"Where do they get young men like this??

AnandTech Moderator

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Oct 12, 1999
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Martin Savidge of CNN, embedded with the 1st Marine battalion, was talking with 4 young Marines near his foxhole this morning live on CNN. He had been telling the story of how well the Marines had been looking out for and taking care of him since the war started. He went on to tell about the many hardships the Marines had endured since the war began and how they all look after one another.
He turned to the four and said he had cleared it with their commanders and they could use his video phone to call home.
The 19 year old Marine next to him asked Martin if he would allow his platoon sergeant to use his call to call his pregnant wife back home whom he had not been able to talk to in three months. A stunned Savidge who was visibly moved by the request shook his head and the young Marine ran off to get the sergeant.
Savidge recovered after a few seconds and turned back to the three young Marines still sitting with him and asked which one of them would like to call home first, the Marine closest to him responded with out a moments hesitation ? Sir, if is all the same to you we would like to call the parents of a buddy of ours, Lance Cpl Brian Buesing of Cedar Key, Florida who was killed on 3-23-03 near Nasiriya to see how they are doing?.
At that Martin Savidge totally broke down and was unable to speak. All he could get out before signing off was ?Where do they get young men like this??.

Everybody keep on topic in this thread or else!
 

GagHalfrunt

Lifer
Apr 19, 2001
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Originally posted by: AnandTech Moderator
Link

?Where do they get young men like this??.


They get them from the USA. You sure as hell are not going to find them in France or Iraq. In France the story would be like "Can Sgt Chirac use the phone instead, he wants to surrender first. No, let Private LaPierre go first, he's brokering a deal to sell Iraq another breeder reactor..."
 

UltraQuiet

Banned
Sep 22, 2001
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Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
Originally posted by: AnandTech Moderator
Link

?Where do they get young men like this??.


They get them from the USA. You sure as hell are not going to find them in France or Iraq. In France the story would be like "Can Sgt Chirac use the phone instead, he wants to surrender first. No, let Private LaPierre go first, he's brokering a deal to sell Iraq another breeder reactor..."

Well I guess we're gonna find out what or else is.

 

Queasy

Moderator<br>Console Gaming
Aug 24, 2001
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Aww crap. Apparently, this is a hoax. Go to today's Best of the Web on OpinionJournal.com and scroll to the bottom with the headline "Homer Nods". CNN is reporting it is a hoax.
 

yowolabi

Diamond Member
Jun 29, 2001
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Originally posted by: DaveSohmer
Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
Originally posted by: AnandTech Moderator
Link

?Where do they get young men like this??.


They get them from the USA. You sure as hell are not going to find them in France or Iraq. In France the story would be like "Can Sgt Chirac use the phone instead, he wants to surrender first. No, let Private LaPierre go first, he's brokering a deal to sell Iraq another breeder reactor..."

Well I guess we're gonna find out what or else is.

One can only hope.

Too bad it's a hoax. My optimistic side likes to hear as many stories like this as possible to help convince me that selfless good people really are the majority.

My cynical side says it figured this would be a hoax, and just more propaganda to show how war and specifically this war has it's good side.
 

TheNinja

Lifer
Jan 22, 2003
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Originally posted by: yowolabi
Originally posted by: Soldat
makes one proud

You didn't see the "it's a hoax" information?

Even if it is a hoax, the names might be false and this particular story might be false, but this is an example of stuff that happens over there all the time. There are great people and selfless acts everyday even if they are not documented as this "hoax" is. And NO, I DON'T have a frickin link to back it up so don't ask.
 

yowolabi

Diamond Member
Jun 29, 2001
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Originally posted by: Staley8
Originally posted by: yowolabi
Originally posted by: Soldat
makes one proud

You didn't see the "it's a hoax" information?

Even if it is a hoax, the names might be false and this particular story might be false, but this is an example of stuff that happens over there all the time. There are great people and selfless acts everyday even if they are not documented as this "hoax" is. And NO, I DON'T have a frickin link to back it up so don't ask.

Why would I ask for a link? I'll stipulate that there are great people and selfless acts everyday. I'll also stipulate those acts happen in the Middle East, in America, in France, in Russia, in England, and in North Korea. In all of these places there are also selfish acts and small people. None of this was ever in question.

This particular news story didn't happen.
 

TheNinja

Lifer
Jan 22, 2003
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Originally posted by: yowolabi
Originally posted by: Staley8
Originally posted by: yowolabi
Originally posted by: Soldat
makes one proud

You didn't see the "it's a hoax" information?

Even if it is a hoax, the names might be false and this particular story might be false, but this is an example of stuff that happens over there all the time. There are great people and selfless acts everyday even if they are not documented as this "hoax" is. And NO, I DON'T have a frickin link to back it up so don't ask.

Why would I ask for a link? I'll stipulate that there are great people and selfless acts everyday. I'll also stipulate those acts happen in the Middle East, in America, in France, in Russia, in England, and in North Korea. In all of these places there are also selfish acts and small people. None of this was ever in question.

This particular news story didn't happen.

I wasn't meaning to lash out at you, it is just that everything people say on these boards now, there is always someone else crying "LINK" . I just wanted to say that stories SIMILAR to this do happen.
 

shiner

Lifer
Jul 18, 2000
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Let me just repeat what I said in the original thread with this name....

That snippet should be required reading for all the naysayers out there that take every opportunity to dog on our men and women in the military. If what was described above does not show you the spirt of the American soldier then nothing will. They aren't there for fortune and glory. They aren't there to dominate and rule people. They aren't there to kill the innocent. They aren't there to fight for oil. They aren't there to create an American Empire. There are there, day in and day out in horrible conditions, facing possible death every minute to make the world a safer place and to ensure freedom. I'm truly moved to tears.....
 

yowolabi

Diamond Member
Jun 29, 2001
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Originally posted by: shinerburke
Let me just repeat what I said in the original thread with this name....

That snippet should be required reading for all the naysayers out there that take every opportunity to dog on our men and women in the military. If what was described above does not show you the spirt of the American soldier then nothing will. They aren't there for fortune and glory. They aren't there to dominate and rule people. They aren't there to kill the innocent. They aren't there to fight for oil. They aren't there to create an American Empire. There are there, day in and day out in horrible conditions, facing possible death every minute to make the world a safer place and to ensure freedom. I'm truly moved to tears.....

Does anyone read past the first post anymore? The story is false. There are plenty of true stories of good hearted marines. Pick one of them to share with everyone and stop being moved to tears by fiction.

Since we're on the subject, please let me know who dogs the men and women of the military. I haven't seen any of that either here or in other parts of my life. All of the criticism I've seen has been directed at the people who give the soldiers orders that aren't even fighting themselves. It's the people who ordered the soldiers that are being accused of Empire building and of putting the soldiers in a position where they harm civilians. The soldiers didn't choose to go over there, they were ordered over there. No one doubts that just like in any other group, most of them are good people and a few aren't. The people who decided why the soldiers are there are the ones who are having their motives questioned.
 

Sxotty

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Apr 30, 2002
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Remember the Iraqi lawyer that risked his life to save our POW, you sure as hell get them in Iraq. People like this are more common in places like Iraq, than they are here probably because when life is hell you got to help folks to get by.
 

Queasy

Moderator<br>Console Gaming
Aug 24, 2001
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There are plenty of other actions by our troops that show the quality of their character and courage such as the incident where an Iraqi woman was injured during a bridge fight and one of our troops ran out on the bridge, threw a smoke grenade for cover, and guarded the woman while an armored ambulance was called in.

It is regretable that the original post is a hoax, but again, there plenty of other TRUE examples of courage and selflessness by our soldiers.
 

Mookow

Lifer
Apr 24, 2001
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Originally posted by: yowolabiSince we're on the subject, please let me know who dogs the men and women of the military. I haven't seen any of that either here or in other parts of my life. All of the criticism I've seen has been directed at the people who give the soldiers orders that aren't even fighting themselves. It's the people who ordered the soldiers that are being accused of Empire building and of putting the soldiers in a position where they harm civilians. The soldiers didn't choose to go over there, they were ordered over there. No one doubts that just like in any other group, most of them are good people and a few aren't. The people who decided why the soldiers are there are the ones who are having their motives questioned.

Go read DoctorPizza's vacation winning post in the original thread about this article. That thread might be titled differently, but its recent and locked, so it should be easy to find
 

kylebisme

Diamond Member
Mar 25, 2000
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"We had a great day," Sergeant Schrumpf said. "We killed a lot of people."

and:

He recalled watching one of the women standing near the Iraqi soldier go down.

"I'm sorry," the sergeant said. "But the chick was in the way."

nytimes


so i wonder too; where do they get young men like this? :disgust:
 

Wheezer

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Nov 2, 1999
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Originally posted by: TheSnowman
"We had a great day," Sergeant Schrumpf said. "We killed a lot of people."

and:

He recalled watching one of the women standing near the Iraqi soldier go down.

"I'm sorry," the sergeant said. "But the chick was in the way."

nytimes


so i wonder too; where do they get young men like this? :disgust:


Both marines said they were most frustrated by the practice of some Iraqi soldiers to use unarmed women and children as shields against American bullets. They called the tactic cowardly but agreed that it had been effective. Both Sergeant Schrumpf and Corporal McIntosh said they had declined several times to shoot at Iraqi soldiers out of fear they might hit civilians.

"It's a judgment call," Corporal McIntosh said. "If the risks outweigh the losses, then you don't take the shot."

But in the heat of a firefight, both men conceded, when the calculus often warps, a shot not taken in one set of circumstances may suddenly present itself as a life-or-death necessity.

"We dropped a few civilians," Sergeant Schrumpf said, "but what do you do?"

To illustrate, the sergeant offered a pair of examples from earlier in the week.

"There was one Iraqi soldier, and 25 women and children," he said, "I didn't take the shot."

But more than once, Sergeant Schrumpf said, he faced a different choice: one Iraqi soldier standing among two or three civilians. He recalled one such incident, in which he and other men in his unit opened fire. He recalled watching one of the women standing near the Iraqi soldier go down.

"I'm sorry," the sergeant said. "But the chick was in the way."



gee did you take time to read the whole article? Or did you just pick and choose so that you could get your anti troop ideas across?

 

kylebisme

Diamond Member
Mar 25, 2000
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but i did read the whole article Wheezer, and i linked it for everyone else as well. i don't see what you are going off about as it just went along with what i was saying anyway. incase you missed it, my point was it all depends one were you draw the line when it comes to killing people. like he said "one Iraqi soldier" is not worth the risk to "25 women and children", but when the odds are less than that and we you belive that to "kill a lot of people" makes for a "great day"; then the line can get rather blurry. i suppose it is a personal call and wether you are sniping off women or crashing planes into office buildings; it is all just a matter of ones personal concept of morality. :disgust:
 

Wheezer

Diamond Member
Nov 2, 1999
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Originally posted by: TheSnowman
but i did read the whole article Wheezer, and i linked it for everyone else as well. i don't see what you are going off about as it just went along with what i was saying anyway. incase you missed it, my point was it all depends one were you draw the line when it comes to killing people. like he said "one Iraqi soldier" is not worth the risk to "25 women and children", but when the odds are less than that and we you belive that to "kill a lot of people" makes for a "great day"; then the line can get rather blurry. i suppose it is a personal call and wether you are sniping off women or crashing planes into office buildings; it is all just a matter of ones personal concept of morality. :disgust:

Ok let's look at the analogy you make.

These men are up against people who are shooting back. It is a life or death situation for them.

UNLIKE the people in the twin towers, who were not shooting back and posed no risk to those that commited the act.

And yes, when you kill a lot of people who are trying to kill you it is a great day, because this is a war situation. If they did not have a great day killing the enemy, then the enemy would have had a great day. Personally I would rather that our guys have a great day than the other way around.

What I am going off about is the fact that you only posted that one line. Sure you linked the whole article but by posting that one and only line your view comes across as one that does not support the actions of our troops who are fighting and dying and faced with tough decisions.

The topic of the thread is the sacrafice these men are willing to make for each other and in some cases the Iraqi civilans.

 

Mardeth

Platinum Member
Jul 24, 2002
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Originally posted by: shinerburke
Let me just repeat what I said in the original thread with this name....

That snippet should be required reading for all the naysayers out there that take every opportunity to dog on our men and women in the military. If what was described above does not show you the spirt of the American soldier then nothing will. They aren't there for fortune and glory. They aren't there to dominate and rule people. They aren't there to kill the innocent. They aren't there to fight for oil. They aren't there to create an American Empire. There are there, day in and day out in horrible conditions, facing possible death every minute to make the world a safer place and to ensure freedom. I'm truly moved to tears.....

Your soldiers arent any better than ours. Of course there are stories here and there but there are as mutch bad stories also but the problem is that your reporters that are with the troops arent usually allowed to talk about it. Its called propaganda and its seems to be working well.

If your youngsters are so great, why are they shooting each other? I could give up my call to home anytime of the day. Mentaly I dont need anyone, I like being alone a lot to some point. A pregnant wife or kids might change it but not that drastically that I couldnt survive without a call for 3 months.

Your youngsters are brought up to be like that. They arent sencire. If everything from their upbringing would be vanished and all that would matter was natural instinct, they would think of theirself. In US people seem to be dum enough to risk their lives just to be heros. It is stupid. It makes no sense. Just unneccesary victims. The guy on the bridge didnt probably do anything useful but still he risked his life. It isnt heroic, its dum. Heroic is something that comes from the heart not from the brain. There are as many heroic US citizens than there are anywhere else.


They know they will be called heroes for this. And the girl that was captured is a hero too. Did she do anything heroic? Probably not, just because she suffered she is a hero. Its not like she had a choice.




 

kylebisme

Diamond Member
Mar 25, 2000
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Originally posted by: Wheezer
Ok let's look at the analogy you make.

it was more a list of examples really. i supose it is analogous in that sense but i am not saying they are the same thing compleately, only that in both cases people are being killed even though those people are not trying to kill.


Originally posted by: Wheezer
These men are up against people who are shooting back. It is a life or death situation for them.

they were sniping, that is far different than a crossfire situation.

Originally posted by: Wheezer
UNLIKE the people in the twin towers, who were not shooting back and posed no risk to those that commited the act.

but just like the "chick" who "got in the way."

Originally posted by: Wheezer
And yes, when you kill a lot of people who are trying to kill you it is a great day, because this is a war situation. If they did not have a great day killing the enemy, then the enemy would have had a great day. Personally I would rather that our guys have a great day than the other way around.

so you are saying the point of this war is to kill people? and while killing is normally considered bad, if it is in war then that makes it good?



Originally posted by: Wheezer
What I am going off about is the fact that you only posted that one line. Sure you linked the whole article but by posting that one and only line your view comes across as one that does not support the actions of our troops who are fighting and dying and faced with tough decisions.

well i don't support mentalities such as the ones expressed in the quotes i pointed out, regardless of what "side" they come from. i don't see where you get off even taking issue with this.

Originally posted by: Wheezer
The topic of the thread is the sacrafice these men are willing to make for each other and in some cases the Iraqi civilans.

the topic of this thread was a lie, did you miss that?