Thread: Go crazy in here!!!

If the reval hits tomorrow (monday) I will fly to Hawaii and work for free to help rebuild anything they want

Originally Posted by ozizoz

If the reval hits tomorrow (monday) I will fly to Hawaii and work for free to help rebuild anything they want

WAY TO GO OZIZOZ, this world needs more people like you

Originally Posted by ozizoz

If the reval hits tomorrow (monday) I will fly to Hawaii and work for free to help rebuild anything they want

I'll second that... Hope to be buying a ticket soon!

Originally Posted by www.xealthy.com

Every now and again we remember and catch a glimpse of what truely is going on in Iraq. Having an 18 yr old myself, my heart goes out to the parents and spouses of all teh servicemen and women. Bravery!!! What can I say I am held speechless.

I pray with all my heart and sole that this damn Reval happens SOON - NOW would be better. So that we can move closer and closer to the days when our service men can come home. Hoopefully not on to the next War that is Concocted by this administration.

If I ruled the world. I would move the majority of the troops to protect the boarders and the airports (at home and abroad). Just dont froget to pay attention to what is happening right under our noses right here in the USA.

Tourture, Spying, you name it - the bush adminsitration is re-writing the Constitution as we speak. breaking news
soon entering into the military will not be an option, but an obligation, imposed upon our children.

On of the main reasons for my investment in dinar - was that it will happen away with or without my contribution - so if you cant beat them join them and take my money and get out of Dodge.

Unfortunately, you are clueless about what the war on terror is all about. If your liberal Dems regain the WH, you'll get your wish. Might be a good idea to move as far from New York as you can. The Islamic terrorists will likely set off a suitcase nuke the next time. If you survive, you can blame Bush for that, too.

p.s. When you 'pray', you might want to invoke your 'soul' and not a shoe component.

[QUOTE=dinarminar;120728The Islamic terrorists will likely set off a suitcase nuke the next time. If you survive, you can blame Bush for that, too.
[/QUOTE]

Right you are...35 field tactical nukes (known as suitcase or backpack bombs) have been missing from the Soviet arsenal since the Sovet Union fell. It is highly considered that they were sold for upwards of $50 million each on the black market...God knows who owns them now but I have a pretty good idea and I bet they were paid for with oil revenues!!

Originally Posted by dinarminar

Unfortunately, you are clueless about what the war on terror is all about. If your liberal Dems regain the WH, you'll get your wish. Might be a good idea to move as far from New York as you can. The Islamic terrorists will likely set off a suitcase nuke the next time. If you survive, you can blame Bush for that, too.

p.s. When you 'pray', you might want to invoke your 'soul' and not a shoe component.

We don't need all of the anger, we are all here for the same reasons. Just because someone doesn't want to see anymore of our troops injured or killed does not mean that they are a bad person, it means that they are compassionate. You talk about terrorists, well maybe xealthy's idea isn't so bad. Protect our airports and borders sounds more like a conservative viewpoint to me (and while we're at it our ports). I am very conservative but I think if you' call yourself conservative and support everything GW has done, you are not a conservative. The fundamentals of the GOP are/have been less government, less taxes, and less spending. it cannot be denied that in the last 6 years we have seen an extreme reduction of our constitutional freedoms. The only part of xealthy's comment I disagree with and I believe the part you had the problem with is "Hoopefully not on to the next War that is Concocted by this administration." Saddam should have been taken care of during Bush Sr. admin. and would have been had it not been for the U.N. Everyone should know at this point (and would know if not for some selective reporting) that this war is not about WMDs or OIL, it's about changing the face of the middle east. Up to this point we have only had Israel as our one true ally in the middle east but if we can show the people of Iran and Syria that a democratic capitalist society can not only work but bring prosperity and happiness in an Arab country the oppressed people of other countries will demand change.

I spent Saturday at March AFB, where my son's Civil Air Patrol unit had the chance to ride on a C-17. I didn't realize until I got there that it was a huge recruiting event for them - there were Junior ROTC groups from all over, representing every service, over 300 young men and women, already learning leadership skills and pride in service. The kids were sitting in the terminal, awaiting their turn while the recruiting sergeant fed them pizza, talked about the GI Bill, and answered their questions about the C-17. From outside the building, we hear the sound of jet engines as a large aircraft pulls up. The recruiter's words fall on deaf ears as the cadets all look out the window for the C-17 they've been eagerly anticipating riding on for weeks. Instead, it is an ATA jet. Disappointed, the cadets' attention goes back to the recruiter, until once notices the passengers getting off the plane - Marines, returning from Iraq. The recruiter quickly finishes and the cadets file outside to the roped-off walkway, where they wave, salute, and gave thumbs-up to the Marines. As always, it struck me how young the Marines look. My former officer side sees brave young men, my mommy side sees babies, barely old enough to leave home - but then I look at the cadets, ages 18 down to 11 years old at the youngest, who happens to be my son. I pray every day that this ends soon, in such a way that the peace will be long-lasting.

Folks sometimes never think about what you are experiencing until they face those things themselves! Unique to your situation is that you also are knowledgeable at what others are not seeing! Those are kids, another parent's son/daughter, but if Americans, they are "ours" as well! They are all of our kids, yes men/women, they are adults as they did sign on and have made themselves available and now "property", government property, but with our prayers and concern as they venture into a conflict that have become un-popular! Instead of getting in and doing the "job" we have been a "police" state! There are better ways in which things can be done, until we come up with a better way at controlling our obligatory concerns, we will be placing our love ones in these situations!

What irritates me is when someone takes their love ones' death and exploits them to "shame"! But, then a mother is a mother and there no other that can tell a mother that she had crossed a line when her "baby" is concerned!

Keep watch and thanks again for sharing your experience; if I have confuse you or any other, it was meant to move them in this fashion! As Americans, we have placed too much concern on who to blame and looking at "why" someone does something, instead of what was done and how to correct someone's action. See other concerns below!

Concern: North Korea, what can be done? A small demonstration of precise "bombing"! Location, right in the middle of a Kim Chee jar, actual location, Kim Jong-il's personal residence! (Preferred during daylight hours! Ten minutes prior to the hit, leaflets dropped, with the Chinese flag reflecting it was a gift from Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao!)

Concern: South America, Venezuela, Ex-president Chavez, see concern above, use same demonstration. (Leaflets dropped reflects, from the devil!)

Concern: Iran, see above example, use a slightly larger demonstration, we also need to share this with Syria as well! (Leaflets dropped reflects, from the Holocaust-ed Jews!)

Concern: United Nation, after the RV party, move the whole deal off shore; make it a profit making organization, starting with our yearly donation being removed and getting Iran and Venezuela to pick up the tab. When to move it to! Cuba! Let's give them all a vacation in our Hurricane Alley!

Originally Posted by zipper

I spent Saturday at March AFB, where my son's Civil Air Patrol unit had the chance to ride on a C-17. I didn't realize until I got there that it was a huge recruiting event for them - there were Junior ROTC groups from all over, representing every service, over 300 young men and women, already learning leadership skills and pride in service. The kids were sitting in the terminal, awaiting their turn while the recruiting sergeant fed them pizza, talked about the GI Bill, and answered their questions about the C-17. From outside the building, we hear the sound of jet engines as a large aircraft pulls up. The recruiter's words fall on deaf ears as the cadets all look out the window for the C-17 they've been eagerly anticipating riding on for weeks. Instead, it is an ATA jet. Disappointed, the cadets' attention goes back to the recruiter, until once notices the passengers getting off the plane - Marines, returning from Iraq. The recruiter quickly finishes and the cadets file outside to the roped-off walkway, where they wave, salute, and gave thumbs-up to the Marines. As always, it struck me how young the Marines look. My former officer side sees brave young men, my mommy side sees babies, barely old enough to leave home - but then I look at the cadets, ages 18 down to 11 years old at the youngest, who happens to be my son. I pray every day that this ends soon, in such a way that the peace will be long-lasting.

Originally Posted by motomachi

Folks sometimes never think about what you are experiencing until they face those things themselves! Unique to your situation is that you also are knowledgeable at what others are not seeing! Those are kids, another parent's son/daughter, but if Americans, they are "ours" as well! They are all of our kids, yes men/women, they are adults as they did sign on and have made themselves available and now "property", government property, but with our prayers and concern as they venture into a conflict that have become un-popular! Instead of getting in and doing the "job" we have been a "police" state! There are better ways in which things can be done, until we come up with a better way at controlling our obligatory concerns, we will be placing our love ones in these situations!

What irritates me is when someone takes their love ones' death and exploits them to "shame"! But, then a mother is a mother and there no other that can tell a mother that she had crossed a line when her "baby" is concerned!

Keep watch and thanks again for sharing your experience; if I have confuse you or any other, it was meant to move them in this fashion! As Americans, we have placed too much concern on who to blame and looking at "why" someone does something, instead of what was done and how to correct someone's action. See other concerns below!

Concern: North Korea, what can be done? A small demonstration of precise "bombing"! Location, right in the middle of a Kim Chee jar, actual location, Kim Jong-il's personal residence! (Preferred during daylight hours! Ten minutes prior to the hit, leaflets dropped, with the Chinese flag reflecting it was a gift from Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao!)

Concern: South America, Venezuela, Ex-president Chavez, see concern above, use same demonstration. (Leaflets dropped reflects, from the devil!)

Concern: Iran, see above example, use a slightly larger demonstration, we also need to share this with Syria as well! (Leaflets dropped reflects, from the Holocaust-ed Jews!)

Concern: United Nation, after the RV party, move the whole deal off shore; make it a profit making organization, starting with our yearly donation being removed and getting Iran and Venezuela to pick up the tab. When to move it to! Cuba! Let's give them all a vacation in our Hurricane Alley!

Concur with the utmost degree!

Originally Posted by DayDream

Although we all have dreams of the r/v and being rich, lets not forget the Fine and Brave soldiers that risk their lives everyday and have to leave their families to make it possible. Please read one soldiers account of life in Iraq.


The Secret Letter From Iraq
By Mark R Taylor (10/15/2006)

A Marine's letter home, with its frank description of life in "Dante's
inferno," has been circulating through generals' in-boxes. We publish it
here with the author's approval
Written last month, this straightforward account of life in Iraq by a
Marine officer was initially sent just to a small group of family and
friends. His honest but wry narration and unusually frank dissection of
the mission contrasts sharply with the story presented by both sides of
the Iraq war debate, the Pentagon spin ******* and fierce critics.
Perhaps inevitably, the 'Letter from Iraq' moved quickly beyond the
small group of acquantainaces and hit the inboxes of retired generals,
officers in the Pentagon, and staffers on Capitol Hill. TIME's Sally B.
Donnelly first received a copy three weeks ago but only this week was
able to track down the author and verify the document's authenticity.
The author wishes to remain anonymous but has allowed us to publish it
here with a few judicious omissions.

All: I haven't written very much from Iraq. There's really not much to
write about. More exactly, there's not much I can write about because
practically everything I do, read or hear is classified military
information or is depressing to the point that I'd rather just forget
about it, never mind write about it. The gaps in between all of that are
filled with the pure tedium of daily life in an armed camp. So it's a
bit of a struggle to think of anything to put into a letter that's worth
reading. Worse, this place just consumes you. I work 18-20-hour days,
every day. The quest to draw a clear picture of what the insurgents are
up to never ends. Problems and frictions crop up faster than solutions.
Every challenge demands a response. It's like this every day. Before I
know it, I can't see straight, because it's 0400 and I've been at work
for 20 hours straight, somehow missing dinner again in the process. And
once again I haven't written to anyone. It starts all over again four
hours later. It's not really like Ground Hog Day, it's more like a level
from Dante's Inferno.

Rather than attempting to sum up the last seven months, I figured I'd
just hit the record setting highlights of 2006 in Iraq. These are among
the events and experiences I'll remember best.

Worst Case of Dejavu: I thought I was familiar with the feeling of
dejavu until I arrived back here in Fallujah in February. The moment I
stepped off of the helicopter, just as dawn broke, and saw the camp just
as I had left it ten months before that was dejavu. Kind of
unnerving. It was as if I had never left. Same work area, same busted
desk, same chair, same computer, same room, same creaky rack, same . . .
everything. Same everything for the next year. It was like entering a
parallel universe. Home wasn't 10,000 miles away, it was a different
lifetime.

Most Surreal Moment: Watching Marines arrive at my detention facility
and unload a truck load of flex-cuffed midgets. 26 to be exact. We had
put the word out earlier in the day to the Marines in Fallujah that we
were looking for Bad Guy X, who was described as a midget. Little did I
know that Fallujah was home to a small community of midgets, who banded
together for support since they were considered as social outcasts. The
Marines were anxious to get back to the midget colony to bring in the
rest of the midget suspects, but I called off the search, figuring Bad
Guy X was long gone on his short legs after seeing his companions
rounded up by the giant infidels.

Most Profound Man in Iraq: an unidentified farmer in a fairly remote
area who, after being asked by Reconnaissance Marines if he had seen any
foreign fighters in the area replied "Yes, you."

Worst City in al-Anbar Province: Ramadi, hands down. The provincial
capital of 400,000 people. Lots and lots of insurgents killed in there
since we arrived in February. Every day is a nasty gun battle. They
blast us with giant bombs in the road, snipers, mortars and small arms.
We blast them with tanks, attack helicopters, artillery, our snipers
(much better than theirs), and every weapon that an infantryman can
carry. Every day. Incredibly, I rarely see Ramadi in the news. We have
as many attacks out here in the west as Baghdad. Yet, Baghdad has 7
million people, we have just 1.2 million. Per capita, al-Anbar province
is the most violent place in Iraq by several orders of magnitude. I
suppose it was no accident that the Marines were assigned this area in 2003.

Bravest Guy in al-Anbar Province: Any Explosive Ordnance Disposal
Technician (EOD Tech). How'd you like a job that required you to defuse
bombs in a hole in the middle of the road that very likely are
booby-trapped or connected by wire to a bad guy who's just waiting for
you to get close to the bomb before he clicks the detonator? Every day.
Sanitation workers in New York City get paid more than these guys. Talk
about courage and commitment.

Second Bravest Guy in al-Anbar Province: It's a 20,000 way tie among
all these Marines and Soldiers who venture out on the highways and
through the towns of al-Anbar every day, not knowing if it will be their
last — and for a couple of them, it will be.

Worst E-Mail Message" "The Walking Blood Bank is Activated. We need
blood type A+ stat." I always head down to the surgical unit as soon as
I get these messages, but I never give blood — there's always about 80
Marines in line, night or day.

Biggest Surprise: Iraqi Police. All local guys. I never figured that
we'd get a police force established in the cities in al-Anbar. I
estimated that insurgents would kill the first few, scaring off the
rest. Well, insurgents did kill the first few, but the cops kept on
coming. The insurgents continue to target the police, killing them in
their homes and on the streets, but the cops won't give up. Absolutely
incredible tenacity. The insurgents know that the police are far better
at finding them than we are and they are finding them. Now, if we
could just get them out of the habit of beating prisoners to a pulp . .

Greatest Vindication: Stocking up on outrageous quantities of Diet
Coke from the chow hall in spite of the derision from my men on such
hoarding, then having a 122mm rocket blast apart the giant shipping
container that held all of the soda for the chow hall. Yep, you can't
buy experience.

Biggest Mystery: How some people can gain weight out here. I'm down to
165 lbs. Who has time to eat?

Second Biggest Mystery: if there's no atheists in foxholes, then why
aren't there more people at Mass every Sunday?

Favorite Iraqi TV Show: Oprah. I have no idea. They all have satellite TV.

Coolest Insurgent Act: Stealing almost $7 million from the main bank in
Ramadi in broad daylight, then, upon exiting, waving to the Marines in
the combat outpost right next to the bank, who had no clue of what was
going on. The Marines waved back. Too cool.

Most Memorable Scene: In the middle of the night, on a dusty airfield,
watching the better part of a battalion of Marines packed up and ready
to go home after over six months in al-Anbar, the relief etched in their
young faces even in the moonlight. Then watching these same Marines
exchange glances with a similar number of grunts loaded down with gear
file past — their replacements. Nothing was said. Nothing needed to be said.

Highest Unit Re-enlistment Rate: Any outfit that has been in Iraq
recently. All the danger, all the hardship, all the time away from home,
all the horror, all the frustrations with the fight here — all are
outweighed by the desire for young men to be part of a band of brothers
who will die for one another. They found what they were looking for when
they enlisted out of high school. Man for man, they now have more combat
experience than any Marines in the history of our Corps.

Most Surprising Thing I Don't Miss:Beer. Perhaps being half-stunned by
lack of sleep makes up for it.

Worst Smell: Porta-johns in 120 degree heat and that's 120 degrees
outside of the porta-john.

Highest Temperature: I don't know exactly, but it was in the
porta-johns. Needed to re-hydrate after each trip to the loo.

Biggest Hassle: High-ranking visitors. More disruptive to work than a
rocket attack. VIPs demand briefs and "battlefield" tours (we take them
to quiet sections of Fallujah, which is plenty scary for them). Our
briefs and commentary seem to have no affect on their preconceived
notions of what's going on in Iraq. Their trips allow them to say that
they've been to Fallujah, which gives them an unfortunate degree of
credibility in perpetuating their fantasies about the insurgency here.

Biggest Outrage: Practically anything said by talking heads on TV about
the war in Iraq, not that I get to watch much TV. Their thoughts are
consistently both grossly simplistic and politically slanted. Biggest
Offender: Bill O'Reilly.

Best Intel Work: Finding Jill Carroll's kidnappers, all of them. I was
mighty proud of my guys that day. I figured we'd all get the Christian
Science Monitor for free after this, but none have showed up yet.

Saddest Moment: Having an infantry battalion commander hand me the dog
tags of one of my Marines who had just been killed while on a mission
with his unit. Hit by a 60mm mortar. He was a great Marine. I felt
crushed for a long time afterward. His picture now hangs at the entrance
to our section area. We'll carry it home with us when we leave in February.

Best Chuck Norris Moment: 13 May. Bad Guys arrived at the government
center in a small town to kidnap the mayor, since they have a problem
with any form of government that does not include regular beheadings and
women wearing burqahs. There were seven of them. As they brought the
mayor out to put him in a pick-up truck to take him off to be beheaded
(on video, as usual), one of the Bad Guys put down his machinegun so
that he could tie the mayor's hands. The mayor took the opportunity to
pick up the machinegun and drill five of the Bad Guys. The other two ran
away. One of the dead Bad Guys was on our top twenty wanted list. Like
they say, you can't fight City Hall.

Worst Sound: That crack-boom off in the distance that means an IED or
mine just went off. You just wonder who got it, hoping that it was a
near miss rather than a direct hit. Hear it practically every day.

Second Worst Sound: Our artillery firing without warning. The howitzers
are pretty close to where I work. Believe me, outgoing sounds a lot like
incoming when our guns are firing right over our heads. They'd about
knock the fillings out of your teeth.

Only Thing Better in Iraq Than in the U.S. — Sunsets. Spectacular. It's
from all the dust in the air.

Proudest Moment: It's a tie every day, watching our Marines produce
phenomenal intelligence products that go pretty far in teasing apart Bad
Guy operations in al-Anbar. Every night Marines and Soldiers are kicking
in doors and grabbing Bad Guys based on intelligence developed by our
guys. We rarely lose a Marine during these raids, they are so
well-informed of the objective. A bunch of kids right out of high school
shouldn't be able to work so well, but they do.

Happiest Moment: Well, it wasn't in Iraq. There are no truly happy
moments here. It was back in California when I was able to hold my
family again while home on leave during July.

Most Common Thought: Home. Always thinking of home, of my great wife
and the kids. Wondering how everyone else is getting along. Regretting
that I don't write more. Yep, always thinking of home.

I hope you all are doing well. If you want to do something for me, kiss
a cop, flush a toilet, and drink a beer. I'll try to write again before
too long, I promise.

Cheers!
DayDream

Daydream, thank you so much for sharing this letter. Every now and then I need a reminder to turn back on the emotions and understanding of what I tend to put on autopilot and file away. There are 1000's of such letters I'm sure, but I consider this one very special because it made it here to our sight and was shared with compassion and love for others. On days when I feel I'm having it rough, I will click on my "favorites" I will cry and laugh while I picture this soldier putting down his thoughts and pray for his (all of their) safe return soon.