A Soldiers Plea

fired a shot. 'Following orders' was not accepted as a defense in the Nuremberg Trials, and is certainly not acceptable to the dead and injured. They will rightly blame everyone who had a hand in what happened to them. That is the reality. To pretend otherwise is to deny the very humanity of the victims and the idea of right and wrong. Support doesn't mean condone, it doesn't mean excuse, and it shouldn't mean enable. Infiltrators can see, say, and think whatever they'd like. This is the internet after all.

...but clearly, I have struck at the sacred cow here. Ever since burnt-out hippies in the 60s abused and reviled soldiers, many of whom were drafted, or joined under the threat of draft, people have been scared scheissless to criticize soldiers, even those acting as agents of evil agendas. Well, since we're slinging mud, let me say that you are intellectual cowards. We are all responsible for our actions, whoever's "fault" it is. I am not saying that soldiers should let themselves be killed. I don't know what to do for them. Their situation is horrible and untenable. All I know, is that they are not heroes, and that if I support them, I support their actions.

Lauded, for being agents of evil? We should have sympathy for them, inasmuch as they were deceived, but praise is utterly inappropriate. Further, you state that they are asked to lay down their lives for FREEDOM. Stuff and nonsense! They are asked to help install a government more amicable to our hegemony, to perpetuate our domination of the region. Saddam Hussein was no threat to us, not to our lives, not to our freedom. He was a "threat" because he wouldn't accept our interference. We prop up despots all over the world, so long as they are amicable to our corporate interests. Our politicians have sold out, and our troops are mere tools of their reckless hubris.

Our Son joined the National Guard in 1999. He hoped to benefit from some GI benefits. We watched him go through basic training and watched him become a fine soldier. As it was pre 9-11 we never guessed that he would be going to Afghanistan in 2003 for 1 year and leaving a new wife and a 2 month old daughter behind. Thank God he came home alive and uninjured.

I am deeply offended when people say " well he enlisted." Absolutely no compassion for what his family or what our Son experienced that year.

Now our Son always says he is just doing his job and doesn't expect any praise. But as his parents I'll be darned if we'll will sit back and let anyone demean his service to his country. Like Ron Paul says, I won't stand for it.

spoken like a true asshole.

Obviously you have never served in the military.

People dont sign up to "be deployed at the whim of scumbag politicians". I dont recall that being part of the oath that we took. We signed up to protect OUR country from enemies, foreign and domestic.

Unfortunately, many with good intentions who do sign up get dragged into conflict by crocked polititions. Most get lied to by their recruiter. Reservists, many who traditionally would be back-filling active-duty jobs here in the states for those deployed; instead end up getting deployed to Iraq, into positions outside of their area of expertese. These reservists often experience a substancial reduction in pay from their normal earnings in their civilian career. Their families suffer, they can lose their homes. The politicians put in "stop loss" programs to force those who have completed their service requirements, and thus should be eligable to get out, to re-enlist, regardless of if they want out..

Many in the military are forced to kill. They dont want to be killed. They dont want to be in a position of killing others. Some are unfortunately uneducated, some unfortunately are bad people. You will have rapist, and robers, and murders. That is a part of society and there is a small percentage of those who make it into the service. But this is war! War IS hell on earth. The only ones fighting by rules, are the majority of our soldiers. The enemy has no constraints, so we are forced to fight with a hand tied behind our backs...

There arent many jobs where there is a high likelyhood of being killed every day. Usually those jobs, in a free market would earn a higher income. Troops arent making very much at all, certainly less then most white collar jobs. They arent getting rich fighting for this country.

Whatever you position on the war might be, the last person to be going after are those individuals who choose to serve. They keep people like you from geting drafted. You might consider being a little more kind when you talk about them.

Assholes like you probably either did, or would have, spat on my father when he returned from his tour in Vietnam.