[BigBollocks]

Any veterans on these boards? If so, what time period and branch did you serve?

Also to any veterans....would you have been just as willing to serve in today's political climate (i.e. the Iraq and potential Iran situation)?

Cheers to you....

[Deuce]

I am not in the service although being 22 if my country needed me, being at the ripe and prime age I wouldn't hesitate.

[Matt23]

I am not in the service although being 22 if my country needed me, being at the ripe and prime age I wouldn't hesitate.

Most 22 year old males should feel the same way.

[curious]

Any veterans on these boards? If so, what time period and branch did you serve?

Also to any veterans....would you have been just as willing to serve in today's political climate (i.e. the Iraq and potential Iran situation)?

Cheers to you....

I was in the first gulf war. I was not in the military I was a contractor working for an intelligence agency. We thought we were preventing WWIII because there was solid intelligence that Sadaam planned to send scud missiles into Tel Aviv armed with biological, chemical, nerve agent, and/or nuclear warheads. So, we thought that by blowing up the scud missile launchers we were preventing WWIII because the Israelis would have responded with a nuclear strike. The entire Muslim world would have gone to war in that scenario. So, that was something everyone I knew was proud to be involved in.

If Pres Bush had conducted the war against the global jihadists correctly after 9/11 I don't know anyone who would not be proud to fight in that war. It was stupid to invade Afghanistan, the CIA and the special forces who were in country had the Taliban in tatters BEFORE the invasion was launched. The country could have been turned over to the Pashtun tribal elders, who have no love lost for the Taliban. Instead the country was turned over to gangsters from northern Afghanistan and warlords who were not even from Afghanistan. The Pashtun were perfectly capable of kicking the Taliban out given assistance. Stupid.

The "war" to topple Sadaam was also stupid. He wasn't bothering us. He had no capability to bother us. Then the way the war was fought, I couldn't believe it. Bush the lesser sent in combat troops but zero support troops to take over the infrastructure, so a few days after Baghdad was captured the electricity, running water, telephones, garbage collection, all the services that make for a modern life, all collapsed because Sadaam sent all the workers home. Rumsfield made a joke about this on Television. Along with the troops there should have been engineering battalions, construction battalions, security battalions, etc., to make sure that all the things necessary for a functioning society worked. The lack of security battalions was ridiculous. I knew the war in Iraq was lost the day I saw the looting of the museum. This told the Iraqi people that the US did not respect them enough to provide security for their national treasures. It also told them that the US was impotent to stop it. Arab people do not take being insulted very kindly, if you insult an Arab you won't like what happens, and Bush the lesser insulted the entire damm country. Then Rumsfield laughed about it, "well in war shit happens". That is why pretty much the entire country hates us.

Imagine if you come home from work one day and the electricity does not work, nor the running water, nor the toilet, nor the phone, nor the cable tv. Your wife is bitching at you. Next day same thing happens, wife is bitching more. Next day, same thing. About three weeks of listening to my wife bitch nonstop I would become a suicide bomber, so would you. Sadaam sent eh entire public workforce home after US troops entered Baghdad. So, the American army became the only authority figure that people could appeal to. Now, people in the rest of the world believe that the US can do anything. We put men on the moon, we built the atomic bomb, we defeated the Soviet Union, we defeated the NAZIs and the Japanese empire. So, when Iraqi citizens went to the American army commanders to ask for help and to ask for services to be restored (the American army being the only authority they could appeal to) and they were told that the American Army could not do anything for them, they did not believe it. In their mind the Americans were saying we WON'T help you, because how could it be that the people who put men on the moon cannot get the gooddammed water back on?

This scenario was foreseen by the strategy planners at the Pentagon, who recommended sending in far more units than were actually sent in and who warned that the American army would have to run the country, but Bush didn't like their answer so he ignored them.

This war against the Iraqi people is both stupid and unnecessary. If the toppling of Sadaam had been handled correctly the Iraqi people would have been a very willing ally in the war against the global jihadists, but that opportunity was lost.

Since our so-called leaders have proven themselves to be incapable of managing the war against the global jihadists, but are instead creating countless new enemies with their ridiculous policies and short sighted actions, I think we should bring all us military personnel home from overseas and start minding our own damm business. This would take away an excuse that the global jihadists have for the atrocities they commit against civilians in their own countries and the people in those countries could then deal with them.

Please ignore the posts which donjuan and tacomax make in response to this post where they will claim I am lying about my service to my country. They don't know what they are talking about.

[teazeman]

veteran=yes, gulf war I



as much as it pains me to admit that i wouldn't "willingly" serve in today's climate i have no alternative but to do so. i live about 30 minutes from Ft. Bragg, having seen the men and women return from the current conflict and the pain it has caused to their family, friends and commardes i say it's time to bring our young men and women home. we shouldn't continue to sacrifice our best because our leadership lacks the forsight to plan and implement a war with a positive end result for our country or Iraq. we deserve better and so do those that serve, unless you've seen first hand the damage that's been done to future generations by this countries lack of leadership on this issue it may be difficult to understand. i have and it's not.

[SchlepRock]

I would not join or let my kids join. The rich start the wars and the poor fight them. it alway been that way since the day the draft started it was set up to protect the rich. If there kids are not going nether is mine. This OIL War Was a SET UP.

[Bullajami]

I enlisted in the Navy in 1987 and was commissioned in 1995. I am still on active duty (and actually typing this from my office). I am scheduled for a 12 month return trip to the middle east early next year.

My son enlisted in the Marine Corps in August 2006, and is also currently on active duty.

I suspect this answers your questions.

[Cee]

I wouldn't find for Bush or his greed. I'd move outta the country if a draft was to take place.

[donjuan]

Curious,

That's actually one of your better posts. I do have to disagree with this though:

we defeated the NAZIs

We helped defeat and were integral in defeating the Nazis but we did not do so by ourselves. I think most Americans ignore the contributions of other nations far too often.