A couple of quick responses-
@ Lewisite- honestly, if you are so enthusiastic to kill civilians, I don't want you in my army. Ideally, you guys should be winning the war, not making it worse. There are rules of combat and if you can't figure that out, then I think you're a danger- to yourself, to your comrades and to your country.
@ Elli- yep, he's planning on doing basic, and then going OTS, army all the way, and hopes to be leading men into combat.
I have to admit- that worries me.
My friend wants to go because he wants the experience of leading men into combat. Is that noble or is that an ego trip and a reckless desire to test oneself.
@Thorgrimm-
I have a lot of respect for the guys who went into the military before 9/11 who thought they were serving their country and wanted to join because there were good education benefits, etc- but mostly because they felt it was a duty.
While I was in High School, back in the 1980s, a friend graduated ahead of me, joined the USMC, became an M-60 gunner, went to Lebandon, and was there when a suicide bomber blew up the terminal. He survived but came home scarred for life. The experiences led him to alcoholism, spousal abuse and decline. He just never recovered.
Thorgrimm- outside the USMC- how many kids remember that sacrifice today? What was it for? Was it a bad policy for the US to intervene in a Civil War and then take sides? To leave our guys exposed?
I blamed Reagan for same bad policy, but was it wrong? And should soldiers or marines ask that question?
Shouldn't ask, before going in, what are they doing this for?
And don't their motivations or reasons determine the virtue of their actions and the value of their sacrifice?
I have a lot of respect for the guys who joined after 9/11 who thought that the US needed to be defended against terrorists. And I feel they were betrayed by bad policies in Iraq. And as I said, I support the war.
I just think our war policies were about as successful as our rebuilding of New Orleans after Katrina.
So what about the people who join now, simply because they want to go to Iraq. Is it service or blind devotion to a principle?
To me, it seems to be awfully reckless.
Given the high rates of PTSD, the wounded, coming back, and the question of whether this war will ever end, or will end well. It seems that they are volunteering to get into a very messy situation and come home with scars that will shape them, potentially for the rest of their life.
I see more people like my friend who went to Lebanon and came home something very different.
Like I said, I have a lot of respect for guys who go because they want to serve their country.
But what if that's not what they want to do?
What if they are a shade away from Lewisite above- who want to kill Muslims or just kill anyone? What about the ones who want to have a sense of adventure, who get caught up in the grand spectacle of war?
I honestly have a hard time believing that the US can't end this war. It requires commitment and investment, but I think it could be done. Instead, its seems this war is being fought half-assed by the administration.
Why is there no draft? Why are we not increasing taxes to pay for the efforts? Why are we giving so much of our military funding to private contractors rather than to our military?
If you're going into the military, and planning to go to Iraq, don't you have to think about that? I mean... you may be sacrificing your life. Why- well your country... maybe. Maybe not. Because it doesn't seem the country really wants to win- or at least not this administration.
And I have to admit, that's troubling to me.
Don 't get wrong, I supported the Iraq war and I didn't give a shit about the WMD argument, which I never bought. To me this was a war about oil, the lubricant of the world's economy. I also oppose getting out too fast and creating instability in Iraq. I don't care what the Dems say, we're in there for another couple of years unless we make the effort to actually win.
ANd that's what I think Bush fucked up. Its not that Americans don't want to go to war or that we're squeamish. What we don't want is to lose.
What pisses me off is how fucked up the war was fought. Seriously, if we can beat Japan in World War 2 and toe the line against the Chinese and North Koreans in Korea- why can't we finish this war in Iraq?
Bullshit.
So why do we perpetuate it? We spend $12 million an hour in Iraq, and a lot of that goes to private companies. That money comes from tax payers and from debts our children will pay. And in the process it makes companies rich. So is this a war about imperialism and about corporate welfare and not about winning or ending terrorism?
I find this very disturbing. And to be honest, I don't have any real answers because I can't seem to get any straight honesty from those assholes in power.
So what if you're a kid and you want to serve your country?
You can become a fireman, a cop, a border patrol man, a paramedic, a rescue worker. You can be a teacher to people in need. You can try to protect our environment. Join the coast guard. A social advocate. There are a lot of ways to serve your country without going to war and they are noble professions as well.
You have to ask yourself- is it worth getting post traumatic stress, losing a limb, watching friends die, potentially getting blown up or shooting some poor civilian (call it collateral damage)? Are you serving your country, the constitution or some private company that is getting rich off that $12 million an hour that this war costs?
@ Sander and Mik-
No way in hell could Europe be what it is today had not the US committed to defend Europe from the Soviets. No way could there have been an EU without NATO.
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