Saying Goodbye

[jkswiss]

Saying Goodbye to his brother before he goes off to Iraq.

Saying goodbye for the final time.

War sucks.

(from offtopic.com)

[Frenchy]

Indeed!
His honor is with the ages, now!

[jkswiss]

It kills me that were shipping some of these kids off to die. The kid(yes, he's a kid) looks like he just graduated high school. He barely had a chance to live. I think it is the world's great injustice that the old send the young out to die. Its uncomfortable reminders such as this of the true cost of war that seems to get brushed aside by the media and the chicken hawks. Instead of spouting off names of fallen soldiers names, some pictures such as these would convey a lot more.

I hope whatever it is we're fighting for over there is worth the tears of that little brother.

[justgotback]

Originally Posted by jkswiss

It kills me that were shipping some of these kids off to die. The kid(yes, he's a kid) looks like he just graduated high school. He barely had a chance to live. I think it is the world's great injustice that the old send the young out to die. Its uncomfortable reminders such as this of the true cost of war that seems to get brushed aside by the media and the chicken hawks. Instead of spouting off names of fallen soldiers names, some pictures such as these would convey a lot more.

I hope whatever it is we're fighting for over there is worth the tears of that little brother.

These "kids" you're talking about are grown men and women that volunteered for the Army knowing what they were doing. Many of them jump at the chance to get to the combat theatre, for it is what they have trained for their whole careers. Don't feel sorry for them, be proud of them. Honor them!

[east_stingray]

Originally Posted by justgotback

These "kids" you're talking about are grown men and women that volunteered for the Army knowing what they were doing. Many of them jump at the chance to get to the combat theatre, for it is what they have trained for their whole careers. Don't feel sorry for them, be proud of them. Honor them!

Amen. And a thousand thanks to those who wear our uniforms.

I think one of my favorite quotes from Teddy Roosevelt is appropriate here:


''It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.''

- Theodore Roosevelt

[justgotback]

Originally Posted by east_stingray

Amen. And a thousand thanks to those who wear our uniforms.

I think one of my favorite quotes from Teddy Roosevelt is appropriate here:


''It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.''

- Theodore Roosevelt

Here here!!!

[So Flo]

Well said, gentlemen.
I would add that if it weren't for the sacrifices of our young men and women through the ages, we may well be speaking German or Japanese, or ???.
Freedom is not free. These young men and women are not kids and they made the choice to do this job. They don't want our pity and cries for a return home, they want our support and the commitment of their nation that they will support them as appropriate.

Originally Posted by justgotback

These "kids" you're talking about are grown men and women that volunteered for the Army knowing what they were doing. Many of them jump at the chance to get to the combat theatre, for it is what they have trained for their whole careers. Don't feel sorry for them, be proud of them. Honor them!

Originally Posted by east_stingray

Amen. And a thousand thanks to those who wear our uniforms.

I think one of my favorite quotes from Teddy Roosevelt is appropriate here:


''It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.''

- Theodore Roosevelt

[jtkratzer]

Originally Posted by jkswiss

It kills me that were shipping some of these kids off to die. The kid(yes, he's a kid) looks like he just graduated high school. He barely had a chance to live. I think it is the world's great injustice that the old send the young out to die. Its uncomfortable reminders such as this of the true cost of war that seems to get brushed aside by the media and the chicken hawks. Instead of spouting off names of fallen soldiers names, some pictures such as these would convey a lot more.

I hope whatever it is we're fighting for over there is worth the tears of that little brother.

It kills me that we have people in this country who live in freedom every day of their lives, never knowing anything different, and have the audacity to complain about what our men and women in uniform are doing. It kills me that politicians who know next to nothing are put in a position to be experts and make decisions based on numbers and a bottom line rather than on principle and what is right. It kills me that we have gutless, spineless scum screaming for retreat when this country was built on victory, against all odds, and by making the ultimate sacrifice. It kills me that we have a military force comprised 100% with volunteer personnel, yet we have have people outraged about their sacrifices.

Cheer these men and women on. This is their chosen path. The risks were there before they took the job. They will be there forevermore. It's what makes service in a voluntary military even that much more honorable and praise-worthy. These men and women should be celebrated, in life and death. We will only celebrate victory as long as we don't have the weak, the gutless, and the spineless making the decisions. Going to war is not an easy decision, however, making the decision to stay there and finish the job is even tougher.

Originally Posted by justgotback

These "kids" you're talking about are grown men and women that volunteered for the Army knowing what they were doing. Many of them jump at the chance to get to the combat theatre, for it is what they have trained for their whole careers. Don't feel sorry for them, be proud of them. Honor them!

Very well said.

Originally Posted by east_stingray

Amen. And a thousand thanks to those who wear our uniforms.

I think one of my favorite quotes from Teddy Roosevelt is appropriate here:


''It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.''

- Theodore Roosevelt

That quote is fantastic and it applies to just about everything.

Originally Posted by So Flo

Well said, gentlemen.
I would add that if it weren't for the sacrifices of our young men and women through the ages, we may well be speaking German or Japanese, or ???.
Freedom is not free. These young men and women are not kids and they made the choice to do this job. They don't want our pity and cries for a return home, they want our support and the commitment of their nation that they will support them as appropriate.

Where would we be without those who have chosen to take the step forward, those who have locked arms for battle? Where would we be without those who are willing to fight, and die, in the name of liberty? How different would this world be if we all had to fight for our own liberty and earn it? These men and women fight so that you and I may have it. We "suffer" through traffic jams and waiting in line. What do they endure to ensure those are the toughest adversities you face?

[AZXD]

Bless them one and all.

[jkswiss]

Tell me how anything thats happening in Iraq is keeping us more free..please, go on. There are things that are worth dying for and there are things that are not. Iraq did not threaten my way of life. A dictatorship thousands of miles away had nothing to do with me.

Don't tell me you swallow that BullSh!T that ANYTHING that they are doing in Iraq has to do with maintaining our way of life. That is complete and utter BS and anyone that drinks up that patriotism BS is a goober. Our agenda there has nothing to do with freedom, our way of life, anything.

I wonder how many of you chicken hawks actually served in the armed forces. KIDS is RIGHT. ITS oh so RIGHT. You who haven't served have no idea. If you've ever taken a look around in a boot camp class and you see all the kids straight out of high school, yes kids. If you put us in civilian clothes and put us in a classroom, it would look just like the average class in high school. They are kids. They don't train their whole lives for combat. These are the kids that wondered why they were sobbing during their first call to home after a month into basic. I know, because I was sobbing right beside them. You get three months of boot camp and 6 months of a specialty school tops before you ship out. Train their whole lives to be warriors indeed.

They are kids, 17-20 year old kids. I used to be one of them. The way one looks at the world at that age is far different than you do now. You don't fully understand the consequence of what your doing until your actually there. I matured and grew a lot in the service, but that took well past the age of 18 to happen. But hey, what do I know, I was only in the service while I was 17 to 23.

For honor and glory to serve? Please, most people that are enlisted come from under privileged backgrounds. Lot of folks from the mid-west, a disproportionate amount of minorities, the kids who couldn't afford to go to college. A lot of us did it because they said they'd pay for our school, that we'd get a college fund, that we'd get health benefits and a steady pay check. Some of us just wanted to see the world. Its always a poor mans war.

I guess I can't stand to be in the same forum as chicken hawks and neocons anymore. Drink your Kool Aid, keep your head in the sand, and pretend all is well in this world.

Jkswiss is out of here, I guess the title of the thread is fitting.