Post by AgateChaser on May 29, 2006 9:13:33 GMT -5
I am a Disabled veteran and I served during Desert Storm. These are some if the things I wish that the General Public knew. This is no way an attempt to bash anyone. I love RTF and respect all it's members. This is why I am posting here because I know that I will get honest feedback. Please, feel free to respond. I really want to know how others feel about this. So...without further ado...
Things I wish people knew....
The men and women who are currently serving in the Armed Forces of the United States were not drafted. They chose to enlist. Most, currently in Iraq, joined the military after Desert Storm and knew that probability was high of going to war again. Nobody joins the US Armed Forces anymore thinking that they will NOT go to war at some point. It doesn't bother many of us active/veterans that people oppose the war. We are fighting to uphold their rights to freely and openly express their oppositions. We don't agree with EVERYTHING our Commander-in-Chief does or says. We do respect and obey all our orders, though. We are proud of our uniform. We are proud of our country. We are proud to be able to serve/have served and protected the citizens of our country and other countries in need. Just hearing TAPS or the National Anthem fills us with something that only a member of the Armed Forces could ever understand. Instead of blaming everything on our President, it would be nice to follow the lead of other posters here, in recognizing that it is a governmental problem. The President still has to get approval from Congress and the House of Reps to make changes. It upsets me on a personal level when I see people on the street with signs stating that our President is allowing our soldiers to be slaughtered. It's not the fact that they are protesting. I thank God that I live in a country where we can protest openly. It upsets me that people don't realize that if most of our government officials weren't in agreement with what was going on in Iraq...our military wouldn't be there. Our President does not have sole control. If he did...we would not be living in a democracy. Many people may not remember that former President Bush promised the Iraqi people that we would be there to protect them and then pulled our troops out. Thousands of people were slaughtered. We are in a no-win situation. If our Armed Forces pull out now...innocent people will be slaughtered. If we stay...more of our forces will be killed. Our troops were sent to Iraq to keep this impending war from coming to our soil. I know it may be hard to imagine but, 9/11 was just the start. Had we not gone to them...they would have come to us...on our soil...killing innocent people. You may not believe this and that's your right. Maybe, I wouldn't either had I not seen what Saddam Hussein did to his own people while testing his chemicle weapons.
My point is this...(bet you thought there was no point, right?)...whether we believe what our military is doing is right or wrong...we should still be supporting the troops. You don't have to support the war to support the troops. It's a horrible feeling to be in a war zone risking your life knowing that people at home see you as some poor victim of the government. The troops really need and deserve morale boosts. There are so many ways to do that for them, too. There are tons of places online for info and I can provide you with any help you need. You would be surprised what even a simple pack of gum will do to boost the morale of a soldier. They just want to know that someone...anyone...at home is thinking about them. I met someone on ebay who is currently serving in Iraq and I send him letters all the time. I have found that food is always a winning morale booster to its receiver. Please, on thsi Memorial Day, think of the soldiers who have died while protecting us. Don't let their efforts go unnoticed. Hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day! To all the other vets out there....Thanks!
Things I wish people knew....
The men and women who are currently serving in the Armed Forces of the United States were not drafted. They chose to enlist. Most, currently in Iraq, joined the military after Desert Storm and knew that probability was high of going to war again. Nobody joins the US Armed Forces anymore thinking that they will NOT go to war at some point. It doesn't bother many of us active/veterans that people oppose the war. We are fighting to uphold their rights to freely and openly express their oppositions. We don't agree with EVERYTHING our Commander-in-Chief does or says. We do respect and obey all our orders, though. We are proud of our uniform. We are proud of our country. We are proud to be able to serve/have served and protected the citizens of our country and other countries in need. Just hearing TAPS or the National Anthem fills us with something that only a member of the Armed Forces could ever understand. Instead of blaming everything on our President, it would be nice to follow the lead of other posters here, in recognizing that it is a governmental problem. The President still has to get approval from Congress and the House of Reps to make changes. It upsets me on a personal level when I see people on the street with signs stating that our President is allowing our soldiers to be slaughtered. It's not the fact that they are protesting. I thank God that I live in a country where we can protest openly. It upsets me that people don't realize that if most of our government officials weren't in agreement with what was going on in Iraq...our military wouldn't be there. Our President does not have sole control. If he did...we would not be living in a democracy. Many people may not remember that former President Bush promised the Iraqi people that we would be there to protect them and then pulled our troops out. Thousands of people were slaughtered. We are in a no-win situation. If our Armed Forces pull out now...innocent people will be slaughtered. If we stay...more of our forces will be killed. Our troops were sent to Iraq to keep this impending war from coming to our soil. I know it may be hard to imagine but, 9/11 was just the start. Had we not gone to them...they would have come to us...on our soil...killing innocent people. You may not believe this and that's your right. Maybe, I wouldn't either had I not seen what Saddam Hussein did to his own people while testing his chemicle weapons.
My point is this...(bet you thought there was no point, right?)...whether we believe what our military is doing is right or wrong...we should still be supporting the troops. You don't have to support the war to support the troops. It's a horrible feeling to be in a war zone risking your life knowing that people at home see you as some poor victim of the government. The troops really need and deserve morale boosts. There are so many ways to do that for them, too. There are tons of places online for info and I can provide you with any help you need. You would be surprised what even a simple pack of gum will do to boost the morale of a soldier. They just want to know that someone...anyone...at home is thinking about them. I met someone on ebay who is currently serving in Iraq and I send him letters all the time. I have found that food is always a winning morale booster to its receiver. Please, on thsi Memorial Day, think of the soldiers who have died while protecting us. Don't let their efforts go unnoticed. Hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day! To all the other vets out there....Thanks!
