Poll for ex-military DU'ers

[yankeedem]

As a person that never joined the military (though my brother did, and eventually died from an illness contracted in military service), I am told by wingnuts that I don't understand how war protesters affect morale in battle.

Which of these has a bigger negative effect on morale in a military unit?

Edited to add "negative"

[Selatius]

1. If I had to die, I'd wish I'd die knowing what the hell I died for

[Jon8503]

2. Vietnam Veteran.

I called into Bill Press yesterday morning on the way to work. I want to say that I had friends, very good friends in school during Vietnam. They were anti-war. I was also when I got back.

To me the most unpatriotic thing you can do in a case of Vietnam or especially this war where the president lied to get us in there, is go on saying you "have to support the troops".

If you really want to support the troops, then work to get them the hell out of harms way.

Jane Fonda did nothing to harm morale. Jane Fonda and the anti-war protesters probably saved a lot of American Soldiers lives.

The one thing that can destroy morale in a war is a war with no purpose, direction or understanding of why the hell you are there.

[yankeedem]

3. I don't know, those Support the Troops magnets

Strike fear into the jihadists and they wilt from the patriotism. Don't they?

[BamaLefty]

6. And Support Chinese Magnetic Ribbon Makers

ALL HAIL CHINA! :eyes:

[shadowlight]

4. this is it

If you really want to support the troops, then work to get them the hell out of harms way.

[leanin_green]

7. I served in '76-80, post Vietnam and. . .

I can tell you what kind of mess morale was then. Drug abuse everywhere(me included back then), high rates of alcoholism, domestic abuse, you name it. It was tough to maintain a sense of the mission with everything upside down, inside out and backasswards. But, I will say, it does suck when the people at home don't respect you. I can remember them saying not to wear our uniforms off base in San Diego. They told us we were asking for trouble. I can remember quite a few sailors and Marines getting beat up and rolled when they went out in uniform. We used to have to run in groups. Yet, having no clear mission and purpose is the death nell to any military action.
Glad you made it back from that mess Jon. GO NAVY!!!

[yankeedem]

8. I can understand what you're saying

and just want you to know that we will always respect the troops, even if we hate the mission.

[jmowreader]

5. The biggest morale killer is HAVING no clear purpose

Go into a mission with no clear purpose and there isn't any morale.

Deaths don't really change this--you can go into a mission with no clear purpose and very little chance of anyone getting killed (when they build the Cold War Memorial it will be a big monolith containing the names of all the troops killed in training accidents between the fall of Hitler and the reunification of Germany) and there won't be any morale. Certainly casualties don't help matters, but when the troops know they're in the field for no good reason, morale will be shot to hell. Bank on it.

[wildwww2]

9. Why would I be bothered about war protesters. I was protecting their

rights to do just that. I remember being on a bus in early August 1974 with other Marine Corps recruits. We had about 3 weeks of boot camp left and the DI`s suprised us on a Sunday and took us to Jack Murphy stadium to see a game. On the way out of the stadium as we were riding in the bus. About 40 Anti-Vietnam protesters were holding signs and shouting things like we don`t really want to go kill baby`s and stuff like that. I remember Drill Instructor Staff Sgt. Pruitt (who had a chest full of ribbons and Vietnam to boot.) said that is our job to protect their right to protest. And I always took him seriously. Plus most of the guys and myself thought that the Vietnam war crime was over. (I had always thought Vietnam was a mistake. I still wanted to see the world and get away from my six much younger brothers and sisters at home. Among other reasons.) Anyway some of the boot camp buddies that were on that bus with me died in the Mayaguez Evacuation of that bloody war crime. I always thought they died for people to have the right to express their selfs. Not for the vanity of people who want you to have high morale when commiting immoral acts. After all we were mean green killing machines. But there should always be a good reason to do that kind of job. Not just for the sake of lying Republican blowhards.
Peace
Wildman
Al Gore is My President