I talked to a sailor today

[nadinbrzezinski]

for many reasons beyond USN ACTIVE duty will not tell you what he does... there is this thing about protecting them.

We were talkng about the current events, and for those of you who still think the miltiary is behind Bush, 90% of his command voted for Kerry, at least.... and they are NOT happy.

There is more, they may be sending him to Iraq... to do duty for which he is NOT trained... hell I have far more infantry combat training than he does, and for god sakes I was a medic.

I thought you all might want to undesrtand why they are sending people like him o'er there... they are trying to dalay the draft as long as possible by sending people to the field who are NOT trained to do this... talk about the ethics of this, and how many more kids will be killed becuase they don't have that training

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. just shows that Bush has no respect for the troops

I'm sure the sailor didn't volunteer to go fight an illegal war without any training!

[Spinzonner]

2. I'm glad I was in the Air Force back when

my Combat Cowardice really did keep you out of Vietnam

[RoyGBiv]

3. Friend of mine ...

A childhood friend of mine has been in the Navy for 18 years now. He's voted Republican all his life because he has the misconception that Republicans are good for his paycheck.

I talked to him awhile back. He's pissed too, says he'd like to be able to blame Ted Kennedy for all the problems (he has this special dislike of him for some reason) but with a Republican Congress and President, that's rather hard to do. (The fact he admitted this was amazing to me. We never talk politics because we end up in an argument every time, but he brought it up.) He voted for a Democrat for the first time ever in his life last Novemember, and also for the first time since he enlisted, is starting to think he actually wants out. Previously he was going to fight retirement, but now he's just trying to hang on for it.

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. Yep I woudl say PISSED OFF is the way I will term

the feeling from him, and many other sailors I have met... we still maintain some contact with the Service, even after my huby retired... and PISSED OFF puts it mildly

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

30. One of my best friends is Army, officer, about 4 years away from 20.

He's been in a position where he's been shielded from Bush's war for the last few years, but that is ending next year.

Staying the last few to retirement was a no brainer for him in the past. He's not 100 percent sure he's even going to be able to do that now. I suspect there's a decent chance for at least two 1 yr. deployments to Iraq before his retirement.

[madeline_con]

4. NAVY....

I remember hearing on a news show that the so-called Commander in Chief can actually put Navy personnel in combat on the ground. I don't mean Marines, but guys who are used to being on ships.

It sounds like theyr'e scrambling to fill slots, and it won't be long before the draft is reinstated. :(

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. We have a very mixed fieeling about it

My hubby did 20 in the Navy and I served in uniform in somebody else's army....

On the one hand we don't like what the draft will do to the military

On the other hand it will wake these kids, and wake them up FAST. This sailor, and yes I am keeping it general for a reason, has the same feeling... at this point they will not even fight the draft. They need the bodies

[madeline_con]

25. I think when the military is no longer all volunteer.....

The RWers will balk at the "nobility" of the war.

[nadinbrzezinski]

32. Ironic they will join us becsue they are yellow backed cowards

and this is a far more common feeling than they can even fathom... I will make it a point to help them pack for Boot, trust me

[leesa]

27. Do you think they will get enough soldiers from the waves of people who

are/will be losing jobs? We've only just started the mass layoffs and kids coming out of high school will have no employment.

[nadinbrzezinski]

33. NO, they have not been able to meet quotas

[unrepuke]

12. I was in the Navy. Mostly I think the idea is if you find yourself

aground in a situation you are expected to pick up the battle, not just hide and let the pros do their job, haha. Assuming this means the Marines - they would probably shoot sailors first.
My total Defensive/Offensive training was 9 bullets in a .22 calibre rifle fired at a paper target in boot camp. If I was sent to Iraq all I could do would be to mop their floor, fold clothes for them and show them how to tie knots.

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. Nam Era sailor I take it

By the way thanks for your service and welcome home sailor

[madeline_con]

26. Wouldn't you at least get a quick debriefing at Camp Doha?

Before they issued you a mop? :wow:

[unrepuke]

43. Is that a cross between Camps Doh & Haha ? ;-)

[madeline_con]

44. No, Doha, Kuwait

Doha conditions unacceptable
I have been in the military full time for the last 22 years and I have never seen filthy facilities as I had at Camp Doha, Kuwait (“Camp Doha a nightmare,” letter, June 30). I am sure there are a great number of hard-working soldiers at Doha. That does not excuse the fact that the facilities I used were unacceptable.
http://stripes.com/article.asp?section=125&article=30060&archive=true

[Clark2008]

5. And just why is the cWHOREporate media not investigating this?

Oh, I forgot.
They're too busy chasing leads on some missing blonde woman in some sunny location somewhere. :eyes:

[JohnnyBoots]

6. My wife who is in med school left for Navy orientation today for

5 weeks. It is stories like this that keep me up at night. I don't want to eventhink about it.

[w8liftinglady]

9. Lots of folks here in your shoes,brother

come to any of us when you get scared.we support each other.

[JohnnyBoots]

15. Thanks, DU is a hell of support system to have. Kills the pain a

little to be proactive.

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. I'm sorry, sent a husnbad to war, so I fully undestand

[JohnnyBoots]

16. I'll be sure to have a god thought for him.

[nadinbrzezinski]

18. thanks he came home and got out

20 yaers in, was no longer fun

[Lars39]

7. The "warm body shuffle".

Sign up for the Navy and wind up on dry land in Iraq. Rumors of the draft also benefit the PNACers.
Guys signing up for the Navy or Coast Guard, thinking it will keep them out of Iraq,
are being shuffled off to Iraq before they can blink.

[hippywife]

29. Do you have any documentation on

them shuffling Navy and Coast Gaurd in? Especially Coast Gaurd. Our nephew is going for training in the Coast Gaurd shortly and I would like to have some info on this to give him before he goes in case there is anyway he can still back out. Thanx!

[Lars39]

39. I know a while back there was a sailor among the deaths

in Baghdad. My memory's fuzzy, but I'm remembering an article from LBN
about how guys were joining the Navy and Coast Guard, aiming for the "safest" service.
Article mentioning these branches getting full.
During Viet Nam there were folks transferred from the Navy to the Army.
Don't know for sure about the Coast Guard.
Have you checked out some of the sites for CO's?

[nadinbrzezinski]

41. The coasties also have some assets in theater

[artemisia1]

45. Don't sweat it, yet.

Some reserve PSU's were mobilized for the invasion and cutters do and have done duty in the Persian Gulf both before and after the war. I served at a Coast Guard Air Station during the invasion and I heard nothing beyond this.

[Melodybe]

11. Kicked and nominated

[Beam Me Up]

13. ditto

:kick:

[Freedomfried]

17. Being on dry land anywhere sounds good to a sailor

After steaming around in circles in the I.O. for 5 months.

[proud2BlibKansan]

20. My son has two good friends in the navy

and both have been home on leave this summer. They both said the guys they are serving with are predominantly anti-Bush and strongly opposed to this war in Iraq.

BTW, both were 'recruited' while in high school and both now admit they should have listened to me when I advised them not to enlist.

[nadinbrzezinski]

21. Keep suporting those kids

if yuo can get their FPOs and send them care packages... be there, for them, and I know you are

;-)

God they go after them at 18 becuase they are dumb and stupid and young and will never get hurt... and talking like soembody who thuoght that at 18 I can testify

[proud2BlibKansan]

22. 18? Try 14

The recruiters started calling my boys when they were both 14.

[nadinbrzezinski]

23. I know my husband went it at 18, with the delay entry program

but taht was another era... these days they are truly desperate... as I said keep suporting them.. I honor those who serve, but I also know they are under abuse right now

[FreedomAngel82]

24. This is just outrageous

Sending a person over there who doesn't have the ability to do so! Ugh!
And last year after the election I googled for military votes and only saw three out comes and two out of the three who I found had voted for Kerry. I think if Bush knew for sure who they voted for overwhelimingly he would be bragging about it. I think that's safe to say. We all know how Bush is.

[merh]

28. And that is exactly why I discouraged my niece from joining the

navy. She was offered a huge sum to pay off her student loans. She is a nurse and she said "but, I'll just be on a boat". I told her that they are using all members of the service in Iraq (I think Coast Guard may be the "safest" branch right now.)

After telling her about Depleted Uranium, PTSD and the rapes at the bases, she reconsidered the rather generous offer made to her. I'm praying she doesn't change her mind.

[Bigmack]

35. Don't we have a nurse shortage....

... here? In this country?

Tell her to stay here and get lots of experience. As I get older, I get more fucked up. I'm gonna need lots of good nurses... and doctors.

I'm a sweet old guy, and I'll be easier to deal with than the asshole Ossifurs in the military.

[merh]

36. I've encouraged her to stick around and get the experience, then

to become a traveling nurse. They make a fortune because of the nursing shortage. The companies send them to the hospitals that need them, they pay for their housing and transportation and they pay them a very healthy salary.

I know one nurse that paid off her student loans and bought a house after working as a traveling nurse for 2 years.

[Hello_Kitty]

31. They're sending a sailor to Iraq?

That's crazy! Now I'm thinking it makes sense that I'm seeing so many recruiting ads for the Navy. I wondered why because I figured the Army is having a lot more trouble attracting enlistees. But now I get it. They join the Navy, thinking they won't go to Iraq and then get sent there anyway.

A similar thing happened in Vietnam. When I was in the Navy, I served with oldtimers who enlisted to avoid being drafted into the Army. Several of them ended up on the Swift Boats, which was probably one of the most dangerous assignments in that conflict.

[nadinbrzezinski]

34. and some new timers who enlisted

my brother in law....

Yes they are sending sailors to Iraq, some of them who have been in for more than one tour, and I am not talking SEAL teams, they have been on the ground from word go (and that is their job)

[Bigmack]

37. Ain't you heard?

Those swiftboats were a regular picnic.... short tours and fake medals.

After all, Kerry really took the easy way out... vacationing on those boats... while Dumbya busted his ass defending Margaritaville.

(Deep, vicious sarcasm intended)

[bumblebee1]

42. I detected sarcasm Bigmack. n/t

[rockymountaindem]

38. I've heard that the Navy is the most liberal branch of service?

Is that true? We all know about that theory that access to waterways makes people more liberal.

[nadinbrzezinski]

40. I would not speculate

I have heard the discontent with W from members of ALL branches of service, in fact the Coasties tend to be the least opinoonated, if you get my drift....

These boys have lost the military, I tell you have lost it