yeah they have all they need

[SheWolf]

found this article this am...
The Human Cost
They were sent to fight for their country. But some GIs didn't have all they needed to protect themselves

U.S. Air Force-thememoryhole.org
Resting place: A soldier prepares coffins of U.S. military personnel returning home at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware
By Melinda Liu, John Barry and Michael Hirsh
NewsweekMay 3 issue - The inaugural mission of the 1st Cavalry's 2d Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment was, in its humble way, a bid for hearts and minds. It was to safely dispose of Iraqi sewage. Having arrived in Iraq in late March, a 19-man patrol from the battalion, traveling in four Humvees, had just finished escorting three Iraqi "honey wagons" on their rounds in the grim slum of Sadr City, where vendors stash eggs and chickens in bamboo crates next to puddles of viscous black mud. ("You're lucky if it's mud," joked one U.S. officer.) Suddenly the street became "a 300-meter-long kill zone," recalls platoon leader Sgt. Shane Aguero, courtesy of gunmen from the Mahdi militia of Shiite rebel Moqtada al-Sadr. The Humvees swerved and ran onto sidewalks, rolling on the rims of flat tires, as gunmen kept up the barrage of bullets. Sgt. Yihjyh (Eddie) Chen, gunner in the lead vehicle, was shot dead. Another soldier was hit and began bleeding from the mouth.

And their trouble was just beginning. Two of the Humvees became disabled. Aguero yelled at one driver to gun the engine to get his Humvee moving. The engine fell out. As they'd been drilled to do, the soldiers set out to strip the disabled vehicles of sensitive items and to "zee off the radio"—to see that codes and equipment don't fall into enemy hands. When another group got ambushed nearby, an enemy round came through the Humvee's right rear door—through retrofitted panels that the soldiers had been told would repel AK-47 rounds. Miraculously, none of the three people inside were hit. Then a third Humvee sputtered to a halt: debris had pierced the fuel tank. "It just wouldn't start; we coasted the last 50 yards out of the kill zone," said its driver, Spc. Dee Foster. At last an armored Bradley fighting vehicle arrived, and its steel ramp opened to scoop him and his buddies to safety.


For the Bush administration it has been a mantra, one the president intones repeatedly: America's troops will get whatever they need to do the job. But as Iraq's liberation has turned into a daily grind of low-intensity combat—and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld grudgingly raises troop levels—many soldiers who are there say the Pentagon is failing to protect them with the best technology America has to offer. Especially tanks, Bradleys and other heavy vehicles, even in some cases body armor. That has been the tragic lesson of April, a month in which a record 115 U.S. soldiers have died so far and 879 others have been wounded, 560 of them fairly seriously. Those numbers greatly exceed the tallies in the combat-heavy weeks of the invasion last spring. And the impact of those deaths was felt more fully last week when blogger Russ Kick, after filing a Freedom of Information Act request, won the release of photos showing coffins returning to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

[Flammer]

Originally posted by SheWolf
found this article this am...
The Human Cost
They were sent to fight for their country. But some GIs didn't have all they needed to protect themselves

U.S. Air Force-thememoryhole.org
Resting place: A soldier prepares coffins of U.S. military personnel returning home at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware
By Melinda Liu, John Barry and Michael Hirsh
NewsweekMay 3 issue - The inaugural mission of the 1st Cavalry's 2d Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment was, in its humble way, a bid for hearts and minds. It was to safely dispose of Iraqi sewage. Having arrived in Iraq in late March, a 19-man patrol from the battalion, traveling in four Humvees, had just finished escorting three Iraqi "honey wagons" on their rounds in the grim slum of Sadr City, where vendors stash eggs and chickens in bamboo crates next to puddles of viscous black mud. ("You're lucky if it's mud," joked one U.S. officer.) Suddenly the street became "a 300-meter-long kill zone," recalls platoon leader Sgt. Shane Aguero, courtesy of gunmen from the Mahdi militia of Shiite rebel Moqtada al-Sadr. The Humvees swerved and ran onto sidewalks, rolling on the rims of flat tires, as gunmen kept up the barrage of bullets. Sgt. Yihjyh (Eddie) Chen, gunner in the lead vehicle, was shot dead. Another soldier was hit and began bleeding from the mouth.

And their trouble was just beginning. Two of the Humvees became disabled. Aguero yelled at one driver to gun the engine to get his Humvee moving. The engine fell out. As they'd been drilled to do, the soldiers set out to strip the disabled vehicles of sensitive items and to "zee off the radio"—to see that codes and equipment don't fall into enemy hands. When another group got ambushed nearby, an enemy round came through the Humvee's right rear door—through retrofitted panels that the soldiers had been told would repel AK-47 rounds. Miraculously, none of the three people inside were hit. Then a third Humvee sputtered to a halt: debris had pierced the fuel tank. "It just wouldn't start; we coasted the last 50 yards out of the kill zone," said its driver, Spc. Dee Foster. At last an armored Bradley fighting vehicle arrived, and its steel ramp opened to scoop him and his buddies to safety.


For the Bush administration it has been a mantra, one the president intones repeatedly: America's troops will get whatever they need to do the job. But as Iraq's liberation has turned into a daily grind of low-intensity combat—and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld grudgingly raises troop levels—many soldiers who are there say the Pentagon is failing to protect them with the best technology America has to offer. Especially tanks, Bradleys and other heavy vehicles, even in some cases body armor. That has been the tragic lesson of April, a month in which a record 115 U.S. soldiers have died so far and 879 others have been wounded, 560 of them fairly seriously. Those numbers greatly exceed the tallies in the combat-heavy weeks of the invasion last spring. And the impact of those deaths was felt more fully last week when blogger Russ Kick, after filing a Freedom of Information Act request, won the release of photos showing coffins returning to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

I think you would make a damn fine news analyst for the Al Jezerra network.....

[SheWolf]

Originally posted by Flammer


I think you would make a damn fine news analyst for the Al Jezerra network.....

NOW JUST WAIT A MINUTE,,, I DIDN'T WRITE IT,,,
HOW DARE YOU,,, MY SON IS THERE FOR THE SECOND TIME, AND HE HAD TO GO PURCHASE ITEMS HE NEEDED TO GO... AND THESE WEREN'T ITEMS THAT HE HAD BEEN ISSUED AND LOST/DESTROYED ETC,,, THEY WERE ITEMS HE WAS NEVER ISSUED.....

AND THERE IS NOW EXCUSE FOR THIS.....

OUR TROOPS DESERVE EQUIPMENT THAT WORKS, THAT IS UP TO SPECS ETC,,,, NOT THE BROKEN DOWN CRAP THEY HAVE,,

AND THIS ADMINISTRATION KEEPS SAYING THEY WILL GET WHAT THEY NEED,,,, YEAH A MILITARY FUNERAL WHEN THE EQUIPMENT FAILS THEM,,, SO GO FLAME SOMEWHERE ELSE,,,,

[Flammer]

Originally posted by SheWolf


NOW JUST WAIT A MINUTE,,, I DIDN'T WRITE IT,,,
HOW DARE YOU,,, MY SON IS THERE FOR THE SECOND TIME, AND HE HAD TO GO PURCHASE ITEMS HE NEEDED TO GO... AND THESE WEREN'T ITEMS THAT HE HAD BEEN ISSUED AND LOST/DESTROYED ETC,,, THEY WERE ITEMS HE WAS NEVER ISSUED.....

AND THERE IS NOW EXCUSE FOR THIS.....

OUR TROOPS DESERVE EQUIPMENT THAT WORKS, THAT IS UP TO SPECS ETC,,,, NOT THE BROKEN DOWN CRAP THEY HAVE,,

AND THIS ADMINISTRATION KEEPS SAYING THEY WILL GET WHAT THEY NEED,,,, YEAH A MILITARY FUNERAL WHEN THE EQUIPMENT FAILS THEM,,, SO GO FLAME SOMEWHERE ELSE,,,,


Maam, I'd go myself and by everything I need to go myself...including my Ammo !! The only guarantee I would need
is that I would be going into a Free Fire Zone.....no pay required...

[cjwright90]

Flammer, what did you mean? Shewolf was just relaying a story like so many others do here. What gives? I know when I was in in the late 80's, I had some pretty old out dated stuff, and I did not go to combat, where you need good gear.

[Flammer]

Originally posted by cjwright90
Flammer, what did you mean? Shewolf was just relaying a story like so many others do here. What gives? I know when I was in in the late 80's, I had some pretty old out dated stuff, and I did not go to combat, where you need good gear.

What I mean is when your in a fightin hole, you fight with what you got....you take what you get and you don't complain about it.....that article, and I know shewolf didn't write is the same kind of demoralizing bullcrap that undermines our troops efforts...
Nothin against her personally, I don't know the lady, but I've read a few of her posts in other threads and she seems to be a lil more to the left than my liking....if she ain't, I apologize....

[Kurt Stover]

Okay she wolf, next time you get a chance to see the president trying to pass a bill for the military as far as monies for the armament, read the congressional record and watch all the phoney liberals vote it down because they can't attatch pork to it to finance midnight basketball and a new program to enhance the "Ethos of the minorities in America" dance.

I couldn't make this crap up, go seek and ye shall find. Otherwise, shut yer pie hole trap and support not only your son, but the rest of us out here, I ship in Nov, and I'm buying my own stuff, so it will be "MINE", get over it and drive on.

Semper Fi.

[SheWolf]

Originally posted by Kurt Stover
Okay she wolf, next time you get a chance to see the president trying to pass a bill for the military as far as monies for the armament, read the congressional record and watch all the phoney liberals vote it down because they can't attatch pork to it to finance midnight basketball and a new program to enhance the "Ethos of the minorities in America" dance.

I couldn't make this crap up, go seek and ye shall find. Otherwise, shut yer pie hole trap and support not only your son, but the rest of us out here, I ship in Nov, and I'm buying my own stuff, so it will be "MINE", get over it and drive on.

Semper Fi.

I suggest you buy food and water.... my daughter in law just called me and told me my son just called her today,,, he has lost over 20 pounds,,, getting only mre's and two water bottles a day,,,

and I WILL NOT SHUT MY PIE HOLE AS YOU SUGGEST,,, I have every right to post here,,,, but God bless you and keep you safe........

[yellowwing]

“I wil soon submit to Congress a request for $87 billion. The request will cover ongoing military and intelligence operations in Iraq.” – President Bush, 9/7/03

And it was approved. Its nice to have the base pay to afford the needed equipment. What are you going to tell your Privates and PFCs? "If it ain't issued, you don't need it"

[SheWolf]

Originally posted by yellowwing
“I wil soon submit to Congress a request for $87 billion. The request will cover ongoing military and intelligence operations in Iraq.” – President Bush, 9/7/03

And it was approved. Its nice to have the base pay to afford the needed equipment. What are you going to tell your Privates and PFCs? "If it ain't issued, you don't need it"

thanks yellowwing,,, that's what I always heard when I was serving,,, if we don't issue it to you,, you don't need it.........

but then they still expected you to have it sometimes...


<<putting together another care package>>

[Kurt Stover]

As long as you get your facts straight they can be pro or con, I don't care, it's when you run off the map with speculation and adverse information. That is the direction of shutting yer pie hole.

Funny thing also, you have every right to go down to south Dallas and enter any establishment that serves libations or food stuffs and make witty remarks about the local indigenous population, 1st amendment covers it, only thing is, you ain't leaving under your own power. There are smart ways to do things, and blabbing yer pie hole about crude that is unknown to you other than some second hand cue stick information, put's you in the cross hairs of righteousness.

[Kurt Stover]

If you would look at what those monies were earmarked for you will see that it wasn't for Camel Backs, and the amenities of home. Once again, not reviewing the information and not knowing what you are talking about lends one to believe that you are clueless and spouting left mantra that has no basis.

[cjwright90]

What is going on here? Why are we (any of us) posting insults? shewolf is concerned for her son's safety as well as everyone elses. She merely brought about an article. So many others do the samething, but don't get told to shut thier pie holes. Gunny, it seems a little out of line there. She is concerned for you safety as well from what I read. On this post and others. The troops are doing with what they have. And buying thier own stuff to suppliment. But saying shewolf could be working for Al Jazeera for posting her article is a little over the edge, don't you think. Gunny, I hope you are safe over there and we here from you again on here soon. God bless you and all the troops over there. I pray the ones left there come home safely. Remember we are on the same team here.

[SheWolf]

Originally posted by Kurt Stover
If you would look at what those monies were earmarked for you will see that it wasn't for Camel Backs, and the amenities of home. Once again, not reviewing the information and not knowing what you are talking about lends one to believe that you are clueless and spouting left mantra that has no basis.

well,, if you consider food and water "amenities of home" you are clueless......... and if someone interprets information different from you doesn't mean they don't know what they are talking about...

[thedrifter]

WE DON'T TOLERATE PERSONAL ATTACKS ON MEMBERS...........TAKE IT TO PM'S AND/OR E-MAILS......


Ellie

[SheWolf]

Originally posted by thedrifter
WE DON'T TOLERATE PERSONAL ATTACKS ON MEMBERS...........TAKE IT TO PM'S AND/OR E-MAILS......


Ellie

I'm sorry Miss Ellie,,,, I'm just not doing well at this time,,

[Kurt Stover]

Never said she could post on Al Jazeera, it's when the misinformed use the information that is not reliable, nor put into the context it was said, that put's my dander in a twist.

Look, there are things that I don't like that are being done with this administration as far as the domestic side of the house, that is my opinion, but I will not twist anything that this president, the current minions of this administration nor any past administrations or presidents to suit my ideology. It's smacks of bias and a sense of distrust.

I can deal with the facts, I can be told that someone lied to me if it is proven, I can live with mistakes or events that put someone in a bad light, as long as it causes no harm, was not done in a malicious manner or degrades the position that you or I reperesent. I can deal with it.

I can dig up crap on Kerry, Bush and Clinton with the wisk of the keyboard. But, I have to be able to research and make dang sure what I write, espouse to or otherwise put my hand to is the truth as I know it. If I am wrong, far be it for me not to come with my hat in hand ands stand corrected, I am not above that.

It is a wise man that sits in counsel and makes a decsion based on facts as they are presented then to go off half cocked high and to the right and be wrong.

It makes one foolish in the eyes of other members.

[arnoldyG/2/5]

Our troops in Iraq may not have everything they were promised but you learn to live with it. They have more equipment and a much more reliable supply line than did Marines in Vietnam, Korea, WWII, WWI.......

SheWolf, I am sure your son has told you Marines adapt and overcome. Marines get the job done. We might ***** but we don't ***** for the whole world to hear!!!

By the way of course you son has lost weight, he is in a combat zone however, I am sure he gets much more than two water bottles a day....hydration is something The Corps takes seriously.

Semper Fi

[SheWolf]

Originally posted by arnoldyG/2/5
Our troops in Iraq may not have everything they were promised but you learn to live with it. They have more equipment and a much more reliable supply line than did Marines in Vietnam, Korea, WWII, WWI.......

SheWolf, I am sure your son has told you Marines adapt and overcome. Marines get the job done. We might ***** but we don't ***** for the whole world to hear!!!

By the way of course you son has lost weight, he is in a combat zone however, I am sure he gets much more than two water bottles a day....hydration is something The Corps takes seriously.

Semper Fi

he lost weight the first time, but not this much this fast...
am only going on what he told his wife,,,,,,
it worries me......
and I am not +++++ for the whole world, just here and my family.......... a few friends........

[d c taveapont]

Stover, man just cool down i did not find any thing wrong with the post, and you have said alot of things to different people before. and pie hole is childish....nov huh. and since you research things WHY is our arned forces still in S Korea, and Germany, could we not use the troops in Germany..........

[arnoldyG/2/5]

and I am not +++++ for the whole world, just here and my family.......... a few friends....
__________________________________________________ _

SheWolf

Didn't mean you were *itching, just the way it is Marines *itch but not for everybody to hear.

Don't worry, your son is getting plenty of food and water. Marines also exagerate and worried wives always make it sound much worse. What he and every Marine or soldier in Iraq needs is to know that we support them.....this means supporting them in achieving their objectives not just bringing them home.


P.S. Being a Mom you are allowed to worry......I never saw combat but my mother worried about me the whole time I was on active duty

[Kurt Stover]

D C, since we are amongst Marines, I will state as vociferously as I can, the truth, not the way I see it, or to candy coat it to win friends, I will state it to make the truth be known. Pie Hole is the current word; bleeding heart liberals and cowards are mostly offended by it. Since I heard our SGT major use it and our Co, it seems to fit well. I was told by a wise man while still active in Okinawa, “If you let the words that convey the message offend you, you need not be in my Corps”. What? You want for me to paint this pie in the sky pretty picture? I’m sorry, I’m not going to waste your time or mine in doing something like that. It leads others to delusion and makes me a liar. Ain’t gonna happen, not on my watch. Life is hard, if anyone tells you different, they are trying to sell you something you don’t need.

I whole heartily agree with you, pull all of our troops out of Germany, let them foot the bill and buttress their own economy with the 145 Billion we pump over there. Korea, not a smart move yet, once N. Korea either stabilizes or becomes "Un-communist" we need to be the tickle in the eye there.

[yellowwing]

White House breakdown of $87 bln anti-terror money
Reuters, 09.08.03, 12:30 PM ET (http://www.forbes.com/work/newswire/2003/09/08/rtr1075801.html)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House Monday gave a breakdown of where the $87 billion requested by President Bush for the war on terror would be spent.

"Most of these funds ($66 billion) are dedicated to give our men and women in uniform the resources they need to succeed in their missions in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere in the war on terror," the White House said in a statement.
"The remainder of the funds ($21 billion) are dedicated to helping to build safe, stable and self-governing societies in these nations ravaged by decades of misrule."

-- In Iraq, about $51 billion will support ongoing military operations. Of that, $800 million will provide transport and support to troops of coalition partners that are willing to commit to the operation.

Another $300 million will buy body armor and $140 million will deliver heavily armored Humvees to protect U.S. forces.

An unspecified amount of the money will pay for two-week furloughs for U.S. troops who have been in Iraq for a year. Unspecified amounts will be used to repair and replace damaged or lost equipment and provide "rapid fielding support".

-- About $20 billion will be used for Iraqi reconstruction. The Bush administration said initial estimates put the total cost of reconstruction at $50 billion to $75 billion.

Of the $20 billion, about $5 billion will be spent to train border guards, a new Iraqi army, police force and local civilian defense corps, as well as building a judicial and penal system.

The other $15 billion will go for infrastructure: building and repairing clinics; providing drinking water; opening ports, railroad lines and airports; restoring oil production and providing electrical service.

-- In Afghanistan, about $11 billion will be spent to support U.S. forces' efforts to "track down terrorists and provide stability."

In addition, the administration will take $400 million from existing accounts to accelerate progress on Afghanistan reconstruction. The president's request seeks $800 million to address "critical remaining security and reconstruction needs." Some $1.8 billion has previously been appropriated for these purposes, in addition to $5 billion pledged by the international community.

This aid includes over $400 million to train and support the Afghan National Army and national police, border and highway patrol; over $300 million to accelerate construction of roads, schools, clinics and local small-scale projects; over $120 million will be used to train and employ demobilized militiamen; and nearly $300 million will support efforts to establish the rule of law, elections and the Afghanistan government's operational requirements.

Copyright 2003, Reuters News Service

Another $300 million will buy body armor - at 1500 a pop, that should buy enough for 200,000 troops. Something is wrong with the logistics system if you have to buy your own.

[Flammer]

If 2 mre's and two bottles of water especially "bottled" water aint enuff....try two and sometimes one box of Crats and water out of a polluted stream and tabs to clean it up !! Since when is a Soldier supposed to have the ammenities of home to fight a war !!!!

[SheWolf]

Originally posted by Flammer
If 2 mre's and two bottles of water especially "bottled" water aint enuff....try two and sometimes one box of Crats and water out of a polluted stream and tabs to clean it up !! Since when is a Soldier supposed to have the ammenities of home to fight a war !!!!

ok but then let the administration quit touting that they will have everything they need.....

it's all bulls*** if you ask me,,,,

[Kurt Stover]

Look, if there is an IED or UXO lying around, not all the armor or flak vest's in the world is going to keep you 100 percent safe. Our troops have ammunition, weapons systems, resources out the wazoo, it's how they are incorporated should be at question.

I can understand the concern, who wouldn't, but to slam the administration is another. When WJC sent troops to Bosnia and Kosovo, I didn't like it, but I saddled up and got ready, never went.

I did however, venture up to Fort Sill and witnessed Artillerymen loading and firing a M198 with no round and no powder and they all went boom when the gunner pulled the lanyard. I question what they were doing and I was told they had no rounds to fire with. And that was during the WJC years, I did not slather or belittle him, nor the mission that might evolve from it. I just made sure I noted the information down and found out who stood where and when they would be available.

[25snakeman02]

She Wolf Why are you on this web site?

Snake

[Flammer]

Originally posted by 25snakeman02
She Wolf Why are you on this web site?

Snake

I'll tell you why Snake...because back in the 70's under the wrong Commandants Command, the Marine Corps had a brain fart and decided to let Mom's get involved in what goes on at Parris Island and San Diego Boot Camp with their son's.....that was the beginning of the end !! I could elaborate, but you probably know the rest !!

[yellowwing]

Have some respect wil ya! Instead of spending your time flaming, why don't you write something postive that will help these poolees.

[arnoldyG/2/5]

Everybody cool out.........forgive a mother for being concerned about her son. Not being a Marine, she doesn't understand how the system works. The best thing we can do is try to provide positive support for her and her son (our Brother Marine).

[25snakeman02]

Thanks Flammer, I do know. My Support Group were (passed away) My Parents. Dad was WWII 4th MarDiv. Mom was married to him before He left for over two plus years. Plus were both raised in the Depression and had nothing. Yellowwing, you have a point too. Never forget to set the example for the Poolees, they are watching and they are absorbing. They are Volunteers and We must set the Example for them. Granted you can tell me off, it is your Privilege. Same thing for She Wolf. I was always taught when you are visiting, You ALWAYS are considerate and respectful, especially when you are like the Mother-In-Law. Your Son is the Marine. You are his Mother. I will treat you like I did the other Mother's for the folks in my platoons. You get respect until you demonstrate you do not deserve it. You are on thin ice with this last post. Remember this is the internet. If you think for one second, those with internet access, bad guys, do not read
then you are beyond my comprehension. Do your son some good, post positive articles, supportive articles, not your your doubts or fears. We all have them, we just just do not feel the need to air them.

snake out

[SheWolf]

Originally posted by 25snakeman02
She Wolf Why are you on this web site?

Snake

because in the past I found support and good thoughts/info when my son went to Iraq the first time,,,, but this place has changed

[SheWolf]

Originally posted by arnoldyG/2/5
Everybody cool out.........forgive a mother for being concerned about her son. Not being a Marine, she doesn't understand how the system works. The best thing we can do is try to provide positive support for her and her son (our Brother Marine).

thanks Arnoldy,,,, no I was never a Marine,,, but I am a disabled Veteran, with 21 years total service.........

I may not understand the Marine system,, but I do remember how the military system is supposed to work.....

[SheWolf]

[ I was always taught when you are visiting, You ALWAYS are considerate and respectful, especially when you are like the Mother-In-Law. Your Son is the Marine. You are his Mother. I will treat you like I did the other Mother's for the folks in my platoons. You get respect until you demonstrate you do not deserve it. You are on thin ice with this last post. Remember this is the internet. If you think for one second, those with internet access, bad guys, do not read
then you are beyond my comprehension. Do your son some good, post positive articles, supportive articles, not your your doubts or fears. We all have them, we just just do not feel the need to air them.

I didn't write the article,, but it was there,, it seems like anything pro-Bush is acceptable but once someone raises some doubts they are on thin ice? Just got back from a book store,, John Dean has written an interesting book,,, I didn't buy it (yet), but he compares the Bush/Cheney White House to the Nixon White House ,,, hmmmm wonder why,,,, it will be an interesting read I think,,

but for now I'm sitting here, listening to John Wayne's recording called America- Why I Love Her

[cjwright90]

I remember a saying that I heard shortly after getting to basic training that my Drill Instructors taught me. I had heard in back in my high school football days to, but never followed it as much as that time in basic. There is no "I" in team. We are all on the same team, right? Not that I am a bleeding heart liberal, far from it. Shewolf is a vet, not Marine, but a vet no less. That puts her on the same team as us, bare bones. We are Marines, and we all have some good points. A disagreed upon opinion only make us a diverse group. A group that is a team of sorts that should be supporting our troops overseas and our President. He is doing the best he can with what he has. We overcome and adapt. That is what we do, we are Marines, and supporters of Marines.

[jryanjack]

Am I missing something here? Why are we shooting the messenger? This article was already out there, no one on this website wrote it, therefore the so called "comfort to our enemies" point of view was already there. Isn't it a better use of our time and abilities to point out the positive points of the article, such as the demonstrated courage of the troops, still having the situational awareness to do what needed to be done? Even those of us who have not seen combat have trained for it, and we all know that no matter how prepared you think you are, how many gadgets you have, how much better armed you are that sh*t happens.

As to whether SheWolf belongs on this site or not, isn't she a member of the Marine Corps family too? Her son is a Marine, to me that makes her family and therefore has as much a right to be here as any of us. I know that I would have a huge problem if someone told my mom that she was not part of the Marine family. My mother sat through my father's 2 and a half tours in Nam and all of my deployments, which while they didn't turn into combat tours sure could have!

[cjwright90]

Well said. If Shewolf does not belong, then niether do I. My mother , father and brother were also Marines.

[enviro]

My interpretation of the article is that they have what they need. They just need

(a) to take better care of it
(b) the parts to take better care of it

My experience has seen it go both ways all too often.

Losing 20 pounds ain't crap. Anytime you experience the rigors of a combat zone, you will lose weight. Stress, fatigue, loss of sleep, 23.5 hour days of working, etc.... It ain't the lack of food. It's the lack of McDonalds and Taco Bell.

Shewolf - you have right to say what you please and repost articles as you wish, however, you did come off sounding like a "Mother of America - Meek and Mild" as we put it.

Get this though - Marines will b*tch and gripe no matter what. It means we're content. IT means we'll do it again in a heartbeat. It is a form of bragging. We are the hardest things to walk the face of the earth. We didn't get that way by eating seven course dinners in field and everyone getting issued their own Bradley fighting vehicle. When a Marine experiences this kind of hardship, he will "brag" to everyone. He ain't bragging about fantastic steak and lobster dinner they served on Christmas in the chow hall.

Any future Marines reading this.... buy your own gear. Everything in the government is made by the lowest bidder.

[G.L.B.]

OK CAN WILL KILL THIS WHOLE THREAD YET. GOD! ALL THE HATE AND A$$ KISSING IS MAKING ME SICK. CLOSE CONVERSATION AND MOVE ON. FROM A 22 YEAR OLD.... GROW THE HELL UP! EVERYBODIES FIGHTING LIKE THEY ARE MARRIED! NO MORE

[enviro]

You can go to another forum if you are getting sick.

Either contribute to this thread or stop whining. I hate it when people want to stiffle conversation and a free exchange of ideas and opinions because it's "making them sick"......


Try The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx Forum

http://www.topicsites.com/communist/

[Kurt Stover]

Since I have experienced both sides as a Marine and now a parent, I have agreed to inform myself about issues. Two of my three children are involved in a school that has academic curricular that was as foreign to me as getting my toenails curled with a hot iron.

Yet, as conservative as I am, instead of going down to the school and labeling the administration and teachers with libelous and inflamed rhetoric about the standards and availability of resources provide not only my children, but others, I instead researched and quelled the knee-jerk reaction that wanted to turn into an a$$ kicking.

I found out that in my 40 plus years, that in instances such as this, there is far better result in research and understanding then to flame an organization. One of the things I do hold dear and do not kid yourself, is that the Marines have instilled within myself, a sense of “Moral Superiority” that many an oaf type character has labeled as arrogant and assuming.

Unless you have experienced it and or have held onto that idea, it will bring you through. It is when one wanders away from, replaces or never kindered up to this obvious revelation that people start to forget where they have come from and what got them there. If you have to question it, you will never know it. A marine will attack an enemy tank with a rifle, and there is a really good chance he could win given the tenacity and skill learned. It is the scared puppy that rolls over onto their back and pees across their belly showing all that they are frozen by lack of action.

I choose not to sit idle and wait for stuff to happen. I’ve been called a$$hole by many and far better persons. It has not made me waiver from my stance. But it has proven time after time, that a hard person will make it so the not-so-hard people can continue to exist. Maybe I am a dinosaur, my time has come and gone, I can’t say for sure, as I am in the middle of the mix, time will tell and I will, until God himself stops me with whatever means available he chooses to use, continue to size up a situation and study it and attack or support it to best benefit my God, Family, Country, and Corps.

If you can not or will not buy into this, then it’s best to not parlay words with me, I have experienced the cold hand of death, I have been the instrument of that same hand, it is not pleasant, but, I have made peace with it and I know where I stand with it. I watch team players who will burst with pride of scoring a goal or making a winning catch, that is great, but there is nothing that can replace the feeling of bringing everyone home safe.

To explain any further would be a moot point if you do not know from wince I speak.

[SheWolf]

As to whether SheWolf belongs on this site or not, isn't she a member of the Marine Corps family too? Her son is a Marine, to me that makes her family and therefore has as much a right to be here as any of us. I know that I would have a huge problem if someone told my mom that she was not part of the Marine family. My mother sat through my father's 2 and a half tours in Nam and all of my deployments, which while they didn't turn into combat tours sure could have! [/B][/QUOTE]

Thanks for the support, and the news is now that the chow hall will be re opening in a day or two,, so that is good news (I guess, hahaha)

[SheWolf]

Originally posted by cjwright90
Well said. If Shewolf does not belong, then niether do I. My mother , father and brother were also Marines.

thanks for the support ,,,

my son is the first Marine that I can think of, wait, no, my mom's uncle I think was a Marine,, anyway,,,

my dad was in the Army in WWII, my brother did 20 years in the Navy, my other brother was in the Army in 'Nam (2 tours) and I was in the Army (Active Duty 12 years, 9 years Active Reserves, currently in the Retired Reserves).....

[SheWolf]

Losing 20 pounds ain't crap. Anytime you experience the rigors of a combat zone, you will lose weight. Stress, fatigue, loss of sleep, 23.5 hour days of working, etc.... It ain't the lack of food. It's the lack of McDonalds and Taco Bell.

Shewolf - you have right to say what you please and repost articles as you wish, however, you did come off sounding like a "Mother of America - Meek and Mild" as we put it.

hmmm never been referred to as Meek or Mild before,, have to think on that ...

as for the weight loss,, my son is 6 feet tall and only weighed about 140 pounds when he left,,, he used to be able to eat like a herd of horses,, it was nothing for him (in high school) to spend $40 at McDonalds for lunch, just for him,,,,,and he didn't gain any weight with it.... After he had been in the Marines for about a year he started having some health issues, his blood sugar would drop instead of rise after eating,,, I was told he got it all straightened out but now is not able to eat like he used to,, they had him eating several small meals instead of 3 main meals,, which I realize is difficult to do where he is...

but I am still concerned about a 20 pound loss,,, along with the lack of sleep etc....

guess it's a mom thing....:bunny:

[SheWolf]

Originally posted by SheWolf


thanks for the support ,,,

my son is the first Marine that I can think of, wait, no, my mom's uncle I think was a Marine,, anyway,,,

my dad was in the Army in WWII, my brother did 20 years in the Navy, my other brother was in the Army in 'Nam (2 tours) and I was in the Army (Active Duty 12 years, 9 years Active Reserves, currently in the Retired Reserves).....

oh and I forgot, my uncle was in the Chair Force

[enviro]

guess it's a mom thing....

You're right about that!

Be concerned - but realize that your son will never starve to death. It always seems worse when you can't run to a snack machine or Taco Bell whenever you want. And 99.9999999% of all Marines will lose weight during combat. It doesn't matter how tall, how short, how stout, how skinny, or how ugly they are - they will lose weight.

I hope you understand a bit more about Marines and their "B*tching" - Most of us feel our dirty laundry is our dirty laundry.

[usmc4669]

SheWolf


NOW JUST WAIT A MINUTE,,, I DIDN'T WRITE IT,,,
HOW DARE YOU,,, MY SON IS THERE FOR THE SECOND TIME, AND HE HAD TO GO PURCHASE ITEMS HE NEEDED TO GO... AND THESE WEREN'T ITEMS THAT HE HAD BEEN ISSUED AND
LOST/DESTROYED ETC,,, THEY WERE ITEMS HE WAS NEVER ISSUED.....
AND THERE IS NOW EXCUSE FOR THIS.....
OUR TROOPS DESERVE EQUIPMENT THAT WORKS, THAT IS UP TOSPECS ETC,,,, NOT THE BROKEN DOWN CRAP THEY HAVE,,
AND THIS ADMINISTRATION KEEPS SAYING THEY WILL GET WHAT THEY NEED,,,, YEAH A MILITARY FUNERAL WHEN THE EQUIPMENT FAILS THEM,,, SO GO FLAME SOMEWHERE ELSE,,,,


I hadn't plan to reply to this thread until I saw this post. SheWolf most of the problems with our Military equipment comes from our Congress not wanting to pass any bills that will give the money that needed to buy more equipment like John F. Kerry voted against a bill to fund the war in Iraq, money to buy more equipment and also being that when Bill Clinton was President they cut the appropriations from the budget for the Military. Also some of the equipment needed was not ready and had to be made, they were short on a lot of equipment, as for food, we cannot have hot meals all of the time when you are in a combat area, when I was in we ate C-Rats, some were left over from Korea, I also lost weight when I was in a Combat area, not from not getting enough to eat but for working 12 hours a day 7 days a week, it turn soft fat into muscle. Now if you think that your son needs more home cook food then send him a care package with a lot of the things that he likes like candy, cookies, a home made cake, I know he would appreciate it. What I found best about your post was that it came from MSNBC {NewsWeek War in Iraq}. so when you do post something let us know where it came from, I try to put the web site on so that all can check it out, I know that you are a Denocrat and thats OK with me, but be honest when you post a article from a Liberal Web site.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4825948/

[SheWolf]

Originally posted by usmc4669
SheWolf




I hadn't plan to reply to this thread until I saw this post. SheWolf most of the problems with our Military equipment comes from our Congress not wanting to pass any bills that will give the money that needed to buy more equipment like John F. Kerry voted against a bill to fund the war in Iraq, money to buy more equipment and also being that when Bill Clinton was President they cut the appropriations from the budget for the Military. Also some of the equipment needed was not ready and had to be made, they were short on a lot of equipment, as for food, we cannot have hot meals all of the time when you are in a combat area, when I was in we ate C-Rats, some were left over from Korea, I also lost weight when I was in a Combat area, not from not getting enough to eat but for working 12 hours a day 7 days a week, it turn soft fat into muscle. Now if you think that your son needs more home cook food then send him a care package with a lot of the things that he likes like candy, cookies, a home made cake, I know he would appreciate it. What I found best about your post was that it came from MSNBC {NewsWeek War in Iraq}. so when you do post something let us know where it came from, I try to put the web site on so that all can check it out, I know that you are a Denocrat and thats OK with me, but be honest when you post a article from a Liberal Web site.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4825948/

[SheWolf]

i meant to say,,,

I have sent him care packages,,, jsut takes a long time for him to get them,,,

I will try to remember to post where it came from,,,
and I wasn't trying to be dishonest....

and I am a registered Democrat but just so you all know,, I will cross party lines and vote for a Republican or Independent if I feel they are the better candidate...

so... any way,,,