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The Army is still rolling along (and the Marines, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard)

By: Hooah_Mac (Diary)  |  August 21st, 2009 at 07:18 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

Death panels. Cash for clunkers. Guns at protests. Racism! Racism? Card check.

Everyone is debating and discussing, arguing and accusing on all these issues. Average American is concerned about whether he can get $4500 for his old car or whether Uncle Sam is going to pay for his Viagra.

Meanwhile, here are some friends of mine that I have never met –

Army Pfc. William Z. Vanosdol 23 Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq

Army Pfc. Morris L. Walker 23 Paktika Province, Afghanistan

Army Staff Sgt. Clayton P. Bowen 29 Paktika Province, Afghanistan

Marine Gunnery Sgt. Adam F. Benjamin 34 Helmand Province, Afghanistan

Marine Lance Cpl. Leopold F. Damas, 26 Helmand Province, Afghanistan

Army Sgt. 1st Class William B. Woods Jr., 31 Ghazni, Afghanistan

Army Cpl. Nicholas R. Roush, 22 Herat, Afghanistan


These are all young men who willingly put their lives on the line every day. Unfortunately, neither you nor I will now get a chance to meet them. Each of them died this week in incidents directly related to enemy action in OEF/OIF.

Honor the Fallen

Those of us in the military are still fighting, and dying, because YOUR lives and freedom depend on it. You maybe didn’t know it because casualty counts are no longer a tool for one particular political party to gain power. In addition, Dancing with the stars, Michael Jackson’s death and what might or might not be in Tom Ridge’s book are much more interesting to the news media’s talking heads.

We don’t ask for much, you all know that. Indeed, without exception, we are a little embarrassed when we are thanked on the street. I don’t think it is too much to ask that people at least remember we are still out there, rough men prepared to do violence on your behalf so that you can sleep peaceably in your beds at night.

Regardless of the occupant of the oval office, regardless of the party in charge or the policy du jour, my brothers and sisters and I put on our uniforms and go into harm’s way, because we love this country and we revere the Constitution and the freedom that makes this country such a unique place in all of history.

Don’t forget us!

Note: I am currently preparing for another deployment to Iraq (at last word, we might still be shifted to Afghanistan) but will not be leaving until the beginning of next year as it stands right now.

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  • http://www.nighttwister.com NightTwister

    Our prayers are with you and the others. Thank you for protecting our freedom.

  • ocleverone

    All of you are in our prayers.

  • From ME to You

    Thanks for all that you and your brothers in arms are doing and will continue to do.

    You and your teammates will be in my prayers!

    From_ME_to_you, MSgt, USAF(Ret.)

  • americanmale

    Not that those policies are wrong. In fact, they are spot on. However, this administration is very radical. They are currently in the process of fundamentally altering / remaking the american culture.

    The fact that they are so laissez-faire with Afghanistan and Iraq alarms me. It is not in their DNA to leave things alone.

    I fear one day, in the very near future, that each and everyone of the military is going to have to do something they have never done before…..MAKE A CHOICE.

    This administration, by many accounts, is turning us into a banana republic. And we all know where the military fits in in those types of situations. Doing one’s job in the military is a very straightforward process. You do what your commanding officer says…period. From the looks of things however, this might not be the norm in the near future.

    And yes, i have signed the paper, gotten my tags with blood type and religion…….heck, even got a commendation medal. 15 years ago nevertheless but service is service.

    • JadedByPolitics

      President Bush was all about be victorious while Obama is all about FAILURE! Bush wanted to ensure that we here were NEVER again views as a paper tiger but Obama will ensure that is not the case. The terrorists will be back because as Democrats are want to do they kneecap our safety in the name of liberalism!

  • Jim Tomasik

    IED, Afghanistan, 7/11/09.

    Semper Fidelis

  • rick554

    Being an ARMY dad, I can only wish they let us old guys go over with you Mac. We are very Proud of you and ALL our Military. Remember , WE didn’t start this fight but I know we will finish it. You are the finest Miltary this world has ever seen. And back here at home we will fight tooth and nail to give you guys everything you need. Dont hesitate EVER to ask for help.
    A Viet Vet and The Proud Parent of a SOLDIER
    Rick 554
    GOD bless our TROOPS!!!

  • GregInFla
  • janis

    It’s one way of showing our respect for the service of Hooah Mac and all the others like him. Just a small thing, but let’s do it anyway.

  • redneck_hippie

    nt

  • JadedByPolitics
  • Vegas_Rick

    And come home safe brother.

  • marshmom

    for everything our military does for us. These men listed above will be in my prayers as well as the rest of them that are still fighting for our freedom and safety.
    Our U.S. military is one of the most valuable, yet under appreciated resources we have in this great country of ours.
    Both of my grandfathers and my husband fought for our country, so I know what these men and women and their families have to go through to protect us.
    The sacrifices they make–a warm bed, time with family, homemade meals, a hug or kiss from their spouse and/or kids, and for some, their lives–are far too often overlooked and taken for granted.
    On behalf of all Americans, I apologize that your hard work and sacrifice is often overlooked and I want to thank you for your continued bravery and dedication in the face of such vicious enemies so that the rest of us may enjoy the freedoms and comforts you help protect.
    May God bless you all.

  • itrytobenice

    And thank your brothers-in-arms for me as well.

    We appreciate you more than you’ll ever know.

  • Marcus_Traianus

    There is no way to describe the feeling of knowing that people back home care. Especially when you lose a brother.

    Do what you can.

    I have contributed here in the past;
    http://www.soldiersangels.org/

    Oh, and don’t forget, we have some overseas “lurkers”. Let them know you support them.

    Don’t think for a minute our concern for you rises way above this pile of political dung.

    “Rangers lead the way”

  • mom2oneson

    www.anysoldier.com is another site. You can pick soldiers from your state too.
    The dollar store sells blank cards 8 for $1 or you can even fold copy paper by 4 and use a box of envelopes. I usually can’t buy enough stamps for a whole group at one time but we send a couple of cards each month and hope it gets given to someone in the group that doesn’t get a lot mail. A few years ago one man wrote us back twice, one to me and one to my son, I couldn’t believe how appreciative he was of a card.

  • Scope

    They have a Christmas drive every year where you can send Christmas stockings filled with goodies to our soldiers. You can send 1 or 100, they are all appreciated. They especially love Chocolate.

    Mac- Thank you for your service, and your sacrifice. Godspeed!

  • Hooah_Mac

    When you send stuff, include letters! The best are letters that just talk about everyday life. In a war zone, one of the things that keeps you going is a connection to home and the familiar. Letters, even from strangers, about the crops, school work, the job, the weather…it seems funny, but soldiers love to get that stuff. It lets us, if only for a moment, drift back home.

    Some people have school kids do little cards and letters, and those are great, we all hang them up around the places we live and work.

  • Hooah_Mac

    I always received a lot of packages from people I knew and then I divvied them out to soldiers who I knew weren’t getting as much as others or who needed a little something to pick up their moods.
    One thing people forget is that a soldier’s home life keeps going while they are gone. Sometimes that means family dies, the pet runs away, wives or husbands get bored and move on, kids grow up and walk and talk for the first time, roofs leak, etc, all those things aren’t frozen in time because the soldier is deployed…and as hard as we try, we can’t keep ignore those things, especially because they are happening 10,000 miles away, not despite it.