Is this a little more thoughtful then something I spew on my show?

Question

Thanks in2322 for the reminder of this letter. I think it should be shown again.
Editor’s note: Kevin Tillman joined the Army with his brother Pat in 2002, and they served together in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pat was killed in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004. Kevin, who was discharged in 2005, has written a powerful, must-read document.

It is Pat’s birthday on November 6, and elections are the day after. It gets me thinking about a conversation I had with Pat before we joined the military. He spoke about the risks with signing the papers. How once we committed, we were at the mercy of the American leadership and the American people. How we could be thrown in a direction not of our volition. How fighting as a soldier would leave us without a voice… until we get out.

Much has happened since we handed over our voice:

Somehow we were sent to invade a nation because it was a direct threat to the American people, or to the world, or harbored terrorists, or was involved in the September

Got cut off
September 11 attacks, or received weapons-grade uranium from Niger, or had mobile weapons labs, or WMD, or had a need to be liberated, or we needed to establish a democracy, or stop an insurgency, or stop a civil war we created that can’t be called a civil war even though it is. Something like that.


Somehow America has become a country that projects everything that it is not and condemns everything that it is.


Somehow our elected leaders were subverting international law and humanity by setting up secret prisons around the world, secretly kidnapping people, secretly holding them indefinitely, secretly not charging them with anything, secretly torturing them. Somehow that overt policy of torture became the fault of a few “bad apples” in the military.

Somehow back at home, support for the soldiers meant having a five-year-old kindergartener scribble a picture with crayons and send it overseas, or slapping stickers on cars, or lobbying Congress for an extra pad

pad in a helmet. It’s interesting that a soldier on his third or fourth tour should care about a drawing from a five-year-old; or a faded sticker on a car as his friends die around him; or an extra pad in a helmet, as if it will protect him when an IED throws his vehicle 50 feet into the air as his body comes apart and his skin melts to the seat.

Somehow the more soldiers that die, the more legitimate the illegal invasion becomes.

Somehow American leadership, whose only credit is lying to its people and illegally invading a nation, has been allowed to steal the courage, virtue and honor of its soldiers on the ground.

Somehow those afraid to fight an illegal invasion decades ago are allowed to send soldiers to die for an illegal invasion they started.

Somehow faking character, virtue and strength is tolerated.

Somehow profiting from tragedy and horror is tolerated.

Somehow the death of tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people is tolerated.

Somehow subversion

Somehow subversion of the Bill of Rights and The Constitution is tolerated.

Somehow suspension of Habeas Corpus is supposed to keep this country safe.

Somehow torture is tolerated.

Somehow lying is tolerated.

Somehow reason is being discarded for faith, dogma, and nonsense.

Somehow American leadership managed to create a more dangerous world.

Somehow a narrative is more important than reality.

Somehow America has become a country that projects everything that it is not and condemns everything that it is.

Somehow the most reasonable, trusted and respected country in the world has become one of the most irrational, belligerent, feared, and distrusted countries in the world.

Somehow being politically informed, diligent, and skeptical has been replaced by apathy through active ignorance.

Somehow the same incompetent, narcissistic, virtueless, vacuous, malicious criminals are still in charge of this country.

Somehow this is tolerated.

Somehow nobody i

Oh and I didn't write it.

Easy to sit back in our comfortable seats and talk a good game.

dancing_in_the_hail - Yes I served With GWB, Rummy And Cheney.
Great the way you trash this guy. Very thoughtful of you.

cynthiatweedle - Are you serious?Don't you know who Pat Tillman was, and that he was a true hero who died fighting for our country???!!!

Answer 1

Very diffcult to stomach. I wasn't going to answer this until I saw that someone didn't even know who Pat Tilman was. Amazing! Shows just how out-of-touch people are to this conflict. It's easier to "stay the course," when you don't put a face to the tragedy. I currently serve and have also buried some fellow warriors. These things make you evaluate your thoughts about service and those you serve. I won't quit, regardless of who the Commander in Chief is, and will serve with honor. I feel strongly about this country, how it is run and the effects of poor leadership on the people of our nation. I have a son, and I am very concerned about the country I will leave to him some day. One thing I will continue to emphasize to him is to put his money where his mouth is. You can't complain about the country if you don't serve in some capacity. I have my eyes and ears open all the time.

Answer 2

I'm confused...who are you?

Have you ever even served? Or are you one of those rich SOBs who talks trash but would never sign?

Guess what, I'm a soldier. Right NOW. The media spins EVERYTHING negatively. You have no clue what is going on...you just have a "letter." Every soldier's experience in Iraq/Afghnistan/Kuwait is different. Try talking to more than one soldier.

Nitwit.

Have a nice day.

Answer 3

Pat needs to be discharged.

Answer 4

Ewwww you ugie:(
http://cdn-91.cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users12/celebgossip/default/msg-115884446196.jpg

:)