I'm going to take a few days to collect my thoughts on where my life is going. I just learned that a soldier that subscribed to this site got lit up. I was looking at his pictures that people have posted, and I couldn't help but think that he could easily have been my troop. What would have happened if I had not brought Tony, or Baisden, or Tim, or Joy back to their families? How many HUNDREDs of posts would their online journals have? How many people would notice? I figured out that the answer is: A lot.
See, when you're a soldier, all this "support our troops" stuff is real nice for about the first 3 Months. Then it turns into a fad, just like anything else. Everyone competes to have the biggest yellow ribbon on their mailbox, so they can collect apologies for the misfortune of having a loved one downrange. It's disgusting, and it makes you feel cheap to hear it after a while. "Thanks for all you do." "I never joined myself, but I really respect you for what you're doing." TRANSLATION: I'm a wuss, and thanks for keeping me from getting drafted, because I really don't want to live in Canada. You start to feel like a plastic soldier that kids get in a kit and pretend to blow up with a toy truck. "Pchwooooosh, Pow Pow Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa."
The bottom line is that it's a job. None of us want to go for honorable reasons. Not this time. Afghan was one thing. We had a cause, and a mutual sense of purpose. Iraq is a game of russian roulette on a scale of one bullet for every 15 empty chambers. The odds are that if you go over there, you'll come home. The odds are also in favor of you having to pull a trigger when, under any other circumstances you wouldn't have to. It's what we decided to do for free college, or pride or the ability to provide for our families.
Wolfmoon98 or Mike J. Smith's, (as I believe his name was,) death has saved more lives than anyone will ever know. I'm not just talking about his team/squad/platoon/company. I'm talking about the whole Army. Because of his sacrifice I have a renewed sense of purpose. It is my job to train soldiers how to survive war. It is my job to make sure that soldiers in my charge make it home. I will tell everyone that I work with that Mike J. Smith has shown me how big the ripples in the water get. How many people hurt inside when a soldier dies. Within the realm of my control, I will never allow it to happen to one of my soldiers. Regardless of how I feel about the multinational pissing contast that Iraq has become. Regardless of how cowardlyI feel the Iraqi public is, and the way that they act like dogs fighting over the scraps of meat left when the alpha male has been pulled from the pack. I will soldier, and train and try to build a team... not for war, but for love. We cannot change that we have to fight. We are trained to keep the peace, and only when necissary to disrupt it. I will train them to make it home.
The saddest thing in the world is a soldier that fights for no reason. The second saddest is a soldier that loses for no reason. Good luck, Mike. Say hi to the Flying Dutchman and Juan for me. Tell Juan he still owes me $6.
See, when you're a soldier, all this "support our troops" stuff is real nice for about the first 3 Months. Then it turns into a fad, just like anything else. Everyone competes to have the biggest yellow ribbon on their mailbox, so they can collect apologies for the misfortune of having a loved one downrange. It's disgusting, and it makes you feel cheap to hear it after a while. "Thanks for all you do." "I never joined myself, but I really respect you for what you're doing." TRANSLATION: I'm a wuss, and thanks for keeping me from getting drafted, because I really don't want to live in Canada. You start to feel like a plastic soldier that kids get in a kit and pretend to blow up with a toy truck. "Pchwooooosh, Pow Pow Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa."
The bottom line is that it's a job. None of us want to go for honorable reasons. Not this time. Afghan was one thing. We had a cause, and a mutual sense of purpose. Iraq is a game of russian roulette on a scale of one bullet for every 15 empty chambers. The odds are that if you go over there, you'll come home. The odds are also in favor of you having to pull a trigger when, under any other circumstances you wouldn't have to. It's what we decided to do for free college, or pride or the ability to provide for our families.
Wolfmoon98 or Mike J. Smith's, (as I believe his name was,) death has saved more lives than anyone will ever know. I'm not just talking about his team/squad/platoon/company. I'm talking about the whole Army. Because of his sacrifice I have a renewed sense of purpose. It is my job to train soldiers how to survive war. It is my job to make sure that soldiers in my charge make it home. I will tell everyone that I work with that Mike J. Smith has shown me how big the ripples in the water get. How many people hurt inside when a soldier dies. Within the realm of my control, I will never allow it to happen to one of my soldiers. Regardless of how I feel about the multinational pissing contast that Iraq has become. Regardless of how cowardlyI feel the Iraqi public is, and the way that they act like dogs fighting over the scraps of meat left when the alpha male has been pulled from the pack. I will soldier, and train and try to build a team... not for war, but for love. We cannot change that we have to fight. We are trained to keep the peace, and only when necissary to disrupt it. I will train them to make it home.
The saddest thing in the world is a soldier that fights for no reason. The second saddest is a soldier that loses for no reason. Good luck, Mike. Say hi to the Flying Dutchman and Juan for me. Tell Juan he still owes me $6.
Thank you for your post here. Thank you for having the guts to say this war is wrong, and thank you for renewing your care for our soldiers, our friends and children. Thank you for understanding that many of us truly do care about the people serving in the military, though we actively oppose the present war. You will never know how much it meant to me to read that.
Your post about Michael Smith made me cry, for him, for all of us. I came here to say something about how powrful your writing was, and how your words affected me, and the essay here made me cry more.
Thank you for taking your job seriously and working to keep these kids safe. You're right, they all made the choice to serve for their own reasons, but their families want them home again, simply because they love them. I'll be thinking of you, and holding good thoughts for your safe return.
Thank you.