I have just witnessed my veteran husband cry

[Zephie]

Tonight my husband and I watched the President's address announcing the end of the combat operations in Iraq. This momentous occasion is a relief and blessing for many military families around the country and over the many years we have witnessed millions of tears shed by veterans, civilians, and military members alike, however I have never seen my husband cry like this.

He began at a local college today to study culinary on his hard earned GI bill. He was lucky. He made it back relatively unscathed. He is in the minority however, and at the end of the address, he broke down for the loss of his brothers in arms. Friends and family of many around the country have either returned in shambles or not at all. He wants desperately to be proud of his country, but is too horrified by what he has witnessed, heard, and what the government has done to veterans coming home by abandoning a large majority of them upon return as "damaged goods". He, like all the rest, left his family and loved ones for a country he once believed in, and put his life on the line for causes that we now know are both false and immoral. Many who are returning now are lost, confused, and feel alone after what they have seen.

Please, thank the veterans you know and even those you don't that you meet in the streets. They might not share the same religious, political, or even moral beliefs as you, but they are still our protectorates and they need us more than ever. Please, be there for them as they are willing to be for you.

[trumad]

1. we still have 50,000 in Iraq

when the last one leaves, then I'll cry.

[Zephie]

2. Thanks for totally missing the point of my message...

The ones here need our support too... =|

[trumad]

5. This Vet didn't miss your point...

The Iraq war isn't over until the last soldier is out---otherwise--- they're full of shit when they tell you it is.

[Zephie]

9. I never said it was over... I just said to thank the troops.

Even though you obviously disagree with my OP... Thank you for your service. :hug:

[grantcart]

50. Thank you for serving with your husband and for your civility.

[bobburgster]

52. Ditto from me!

Thank your husband for me!

[DeschutesRiver]

73. Another ditto on both counts from us in Oregon. nt

[scheming daemons]

26. "The Iraq war isn't over until the last soldier is out"

Well then... the Korean War and WW2 aren't over either... since we have 50K in Germany and at least that many in S. Korea.

[dflprincess]

35. Actually, the Korean War never did end

officialy a truce was declared. Let's be thankful it's lasted this long.

[grantcart]

51. Wars never end, the fighting does but the wars go on and on as long

as the suffering continues among the residue.

[Jackpine Radical]

79. Correct. We still haven't really settled all the messes

we started with the Spanish-American War. The Philippines, Cuba...

[nadinbrzezinski]

43. The two Koreas are technically still at war

What we have is ONLY a truce.

[neverforget]

44. Japan and Germany surrendered ending WW2. The Korean War is technically not

over and neither is Iraq.

[Lasher]

74. 28,500 in South Korea right now.

That's still way too many for way too long. I was once forced to waste a year of my life there.

[bobburgster]

53. Uh, come on!

Wrong time and place for your comment.

[Green_Lantern]

83. so by that standard we're still at war with Korea....

I doubt we'll ever have every last troop out.

[peacebird]

8. please give him our thanks for his service, and our best wishes for the future. :-)

[JNelson6563]

106. We don't let points get in the way

of our agenda around here.

Signed,
Those who can never see anything positive in anything FUCKING EVER

[prolesunited]

12. Why meet somebody's hearfelt moment

with any display of compassion when you have political points to score.

I marched repeatedly, including in D.C., trying to stop this war. Reality is it still happened and this couple made it through the darkness and see a better future. Why not just be happy for them. If you can't manage that, why post anything at all?

[NBachers]

47. Setting the Tone with the first post, no less

[EstimatedProphet]

72. It's always so much easier to grind an axe, isn't it?

[urgk]

82. +1 (n/t)

[savalez]

103. +1

[nadinbrzezinski]

18. We still have 50K in Germany

26K in Korea (And they are truly a speed bump)

I could go on.

The SOFA expects these 50K to come out, December of next year last time I checked.

[Diclotican]

58. nadinbrzezinski

nadinbrzezinski

My guess is that the 26.000 in S-Korea is enough to keep Nord-Korean more than bussy, and would not be alone for long, last time it was war there, most of the then UN was on US side, with the exception of China.. Stalin was officially not suporting anyone, even tho I guesss he was pissed as everyone else

The brave soldiers who are still in Iraq is hopefully on their way out of that quagmare not to long and hopefully then, the iraqis can clean up their act on their own.. It would not be easy, but it can be don, and hopefully US have learned a really hard-won lesson, about going to war...

Horrible how many soldiers who are maimed, killed and damaged for the rest of their life. Its so sorry to read about it, im not sure what to say

Diclotican

[earth mom]

41. I feel the same way. nt

[impik]

60. Stay classy, as always

[polmaven]

66. Insensitive much?

That was a really horrid response to this OP.

[Divernan]

95. I know you're a good guy, Trumad.

And I understand why this was your immediate response. I don't doubt a lot of vets also felt the same way.
But I do agree with others that this thread was not the place for it.

I worked with a young Iraq War vet this summer - you couldn't tell from looking at him but he's classified as 80% disabled. He's a quiet, sweet guy - only 21 now, whose single/divorced Mom had no money to help him go to college, so he enlisted.

He was one of those brave guys who disarmed IEDs, and one exploded as he was working on it. Had a lot of damage to his neck and back, and I think other injuries he did not care to talk about. He's going to start college this fall and I so hope everything goes well for him from now on. He is wracked with survivor's guilt over some of his buddies from his unit who lost limbs, or eyesight, or were killed. He told me he wanted to go back - because by disarming those IEDs he saved lives of not only soldiers, but civilians, particularly kids.

A fine young man.

[savalez]

104. pfff.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

3. Thank you for this. It is a worthwhile perspective.

I watched the speech with annoyed disinterest but it struck me that the real audience was the millions who served there, and their families.

Closure and thanks.

Your post puts good face on that.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Give your husband a hug

from one veteran family to another...

And yes, I thank them for the GI Bill. Hubby is also going to school, while working full time. We could not have afforded it without that GI Bill.

[malaise]

6. I called my nephew

He went to Iraq - he's very happy tonight.

Please remind everyone that troops were left in German, Japan and Korea -they are still there.

[seabeyond]

7. Please, thank the veterans ... i do

thank you for your post. hugs to you and yours.

[YvonneCa]

10. Please tell him thank you for his...

...service. And thank you for your family's sacrifice.

Our country made a mistake after VietNam...we didn't separate the war from the warriors. I am glad President Obama is making sure our country NEVER makes that mistake again.

Your husband...all our troops...did the job they were asked to do and they did it with bravery and courage. They deserve our nation's thanks. :patriot:

[Raksha]

96. That is absolutely untrue!

Re "Our country made a mistake after VietNam...we didn't separate the war from the warriors. I am glad President Obama is making sure our country NEVER makes that mistake again."

It's a vicious and outrageously persistant RW-generated urban myth that "after Vietnam we didn't separate the war from the warriors." I am 64 years old and like every other aging hippie I remember the Vietnam years VERY well. There was ALWAYS solidarity between the anti-war protesters and the troops and Vietnam vets, not only after the war but while American troops were still fighting and dying there.

Who do you think those troops were anyway, and what was their relation to us? They were our brothers and cousins and classmates and husbands and lovers. How could we NOT support them? If you think about it even for a minute you'd realize just how absurd the assertion is that anti-war hippie protesters spat on returning soldiers and called them "baby killers."

That's also the reason the anti-war movement was as strong and as effective as it was...AND it's the reason we no longer have a draft in this country. It's harder to support a war based on lies and ridiculous abstractions like "the domino theory" when you have skin in the game. During the Vietnam years virtually all of us had skin in the game.

[YvonneCa]

107. I'm not sure what part of my post was unclear, but...

...I think we AGREE. I never meant to imply lack of solidarity between troops, vets and protesters.

[OneGrassRoot]

11. K&R. Thank you, and thanks to your husband...

:hug: :hug:

[hlthe2b]

13. I'm glad some are finding relief on some level...

But given we have escalated in Afghanistan with no end in site, I just can not look at this as a momentous occasion at all. As much as I applaud those who bravely served, I can not help but anguish over the wasted lives--both lost and those mangled or emotionally ruined-- among both troops and civilians.

I'm glad for your husband and his new start. I hope many others will be able to do so as well. Sadly some will come right out of Iraq and be deployed back to Afghanistan. It is thoughts of them that do not allow me any celebration at all. :shrug:

[Zephie]

17. The anguish you mentioned is exactly what I am discussing

A big part of what he said afterwards was that so many he went in with were lied to about the reasons for the war, and now those in the numbers of the dead will never know the real reasons behind their sacrifice. We're anguishing right along with you =(

[hlthe2b]

19. ....

:hug:

[Axle_techie]

48. Have two more close friends being deployed to Afghanistan within the next month...

one is a father of a young child, the other one has just gotten married, or is about to... I forget which. The one with the kid got back from Iraq about 10 months ago, the other about 6 months ago. I can't wait till I don't have to worry about losing friends.

[lunatica]

14. This is a momentous day. Obama played it down but it's a big thing to

formally end that war. It has been a dark time in our country. Please thank your husband for his service, and I'm glad he's starting a new life. He certainly deserves it and so do you. Your sacrifice has been a huge one.

[one_voice]

15. Thank your husband for his service..

and thank you as well. It's difficult being a spouse of a military person especially during war time. My niece's husband is in Afghanistan right now. She had to move across the country because of where he's stationed, so she's alone while he's there. She's got a toddler and she's pregnant again.

A big hug and thanks to spouses as well!

:hug:

[TheKentuckian]

16. I appreciate your husband's service to the nation but have no cause to celebrate

until every soldier and merc is out of there and we are no longer pissing blood and treasure into the sand.

[Texasgal]

20. Thank your husband for his service

and THANK YOU for posting this.

[redwitch]

21. I always thank vets.

And I thank your husband. I look forward to the day when the VFW has no members. Good luck to your husband in his culinary studies.

"Make dinner, not war."

[Zephie]

23. "Make dinner, not war". I'm going to get that made into a bumper sticker for him

Thanks for the inspiration =D

[redwitch]

29. Very cool!

You are welcome. My dad coined the phrase "Draft beer, not students" during the Vietnam war. I guess I am following in his footsteps. :-)

[NEOhiodemocrat]

61. I have my old sign from the 60's

Draft Beer, not students.

[redwitch]

76. I hope you display it.

Dad would be proud!

[polmaven]

67. That is fabulous!

I wish we had it during Viet Nam as well.

[Tsiyu]

22. Great post

I'm glad your husband made it out relatively OK. And soon you'll be getting some good meals, I bet...

Alan Simpson's remarks today concerning vets just stunned me. I was thinking of guys like your husband...they are all over the US, struggling.

But they're only fodder to Simpson, while he lives large. I'd love to see how Simpson lives high on the hog on the government dole, while he makes suffering vets and disabled people out to be "greedy."

It's all so disgusting sometimes, to see the harm in all the damned greed.

:hug: I always thank the vets I meet, but thank you for the reminder.

[JohnnyLib2]

24. Thank you for the personal and important message.

Do unto others.....

[madmax]

25. I saw two GI's in uniform at the local

grocery store and stopped to thank them for their service.

For you and your husband :grouphug: Thank you for your service Mr. Zephie. Glad you're back.

[Lifelong Protester]

27. Thanks to your husband for his service, and I hope the culinary

school works out for him! My husband is a vet too, from the Korean era.

Thank you for being willing to share your personal story.

They aren't all home yet, and we pray for those yet to come home, but this is a good start. The drawdown is a good start.

[peace13]

28. A big thank you to your husband.

Let him know that some of us were demonstrating weekly and trying to get the troops home sooner!

[pinboy3niner]

30. A big thankyou to your husband

I'm glad he made it. Tell him "Welcome Home" for me, will you? :patriot:

My best wishes to both of you...

[pipi_k]

31. Bittersweet....

A huge relief and cause for joy for the families of those coming home...

so many other families whose loved ones have already come home...in boxes.


Was it worth it? Who knows. I suppose they have to tell themselves that, or perhaps lose their grip.

sigh...


I still can't even look at footage from the Vietnam war without feeling a horrible ache in my heart.



PS...anyway, in a local community, there is a project in the works to turn an unused police training academy building into housing for Vets. It's the least we can do...they deserve so much more.

[Cha]

32. Thank him for his service, Zephie!

I was crying a bit for all those who served and the poignancy of the President's tribute to our Military.

[nevergiveup]

33. A big hug to you and your husband.

This was a much needed post this evening. Thank you.

[Born_A_Truman]

34. Thank him for his service ...

...and for yours. As a Navy brat, I know what military families go through when (my dad) was gone.

And welcome to DU.

[Barack2theFuture]

36. Thanks to your husband and other veterans.

But we are still up to our ass in Iraq. Fancy branding doesn't change what's in the box.

50,000 combat-trained, fully armed first-line troops, more than 50,000 private mercenaries.

We have more armed combatants in Iraq now that we did during the initial invasion, and that country is on the verge of a MAJOR meltdown.

[firedupdem]

37. K&R

Hugs to you and your husband.

[sandnsea]

38. Thank him for his service

His motives are honorable, whether his country's are or not. That should never be forgotten, by anyone.

[Lagomorph]

39. Some have said....

....surviving is the only glory in war.

[AvaMae]

40. wHAT THE hAY!

lAST MESSAGE BLOCK ON THIS THREAD IS FOR CARBONITE...

One of Rush Limbaugh's sponsors...

Come on.... are democrats that desperate, to take money from corporations that pay for hate?

What kind of business pays someone to spread hate on half of all America?

[Lagomorph]

109. It this in anyway related to my post?

or even the thread?

[rasputin1952]

42. ...

:patriot:

[w8liftinglady]

45. throwing a hug your way-if you ever need vet resources,pm me

[OmahaBlueDog]

46. 1) Thank you for this post

2) We are grateful for your husband's service
3) Good luck in culinary school
4) The dead from this war might only fill 10% of the Vietnam wall, but so many damaged people are returning. The VA will have years of hard work ahead. We cannot forget these people in 25 years when this conflict is another historical footnote.

[Mimosa]

49. K&R Excellent OP. n/t

[The Wizard]

54. I often speak to younger vets

at the Veterans hospital. I encourage them to get their benefits and counsel them on how to go about doing it.
If you encounter a returning war veteran encourage him/her to get into a VA health care facility for screening and to take full advantage of their earned benefits. Guys like the old bastard Simpson like to frame veterans benefits as a hand out. Veterans benefits are earned, hard earned.
Serving in Vietnam was the hardest thing I ever did in my life and affects me to this day.
We who served under fire live in a special circle, and looking out for one another is as important now as it was under the gun.
A hug and a welcome home go a long way.

[kimi]

55. This is a really personal thing for me to say

I regularly go to Walter Reed Army Medical Center for counseling. Personal family issues which I don't want to get into. But every single time I walk past the doors at WRAMC, or go into the lobby, or get meds for my kids or myself, go there for any reason really, I see what has happened. Young men and women damaged and hurting. And yet, I do not sense despair, or anger, or a sense of failure. These are tough people who are doing their level best to deal with what has happened to them, and they are being helped by a sense of community, at least in the Walter Reed area.

Yes, by all means thank them. They signed up knowing what they were in for, and they deserve respect.

[Daphne08]

56. My late father never recovered emotionally from WWII.

My mother's brother, my uncle, now resides in a VA Home, so please tell your husband "Thank you" and that we understand.

[impik]

57. It was very moving. I never went through the horror of war, and the president still left me in tears

[Name removed]

59. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[secondwind]

62. I make it a point to say "Thank you for your service" to every serviceman/woman

I come across in my daily life. Of course, it gets a bit chaotic when I walk through an airport because there are so many of them, ha!! :)

[Kind of Blue]

63. Thank you, Zephie's husband for being

there for me. Thank you Zephie, couldn't have been easy for you :hug:
KnR

[Kind of Blue]

64. Thank you, Zephie's husband for being

there for me. Thank you Zephie, couldn't have been easy for you :hug:
KnR

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

65. K&R.

[PJPhreak]

68. Thank You and Your Hubby!

I was in a Quik Trip store not too long ago getting some gas,when I went to pay I noticed a guy in Uniform with a beer in his hand in line behind me,so as I payed for my gas I told the clerk "I wanna pay for that mans beer too"

The guy thanked me and I said "No,Thank You for all you have done for me"

There were about ten Freepers in the line behind us...the look on their faces as a Long Haired,Tye-Dye wearin,Sandal Footed Hippie thanked a serviceman for his service was priceless...They were astounded.

Brought a grin to my face all day.

[tilsammans]

85. What you did brought a grin to MY face today!

Wonderful gesture!

We're all in this together, like it or not. And your kindness demonstrated that. :grouphug:

[Raksha]

100. Nobody who lived during the Vietnam years would have been astounded at your gesture.

Re "There were about ten Freepers in the line behind us...the look on their faces as a Long Haired,Tye-Dye wearin,Sandal Footed Hippie thanked a serviceman for his service was priceless...They were astounded."

For one thing, that long-haired sandal wearing freak could easily be a vet himself, and if so very likely a member of VVAW or (nowadays) IAVA.

But then Freepers aren't very good at thinking things through--all they see are the stereotypes.

[PJPhreak]

113. "For one thing,

that long-haired sandal wearing freak could easily be a vet himself and if so very likely a member of VVAW or (nowadays) IAVA."

I think that is what threw them,I'm in my 50's and my hair and beard are not dark brown anymore,Quite grey actually.Old Hippies startle Folk around here sometimes...They can't lie to us like they can to younger folk,They know we were there.

[disillusioned73]

69. Touching... I got the sense the Prez was close to shedding a tear.

Here is another big THANK YOU :patriot:

[TBF]

70. My dad is a disabled war veteran (Viet Nam) and I have always supported

him - and all veterans. If only our administration would feel the same (I'm looking at you Simpson, and you Obama for not firing that fool).

[Soylent Brice]

71. as a member of a family primarily comprised of veterans i assure you,

i will always be there for our borthers and sisters returning home.

[docvet]

75. In all honesty and civility...thank them for what?

Long time lurker, first time poster here.

Anyhow, I'd like to know why are you putting Raoul down? I am serious, all here push the notion of "thanking vets', but thank them for what exactly? Someone enlighten me please. Why should we thank vets? They knew what they were getting into and, if mis/uninformed, then truly then need words of enlightenment not hollow "thank yous".

[V_Byl]

77. For having the backbone to serve...

...like it or not there is a place for war. The USA does need a military (although we could scale it back quite a bit IMHO(and it should only be for defense)). There are threats to national security, and there are enemies of the USA. I believe Iraq to have been an illegal war, and our troops were used in a way they shouldn't have been.

That being said - they should be thanked because they do serve a valuable purpose to defend freedom. You can call it cliche or right wing if you want - but they are serving something bigger than themselves, which sadly, is more than I can say for most people.

So, thank your husband, OP for serving!

[Jackpine Radical]

80. Here's a link to something I wrote a while back on this topic

that you might be interested to see.

http://jackpineneedles.blogspot.com/2009/11/veterans-days-always-make-me-feel-weird.html

[Green_Lantern]

86. thank them for fighting so people like Raoul aren't forced to..

Because soldiers join the military to protect and defend our country...they don't choose the wars or how the military is used.

[CubicleGuy]

108. Like it or not...

... those who sign up for the military are the enablers of our wicked foreign policy. There would be no illegal wars in foreign lands if there was suddenly no military that could be sent there at the drop of a Presidential hat (which is about all it takes any more, since Congress is too spineless to actually be willing to make the call and declare war as the Constitution says it should).

If the military is protecting anything, it is the "American way of life", which to a lot of people around the globe, looks like a boot on the face of non-Americans.

Future Presidents absolutely deserve the punishment of not having a military at their beck and call because of the way past Presidents have abused the privilege.

[Green_Lantern]

116. that's absolutely not true on several leves

There would be no illegal wars in foreign lands if there was suddenly no military

We had the Vietnam War and the government drafted men to go fight. Also in the Iraq war they deployed the National Guard...you oppose people joining that to? Again, they fight so you aren't forced to. Soldiers don't start wars or make the political decisions surrounding the war.

Secondly yeah I somewhat agree they're fighting to protect our way of life but it's a way of life I'm betting you indulge in. The soldiers aren't forcing you or I to have the lifestyle we do or to use the oil we do.

As far as future Presidents, Congresses, etc., of course they have the military at their beck and call. Under our Constitution they're the ones who decide how the military is used. It's up to us to choose leaders who will use them correctly.

[LanternWaste]

93. Therefore we do not thank anyone for anything if they meet that criteria?

"They knew what they were getting into and..."
Therefore we do not thank anyone for anything if they meet that criteria?

(I would imagine a hollow thank you is inferred far more often than implied)

[NJmaverick]

78. K & R!

[urgk]

81. I memorised this in High School. It seems appropriate to the moment.

It rhymes, which I don't like so much, but it's heartfelt and honest, which I do.

---

The Unknown Soldier

There's a grave right near the White House
Where the Unknown Soldier lies
And the flowers there are sprinkled
With the tears of mothers' eyes.

I stood there not so long ao
With roses for the grave
When suddenly I thought I heard
A voice speak from the grave.

"I am the Unknown Soldier"
The spirit voice began,
"And I think I've got a right
To ask some questions, man to man.

Are my buddies taken care of?
Was their victory so sweet?
Is that big reward you promised,
Selling pencils in the street?

Did they really win the freedom
That they battled to achieve?
Do you still respect the Croix de Guerre
Above that empty sleeve?

Does the gold star in the window
Now mean anything t all?
I wonder how my old gal feels
When she hears the bugle call?

And that baby that sang
'Hello Central, give me to No Man's Land;'
Can they replace her daddy
With a military band?

I wonder if the profiteers
Have satisfied their greed?
I wonder if the soldier's mother
Ever is in need?

I wonder if the kings
Who planned it all are satisfied?
They played their game of checkers
And eleven million died!

Oh, I'd like to see their faces
When they reach the Devil's door,
But even down in Hell
There is no torture such as war.

I am the Unknown Solder
And maybe I died in vain,
But if I were alive and my country called
I'd do it all over again."

[revolution breeze]

84. My sister-in law's step-daughter

Lost two husbands, one in Iraq, one in Afghanistan.

[Green_Lantern]

87. Rachel Maddow is right....

Their is a deep chasm between the politics which send us to war and the human effects of war.

Your husband crying simply shows that soldiers aren't just robotic pawns but human beings who feel the emotional tolls of war.

People here criticizing the gratitude towards soldiers think they alone understand the pain of war. They seem to forget soldiers are actually there and see it first hand.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

88. K&R

[whathehell]

89. My heart aches for your husband and his comrades in arms.

and for all those who have given so much, in broken hearts and broken bodies.

Please give our love and thanks to your brave, loving husband.:grouphug:

[era veteran]

90. Thanks, Zephie's husband

The VA tends to forget you after a few years. They will use you and throw you away. This has been a pattern in the past, lets hope this time it's different. Peace

[GeorgeGist]

91. It would have been nice ...

if Mr. Obama had apologized to the troops for wasting their lives. But that wouldn't jive with his delusions of grandeur.

[bertman]

92. Thank you for posting this, Zephie. From a fellow vet. Rec.

[BrklynLiberal]

94. I am so glad your husband made it back..safely and relatively soundly.

IT is a huge tragedy that so many did not make it back, and such a huge number who did make it back..are forever scarred, physically and mentally.

This war .... from even before it actually began... has been a horrific stain on the history and the future of our country.

so many lives, so much capital....dedicated men and women..willing to sacrifice their lives and well-being...so gallant, so brave.
It was all so much more than Bush and his cronies, and those that followed him, deserved.

Thank your husband for his sacrifice and his courage.

I hope that this war will end soon..and wouldn't it be wonderful if no future generation has to face sending any member of their family
to fight another war....anywhere...anytime....

:hug: :cry: :pals: :loveya: :patriot:

[Permanut]

97. Thanks Zephie

from another veteran, for an important message, very nicely worded. K&R

[Raksha]

98. Zephie, thank your husband for his service for me,

and I thank both of you for your sacrifices. I will never think of combat vets as "damaged goods" even when it's clear they really have been damaged. I am proud to count several Vietnam vets among my friends. I appreciate their hard-won wisdom and tell them so. There are no more articulate anti-war spokesmen anywhere.

[grahamhgreen]

99. Don't forget - we've heard this mission accomplished speech before.

Don't let them get their hopes up too far - we still have along battle ahead.

The people vs the defense - er - war industry.

My hats off to your husband and all vets!

[Uncle Joe]

101. Kicked, recommended and welcome to D.U.

:hi:

Thanks for the thread, Zephie.

[savalez]

102. Touching post Zephie. Thank you.

[texastoast]

105. Please tell your husband I thank him

And I thank you too for making the sacrifice along with him.

Please know that many of us here are working very hard to see that our returning veterans get the respect and care they need and will not tolerate the suggestion of a reduction in veteran benefits.


But a lot of Republicans will in a heartbeat. Please remember that when you vote this fall.

[russspeakeasy]

110. There will be a lot of crying in the future too,

as long as we have war mongers and war whores...bush, cheney
wolfman, Obama? Please tell me what the hell we are doing in
afghanistan....

[Major Hogwash]

111. It was hard to watch and not cry. 10s of 1000s have sacrificed for what looks like nothing.

And it was because Bush didn't know what the Pottery Barn rules were.

We were lied into an unnecessary war, that lasted too long, and seemingly accomplished nothing.

McCain is an asshole for criticizing Obama's speech.

[McCamy Taylor]

112. K&R

[nmbluesky]

114. Stay Classy people

be easy.. I was anti-War protester. I was mad at President Bush, not Troops because the troops have no chose to go because president Bush oder them to fight..
Don't fed up with troops.. you have to fed up with Bush and Cheney..
pls stay classy.. ok
Thanks

[David Zephyr]

115. Zephyr to Zephie: Great post.

Thanks. :)