Saying goodbye to brother off to Iraq

[Dutch Pimp]

...American soldiers...always say they are sorry...to the last person they see...before they leave....

...."I'm leaving on a jet plane....don't know when I'll be back again".....

[tschmidty32]

your bro, and any soldier for that matter, is a hero and gets my undoubted respect...i've considered many times of enlisting, mostly for the benefits package, but it just aint for me...It takes a courageous, selfless person to be a soldier and anybody who doesn't appreciate what they are doing should be shot.

[liberiamom]

...American soldiers...always say they are sorry...to the last person they see...before they leave....

...."I'm leaving on a jet plane....don't know when I'll be back again".....

Are you a Ranger?

[Dutch Pimp]

....my shit is too weak..to be a ranger...it was just a salute from one old soldier...to the type of soldier... that other soldiers admire.....LTC in the Rangers?.....Damn ..your family has some strong stock....we admire that down here........

..did you comprende?...the song..?...

[smok3y]

One of my child hood friends is in Iraq just now.. sucks... Hope they all come home safley.. Fuck the war in Iraq.. Plus it aint even our war...
Fuck bush & blair

[GotWake88]

imho, this 'war' (although aside from a few bombs here and there it is basicly over) can only hope to stop after bush leaves office.... as long as he's in there this war will continue, more and more troops will be sent there.... bush is a total idiot....

He's just trying to stall until the GOP loses the White House, so he can say "the democrats lost Iraq..."

[liberiamom]

He's just trying to stall until the GOP loses the White House, so he can say "the democrats lost Iraq..."

I think you are right GW- though your initials make me nervous

Dutch Pimp- I remember the song well- "I hate to wake you up to say goodbye"

Thank you to everyone for your support and kind words! it is so nice to be able to share feelings with people who care- it doesn't matter so much that we cannot see each other's faces- in a way that might make it easier to see each other's hearts!

Politics aside, I've always loved and supported my dad and my brother (both have been awarded the Silver Star!) and am awed by their strength. That feeling extends to all soldiers, who endure things I cannot imagine. In my brother's first tour in Iraq, early on, he witnessed a couple of his men getting blown up in front of him.

I hope we support the men and women of our military forces, the ones fortunate enough to come home, with the services and respect due them. We treated our Vietnam vets like crap.

Today I read about the murder of Andrea Parhamovich, a lovely 28 year old woman who was in Iraq working with a non-profit organization to help Iraqi polititians with voter outreach. This is just the sort of tragedy we will discuss in my philosophy class when we talk about the problem of evil.

Sometimes it is difficult to remain optimistic about the world, but then I think about the strength that community provides, and the many good people who exist, and I know we can keep forging ahead if we work together, as a force for good. It sounds a little corny, but damnit, it works. The alternative is nihilism - ick!

All this thinking needs to be rewarded with a bowl of relaxation. I am home working today after a nice week of smart students in fun classes.

Have a great weekend all!