You know, last nite in my class one of my fellow students stood up & that end & addressed some 30odd of us.

The man is a 30 yr lifer in the US military, he started as a squid (Navy) & is currently a dogface with a local National Guard unit, he may or may not be sent back 'over', 'soon'. He does talks in the local schools to the kiddies in kindergarten up to 4th grade, & his talk yesterday was about if any of the kiddies knew what Memorial Day stood for.

Most of the kids knew it had to do with our flag, some thought it was saluting our volunteer firefighters, police, parades, but almost none knew it was for our military. This in a area that has the east coast military reception depot for our brave dead (Dover DE AF Base), so you would think they would know better. (sighs)

I am ex army, I spent time in Turkey during Desert Shield/Storm before being shipped to Germany for the rest of my tour. My Dad is ex AF at the beginning of Vietnam, his father was ex army during Korea, I could go on but suffice to say both sides of my family have served in the US military at one time or another.

I suffered Sunday when a hateful group out of the midwest ( I wont name them for 2 reasons, I dont care to give them more publicity & 2- I dont want my post pulled) but they are mostly a self profess church of 90% inter-relations who are claiming hateful & hurtful things about this country some of us have given our lives for so they can spew their hate. They hurt deeply a local family who lost a brave Marine machine-gunner son & this 'group' has the nerve to call us violent because they got slapped for smiling & laughing in joy as they said they were glad that kid died?
They are lucky they didnt return tuesday for another local son's funeral, who was a marine medic or I would have willing spent the time in jail for stomping the garbage out of them & showing them 'violent'.

I feel a lot of our military thinks they are going to get a 'vietnam-style' welcome home, I know on my part they wont.

To all our brave family who is serving anywhere, in the US or out, in a sand pit or the coldest climates such as Korea, you are not forgotten, nor hated, you give up your freedoms so that we can have ours.

You may ultimately make the complete sacrafice, but know its not in vain, there are still some of us who may not understand the whys, but you do what you are told to because its a command, you have not the choice to say no while in.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, may you all come home safely, one day so all may know the joy of freedom.

Diane
ex 22nd HHC Signal

---

"Slo ku pivo'hrr'shu, Azhaquai Tel'rath'a Gavelg. Ushnish's s'zhaan."
"Mivar Feas, Alrar Abues. Ruai Abarai'ati, Abarakh Zaradil."
"Moya Dha ch'ohalk vassai. Alia jacta est. Adflictatio, Delectatio.."

I (unfortunately) agree with Ragran. Whether or not I support the war, I have great respect for the troops.

-Durnil

Well, being a private citizen, I say that I think our troops ought to be home (especially being that my sister is now serving her THIRD tour in Baghdad right now.)

However, as a service member, I say this: Regardless of our feelings on the war itself, as long as we have troops overseas (myself included, as I am in Rhoda, Spain as I write this.) we should support our troops.

Now, I'm not in the army or the marines on the ground in Iraq. I'm not an air force pilot, nor a naval aviator. I'm a machinist mate on a submarine. Not so glamourous a life, but someone has to do it.

For those that have served, or are serving, from the bottom of my heart, I've been there, brother (sister.) For those of you who've ne'er served, I think you ought to keep your mouths shut. Until you've been there, you really ought not criticize.


Oh, and Illauron, the last I spoke with you, it was MMFA(su.) You'll be proud to know, old friend, that it is no longer. I'm one of your brethren now. MMFN(SS)


You are wearing a leather cuff embroidered with the words "No Ranger stands alone."

bah

you suck for quitting...

:oP Ragran

Cant now...

...on my gf comp. If I download AIM she'll hurt me. She's such pain in the ass about her computer.

I will though.

:oP Ragran

>If I download AIM she'll hurt me.

Go to www.aim.com and use the java version. No download involved.
____
>Working carefully, the orc raider tries to skin you, but barely manages to avoid sliding his own thumb off. With a muttered curse, he kicks your lifeless corpse in disgust.

>> Ragran, shoot me an IM at Mrhankeyil, I want to talk to you about something.

Is it just me or did this come off as really, really intimidating?

---

Rev. Reene

On Martyka's stone market table you see a white glazed clay jar painted with a grey knotwork maze and fitted with a silver rim labeled "Sindea Ashes", ...

A glazed jar on a stone market table exclaims, "Help me! I'm not dead yet!"

If it did, it wasn't supposed to. I have a legitamate question I would like to ask him, and I hate e-mail.

>I (unfortunately) agree with Ragran. Whether or not I support the war, I have great respect for the troops.

In my experience, this is the norm. I'm posting from the Atlanta airport, about three hours out from my flight back to Kuwait after R&R, then to Camp Ar-Ramadi, Iraq and finish out the last three months of my tour.

Just walking through or sitting in the airport both coming in and leaving, I've had several people come up to me and thank me for my service, shake my hand, etc. Including a very memorable moment with a young boy shortly after I arrived in country back on Sept. 16th.

I get letters all the time in Iraq from people I don't know who get our information through programs like Soldiers' Angels to send care packages and encouragement to deployed troops.

This war may not be any more popular than Vietnam, but this generation of Americans is showing a much different attitude toward our service members, and go out of their way to make us feel loved and supported, and for that I am truly grateful.

SPC Brooks
501st MI BN
1BCT 1AD

~ Player of Kougen Aensworth

"And if I have strength, then I've belief
If I have love, my heart still beats
Here under stars
Far from home"