I'm NOT a joiner, I'm not an organizer and I don't know enough people to truly make a 'go' AT an organization of Veterans who are tired of JUST the Veterans and Service groups that already exist [mostly for the benefit of retirees...]. But this shit going on in Iraq and Afghanistan has gone TOO GD far IMNSH-and very pissed off-O.
And honestly, I'm not going to lay blame on BHO alone either.
As I've said before, I come from a military family. Both of my Grandfathers, my dad, myself and both of my sons are veterans. They both did time in and around Iraq. I'm very proud to say, our older son just retired from the Navy, he did 5 cruises in that area, the last two on the armed boarding crew, taking out Somali pirates. So I'm pretty sure I've earned the Right to speak out about how the U.S. Government USES and DISCARDS those of us who quite literally sign away our very lives.
So here's how I got here this morning.
I've all but quit watching 'the news' from ANY kind of U.S. market. I don't need THEIR opinion of the news. I'm 60 years old, I've been ALL over the world, I've been married 40 years, we've raised two kids, daily assist with two more. I've got nieces and nephews who are mostly younger than my kids. I'm the oldest kid in my family so I remember all the siblings and cousins coming along OVER that time. I read and study voraciously to this minutes. So I tend to trust MY opinion over 'theirs' based on MY life experiences and studying. But regardless of what news I do hear, it's 90% about how wrong ANYONE / ANY country is to defend them self. But, all the 'world powers' [especially our idiot elected tormentors] continue to send troops / advisers into countries where people are trying their GDest to KILL each other or anyone they see as needing killing.
There's the set-up, here comes the knock down.
I'm not sure HOW we get there, but we need some sort of system of continuity in the way we use our military. We also need to make sure that this system of using our military as political cannon fodder STOPS and does not restart! Just stop and think of the U.S lives that have been all but wasted since August of 1945.
If you add all the actual combat deaths, and those who pass away daily from wounds suffered since Japan surrendered, it's close to a half MILLION. Taking into consideration that we are close to, if not over, having more suicides in the military than combat deaths over the last 25 years.
I'm no shrink, but, how many of those suicides were because of the absolute despair of thinking that their sacrifices are a fucking waste. The loss of their friends. And although I can't imagine it, the very thought that the killing of another human being, even the assholes in the terrorist groups, that seemingly meant nothing, has GOT to play into this.
This has got to stop!
As I said, I'm not sure HOW you start an organization, but the service members desperately need the veterans to do what they can't do themselves. There has got to be a movement to move us away from NOT fighting to WIN conflicts. We all go into the service wide eyed. No one thinks HE or SHE will be the one to be maimed or killed. But we've absolutely got to have a voice FOR using the United States Military in a manner that causes the opponents to go away, so beaten and demoralized that they NEVER want to take on ANY military again.
I'd go back to sea tomorrow if my phone rang.
But as it WON'T happen, I want to do something else, to help us protect ourselves, and future generations, from the worthless, feckless, gutless assholes who WANT to use us AS political cannon fodder, from doing so. Having said that, HOW do you go about starting something like this?
Or, am I pissing at the Moon?
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Schteveo