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  • 2,000 Service Men/Women Killed In Iraq

    Sadly, today the death of a serviceman reached the 2,000 mark of Military Personnel killed in Iraq. When is this going to end? As a mother of three soldiers, do I remain silent and proud of my children's fight? All three has gone and served in their depoyments. All three have come home. I feel pain for those families that have not had the same. As a a citizen, I am appalled and disgusted at this War! Bring them back before more are hurt and killed. Yes, I understand that it's an voluntary Military. I believe we should be protecting our land, on our shores, not some forsaken place for some people who has no appreciation.

    The truth is slowly coming out. How shame and embarrassing for those in Office to tell the families of those who died...that this was all a LIE.

    Auntie Lynn
    Be AKAMAI ~ KOKUA Hawai`i!
    Philippians 4:13 --- I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

  • #2
    Re: 2,000 Service Men/Women Killed In Iraq

    Originally posted by 1stwahine
    As a mother of three soldiers, do I remain silent and proud of my children's fight? All three has gone and served in their depoyments. All three have come home. I feel pain for those families that have not had the same. As a a citizen, I am appalled and disgusted at this War!
    I think you have eloquently answered your own question.

    Originally posted by 1stwahine
    The truth is slowly coming out. How shame and embarrassing for those in Office to tell the families of those who died...that this was all a LIE.
    Many of us knew, argued, marched, shouted that this was a lie before it even began - but we were not heard; in fact, most of us were ridiculed.

    Yet, we get no pleasure in being right - all of the "I told you so"s in the world will not bring back one of those 2000 American souls, or any of the tens of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians.

    I am only pleased to see more and more Americans recognizing the futility of this war, and to know that Auntie Lynn's children served proudly and made it home safely.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: 2,000 Service Men/Women Killed In Iraq

      It is possible that I am the only one here at HT that believes the ouster of mass murderer and tyrant Saddam Hussein was an important task that could only be undertaken by the U.S. I care nothing for the arguments of WMD, terrorism, etc. - for me the removal of this man who ruthlessly persecuted, tortured and murdered without restraint was reason enough. I also felt that when we left the people of Rwanda to die by the hundreds of thousands and did nothing we failed.

      I will close with the full quote of a letter which the NY Times used only in part in their story on the 2,000 soldiers who have sacrificed their lives for the freedom of the Iraqi people. The letter was written by Cpl. Jeffery B. Starr, USMC.

      This is the part the NY Times used:
      "Obviously if you are reading this then I have died in Iraq. I kind of predicted this, that is why I'm writing this in November. A third time just seemed like I'm pushing my chances."

      The full quote from the letter was:
      "Obviously if you are reading this then I have died in Iraq. I kind of predicted this, that is why I'm writing this in November. A third time just seemed like I'm pushing my chances. I don't regret going, everybody dies but few get to do it for something as important as freedom. It may seem confusing why we are in Iraq, it's not to me. I'm here helping these people, so that they can live the way we live. Not have to worry about tyrants or vicious dictators. To do what they want with their lives. To me that is why I died. Others have died for my freedom, now this is my mark."

      I do not believe that those who died served in vain nor have their deaths been meaningless. Those who choose to believe so are free to do so but as for me, I see a brighter day for the people of Iraq. It is a long and difficult road but the journey would never have started with Saddam Hussein in power.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: 2,000 Service Men/Women Killed In Iraq

        I respect anyone's view and feelings on how they percieve this unfortunate War in Iraq. I use to feel the same way. As a mother of three outstanding soldiers, I am proud of their accomplishments and how they represent and do their utmost for our country.

        As thier mother who was alone when three were in War Zones, it tore my heart during the holidays, not knowing whether one would come back in a body bag. My son came home with sharpnel imbedded in his chest, only to go to Afganistan less than a year later. He went proudly to serve again. Once again, I trembled but did not question nor why. I remained proud.

        As a mother of three soldiers, I know the risks. As a mother of three soldiers, I am proud. As a citizen of the United States...I keep asking why? Many mothers keep asking why. 2,000 of those mothers and fathers who buried their sons and daughters are still asking why!

        Yes, my children are still soldiers and are still serving proudly. I will always be nervous wherever they may go. I am their mother. I will always be nervous and cry for their fellow comrades who get hurt and killed everyday.

        God bless all the members of the Armed Forces!
        God Bless America!

        Lynn Vasquez
        Proud Mom of Three Soldiers
        Last edited by 1stwahine; October 29, 2005, 10:58 AM.
        Be AKAMAI ~ KOKUA Hawai`i!
        Philippians 4:13 --- I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: 2,000 Service Men/Women Killed In Iraq

          Originally posted by glossyp
          I do not believe that those who died served in vain nor have their deaths been meaningless. Those who choose to believe so are free to do so but as for me, I see a brighter day for the people of Iraq. It is a long and difficult road but the journey would never have started with Saddam Hussein in power.
          If it is going to be (or if, in fact, it is now) American policy to forcibly remove from power leaders who do not govern humanely, we need to discuss this, because Hussein was not the only one who ruled as he did. Nobody is saying that Iraq would be better off with Hussein still in power, and few people are saying that once he was taken out, we should have just left the country to figure everything out for itself.

          What I and a growing number of my fellow citizens are upset about is this feeling of having been misled. Now, I have been opposed to this military action from the very beginning because I didn't think the reasons we were given, even if they had proven true, were good enough reasons to put American soldiers' lives in danger. If the President and his people had said from the beginning that this was about taking Hussen down, perhaps I'd have felt differently, because the evidence against him is staggering.

          Peace-keeping is a meaningful use of our forces. Disaster relief is a meaningful use of our forces. The national defense is a meaningful use of our forces. Is regime-change a meaningful use of our forces? I don't know, but I'd love for someone to convince me, and I'd have loved it if this has been the topic of national debate, rather than those blasted WMDs.

          It is my humble opinion that what the President did is about as big as what Richard Nixon did and it easily dwarfs what Bill Clinton was impeached for, whether or not the overall result was desirable. If we had gone in there to kill little boys and then found WMDs, sure, the discovery would be great, but it doesn't change the fact that we went in there for despicable reasons.
          But I'm disturbed! I'm depressed! I'm inadequate! I GOT IT ALL! (George Costanza)
          GrouchyTeacher.com

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: 2,000 Service Men/Women Killed In Iraq

            You're not the only person who feels ousting Saddam was a good thing, for the good of his country, the region, and thus, the world. It had to be done, and the U.S. was probably the only country that could do it... if it were up to one country to do. And if it were done with much better planning, and with more time spent on genuine coalition building rather than bullying.

            Saddam is out, and democracy is slowly taking hold in Iraq (a tenuous hold that could still be shattered with a big enough bomb)... but at what cost?

            I am fully proud of our servicemen and women, doing what they were trained to do and answering a higher duty. I am never critical of their accomplishments and sacrifices... just of the rationale and poor planning that put them where they are.

            Getting Saddam out was, again, a pretty good reason (to you and many others), but obviously not one good enough for the administration to sell its case to the world. Hence, the much-emphasized looming evil of WMD proliferation -- a claim that was made the linchpin of Bush's desire to invade. It didn't take long for them to reconfigure their marketing campaign to push that argument aside in favor of Good American Democracy(tm), but it was there. And with the indictment against Libby (and the continued scrutiny of Rove), all stemming from an effort to keep the WMD rationale alive, won't let anyone forget it anytime soon.

            We bit off more than we could chew, and are stumbling along following plans that seem to be made the day we've promised to announce them... but I'm mixed on the calls for withdrawl. We made this mess, we have to clean it up.

            I just hope it won't take another 2,000 Americans. And I hope, in futility, I imagine, that Iraq will be stabilized before another major world crisis requires us to be ready for another major undertaking -- whether it's another rogue nation, or rebuilding another American city.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: 2,000 Service Men/Women Killed In Iraq

              I agree with Scriv (post #5). Since when did we unilaterally become the one to oust dictators and despots in other parts of the world? (that's a rhetorical question) Actually, we've been doing it all along (too many instances to cite here), but the reason we do it is not to "free" the people as much as it is in our (read corporate or governmental) interests to oust despotic leaders who don't kowtow to our dictates. And it's been happening in Republican AND Democratic administrations.

              Now that the Christians in Action have been emasculated due to corruption and infighting, it appears as though our government needs to resort to fabrications and lies in order to convince the people of this country that it's necessary to mind every other country's business. If there is to be a regime change, let it happen under the auspices of the UN or use economic embargoes. Enough of this sending US troops overseas to protect our interests. It's bad enough that we have regular military over there, but I'm really upset that the National Guard is still being sent to Iraq when their help could be used here in this country.

              Miulang

              P.S. Consider this: there are leaders in the Balkans who were just as malevolent and murderous as Saddam was, and why haven't we invaded or tried to topple those governments?
              "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: 2,000 Service Men/Women Killed In Iraq

                let's see.

                on what basis is the u.s. allowed to forcibly remove political leaders from other sovereign countries?

                so if another country doesn't approve of our president, can they forcibly remove him/her?
                525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear. 525,600 minutes - how do you measure, measure a year?

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: 2,000 Service Men/Women Killed In Iraq

                  When I last checked Karadzic, Mladic, Milosevic and others were removed from power by the intervention of NATO following the ineffective efforts of the UN and the European Community to end the ethnic cleansing of the Bosnia War. Some would argue that the intervention of NATO was too long in coming. The Dayton Accords which the U.S. was instrumental in brokering ended the war in 1995. NATO continues to have a presence in the countries created from the former Yugoslavia. As in all countries that have been brutalized by ethnic cleansing and through war, there are deep scars and the future is challenging but those who committed ethnic cleansing are no longer in power.

                  A belief that there are no circumstances under which it is appropriate to intervene in the face of genocide, tyranny and mass murder is one that many hold both historically and in our times. We see this in the unwillingness to confront the current slaughter in the Sudan and the instances of Rwanda, the Kurds and Cambodia under Pol Pot in the last century. An interesting argument is the one that Western nations have little to no interest in intervening in places where the victims are African, Middle Eastern or Asian.

                  A policy of spreading democracy and freedom has been a linchpin of several presidencies. Notable proponents of this philosophy include Wilson, FDR, Truman, Kennedy and Bush. The means by which these presidents sought to achieve these goals may vary but the underlying belief remains the same. And, whether or not this philosophy was truly held or was used as a political tool is open to debate.

                  I am certainly not naive enough to believe that we went to war in Iraq with the sole purpose of liberating the Iraqi people - it is, however, one of the few positive results of the war and one which I find laudable.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: 2,000 Service Men/Women Killed In Iraq

                    Originally posted by glossyp
                    It is possible that I am the only one here at HT that believes the ouster of mass murderer and tyrant Saddam Hussein was an important task that could only be undertaken by the U.S.
                    We must also remember that the U.S. was largely responsible for SUPPORTING and REINFORCING the murderous regime of Saddam Hussein; our country chose to provide him with arms and intelligence support during the Iran-Iraq war, because we considered Iran to be an enemy state.

                    That's why Bush-the-lesser was so certain that Hussein had WMD - "I know he's got 'em --- we have the receipts!!!"

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: 2,000 Service Men/Women Killed In Iraq

                      Originally posted by glossyp
                      When I last checked Karadzic, Mladic, Milosevic and others were removed from power by the intervention of NATO following the ineffective efforts of the UN and the European Community to end the ethnic cleansing of the Bosnia War. Some would argue that the intervention of NATO was too long in coming. The Dayton Accords which the U.S. was instrumental in brokering ended the war in 1995. NATO continues to have a presence in the countries created from the former Yugoslavia. As in all countries that have been brutalized by ethnic cleansing and through war, there are deep scars and the future is challenging but those who committed ethnic cleansing are no longer in power.
                      And what about the repressive governments in the former Soviet satellite bloc? (Uzbekistan, Kyrgystan, etc). They have been wooed and wined by our government to allow us to build bases in these countries because then we would be in striking distance of Iran. What about the atrocities in Darfur, Sudan? What about the Congo? We turn our heads the other way to repressive governments when it's more expedient for us to do so.

                      I don't think we should be this hypocritical. Either we stand for freedom for all people in all countries and actively assist the people to overthrow their governments (like we did in the Ukraine where we aided Yuschenko and his Orange Revolution), or we leave them alone and mind our own business.

                      Miulang
                      "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: 2,000 Service Men/Women Killed In Iraq

                        Originally posted by Miulang
                        What about the atrocities in Darfur, Sudan? What about the Congo?
                        AMEN, sister.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: 2,000 Service Men/Women Killed In Iraq

                          Originally posted by Miulang
                          What about the atrocities in Darfur, Sudan? What about the Congo?
                          I suspect you either missed or overlooked the point I made earlier about the Sudan (I should have included the Congo as well). I completely agree that we either stand for freedom or we don't. A couple of trips by Colin Powell and Condelezza Rice to the region produced nothing. I fault our nation for an unwilllingness to intercede and also place major responsibility at the feet of the U.N. and other, primarily European, nations who, while they had many objections to the Iraq war and didn't want to get involved there, can't be bothered to help in the Sudan or Congo either - what are their interests that prevent them from helping? I suspect they really don't care because it's 1) not on their doorstep and 2) it's Africa. The U.S. does have its hands a bit full right now and I don't thing it's unreasonable in the least to expect the U.N. to fulfill its charter.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: 2,000 Service Men/Women Killed In Iraq

                            I just hope my brother comes home safely. He has been gone a year and still has a lot of time to serve. It is heart aching to see your brother with a machine gun in tow and hear his stories of dodging bullets.

                            The world will always turn, we can only unite together in hope and love. Thats all I have to say about this.
                            See Reny's Gallery For Great Stuff!

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: 2,000 Service Men/Women Killed In Iraq

                              Originally posted by Reny
                              I just hope my brother comes home safely. He has been gone a year and still has a lot of time to serve.
                              Whatever our politics here on HT, I am certain that everyone can agree with you on this point, Reny.

                              Comment

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