Our Troops DO Protect Our Freedom and We Should Thank Them for Doing So

Ok... as I stated on page 1, I have the utmost respect for our soldiers. So lets get that out of the way.

First questions I have are for all the "screw you if you don't support the troops" people on here.

1) Was the war in Afghanistan necessary? What was accomplished? Was it worth the so far 1731 lives of soldiers?

2) Was the war in Iraq necessary? What was accomplished? Was it worth the so far 4474 lives of soldiers? Was it worth the wounding of 31,965 soldiers? I mean we all know how well the government takes care of our troops when they come home.

It's one thing to "support the troops". I certainly do. It's another thing to support the people sending our troops into harms way for no good reason, other than war profiteering.

You CAN support our troops and not agree with the government. Its OK. It doesn't have to be one way or the other. I certainly don't agree with us being in ANY of the current situations we are in. As I've stated previously, we have troops in Afghanistan guarding poppy fields. We have troops in Iraq guarding the oil fields. Why?? Money is the answer. Was Iraq for oil? No.. not entirely. But look how much money private contractors have made in Iraq alone. Here are a few examples:

1) Bechtel received a $2.4 billion no-compete contract to rebuild parts of Iraq. Of course they screwed up and never completed anything. But hey they got their money.

2) PMC's. PMC's are estimated to be now a $200 billion industry. Right now there are about 48,000 contractors in Iraq.

3) General Dynamics. Their stock value has tripled since 2001. Of course it helps that they were awarded a multi-billion dollar contract for the Stryker vehicles.

The list goes on and on and on. The correlation here is that our highly trained, severely underpaid military is being used for corporate gains. Period. Iraq posed no threat to us. There was no reason at all to go there except for profit. They had ZERO to do with 9/11. So now thousands of US soldiers are DEAD because corporations wanted to get money.

Yeah... thats a great way to support the troops.

reply to post by filosophia


The troops aren't here to protect you from your own government.....you do realize that they are an arm of the government?

They are here to protect you from foreign powers.

reply to post by HomerinNC


Well, guys, this may be my last post for awhile: today I and my brother are officially homeless, preparing to endure the storage spindown, i.e., putting our stuff into storage, which cuts into our cash, which reduces our ability to get a new home.

Don't know how it'll turn out, but nothing I hear out of Washington seems to stand a chance of making any difference anywhere, except to accelerate the downslide of the country. How long before the riots spread here, I wonder?

Wish us luck, please, we'll need it. This Vietnam vet understands all too well that the only vets honored, respected, and offered assistance are the ones safely dead, who don't cost anything.

You're welcome, America.

reply to post by MrOysterhead


Bollocks. Please explain their reasons for invading Iraq - not forgetting of course their apparent 'mission' to protect your people from 'foreign powers'.

reply to post by Kryties


Like I told your compatriot... don't play stupid because you might make us believe it.

First review sees evidence being based on assumptive footwear types and physique. A person on the ground is wearing a boot similar to the police. I have to assume that these boots are either solely worn by the police and not available to anyone else... or this fact was overlooked.

Another point was a young male tossing a stool through a window. The author assume this to be a fake protester because real protesters are not strong enough to pick up a stool. Seem silly? Of course not.

*sigh*

We have strayed well from the original topic, which was respect for our armed forces. I will repeat, for the record, that there is no dishonor in answering the call of your country. If there is a wrong, then it lies solely with leadership. Those soldiers you so hate would give their lives for your right to insult them. That alone bears the watermark of value over shallow political intrigue.

But also like I said in the beginning... there are no hearts and minds to be won here.

Have a ice day

reply to post by Kryties


Reasons are irrelavent. The TROOPS didnt make that decision. Our goverment did.

reply to post by jerico65


I admit its not a majority in theory ( 27 vs 130 from Canadian in afghanistan) but in reality its more complicated than that. Take for instance the story that happened recently in mexico where weapons was dealt from the US to mexican drug cartel that served to kill a border patrol officer, those weapons was "supposed" to be marked or tagged.

Now in wich country they makes gun and bomb? isreal, usa, uk. ...
Who do you think supplied Ghadafi? pick your poison.

reply to post by DerekJR321


Lots of dead soldiers and lots of dead brown people.
This is George Carlin saying what he thinks:
youtu.be...

The role of the military has changed over the years. In years gone by, it was one that was to protect and defend the country, hold together the union, promote and ensure equality for all, and to help when called on. Yet no one has stopped to think about the people involved, ever since Viet Nam, the view of the military is a mixture of either disgust or admiration. The ultimate problem with the US military is the congress and the politicians who want to get involved in areas that they should not. They think that they are in charge of the military, and often make a far greater mess of things than if they were to step back and let the military do what it needs to do, and to do the job that they are asked to do. That is the real problem with the military, and ultimately that is its one down fall. A majority of the militaries around the world are based off of conscription, men and women forced to join and fight, very few are all volunteer as the US military and they should receive our fullest support and dedication. They are willing to sacrifice everything to get the job done, and for that we should be grateful. We should not condemn them or say ill about them as that is not what they need, nor should there be any question as to if they are there to protect the US, as that is their mandate. Those who would speak ill of the military have never been apart of that organization, have no pride in the people who are so willing to do so much for so little. These people, the men and women, why do they go into the military if it is such a bad thing to be in? Why continue to show up, raise their right hands, swear and oath, sign on the dotted line and then go off as directed? Is it cause they have pride in the country, to do the right thing? People die in wars and armed conflicts, that is a given, and be it that we like it or not, the military trains people to kill, that is their job and that is what they are paid to do. If we did not want or need a military force, then it is time to get with your congressmen and ask them to cut all funding and to abolish the military. And before you do such, remember, that a lot of the modern connivances that we all enjoy, that affects our everyday lives, there is a good chance that it was from the military. It affects our very existence, in ways we would not even think about or even admit to. Technology grows, though it starts out as something the military can use, and then is released to the general public, medical sciences, are often pushed in ways to help soldiers, make their way back to the civilians. Even the very food we eat and consume, started all cause a general long gone, needed a way to feed his troops, and a means to keep them fed. All of that came from the military and wars. While weapons go along hand in hand with it, yet at the same time, it was the drive of the military that conquered things that were thought to be unconquerable, broke records, and set new standards. Before you think that it does nothing to you, then consider this, the next time you open a can of food to eat, you can thank Napoleon and the wars he launched for the innovation for that one, and when you put that into the microwave, well that was curtsey of the US military. And when you have to go into the hospital and go for surgery, well chances are there is a military technique there that will be used, and if you fly, well thank you US military for providing the technical know how. And when you call on the phone long distance, or get on the internet, well here again, than you military for those modern innovations that we all enjoy, that it developed. Even the items made out of plastics and rubber, came while the country was at war, and there was needing to be a supply.
And if you are in an area that is hit by a natural disaster, are you so willing to refuse help and aid, all cause it comes from someone wearing a military uniform?
The only time the US military every lost a combat mission is when the congress gets involved.

reply to post by redoubt


Sigh.....OK fine you win. America is doing great and wonderful things by invading countries under false pretences and spending your country into oblivion in doing so. Let's all stand around the American flag, holding hands, singing the praises of those troops who haven't got the balls to stand up and say "enough is enough - I'm not fighting these ridiculous wars any more until the government fixes the country".

Yep, we'll swig wine and sing joyous melodies as the world plunges down the toilet......

Originally posted by MrOysterhead
reply to post by Kryties

 

Reasons are irrelavent. The TROOPS didnt make that decision. Our goverment did.

And the troops blindly follow on, killing their way across countries, explaining away 'collateral damage' victims and helping to spend the country into oblivion.

I thought they were supposed to protect your country, not willingly aid in it's downfall.

Originally posted by MrOysterhead


I bet those who feel like our troops dont protect us and our freedoms will be singing a different tune the day another country invades us,

Too late

the Mexican army did invade the U.S. Friday morning.

It seems a convoy of humvees with 33 soldiers aboard turned down a bridge over the Rio Grande in pursuit of someone, though the reasons for the pursuit were not known.

www.washingtonpost.com...

The article is obviously slanted but I linked to washingtonpost just so someone can't deny it because wnd or alex jones linked to it.

Originally posted by Kryties

Originally posted by MrOysterhead
reply to post by Kryties

 

Reasons are irrelavent. The TROOPS didnt make that decision. Our goverment did.

And the troops blindly follow on, killing their way across countries, explaining away 'collateral damage' victims and helping to spend the country into oblivion.

I thought they were supposed to protect your country, not willingly aid in it's downfall.

That is their job chief. It is literally their job to blindly follow orders. That is how the military works. No questions asked...follow orders from above. Every military in the history of military works that way.

If terrorists are inside our border, than maybe we should call our troops home and focus more on removing these cells, protecting our borders and our water ways. To say our troops our defending our freedom thousands of miles away is ridiculous to say the least. We have allies that should be defending their own borders. We shouldn't be using "protecting America's freedom" as a reason to invade sovereign countries, and occupying countries to control the flow of oil.

reply to post by MrOysterhead


Yep, it takes a mindless drone to willingly follow your government into a country under false pretenses. It takes a mindless drone to kill innocent humans and call it 'collateral damage'. It takes a mindless drone to willingly sign up for a war that is obviously bankrupting your country.

reply to post by Kryties


Obviously you are not a US citizen.......so why are you even in this conversation?

I dont expect you to support our troops since they arent your troops.

Like I said before, criticize the government all you want...they are making the decisions. The troops aren't.

reply to post by MrOysterhead


Hate to break it to you mate but when America sneezes the rest of the world feels it. You put yourselves in the position of superpower, interfering in everyone else's affairs, then get surprised when they want to have a say on it?

I'm Aussie, and under your governments direction my government sent troops in too. I speak about those troops as well as your troops.

Originally posted by MrOysterhead
reply to post by Kryties

 

Obviously you are not a US citizen.......so why are you even in this conversation?

I dont expect you to support our troops since they arent your troops.

Like I said before, criticize the government all you want...they are making the decisions. The troops aren't.

They made the decision to join the United States military and become a part of the problem. At least during Vietnam many troops were drafted as opposed to signing up and blindly following orders that (even they, themselves) find suspect.
Furthermore, I can't think of ONE single right that the poor sand people of the middle east could possibly threaten in the US.

reply to post by Mr Oysterhead


The troops don't deciede the government does???
Without them who would the government send to bomb innocent people?
Surely if a gun has no bullets no one will get shot.

Originally posted by MrOysterhead

Originally posted by Kryties

Originally posted by MrOysterhead
reply to post by Kryties

 

Reasons are irrelavent. The TROOPS didnt make that decision. Our goverment did.

And the troops blindly follow on, killing their way across countries, explaining away 'collateral damage' victims and helping to spend the country into oblivion.

I thought they were supposed to protect your country, not willingly aid in it's downfall.

That is their job chief. It is literally their job to blindly follow orders. That is how the military works. No questions asked...follow orders from above. Every military in the history of military works that way.

Blindly following orders didn't help the British red coats as they marched in perfect lines while the American minute men fired at them like fish in a barrel. And sadly, America has not learned their own lesson because now the U.S. military the most powerful and therefore the most blind (to use your logic) are being defeated by a loose knit band of tribes with rocket launchers.

If your statement was right, the military oath would be: "I hereby do solemnly swear that I will blindly follow orders so long as it comes from above. I will also not question if the above is the legitimate above, so long as the media calls someone the president that will suffice."

Obviously that's not the real oath. The real one mentions something about protecting the constitution from enemies foreign and DOMESTIC.