"Waiting to get blown up." American soldier in Iraq

[Botany]

Great article.

So why are we there?
No WMDs
No Link to 9/11
Not helping in stabilizing the Mid East
Not Spreading Democracy & Freedom
Not making us any safer
Not getting bin Laden
The Iraqi oil is not paying for the war


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/26/AR2006072601666.html?

BAGHDAD, July 26 Army Staff Sgt. Jose Sixtos considered the simple question about morale for more than an hour. But not until his convoy of armored Humvees had finally rumbled back into the Baghdad military base, and the soldiers emptied the ammunition from their machine guns, and passed off the bomb-detecting robot to another patrol, did he turn around in his seat and give his answer.

"Think of what you hate most about your job. Then think of doing what you hate most for five straight hours, every single day, sometimes twice a day, in 120-degree heat," he said. "Then ask how morale is."

Frustrated? "You have no idea," he said.

snip

"It sucks. Honestly, it just feels like we're driving around waiting to get blown up. That's the most honest answer I could give you," said Spec. Tim Ivey, 28, of San Antonio, a muscular former backup fullback for Baylor University. "You lose a couple friends and it gets hard."

[partylessinOhio]

1. Wow. We need a return to being a peaceful nation. Our troops need to

come home now.

The Lebanese too live everyday waiting to get blown up. The world seems to be ignoring both situations.

[genie_weenie]

2. You'll forget him by the end.

Just like the documentary Gunner's Palace, as soon as people put down their paper they forget him and all the guys over there...

And so it goes.

"Someone being sympathetic to this? I don't know if I'd be sympathetic if I wasn't in the army. After you watch this, you're gonna go get your popcorn out of the microwave and talk about what I said, and you'll forget me by the end of this. The only people who remember this is us." SGT Beatty

Edit: I can tell by the dearth of comments no one really cares, unless you've actually had a close friend or family member over there...

[RethugAssKicker]

3. Are the troops starting to speak out?

I hope more like him start to express their true feelings.

[genie_weenie]

4. From personal experince

most of the Marines in my unit were against our continued presence in late 2004. However, the troops have been:
browbeaten (stay in your lane, don't worry about politics),

threatened (Bad Conduct Discharge, dishonorable, brig),

enticed (combat pay, no federal taxes in combat zone, speration pay from spouse, re-enlistment bonus 30k non-taxed) in order to induce their silent acqueisance.

And don't forget that most service members simply want to do "their job" and go home, many are afraid of ramifications which are often highlighted on FAUX news, by El Rushbo (Kerry was a coward and traitor for being against the war Vietnam and Iraq), by Ann Coulter (Murtha should be fragged, Pat Tillman was a man's man because he wasn't against the war eventhough his personal correspondance indicates he was against the War, there's also personal fear of being a coward, being hated by one's family for not chicekning out, being hated by members of your unit...