Has the WOT made the U.S. safer?
Hey, the movie was good, directors cut better, but the book was exceptional. As for Iraq, on a purely selfish note me and my buddies all want that shut down so we get their assets, instead of the hand me downs and left overs. The serious fighting is going on where I am, and the Brits down south. Iraq is cake. I got blown up by an IED a week ago (I'm fine), my buddy beside me got shot as we ran a wounded motherfucking local national under fire up a hill to the medevac, two hour long firefight yesterday, I've been in over 150 firefights in the past year, and right now we're running low on water because the fucking helicopters are too afraid to fly into our valley. They have a golf course in Iraq. Golf course. we can't sit outside wihtout wearing a helmet. Oh, on the plus side, the movie deal went down, so now we're going to have a movie made, a documentary, and a book. You know what this means? Our motherfucking CO is gonna have to get more of us killed so that the ending is better. The 15 dead and 70 wounded aren't enough. That's out of a company. 200 men, btw. You know the most common thing people said to me when I was home? Glad you're not in Iraq. I rode home on a bird full of soldiers from Iraq. One of them was bitching because he went a whole week without a shower. At that time I hadn't lived in a place with electricity for well over a month. Another guy said, yeah, my platoons seen it's share of action. I was in all 3 of their firefights. Fuck Iraq. Let them kill each other. Of course, that's just my emotional side. Logically I feel we're pot committed, and should see it through. We've got some outs. Who knows what will hit on the river? So, that's my PTSD starting to come through, but I'll be back in Italy in a few months, climbing at Arco or Mallorca or Kalumnos every weekend. Assuming we make it home, of course. Apologize for the venting, but thanks for reading it anyway.
"Yeah, it sucks. But then, everything does."
Dink Dink Bro my heart goes out to you. Good luck out there. I think your life and your ties to your family are more important that one country's struggle in this spot in time. Don't take risks and disobey direct orders if you think the mission is suicide. Anyone who knows and loves you would tell you the same thing. You might have similar advice for some to whom you are close.
"Fuck Iraq. Let them kill each other. "
This would happen briefly as it does everywhere. We had a civil war also. They would fight for a while, but their history books are OVER 2k years OLDER than ours! They have been living together for a long time. Outside the extremist loudmouths there are underlying cultures of peace. Society would stabilize, they are human beings. This vein of thinking reminds me of an interesting discussion I had with someone about the war on drugs. He said if not for the war on drugs the Black race would destroy itself. He was one serious neocon Gingrishite.
"Fuck Iraq. Let them kill each other. "
This would happen briefly as it does everywhere. We had a civil war also. They would fight for a while, but their history books are OVER 2k years OLDER than ours! They have been living together for a long time. Outside the extremist loudmouths there are underlying cultures of peace. Society would stabilize, they are human beings. This vein of thinking reminds me of an interesting discussion I had with someone about the war on drugs. He said if not for the war on drugs the Black race would destroy itself. He was one serious neocon Gingrishite.
That may be selfish for you, but it's also the best global policy for the US. Afghanistan has been hugely fucked up for more than a century, but it's critical for the rest of the world that it doesn't go back to what it was 10 years ago. Knowing what the Brits and Soviets dealt with in Afghanistan, it was that much more insane to get distracted in Iraq. (Not to knock the poor schmucks serving in Iraq - they're in the middle of a ton of crap also, it's just a ton of crap that the US didn't need to step in.)Dink Dink wrote:As for Iraq, on a purely selfish note me and my buddies all want that shut down so we get their assets, instead of the hand me downs and left overs.
I'm hoping your CO is out of luck and gets as boring a story as possible. Get back to the Red - I'm pretty sure that me and a bunch of other folks here are looking forward to providing you all the belays, beer and Miguel's you want.
Bacon is meat candy.
