Any active duty soldiers /Iraq vets online with DU? Give a shout out.

[txaslftist]

We'd like to hear what's going on.

[MildyRules]

1. What do ya wanna know?

My wife is active duty Air Force; not a solider therefore, but still active duty.

[txaslftist]

4. Actually, I'm pretty interested in what the support for Iraq is like...

...on base. I grew up on military bases, and I know it's a pretty patriotic, flag-waving kind of deal. I grew up after the AVF and after Vietnam (obviously), and I'm wondering how the latest little Asian adventure is playing.

Is the support for Shrub among the troops still as high as it has been previously portrayed? Or is some serious dissent starting to be heard around the PX?

[MildyRules]

7. Among the officer and SNCO corps

it's pretty much ops normal. Some bitching at the junior NCO and junior enlisted ranks, but not much (this is the Air Force). The ones who have deployed seem to feel they are doing their duty and there isn't a lot of griping from them.

Have heard quite a few wives bitch about husbands being deployed for too long.

No one really bitching about Bush or Rummy though. Might be different for the junior enlisted soldiers and marines.

[txaslftist]

20. By the way, Thanks for your service.

[Liberal OIF Vet]

2. Hi there

Active duty US Marine here. Been lurking here for over a year now.

[txaslftist]

5. Hey there, lurker.

Have you been deployed?

[Liberal OIF Vet]

9. Deployed

Yes I deployed to Iraq back in 2003. The place was a shithole and I have no desire to ever go back.

[txaslftist]

11. How did the other marines feel about what they were doing?

[Liberal OIF Vet]

12. Feelings

It was split. Half wanted to get in there and blow shit up and the other half just wanted to get the job done and go home. Now, the Marines I am around are conflicted. They want to serve and do their jobs, but they also acknowledge that this regime is bad news. Plus there is this term in the Corps called "clusterfuck". And that is exactly the term I would have for Iraq now.

[txaslftist]

14. What about fucktarded?

I keep hearing that term, usually from military guys...

...didn't know if it was new stuff coming into fashion or just one or two guys.

[txaslftist]

21. By the way, Thanks.

Thanks for serving and bless you.

[tabasco]

3. I've recently been called back to active duty (Army).

I've spoken to some NCOs since I got my orders. They don't seem too happy about what's going on. If I have internet access wherever I go, I'll be sure to report in to DU.

[txaslftist]

6. Definitely want to hear from you.

Can soldiers overseas employed actively 'surf' the web freely at times or is access restricted?

[MildyRules]

8. They can actively "surf"

BUT, obvious porno sites are blocked, and the comms squadron (or Signals guys) CAN log what websites have been visited. DU is not a problem, I surfed it all the time in theater before I retired.

[txaslftist]

10. Did you post, or was that prohibited.

[MildyRules]

13. One is never allowed to

post to a "bulletin board" while using a DoD computer. The taxpayers kind of expect that government equipment be used for official business only. One can "surf" during one's "free time," (as long as it doesn't interfere with official use) but posting is not permitted. Now, there were some computers that were not official DoD computers. One can post to DU from those.

[txaslftist]

15. Are you in contact with anyone over there still?

[MildyRules]

16. Yep

In Kuwait and the UAE though, not Iraq proper.

[txaslftist]

17. Hey that reminds me...

... I saw a post of a letter sent from an on duty soldier to (I think) his wife, and he called the particular mission he was on "fucktarded". I thought it was a great term, and I was wondering if that is in general use over there or if it was his own invention.

[MildyRules]

18. Never heard it. Lemme ask the Commander in Chief

Nope, she's never heard it either, but rememebr we are Air Force. Might be used by some of the grunts or jarheads.

[txaslftist]

19. Oh, by the way, quite seriously, "Thanks"

Thanks for your service.

[txaslftist]

22. Send them a "thank you" from Democratic Underground.

[SaveAmerica]

23. I just wanted to add that the library at FT. Jackson SC blocks DU,

I thought that was strange since soldiers aren't at work in the library, sounds unamerican to me to decide which web pages soldiers are allowed to have access to in their free time (doesn't fall under the usual criteria of blocked pages at libraries). Librarian said they get many complaints about it. She said the only reason she could think of was that the name has 'Underground' in it. That makes sense, Underground is almost like underwear, which is taken off to make porn pages, bad, bad, bad DU.