What is wrong?

[Orion231]

To begin with...I really have no political affiliations. I do not much care WHO is elected President, or WHO is my congressman, or WHO is my Senator. As long as they do what they say, and mean what they do and try to do the best they can. I have never liked politicians, and I have never liked politics.

 

Reason being, is that I feel people who run for an office and only care about increasing polls and swaying voters are seeking power. It's those who honestly do not care about polls and voters, and stick to what they say that get things done. Those people in my eyes are not "politicians" they are leaders. Now, I am aware that many people do not agree with what we are doing overseas. Fine, that's your right as an American citizen to disagree. I will proudly do everything in my power to assure you maintain that right.

 

What troubles a lot of us though, is that we spend so much time away from home and we hear things, we see things. Some of us wonder why we even care to do it. It seems like the people at home hate us and don't care about what we do here, what we have seen, and accomplished. And then we are bombarded even HERE with report after report of... "Today 3 Soldiers were killed in a bloody battle....etc" EVERY SINGLE DAY!

 

Put yourself in our shoes... You come in from a long tiring mission. Run over to the dining facility and sit down to relax with a hot plate of food. Then you and your fellow Soldiers begin to discuss what happened that day and you see/hear this on the news. And you all just look at each other in disbelief... Then you begin to wonder how everyone at home feels when they hear it. And the next thing you know, the sirens are blaring and you are dodging rockets on your way to a bunker where you get to spend the next few hours contemplating this.

 

Have you ever seen the news, and been there? Been a part of what is being reported? Have you ever felt enraged because it was reported incorrectly? Have you ever felt rage and anger to the extent that you just don’t care anymore? Have you ever seen a report where you have been in a particular fire fight or ambush and had a battle buddy die and when you do get in the ONLY THING AMERICA HEARS is.... "One Soldier died today and...Oh this just in from Al Jazeera....*cuts to scene of Soldiers getting shot at*" Not one, not a single word mentioned of what else happened, just what they wanted to happen? Does it matter that that one Soldier died to save a buddies life? And through the entire fight over 40 insurgents were killed? No, they want you to hear the dark side. For the last few years I have sat over here and watched this crap. Watched the media report things that "Are true". But let me ask you this... What is truth? Can the truth be defined as a fragment of the whole? How would you like to go to the movie theatre and pay for a full length film and be show only 15 minutes of the plot? Well maybe the reel operator didn't like those other scenes and decided to edit them to his liking. Is that what the Director and the cast and crew wanted? No...They filmed a movie for its whole, for its integrity, its truth.

 

We get so angry, so upset because we see what America is spoon fed everyday and there isn't a damned thing I can do about it. I will fight and uphold freedom of the press, but I will not support freedom of the press to liable. Is it wrong? They are telling you the truth. But what is truth without integrity? If we are going to start listing body counts, let’s have the other sides lay there hands down. Just this past year in Afghanistan over 4000 insurgents were killed. 4 , 0 0 0 ... Did you hear that on the news? Probably not, you most likely heard that we incited riots, caused accidental deaths, and are ruining these people's lives. But who cares! Right? It's the truth. Or at least part of it.

 

We do missions here everyday and we see the improvements. Children can now play sports, and even listen to music without fear of being killed by Koran toting Talibs who were raised in hardcore madrassas to believe in different "versions" or "interpretations" of Islam. We see the schools being built, the supplies and medical care being handed out. We even stop to help locals get their vehicles out of the mud when we can! Does anyone hear about it? Nope, all you heard was how many of my friends died today. And I don't blame you for being angry. Not one bit. But instead of protesting and denouncing our leadership why don't you take a good look at the media...

 

If it were up to me... And I saw one more report about "# Soldiers died today." without anything else attached to it... I'd protest, I'd march, I'd let them know that you want the WHOLE truth. They get away it while we sit here helpless to do anything about it.

 

That is why I am afraid to come home. All I see on television are the terrible things people say about each other and us. What they do in public *protests*. a condominium up north is trying to have one of its tenets take down an American flag she flies for her son overseas... They said it was too big, so she got a smaller one. Now they want it down. Border Agents in prison and being sued by people who are not even citizens and were trying to immigrate illegally to begin with!

 

Why should I come home? I am afraid of the people I am trying to protect and cannot help but feel lost. The only people that I know here, that have been with me through thick and thin, they are my family. I'd do anything for them, at any cost. Same goes for you, sitting at home reading this. Anything you needed to ensure your safety and freedom. Is that what I am about to come home too? People who have forgotten what it is like to be American? To love one another and stand proud side by side each other. To work toward a common goal?

 

This is quiet possibly the longest post I have ever made, but I was disgusted today, and I cannot help but try and get it off my chest. If you are upset by this post I am sorry. I am not looking for answers; just don't understand how people can get so upset over politics and stupid games. That's all it is. Games. Love it or leave it. I'm coming home, and so are my brothers.

[Orion231]

If anyone decides to reply to this, please do not instigate a politician bash out contest. This isn't about them, or what they do or have done. It's about getting what you deserve, the truth.

 

I guess we can classify this as a "Rant"...so

[Lefty]

I, for one, certianly appreciate the sacrafices that every Soldier, Sailor, Airman, and Marine make for this country.

 

Thank you!

[Dylan06SS]

I, for one, certianly appreciate the sacrafices that every Soldier, Sailor, Airman, and Marine make for this country.

 

Thank you!

 

I don't think I'll ever be able to effectively put into words how much I appreciate what you, and every member of the armed forces, is doing for us on a daily basis. You are a much bigger man than I am b/c I don't think I have what it takes to put my life on the line.... call me selfish.

 

What I don't like is that there is increasingly more reason to believe you guys were sent there for the wrong reasons, and now that you're there we don't have a way to get you out and save face. Political affilitations aside this administration has let everyone down, most importantly those of you serving in Iraq/Afghanistan/etc... just know that people like me still support you even if we don't support the actions/people that sent you there.

 

Keep up the great work, stay safe, and know that me and my family will continue to hold you and other members of the military in the highest regaurd possible.

Edited February 8, 2007 by Dylan06SS (see edit history)

[rsharpe13]

I, for one, certianly appreciate the sacrafices that every Soldier, Sailor, Airman, and Marine make for this country.

 

Thank you!

Well said i second that!!!!!

[Orion231]

Well, I certianly know that there are alot of people out there who do support us and will until we come home. I guess this stuff just wears away at you sometimes. Perhaps I will never understand why people do what they do and say what they say. All I know is that our efforts in one day can seem wasted in a matter of seonds by a few words. In my eyes the real crime is not reporting the whole truth. GOOD or BAD. If we f#$* up here, then tell people! But don't you dare not include the whole story! If we do something really good, like build a school, or a medical fcility. Report it! Tell everyone, even include the comments made by the locals. Yeah maybe one or two were not happy that we had to be there when it was built but hey! It's education! Knowledge is power! So put it all in there!

 

Eh what do I know? Thanks for reading the novella rant guys. And thanks for the thought and support.

[air force vm]

I know what you are saying and feel the same way. I have done 2 tours in Iraq and many others in other parts of the world and have to say that the people over seas that we help really care about us and are thankful for what we do. I do have to say that most of the people back home don't care and this is very sad and have to say that its not easy.

 

USAF 10 years and still going.

 

 

[Lobster Man]

First off I just want to say thank you to you and all of the armed forces .My family and my self feel safe because of what you have and are doing to protect us.We really appreciate all of the sacrafices and comitment that are made every day from all of you . thanks again keep up the good work and stay safe

[Cop Magnet]

Don't believe for a second that the liberals who run the "free press" are saying and reporting what the majority of people in the USA are thinking. They are just reporting on what brings in the most viewers, and that means controversy, harboring discontent, undermining authority, and alienating those who are truly committed. When we got into this war, everyone said "as long as it's not another Vietnam". But what does that mean? Fighting on the ground with insurgent locals, guerrilla tactics, a difficult transition to peacetime government, a slow and agonizing withdrawal, troops actually getting killed??? Shit, that's what war is! A safe "push button" war like Clinton liked to do, sending cruise missiles in now and then, is a stopgap that only delays the inevitable.

 

"Another Vietnam" means, at least to me, people fighting the good fight in the sand and having A-hole talking heads on TV back home second-guessing everything, criticizing the inevitable casualties, undermining the government, and alienating the troops. "Another Vietnam" is not having a good kid volunteer for service and getting regrettably KIA. It's then having his mother sit in across from the President's ranch like it's his fault, having the press following her every move and comment, and no one asking "hey, didn't he volunteer?". WTF??

 

"Bring the Troops home NOW," they say on the bumper stickers. But does anyone have a plan on just how to do that? Just up and leave? If we've gained nothing, which is what will happen, then your sacrifice and that of countless others is for nothing. I, for one, am not going to let some piss-ant liberals influence me as part of their ratings game. TV is entertainment, and in case no one noticed, this includes the news.

 

I for one am behind you 100% and appreciate your service to this country in terms I cannot convey in simple words! Good luck, and come home safe.

 

Rant over...

[misterp]

Orion, please know that you very much have my respect because you are doing something that directly affects/steers the future of this world. I am a very big fan of our Afghanistan efforts because I want to see our military forces develop more in that direction, that of a group of very intelligent, well spoken, well educated/trained, dedicated persons that through their continued daily actions make a significant and measurable difference in our world. I want to see our military playing with kids, and helping farmers, and assisting others in rebuilding their lives as well as handing the bad guys their asses. The idea of Americans/Allies that make this world a much better place to live is one I truly support and I personally am grateful for the life sacrifices you currently have to make to do it.

 

"Loosing your religion" is an unsettling feeling to deal with. One thing I would like to correct you on is that The Media is only obligated to report THE FACTS, not THE TRUTH. My point is that fact and truth are two completely separate topics and actually only loosely related to each other, and most people (those making a life in front of the boob tube) do not ever really understand this point; these are the folks that mistakenly associate facts = truth, and they won't ever get it IMO because these are not the folks that really think for themselves, these are the ones that allow themselves to be spoon-fed.

 

I think that you are right to be angry in that the mainstream media obviously does not report ALL the facts. At no time is this more evident than now in the Internet age (thank God). But the dawn of the Information Age does not change the truth that the news only exists to give people what they want to consume (just like any other business in our democratic/republic society) and the only way that we will ever achieve better media is if we as a culture change our tastes to demand better sources. Just as we have become physically unfit on high-fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oil, we are mentally unfit because of our diet of "sugary" facts; as 'consumers' we are not taking in a well-rounded diet of facts. We need to raise our children to "eat better" not just physically but mentally as well. My point is that there is little that can be done about this generation's 'appetites' but we can certainly guide those of our nation's future.

 

Being an Internet guy I see changes starting, real changes. I think that as the regular public now begins to expect ubiquitous information flow that will allow them to be more connected to the actual happenings in this world, not just the one-sided reporting of old. Blogs, wikis, forums, that kind of thing and less and less reliance of and respect for canned news. And in our democratic society I think the best forms of media will survive as the others slowly die out, IMO I see it beginning already. I also see this current generation right now as also very resistant to these changes, they are fighting it but trust me it will happen, their recalcitrance is in vain and it's only a matter of time that we will mature in this area, along with accepting needed life changes in low-emission cars and renewable energy and reversing global climate change and all that - it has to happen.

 

I've gotten off track - so what am I saying? I guess it's that a man cannot be truly happy until he loves his career. If you think you joined the special forces to win anyone's approval back home you made a big mistake; I tell my own kids: "...yes be considerate and listen to others, but when it comes right down to it you just can't really care what other people have to say - but remember then again you have to live with other people too!" and I think that parental statement fits in your case very well. You do what you do because you believe in it, and makes you happy, not necessarily for the acceptance of your family or friends or society or whoever.

 

You are employed building the future - you're mind and behaviors are so far ahead of regular society that they will never understand truly why you are employed doing what it is that you do. In the end it's simple - you love jumping out of planes, and you love blowing shit up, and you love playing with kids in the neighborhood, and you love helping people rebuild their lives (all this is an assumption on my part). If all that is true and that is who you are inside then you should be happy in the life you have chosen; if not then it is time you change your life's direction towards something that will better fulfill you.

 

This reply is getting long - I'll tell you one more story you can share with all your buddies, I've told it here on the site before: I am divorced living in TX, my kids live in CA and we talk every other night on the phone. My daughter had just turned 5 when the Afghanistan/Iraq campaigns began, and she told me in one of our calls that she was riding in the car with her mother that afternoon and saw a man on the street corner holding a very large cardboard sign. She asked her mother what the sign said and what the man was doing on the corner of the street, and her mother answered that he was an anti-war protester and was all upset over the invasion of Iraq, which began an in-car discussion of war in general, my ex-wife telling my daughter about 9/11 and terrorism and people die in wars and the need for diplomacy etc etc etc... Remember that my daughter is telling me all this on the phone, so I follow her mother's lead and say "well yeah your mother is right, you don't always have to fight to get what you want" and we continued talking about how military action is the one of last/least resort, that other solutions are preferred etc. The last thing my daughter said was "Daaaaad... then, how would they ever get the bad guys?" In that moment I wore a very proud smile and a little hawkish attitude told her, "Yup Vanna, that's exactly what they're doing - they're getting the bad guys."

 

So know that you have my approval, and that of our coming generation. I'm trying where I can to steer attitudes of those I meet but I'm only one man!!!

 

Mr. P.

Edited February 8, 2007 by misterp (see edit history)

[Black2003SS]

I support our troops and thank you for what you guys are doing. I have an inside view because my cousin was in with the 82nd Airborne. He has shared many stories with me and some of us really know what is going on. Nobody wants to see anybody killed, but its a fact of war. At least it isnt tens of thousands like wars past yet. The sacrifice for what we have accomplished or are trying to accomplish is very small in comparison to say, WWII, or even the Korean War. You are not alone in your plight and it is not just this war. My grandfather told me stories about he and others were thinking when they were overseas in the pacific fighting Japan. They would get the occasional news report about what was going on back home, but of course news traveled slower. They would get angry hearing about how women were complaining about the restrictions of nylon because it was needed for parachutes and other war materials. Some of the WWII veterans felt the public didnt support the war either...and they didnt. I think support was there more than today.

 

I also feel that America has become very selfish. Americans are selfish in general and everyone feels they are owed something. Everyone wants the best deal, but screw their neighbor over. We have people telling us how to raise our kids, whom these people have never even had kids, their just upset that they got their a$$ beat for mouthing off to their parents.

 

I wont make this long either, but rest assured, you are supported. I wish I could have gone too and would have been able to had I passed the medical exam for the air force acadamey back in h.s. I passed the PT test with flying colors, but I had a previous severe injury that prevented me from passing the physical exam.

[dcairns]

I do not much care WHO is elected President, or WHO is my congressman, or WHO is my Senator. As long as they do what they say, and mean what they do and try to do the best they can.

I don't think they make politicians like that anymore. ;)

 

Have you ever seen the news, and been there? Been a part of what is being reported? Have you ever felt enraged because it was reported incorrectly?

 

Yes, it is rather interesting to witness an event, and then see it reported on the news (print or TV). The distortions of perspective are truly scary, when you think about how many people just take it as unbiased fact.

 

My hat is off to our military. A thankless job, risking their lives in a most unpleasant place, so that we can enjoy peace at home.

[ZZebes]

I just want to let you know that you are supported here in the states, and i want you to know that even though the media reports their version of the story most people that are intelligent enough to form there own opinions and research a topic will ignore it. and as usual the sqeaky wheel gets the grease and tht means that for some reason we inconvenience the many to please the few. I myself want to be over there serving my country but they wouldn't pass me throught the med exam due to a serious knee injury i sustained in a car wreck where i was hit by an illegal immigrant with no insurance and no license in a stolen car and all i got was my insurance rates raised even thought HE ran the red light. sorry, but it aggrevates the hell out of me.

 

so keep doing what you are doing over there and we will do our best over here.

[CoolBlueSS]

I believe that the vast majority of the country supports the brave men and women of our armed forces 100%. Those who don't need to realize that these people sacrifice themselves, so you can have free speech, or just freedom in general to say stupid things. The news just seems to focus more on the liberal nutjobs out there, but that does not reflect the overall sentiment of this country. Tell everyone over there to be safe, and when you get back you'll see for yourself how we really feel.

[CoolBlueSS]

Let me add another tid bit.

I had an opportunity to hear Scott McGrady speak a couple of week ago. For those who don't know, he was an F16 pilot who was shot down over Bosnia in 93-94. He spent 6 days running from the enemy waiting to be rescued. The story of his ordeal is amazing, and gives me a true appreciation for what our military does.