About time to bring them home yet?

[Steeplerot]

I work at a PC repair aspect of a store. Right next to a base. What I have been hearing since Jan or so disgusts me. Right from the people fighting over there. Back on leave mostly getting laptops sprayed out by me (they a full of sand)
Talk about children getting dismembered by troops no communication with a people who don't want them there. (They don't even encourage them to learn any arabic!)
They are tired a LOT of them have been divorced since they have been gone so long. And I keep hearing about how scary it is going to be in the summer with the temperatures and mostly reservists getting trained. "On the job" And about how the goverment has failed them and the people stateside have no clue how terrible things are going for them and still think they are there colonizing their hearts and minds. I was talking to a sgt (Who is a top) and he says that there is a lot more suicides and kids out there TRYING to get killed they are so depressed about the whole thing. I asked what we would do or would happen if they got to come home and 2 of them said the same thing "I don't care it's their country and we are not going to change anything." I told my dad and he says it's Vietnam over again.
A couple made comments too that they are mostly escorting haliburton employees around. The only sign of rebuilding is parks where the Iraqis tear down to sell the metal.
About the elections.. It seems to the troops we lied to the iraqis becasue we are not giving them the election they promised and they want nothing to do with the GIs hanging outside of their cities only to come in and pull someone out to innterogate them and leave. They don't want to go into the cities the people don't want them. And I keep hearing "Were just there to secure the oil supplies." This is from 17 of my customers now I have talked to. Mostly Marines some army. Some officers mostly enlisted who have been in for awhile.
Thing is they are not allowed to talk about this nothing negative about US while on leave I will not give any names for fear of risking ones career.
I thank those who took the time to talk about some of what they have been through.
And it's tough on them some of them are young and a lot of their friends are dying.
They deserve to come home now.
They have done their job.

 

[Romans828]

Nice story...........

 

[Steeplerot]

Sadly it is not a story I can see it in their eyes how frustrated they are with what they are being put through.

 

[Steeplerot]

Anyone out there talked to anyone coming back on leave? Lets hear what is going on over there I have a few friends in the Air force too who are having big problems with way too much work -Things getting cut down to the bone (One I refering to is a flight controller and he is VERY understaffed now)
Actually here is a very recent post from his livejournal.


7:20 pm - Pissed - Military Sux Rant
Just found out that me upcomming 4 day weekend has been cancelled, instead it's more of my 1 1/2 day weekends (get off at 6am on 1st day off, 1 full day off, this after working 6 days in a row). I don't talk about work much here but it is driving me crazy. To few people (used to need a minimum of 13 to run the RAPCON now it's down to 5 and most days we barely have that), way to much work, and a shi*** work enviroment. Needless to say the military has been going down hill ever since I joined in 1997. It's even funnier when I constantly see the Secretary of Defense and Service Chiefs of staff on the news saying we don't need more people. Hell in the early 90's we had 3 times the amount of people and only deployed to Saudi Arabia and Turkey, now we have 1/3 the amount of people and deploy to a sh** load more places (Bosnia, Afganistan, Iraq, all the little countryies by russia that end in "stan", ect ,ect ,ect. Hell my work place was tasked with 17 slots for deployments this summer, only that would have left 1 air traffic controller at the base... yeah the higher ups really know what the f**k their doing. Most military jobs I can understand sh** like this happening but you start fu**ing around with air traffic controllers and flight safety, well people die real quick then. And they wonder why no one wants to stay in when I can triple my pay and work for the FAA, at least they have a union that tries to protect their people.
One day the military will wake up from the "yes sir, we can do that sir" no matter what mentality and just ask for the resources we need to fight all these damned war's our goverenment has gotten us into. No I won't reenlist, no matter what, and yes, I hope we all vote to get rid of Bush this year.
Speaking of the FAA, Bush's lovely governemnt has halted hiring of new air traffic controllers for about the last year or so (reason: we can do it more efficently with the same amount of people), even with 75% of the controllers being eledgible for retirement in the next 3-5 years and already minimal manning in most Centers and TRACONS. Yup, feel safe everone, for Bush's tax cut's and inability to spend money on anything but more war, you've gotten a weaker, overstressed military and an weaker overstressed air traffic safety system.
I only edited out his cursewords which AT won't let me post.

 

[Romans828]

Originally posted by: steeplerot
Sadly it is not a story I can see it in their eyes how frustrated they are with what they are being put through.

Well I live a few miles from Fort Bragg (pass through post all the time) and "I see" a quite different "story"

 

[Red Dawn]

Well if half of those under 25 who were so much in favor of us going over there in the first place would join up themselves there wouldn't be a shortqage. Punks like Dari and LordJezo are all gung ho about us being there but they are no where in sight when Uncle Sam needs them to fight that war.

 

[Steeplerot]

I'm talking about people OVER there not sitting on their ass in-country

 

[Steeplerot]

This is what one guy told me too. If they want to go to Iraq and kill the people who live there then they are welcome.
-Straight from a marines mouth

 

[Romans828]

Originally posted by: steeplerot
I'm talking about people OVER there not sitting on their ass in-country

Im talking about people rotating, we have plenty of guys comming and going from Bragg.........

My whole point is that we all "have stories" we can share. Just because you have an opinion/experience does not mean it applies in all cases. OK fair enough?

 

[Red Dawn]

I seriously doubt that the majority of them enjoy being there.

 

[arsbanned]

I'm sure Romans is over there. Right? *crickets*

 

[Steeplerot]

Well what have you been hearing? I know they are told not to talk to anyone aobut his stuff but what are the guys at Bragg saying? sen any of these wounded guys get? What is their story?
Im just hearing that we betrayed them and are in the dark while these guys are scared for their lives 24/7 and it takes a toll. People will talk. Ask around lets hear more about this. It's important we know all we here here is flowery crap where it seems the other side of the coin we are really dropping the ball as Americans to do what is right for the people fighting for us.

 

[sierrita]

Originally posted by: arsbanned
I'm sure Romans is over there. Right? *crickets*

4F nutjob.

 

[sMiLeYz]

What a coincidence, steeplerot! My cousin (whos in Iraq) says the exact same thing you have said about troop morale there.

 

[Siddhartha]

A lot more people will have to die before the US can pull out of Iraq.

 

[arsbanned]

4F nutjob.

Nah, probably a kid being put through college by his parents and posting from a comfortable safe place.
YEAH SEND THOSE OTHER KIDS OVER THERE TO BE KILLED FOR NO REASON! YEAH!

 

[leeboy]

Originally posted by: Romans828

Originally posted by: steeplerot
Sadly it is not a story I can see it in their eyes how frustrated they are with what they are being put through.

Well I live a few miles from Fort Bragg (pass through post all the time) and "I see" a quite different "story"

And Fort Bragg is HOW close to Iraq again? Hmm, strange how soldiers safe on base here in the good old USA might have a different "story" than those dying in the sands of Iraq. Pft. And the "rotating" you mention is the rotation of body bags coming back and fresh meat boarding planes to get in line for their toe tags. Grow up.

 

[Orsorum]

Unfortunately we can't bring them back yet. Thanks to this blunder we'll be there for a number of years, if we leave any sooner we'll fvck ourselves over even more both in the ME and on the world stage at large.

 

[Steeplerot]

Were screwed either way. Iraqi people are not going to give up their ideas of free elections come Jan 1st next year suddenly. or 2006 or 2099 it just means more dead soldiers. Period.

 

[Ozoned]

Originally posted by: steeplerot
I work at a PC repair aspect of a store. Right next to a base. What I have been hearing since Jan or so disgusts me. Right from the people fighting over there. Back on leave mostly getting laptops sprayed out by me (they a full of sand)
Talk about children getting dismembered by troops no communication with a people who don't want them there. (They don't even encourage them to learn any arabic!)
They are tired a LOT of them have been divorced since they have been gone so long. And I keep hearing about how scary it is going to be in the summer with the temperatures and mostly reservists getting trained. "On the job" And about how the goverment has failed them and the people stateside have no clue how terrible things are going for them and still think they are there colonizing their hearts and minds. I was talking to a sgt (Who is a top) and he says that there is a lot more suicides and kids out there TRYING to get killed they are so depressed about the whole thing. I asked what we would do or would happen if they got to come home and 2 of them said the same thing "I don't care it's their country and we are not going to change anything." I told my dad and he says it's Vietnam over again.
A couple made comments too that they are mostly escorting haliburton employees around. The only sign of rebuilding is parks where the Iraqis tear down to sell the metal.
About the elections.. It seems to the troops we lied to the iraqis becasue we are not giving them the election they promised and they want nothing to do with the GIs hanging outside of their cities only to come in and pull someone out to innterogate them and leave. They don't want to go into the cities the people don't want them. And I keep hearing "Were just there to secure the oil supplies." This is from 17 of my customers now I have talked to. Mostly Marines some army. Some officers mostly enlisted who have been in for awhile.
Thing is they are not allowed to talk about this nothing negative about US while on leave I will not give any names for fear of risking ones career.
I thank those who took the time to talk about some of what they have been through.
And it's tough on them some of them are young and a lot of their friends are dying.
They deserve to come home now.
They have done their job.

Unfortunately,steeplerot, The motions that a soldier goes through, and the price they pay is what has given
and keeps your rights to post your opinion on this forum and allows you the freedoms to do what you will
in other arena's.
Your opinion is based upon what you have heard, what you have been told, and what you
hypothesize. The bit about the people not wanting them there,, that apply's to the bad guys for sure
but a populous that has been tortured and terrorized for their entire life time really don't know what they
want for they know only of what they also have been told and what they have heard. Freedom is a
concept that we introduce to them,, only time will tell, history shows us that few give up freedom
willingly.

Human nature is to desire freedom and this country has risen above any other in providing
the circumstances in which freedom can occur, by the hand of the soldier.

We don't always do it gracefully, but we must try.

The cost for those that already know freedom may seem high, but for those that
pay the price, they do so without hesitating, for they also know the value of this freedom.

I wish we could get them home right now also, but there job has just begun.

I also here from those that are there, and they have no intention of failing their
mission, despite their loneliness and dread, and the lack of support from those
back home, from those that already have freedom.

The soldiers do as their told, but they keep an open mind.

As we should....

We close our minds and we seal their fate and the fate
of those that we attempted to free, and that also would be
hard to live with.....

We started this for better or worse and we must finish.....

 

[Gaard]

Just curious...is spraying sand out of a laptop something that needs to be done professionally?

 

[Steeplerot]

The time for an "open mind" is over we should have had an open mind as to listening to our allies. blindly trusting is what got us into this. It's time to face facts and see noone WANTS us there but people who have their own motives it seems. Being there any longer is just going to mean more death. For US and innocent Iraqis. Those who welcomed us at first want our blood now. Quagmire warfare gets us nowhere and were just going to have to suck up sooner or later and bring them home. Best way to end terrorism I see. That and not supporting Israel if they are going to keep pushing the Palestinians out of their homes. (Well that and ending our dependance on oil.)
Sometimes I really think the human race is fuxx0red.. -So much hate and killing in a world with so much for all.
Goes off to be introspective for awhile

 

[Steeplerot]

Gaard are you being facetious? If so whatever. If not no anyone can do it mostly things like not being able to get DVDs to play (qtip and alcohol but not everyone knows to do this, hell I get people bringing PCs in becasue they get the smallest errors or read one of those popups that say they are infected with some crap and they panic -amazing how tech unsavvy people can be even though they fly jets)

 

[Tab]

Originally posted by: Gaard
Just curious...is spraying sand out of a laptop something that needs to be done professionally?

Hahahah!

 

[Romans828]

Originally posted by: leeboy

Originally posted by: Romans828

Originally posted by: steeplerot
Sadly it is not a story I can see it in their eyes how frustrated they are with what they are being put through.

Well I live a few miles from Fort Bragg (pass through post all the time) and "I see" a quite different "story"

And Fort Bragg is HOW close to Iraq again? Hmm, strange how soldiers safe on base here in the good old USA might have a different "story" than those dying in the sands of Iraq. Pft. And the "rotating" you mention is the rotation of body bags coming back and fresh meat boarding planes to get in line for their toe tags. Grow up.

Fort Bragg is home of the 82nd Airborne, Delta Force, and Special Forces group. I promise you the good people here at Ft Bragg know damn plenty about the war in Iraq..........

You grow up, I am 42 years old and served my country so STFU. You have shown your true hand you piece of Sh*t