Supporting Our Troops

There may be some out there who don't agree with where I stand on the view of the war in Iraq. But, as a retired military person I felt that I had to post this email that was sent to me today. Either way, hate it or love it, it is our country to protect and serve.

Don :wink:


A mother asked President Bush,
"Why did my son have to die in Iraq?"

Another mother asked President Kennedy,
"Why did my son have to die in Viet Nam?"

Another mother asked President Truman,
"Why did my son have to die in Korea?

Another mother asked President F.D. Roosevelt,
"Why did my son have to die at Iwo Jima?"

Another mother asked President W. Wilson,
"Why did my son have to die on the battlefield of France?"

Yet another mother asked President Lincoln,
"Why did my son have to die at Gettysburg?"

And yet another mother asked President G. Washington,
"Why did my son have to die near Valley Forge?"

Then long, long ago, a mother asked...
"Heavenly Father, why did my Son have to die
on a cross outside of Jerusalem?"

The answers to all these are similar --
"So that others may have life and dwell in peace,
happiness and freedom."

This was emailed to me with no author
and I thought the magnitude
and the simplicity were awesome ...

Love to All

IF YOU DON'T STAND BEHIND OUR TROOPS,
PLEASE, FEEL FREE...
TO STAND IN FRONT OF THEM !!!

IMHO, Equating the Iraq conflict to the Crucifixion is reprehensible, unless Bush really is God as he seems to believe.

I don't think that's what it's saying at all. I know some don't understand or agree with why we go to war, but that shouldn't minimize the bravery or sacrifices of our troops. The ones I've talked too paint a different picture of what's going on over there than the media.
Steve

I thought it was very touching. I`m proud as hell of my nephew who has served two tours in Iraq and of all the other soldiers who have and are serving our country. They are dying so that we can be free. I wish more people would realize that and be just as proud. My husband`s ancestors fought in the revolutionary war, anybody hear of Col. Abram Penn? His brother John Penn signed the Declaration of Independence. My gggrandfather died in the Mexican American War. I had many relatives who died in the Civil War. We never met or knew these people, but they served and died so that we, their ancestors and everyone else who lives in this great country of ours can be free.

I personally don't know anyone that is fighting in Iraq. But, I do support the troops, and what they are doing for us to be free. I don't know about all of you but, I do think that the Media is one sided because they only show those protesting aginst the war. I know that there may be people out there with different opinions - and that's OK - I don't agree with them at all, But, I know that they have a voice too. That's what our country is all about.. freedom!

Marie

I understand there are people who don`t support the war but do support our troops, I feel thats ok, but when idiots start protesting at a soldiers funeral like they did here in Minnesota a few months ago, now thats going too far. They passed a new law against it right after it happened too. Anybody that does`nt support our troops should be hung for treason. Like Don said "If you don`t stand behind our troops, please, feel free to stand in front of them!

I agree with all the above posts. In fact, I don't know of a single person who doesn't support the brave men and women who are on the front lines of the Iraq conflict. A guy I went to high school with nearly died over there. He was proud to be there and we were all proud of him.

My only point is that the poem seems to me that the author blatantly and perversely uses the heroism of those men and women to justify all the our previous wars and conflicts by equating them to the cruxifiction and thereby claiming the conflicts were either divine or beyond reproach.

A moving tribute to the troops could have been written without including what appears to be a thinly veiled justification for our invasion of Iraq.

"unless Bush really is God as he seems to believe"

I don't get that impression. Pres. Bush believes in God, but I've never heard him refer to himself as the infallible supreme creator. Bush bashing may be popular these days but one thing for sure, we live in a secure, terror free country since 9/11 because our troops are fighting "over there" instead of here. You can bet your bottom dollar that you'd be shooting at terrorists from your living room window if it weren't for the offensive maneuvers our US military has taken on in Iraq. We should support our troops and military efforts. My Dad is a WWII vet and if it weren't for those brave men and women, we'd be eating fish heads and rice cakes and paying taxes to a Japanese emperor. If we don't win this war against radical terroists, you'll be doing noon time face to the floor prayers to mecca every day. Get it?

Steve, did you write that before or after my last post?

We eat fish heads and rice cakes in my home now. How many Iraqi restaurants do you see around? in my opinion their food sucks. If it were good, you would see lots of Iraqi restaurants despite the war.
The difference is Freedom, Safety and value of life, not food.

I for one am proud to be American, always will be.

Sorry, I guess you didn't get my point. It wasn't about food.

nfrntau said:

We eat fish heads and rice cakes in my home now. How many Iraqi restaurants do you see around? in my opinion their food sucks. If it were good, you would see lots of Iraqi restaurants despite the war.
The difference is Freedom, Safety and value of life, not food.

I for one am proud to be American, always will be.

Click to expand...

Why on earth would you eat fish heads?

I'm a Republican, a conservative, a native Texan and stand 100% behind our military, their capabilities, and their values. They did a superb job at *winning* the war in both Afganistan and Iraq...

...however, our administration (separate and *very* distinct from our military) has done a poor job at winning the peace. They have completely missed the lessons learned during WWII on how to control a conquered country - not sure if it was out of ignorance or hubris or both but the problems we are having in Iraq today were not inevitable.

All in all, our president is likeable, is probably relatively intelligent, is well-intended but, unfortunately, also appears to be profoundly ignorant and seeminlgly lacks even a modicum of wisdom... but, this is what happens when *we* the people elect someone who got into Yale through the "alumni affirmative action program", avoided the draft by spending his time defending Texas (Texas Air Natl Guard), and was a playboy until age forty. How the Grand Old Party of Lincoln, Roosevelt (Teddy), Eisenhower, Goldwater, Reagan, Bush (the dad), McCain could have picked him befuddles me. To me he's the Republican version of Teddy Kenndy. Fortunately, we've never been crazy enough to elect Teddy as president.

Sorry about starting the train that took your post this far off track Don. Supporting our men and women in the armed services is important and they certainly deserve our gratitude and respect.

Mosesatm said:

IMHO, Equating the Iraq conflict to the Crucifixion is reprehensible, unless Bush really is God as he seems to believe.

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That statement mirrors my sentiments 100%. Comparing the war in Iraq to Christ on the cross outrages me both as an American AND as a Christian.

I will go further, and say that equating the war in Iraq with a "crusade" will only further outrage the Iraquis whose hearts and minds we are hoping to win.

The safety and security of our OWN troops comes FIRST as far as I am concerned, and *that* is why we MUST support the troops.

We are losing through death and injury about a battalion of troops a month in Iraq, with no end in sight.

That is TERRIBLE!! Our soldiers are are fighting and dying over there in Iraq and Afghanistan, and our support of the troops must continue to include their needs as VETERANS, AFTER they get back home, whether in VA benefits, the VA hospitals, and whatever else they fought for and bled to earn!!! That was an awful lesson of Vietnamm and too many Vietnam vets are paying the price today for our neglect of them after hostilities ceased. This must *never* be allowed to happen again.

Certain people have questioned the current war in Iraq and how we came to be involved in it, they are saying the war in Iraq is wrong.

And like the war in Vietnam, which even President Nixon finally admitted was wrong, it is hard to skirt the argument that if the war was wrong, then it was wrong to fight it....

I don't know what motivated the Presdent to go secretly to Iraq wearing 25 lbs of body armour, so secretly that his own CIA head did not know, whether for his own political aggrandizement or to give an "ATTABOY" to the troops there.

Maybe he went that way because there are enough insurgents there who would love to shoot his plane down, with a LAW or an RPG or assassinate him if they knew he was there. If the insurgents killed President Bush, well, he would achieve instant martyrdom and the Middle East would really run red with blood, everywhere

68gt390 said:

The answers to all these are similar --
"So that others may have life and dwell in peace,
happiness and freedom"

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"The answers to these are similar" I think ultimately the answer is very clear.

Perkchiro said:

"unless Bush really is God as he seems to believe"

I don't get that impression. Pres. Bush believes in God, but I've never heard him refer to himself as the infallible supreme creator. Bush bashing may be popular these days but one thing for sure, we live in a secure, terror free country since 9/11 because our troops are fighting "over there" instead of here. You can bet your bottom dollar that you'd be shooting at terrorists from your living room window if it weren't for the offensive maneuvers our US military has taken on in Iraq. We should support our troops and military efforts. My Dad is a WWII vet and if it weren't for those brave men and women, we'd be eating fish heads and rice cakes and paying taxes to a Japanese emperor. If we don't win this war against radical terroists, you'll be doing noon time face to the floor prayers to mecca every day. Get it?

Click to expand...

Radical Islam is like a dreadful aberation of a terrible religion that should have died a thousand years ago but somehow survived.

We-and other countries - are fighting a war against radical islamist extremists who will not be happy until we are under the foot of a dreadful Islamist theocracy.

They will continue to attack until their idea of a Terrorist utopia takes hold in Indonesia, Canada, Spain, Europe, Africa and Asia, England and.....here

They will continue to do so until we either submit, or kill them all.

I would personally prefer the latter option.

Jim B.

This is my buddy from high school.

If the link doesn't produce the entire article I can e-mail a copy to anyone who wants it. The article is too long to post here. I'll see if I can pdf it and post it that way.

http://www.keepmedia.com/pubs/Esquire/2006/04/01/1261115?emaId=128046&oliID=176

Here is the article as a .pdf file.

Mosesatm said:

This is my buddy from high school.

If the link doesn't produce the entire article I can e-mail a copy to anyone who wants it. The article is too long to post here. I'll see if I can pdf it and post it that way.

http://www.keepmedia.com/pubs/Esquire/2006/04/01/1261115?emaId=128046&oliID=176

Click to expand...

What a story Arlie! I haven' sat and read something so intensely in a long time. I wish him well and thank him!