because we have to, so that our loved ones and our freedoms are safe, As a Soldier, none of us WANT to be in a war – but when we are, we damn sure want to WIN. Various elected officials may not be very big on “victory”, but to us it is the only acceptable outcome to an action that has cost the lives of people closer than brothers to us.

Again, I’m not picking on you specifically, but your posts have brought this to my mind. In many ways, I’m glad that you don’t fully understand – that you don’t have to fully understand, at the same time, it is frustrating that decisions are made by people who don’t understand.

By: mom2oneson

mom2oneson — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:50:20 +0000

By: mom2oneson

mom2oneson — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:49:55 +0000

I guess there is a big difference between something stolen from the military vs something stolen from a civilian business. Not that it’s ok to steal at all but I guess it’s another level of bad since it can effect the life or protection of a lot of people. Thanks for pointing that out. I searched google for FOB.

By: mom2oneson

mom2oneson — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:46:52 +0000

I take back what I said that it’s cold hearted and you don’t view them as humans. I’m apologize for what I wrote to you. When I read your original post I read it as because they had a naive idea about being able to get something for nothing or because they purchased something that had been previously stolen that they deserved to die.

By: mom2oneson

mom2oneson — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:33:06 +0000

Thank you for writing that out. I’m apologize for what I wrote and will post to take it back. I understand now. Some people in some situations don’t have the luxury of making mistakes.