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Plenty Fox · 11-25-2004, 04:22 PM

I think we the public, as civilians, need to remember several things.

1) The forces overseas are, for the majority, not a professional, as in career, military. Many are reservists.

2) We have a young military. Some of us grew up on Viet Nam, some of us on WWII and Korea. The 'reality' of war for those generations is far different than the reality of a generation raised on playstatiion, nintendo and xbox. There is just no comparison. Not that there is any 'real life' experience I can imagine that would prepare anyone for how to conduct themselves in a 'war zone'.

3) In relation to the above, John Doe joins up out of high school, or maybe a year or two of college or not even a GED. Maybe he grew up on a farm, maybe he went to some safe suburban high school and knew his turf, knew what made people tick, shared their religious philosophy (mostly)--basically had a common ground. Our men and women go over there and are expected to acclimate to a variety of fighting modes--hand to hand or close contact in an urban setting; or long range between villages in a desert. They don't know when they're looking at someone whether they are the enemy or not (common to all wars for the most part but with variance). Groups of Iraqi's thought to be friendlies are turning out to be insurgents. So, you can't trust anybody. You have to trust your fellow soldiers and your commanders. Frankly, society has not raised a generation of team players. We have become 'ME' oriented, control freaks and often find it difficult to acknowledge a higher authority when there is one because we are competitive by nature. So, here the soldier gets dropped. Give him/her a weapon, teach him how to use it and instill in him a survival instinct and 'win one for the gipper (Bush)' mentality. There are no war games, no great war room with a table laid out with a map of a continent and generals moving carriers or tank units around that will 'fit' this conflict.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, if there is any 'monster' on the loose, it is one of our own making. And, any culpability/responsibility for what is happening now rests on the shoulders of the commanders and leaders of this country. We went in there (Iraq) thinking we were going to share a way of life we've come to value and appreciate--democracy with all its trappings. Put the shoe on the other foot. If it was still the cold war, and the Russians did come ashore (shades of Red Dawn) and forced Communism and Socialism on us, how would we feel?

It is time for our leaders in Washington to bring our men and women home. The war in Iraq is 'within' not 'without'. We can't force a change of heart and mind on a people. This conflict goes beyond subduing another military or government; it is about a people. And not just the Iraqi people, but the American people. This war has divided this country. It is taking our sons, daughters, husbands, wives, fathers, mothers from us or will return them to us emotionally worse for wear--and for what? This is no win war. God love our troops. God guide our leaders. God save our country.

11-25-2004, 04:22 PM	#4 (permalink)
Plenty Fox meeeeeeeeeeee Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Upstairs Posts: 951	I think we the public, as civilians, need to remember several things. 1) The forces overseas are, for the majority, not a professional, as in career, military. Many are reservists. 2) We have a young military. Some of us grew up on Viet Nam, some of us on WWII and Korea. The 'reality' of war for those generations is far different than the reality of a generation raised on playstatiion, nintendo and xbox. There is just no comparison. Not that there is any 'real life' experience I can imagine that would prepare anyone for how to conduct themselves in a 'war zone'. 3) In relation to the above, John Doe joins up out of high school, or maybe a year or two of college or not even a GED. Maybe he grew up on a farm, maybe he went to some safe suburban high school and knew his turf, knew what made people tick, shared their religious philosophy (mostly)--basically had a common ground. Our men and women go over there and are expected to acclimate to a variety of fighting modes--hand to hand or close contact in an urban setting; or long range between villages in a desert. They don't know when they're looking at someone whether they are the enemy or not (common to all wars for the most part but with variance). Groups of Iraqi's thought to be friendlies are turning out to be insurgents. So, you can't trust anybody. You have to trust your fellow soldiers and your commanders. Frankly, society has not raised a generation of team players. We have become 'ME' oriented, control freaks and often find it difficult to acknowledge a higher authority when there is one because we are competitive by nature. So, here the soldier gets dropped. Give him/her a weapon, teach him how to use it and instill in him a survival instinct and 'win one for the gipper (Bush)' mentality. There are no war games, no great war room with a table laid out with a map of a continent and generals moving carriers or tank units around that will 'fit' this conflict. I guess what I'm trying to say is, if there is any 'monster' on the loose, it is one of our own making. And, any culpability/responsibility for what is happening now rests on the shoulders of the commanders and leaders of this country. We went in there (Iraq) thinking we were going to share a way of life we've come to value and appreciate--democracy with all its trappings. Put the shoe on the other foot. If it was still the cold war, and the Russians did come ashore (shades of Red Dawn) and forced Communism and Socialism on us, how would we feel? It is time for our leaders in Washington to bring our men and women home. The war in Iraq is 'within' not 'without'. We can't force a change of heart and mind on a people. This conflict goes beyond subduing another military or government; it is about a people. And not just the Iraqi people, but the American people. This war has divided this country. It is taking our sons, daughters, husbands, wives, fathers, mothers from us or will return them to us emotionally worse for wear--and for what? This is no win war. God love our troops. God guide our leaders. God save our country. __________________ Damme ape’semmai, "Andabichidaiboonee’ gimmadu’i.Wihyu memme hainjinee’ nahandu’i. Enne wizha sudei’ tsaangu mabizhiahkande," mai. The Creator said, "A foreign race of white people will come, who will become your friends. You should treat them well." The Creator sure had a strange sense of humor!