its your job, what will you do?

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ebbtide176

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Jan 22, 2002
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you were just in a firefight, and 10 friendlies were killed, they were from the pool of natives that were trained to be policemen for this festering hellhole of a country of RPG's & remotely controlled roadside explosives. <br /><br />now you wonder, are you making a diff, or just surviving? you didn't recognize them as friendlies, they were coming at you, and radio traffic ordered to be on the lookout for terrorists coming down this street. they were unfortunately in the same 'flight' as the serious bad guys, you find out later... how do you know? <br /><br />they're all in civilian vehicles, what the hell? where is the fine line? they're all firing weapons, they've got them pointed fwd & behind - how long do you wait? til the lt gives the cmd? where is he? over on the other block? fok this, now what? shoot? wait? what are these people doing? if they fire in my direction, i ain't waiting on $hit...<br /><br />just my thoughts of war.... why do we hear of only the mistakes? what about the triumphs? where are all those stories of thankful iraqi's and situations that we had a soldier sacrificed while trying to be too soft? what happened? is it all bad? i don't think so. do any natives appreciate what we're doing? where are those stories? do they mean anything to the public?<br /><br />sorry, getting off on a tangent i guess
 
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SoulWinner

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Re: its your job, what will you do?

I've been through SF training. I have trained for the sh!t, never been in it though. When the poop jumps off, a trained and skillful soldier will keep his head, keep his life and kill others. He will fire with a high degree of accuracy, even when under fire himself. He will quickly and professionally determine who is friendly and unfriendly, and fire accordingly. If he does EVERYTHING correctly in a frightening, life threatening, highly fluid situation, he may (with GOD's help) live to clean his rifle and give thanks in prayer.<br /><br />Too bad the truth doesn't sell papers and air time like bad news does. May GOD watch over and keep those souls who defend liberty, regardless of their country of origin, and bless them and bring them home safely to the ones they love.
 
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ebbtide176

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Jan 22, 2002
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Re: its your job, what will you do?

well dam, SoulW, i was thinking MY made you out to be a preacherman ;) but you apparently know what the diff between killing vs being killed is, and can operate in that scenario... kudos to you.<br /><br />and love is not outside of a soldiers abilities. i wish that were more understood. sadly, this is not a mutual understanding for some. it is for those to ponder, who can't both love people as a whole, and kill to follow the law by which they're bound. if only we could think of the simplicity of the ole' yeller movie... <br /><br />man i'm about to get some other opinions here, i'm sure :D stay together now, people
 
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SoulWinner

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Re: its your job, what will you do?

Old Yeller, man, now I'm getting all emotional....if I thought of that movie during a fire fight I'd be a dead man....that movie makes me cry just thinking of that good little puppy dawg :(
 
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Homerr

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Re: its your job, what will you do?

Well,<br /><br />I can't speak of being a soldier, but I can only imagine what goes through their minds at that critical second of decision.<br />You can do everything by the book, and still be wrong.<br /><br />I just don't understand why we don't pull everything back to a safe distance and wait 'em out. Don't let anything in until they surrender all of the bad boys.<br /><br />Either that, or turn the whole d@mn place into a giant parking lot?<br /><br />My thanks to everyone who has served and is still serving in the crap-holes you call Iraq and Afghanistan.<br /><br />H.
 
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SoulWinner

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Re: its your job, what will you do?

Because killng an innocent person will wiegh you down like lead. For once in the last eight years we have Commander In Chief that refuses to hang that wieght on a common soldier. <br /><br />Once you have killed, you are never the same.
 
12Footer

12Footer

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Re: its your job, what will you do?

Very true , Soulwinner. It's not the normal role of the US soldier to pull MP duty . It's one of the few roles they have been placed into, in which they do not excell. And that's mostly by design ,the way they're trained. We plan to have indigeonous(SP?) police forces in place, but in the meantime, it's martial law.<br />Let's give democracy a chance to take root. There will be fubars and snafu's in the interum.
 
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mellowyellow

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Re: its your job, what will you do?

excellent point 12 footer, most of our troops are<br />not trained as MP's or peacekeepers, a very diff.<br />type of assignment. add to this that the friendlies<br />look exactly like the enemy and it's an extremely<br />hard situation they are in. they deserve alot<br />more credit than they are getting IMO.
 
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Link

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Apr 13, 2003
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Re: its your job, what will you do?

Wow! This is to all who replied to ebb's post and to ebb, SoulWinner, 12Footer, mellowyellow, but mostly to Homerr: Who quoted" Well,<br /><br />I can't speak of being a soldier, but I can only imagine what goes through their minds at that critical second of decision.<br />You can do everything by the book, and still be wrong."<br /><br />Thanks for giving our people the credit they deserve!<br /><br />71-85 yea I got drafted but stuck around for awhile :)<br />Wife is in the reserves and have many family members in that "Rat Hole" over there.<br />Good points Gentelman
 
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mikeandronda

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May 13, 2003
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Re: its your job, what will you do?

First of all what the heck are " policemen " over there not wearing anything to identefy that they are who they are anyways. Our troops are putting their lives on the line for there messed up, upsidedown, backwards country so they can enjoy some of the freedom we do and when we make a mistake ( and I use that word lightly ) of not being able to tell the difference between bad guys and good guys they and the media have issues, I say too bad so sad. It sucks that some good guys got killed......solution = wear uniforms. I cant help feeling better them then us. I bet none of them shed a tear when one of our boys gat killed over there.
 
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Link

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Re: its your job, what will you do?

ebb<br />I forgot to answer your questio but kinda think<br />you already know the answer!<br />Your question:<br />"why do we hear of only the mistakes? what about the triumphs? where are all those stories of thankful iraqi's and situations that we had a soldier sacrificed while trying to be too soft? what happened? "<br />Liberal Left Wing News.. 2004 Elections! <br />You are correct as there are hundreds of stories<br />about the good things going on but we will never<br />hear about them here in America!<br />Nuff said, I'm off my band wagon
 
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Link

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Re: its your job, what will you do?

mikeandronda <br />Good point...<br />I'm off to walk the dog.. why... because I'm lucky<br />enough to live in America where I don't have to<br />eat the **** thing :) but I could! Here Sandy..<br />hehe<br /><br />Hope my mother in law never reads this as I'd never get to doggie sit again :D
 
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