These views and personal experiences that i'm about to share are soley mine. I do not speak or shall speak for another servicemember on this board or in uniform serving in the military past or present.
Well after multiple deployments here are some MY thoughts and personal views from a soldier's point of view;.....First off I'm a 1%er....I'm 1% of US Citizens that make up the US military force and currently doing what the 92% refuse to do according to a report i read.......I don't set the politics, or policy that sends us to fight a war.....I don't get to decide if i agree or not......i don't make up the ROE (the rules of engagement).......i don't LEAK OPSEC to the world, and our adversaries like the media has/have done.......i don't choose who to fight alongside....their race, sex orientation, or religious beliefs don't matter to me....we're all in it together, watching each other's backs, and doing my job. So because of the tier level and uniqueness of my unit the mission profile i perform is a NO FAIL one. When September 11, 2001 happened my unit and i were wheels up on a C17 September 18, 2001 to put OGA(Other Gov't Agency) units into place around Khandahar, Afghanistan for the Oct 7, 2001 invasion and the eventual fall of the Taliban......i do get pissed when i find out that people at home has/have heard about any bad thing that is related to the troops,..but never the good that has been done......the camera crews in their jeans and vests,and kevlar just film something more interesting......Hell,we don't even get our votes counted half the time...."absentee ballots were found late thursday,and remain uncounted......"we all read that.....I joined the military because i come from a long family lineage, not the pay, the education, and the eventual retirement benefits.....i didn't think i would stay the full 20, i'm at 19yrs now.....I didn't ask to get shot at, maimed,or disabled for life, i could've stayed in my hometown for that....i signed a blank check to the United States for all of that AND my life if neccesary....I DID sign up understanding that if the worst were to happen to me, i would be cared for,and compensated,(to a small degree) to help me and my family move forward.....Only 1% of the American population chooses military service,and only 21% of them make it to retirement....but our servicemen and women continue to do thier jobs despite; 'couch commando' politicians,...private contractors making 3X our pay.....reporters who get in our way.....and politicians using the SOLDIERS safety and welfare as a way to adjust the budget, and cut benefits we were promised....( AFTER the years of service)......I'm tired of hearing that our pay and benefits aren't equal to the private sector.....last i checked and figured it,...my pay was peanuts per day.....24/7-365......do i do this for the fame and fortune, hell no, i'm just grateful i've had a job the last 19yrs, i do this for my family and the country that i swore to protect when i became a Soldier......i am tired of reading/hearing in the media about the servicemembers making the ultimate sacrifice and personally witnessed the burial of 25 of my closet friends while fighting these 2 wars.....that really saddens me.......i do blame the media as to why a large % of the population has forgotten that there's a ware still being fought and servicemembers still have boots on the ground in Iraq....i guess its more important knowing did Micheal Jackson's doctor overdose himself on drugs, the woman from Florida was not guilty of killing her daughter or is X Factor gonna be better then American Idol......come on.....REALLY.
The question here is if THESE conflicts were worth the lives, limbs, and minds lost and families broken. Personally I didn't think Iraq needed to happen, it served no tactical or strategic importance when we invaded. Afghanistan--is unquestionable as to why we invaded there like, but now i ask if we win the war in Afghanistan, what will we win or accomplish? If we win the war in Iraq, what will we win or accomplish? If it was to merely kill Bin Laden 10 years and too many young men and women dead or wounded and he's now dead. If it was to defeat the Taliban--well ideology cannot be fought with bullets.
Am i ready for this war to be over and have all my fellow brothers and sisters at arms currently deployed in Afghanistan back home.....YES I AM......i've seen more then enough and have way more war stories to be told around the camp fire then i choose to tell.
To all the servicemembers past and present on this forum and who reads this post.......THANK YOU FOR SERVING!
