Banpen Fugyo: that was pretty much the message of the video. Sorry if you disagree with that. We are lucky there are those who do volunteer, because it saves us from the Draft. Perhaps you should feel bad about the conditions they are in, because they knew the conditions and went anyway, and we are still here. If that isn't courage, I don't know what is.
Themadhoose: Not saying you have to go to war. Just saying don't grief those who had the courage to go.
he wasnt saying anything like that in the video.
he was trying to show that the people that fight for us dont get everything that we take for granted in our everyday lives.
yeah it is hard over there
but they are fighting for us
so i dont understand why you're not the least sympathetic for our troops?
Spot on Flinty. Point of the video was to show people who have never been in the situation what it is like for our troops over there. And that people should never forget it is the soldier who gives us freedom of speech - it says that at the end of the video Banpen
The opinion of an "armchair spectator" who gets their information from the news is vastly different compared to the opinion of someone who has been out there in the thick of it themselves.
My old man was a medic in the TA. his TA unit was one of the first to go to the gulf first time around. Got a mate who nearly lost his leg to an IRA booby trap in belfast. family friends have served in Belfast during the early 80's. i asked them if they were scared when they were there, All of them replied with the same answer it was my job i signed up to fight so needs must. I'm aware it takes bottle to go to war but its what the army does non the less.
Cheers superfoot. I decided it was safer to do the medical thing in a nice warm hospital rather than in the field but he always said "what you do with a sterile trolley i had to do out a bag with all hell breaking loose"
Glad you took it the way it was meant. By all means if one so much as throws a rock at you blow his freakin' head off but it must be as difficult for the locals, if not more so than it is for you guys.
The ones that have travelled to Irag or Afganistan, kill those buggers on sight, crap stirring bankers!
While I can respect and sympathize with those that are there, I also feel like they have been put in harm's way and asked to perform heroically for no good reason.
They're not protecting us, as there's no threat from the nations of Iraq or Afghanistan. Terrorism is stateless and no longer tied to any geographic region. Besides that, the largest source and supporter of terrorism and terrorists is Saudi Arabia. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are cannon fodder, serving the interests of any number of corporations.
(Exxon Mobil, Haliburton, Blackwater...)
I feel like the most supportive thing we can do for our troops is bring them home.
We're in Iraq because we went to liberate the country from a tyrant (Saddam). Now that he's gone, we're still needed there to help bring stability to the region. If allied forces weren't there, how long do you think it would be until neighbouring countries like Iran or Syria took an interest in controlling the country? That part of the world is already volatile enough as it is.
We're in Afghanistan as a direct response to the September 11, 2001 attacks. The purpose of the invasion was to: 1) caputure Osama bin Laden, 2) destroy Al Q'aida, and 3) remove the Taliban regime which had provided safe harbour to Al Q'aida. The intitial attacks removed the Taliban from power, but they've since gained strength. Since 2006 the country has seen threats to its stability from increased Taliban-led insurgent activity, record levels of illegal drug production, and a fragile government with limited control outside Kabul. The country cannot run itself and so needs outside assistance.
In 2005 the United States and Afghanistan signed a strategic partnership agreement committing both nations to a long-term relationship. In the meantime, multiple billions of US dollars have been provided by the international community for the reconstruction of the country.
In essence our troops are helping with this reconstruction process (in both Iraq and Afghanistan), serving as peace keepers and also training the peoples of both nations to look after themselves.
The last photo-clip of the video says, "He sees the smiles on the faces of those he helps and knows why he is there." I have a lot of friends in the military, most of whom have served multiple tours of Afghanistan and Iraq. They all say that, while conditions are harsh, they know why they are there: to help the people.