For you terrorist sympathizers, Bush-haters, etc, why do you ignore the words of the vets who have been there?

Question

I love how the people who claim to know the most about the war are people who hear about it on CNN, but the people who put boots on the ground are discounted. If you hate Bush, fine hate him, he'll be gone in two years, but don't mix your negativism, defeatism in with the reality of the war. We captured Saddam, killed his sons and Zarqawi, established two democracies and have put Osama in permanent hiding. All this while losing less men than we used to lose in one battle in World War II.

In the Vietnam War, there were numerous anti-war statements by those who had been there, so they had more credence, but that is not the case. There are only a few anti-war vets and if you talk to them, they are more anti-deployment than anti-war. Re-enlistments are at an all time high because those of us who have been there no the good we are doing.

PLUS FUTE- Wow, you're pen pals with a few soldiers, I've known and worked with hudnreds of soldiers and Marines. That's my point.

THE WISE ONE- The Army missed their goal by 3% which is amazing considering how negative the media is. But their re-enlistment numbers exceeded their goals, making up the difference.

Also, the Navy, Army and Air Force all met their goals. I love how you didn't mention that.

NOSTROMO- You are a terrorist sympathizer. Saddam started the Iran Iraq war, in which 500,000 of his own peope died. He invaded Kuwait,thousands more, gassed Kurds, 5000, financed suicide bombers in Israel. Not only that but his Ba'ath regime murdered thousands of Iraqis. I guarded some of the mass graves that he pock-marked his country with. Now tell me again how Iraq was better off under him.

KOVACS- People don't sneak into a democracy by the millions if the country is "not working" as you say.

VMV- I've been there and am volunteering to return. Most Iraqis are ecstatic that Saddam is gone. Of course they want us to leave, but we still have to train enough soldiers and police so they can protect their own country.

Answer 1

Ooorah!

Answer 2

It’s funny that everyone is complaining about the press but run to the bias Fox News and says their fare. I can watch Fox and CNN and they have the same story and the same dialect. Conservatives only hate the press because they can control them.

What words are we ignoring!!!! We didn’t invade IRAQ because there was an immanent threat to America.... We invaded IRAQ on an agenda that was not fully correct even if we find WMD's.

I'm not saying Saddam was a sweetheart and he may have killed a million people, but a million people are killed just about ever year in Africa, so dont tell me we are there because he was a tyrant.

I doubt you will find many people that don’t support our troops. They have no say on where they get deployed or start a war. You will find people against the war because of the Agenda that was presented as a reason to go to war.

I think its Hilarious that Republican just six years ago where bashing Clinton over Nation Building and what are we doing now!!

I 100% support the war in Afghanistan, becuase they attacked us and harbored terrorist. That is not the case in IRAQ.

One other thing you mentioned that Saddam was sending suicide bombers to Israel!!! If you read the 911 Commissions report on IRAQ you would know that IRAQ had no envolment in Terrorism at all. Most terrist groups hated Saddam including Osama.

It’s sad the Republicans label people that are against the war as Terrorist lovers and sympathizers just because they are against the war. I think most of the people that are against it are only against it because of the Bull **** that comes out of Bush's mouth.

Answer 3

You know, sir, for the most part I agree. The liberal press has shamelessly attacked the war and the President, and done so in the convenient guise of support for the troops.

But the truth is, the situation down there is not alleviated yet. Car-bombings every day do not indicate a successful democracy. Granted, democracy moves on despite terror in some countries, like Israel in its early days. But I fear the sectarian violence will topple the fragile democracy if we leave now, and that's the only reason I'm pro-war.

There are a good many veterans opposed to the war, and I can see why. Our reasons were shady for going in (I'm not saying we wanted oil, but WMDs were not there) and for the troops in Iraq, it must be hard to know what you're fighting for. It is much harder to fight for an ideal than something simple and selfish, like personal survival or national survival (as in WWII).

And didn't the Army fail to meet recruiting standards? No one wants to join the National Guard because they get deployed six months a year, and that's even rougher on family life than being in the Reserve. Especially when you're in a combat zone with relatively little training...

Answer 4

Well there is a distinct difference between being anti-war and being anti-troop. My father is an ex military man and I have a GREAT deal of respect for the men and women who fought valiantly and who still do. And though many people don't think so, it is out of respect for their efforts that I voice my opinions against what I think is a poorly made decision by our president.
Even my sorority sister, a marine who just returned from 3 years in Iraq, appreciates that I voice my opinion because as she said "that's what we're doing, fighting to protect your right to voice your opinion".
I and many others are anti-war, but that does not make me anti-american nor does it make me anti-military. It would be nice to not be automatically considered anti-american or anti-military just because i think there are more people in america who could use those billions upon billions of tax payer dollars than in Iraq.
How do you say we are over there establishing democracy when we won't even let the people establish the government they want to establish? If they want an Islam based government, why will we not let them establish one? It wasn't until Rumsfeld opened his big mouth and said there was no way the US would support an Islam based government that the insurgents got super busy.
How is that democracy? And if we didn't go t help establish democracy, why are we there? There are hundreds of thousands of people from one region of this country still trying to get their lives back in order after our government dropped the ball when their towns were wiped clean off the map, not to mention the healthcare crisis, education crisis, poverty levels increasing year after year among people who actually DO work....
I could see a great many other things we could be doing to actually be the country we proclaim ourselves to be instead of force feeding ourselves down other people's throats. I love my troops and I love my country and I will always voice my opinions about what I think could be done to make it a better place.
Sorry if you don't like it.

Answer 5

Whats your point? You talk about war as if it something natural and something that had to be done. Who asked you to capture Saddam and kill his sons? And there would be no terrorists if the US didnt stick their noses everywhere...You talk about things you consider normal and ok, but some people think that war is wrong in the first place. And I really have to speculate whether you would be bothered with establishing democracies if there was no oil....
More people in Iraq have died during your democracy, than under Saddam. Anyway, I shouldnt write all this stuff...one word...OIL
If people cant see it then they are mental and thats it.

Answer 6

Maybe if you worded your question better, you would get more civilized responses.

I do know a few vets of the Iraq war and I am a pen pal to two soldiers currently stationed there. None of the soldiers that I have personally corresponded with agree with the war. But they are doing their jobs. And I support them, not the war.

P.S. I don't have cable, therefore I do not watch CNN. I watch The News Hour with Jim Lehrer on PBS.

Answer 7

yes one dictator has been rid of and replaced by another, like the u.s. government really gives a flying f*** about speading freedom when they support suppluy and bring to power dsictators all around the world, all they've done is set up a puppet government in iraq so they can have a friendly government to get oil from. Oh by the way wasn't the main goal finding WMD? turns out they didn't have it and everyone just kind of said oh well who cares we're spreading freedom to people because it's our right to tell other countires what form of government they must have. Of course most soldiers serving in iraq think their doing a service their the ones that were brainwhashed into serving in the military in the first place

Answer 8

Remember that most people around the world get their "information" from some type of media outlet. In the US, people get almost 100% of their understanding of how the world works outside their immediate envrions by watching 30 to 60 minutes of five-minute news reports.

This is true of information about anything outside of the US. If it didn't happen here, all we know about it is what the evening news chooses to tell us. And of course, we all know about their slant...

Also remember that for the most part, the people who are spouting off about the war are people who, until the war started, couldn't have found Iraq or Afghanistan on a map of southwestern Asia. Very, very few of those who so "vehemently" disaprove of US foreign policy are qualified to critique it.

Answer 9

I have to agree the press no longer just reports the news they control and create the news. There used to be a saying "without offense to friend or foe we report the news "exactly " as it goes.
I no longer have any trust or confidence in any news report from any where. I don't have any one in the military, but I support all military personnel 100 %. I know to insure our freedoms protect our liberty we have to fight. But every time I hear of the loss of a soldier my heart just breaks, and I get angry because I don't think the general population realizes or appreciates the ultimate sacrifice these young people make.

Answer 10

I'm a bush hater, my hubby is a 2x vet and is still in the army. Ive seen pics of tanks with blood on them and all that, i know that some Iraqis want us there, i also know that 2 Iraqi soldiers just killed two American soldiers. whats your point?

a military wife

Answer 11

I have tremendous respect for vets. Ya'll have made the greatest sacrifices for our freedom. You can get sent anywhere in the world to do a job that you may or may not agree with.

Vets are not to blame for many actions being taken in the Middle East. It is not the job of the military to establish the foreign policy of which I vehemently disapprove.