“Yours is a voice that many have heard. We have not simply heard what you have said; we have, and continue to, listen to what you are saying. Far too often we simply carry on an inner dialogue when someone else speaks tore hearse what we will say when they finish. This war on terrorism will be with us for some time, so I offer an open letter to the generation I will pass this burden on to.
I believe that we are making progress in Iraq and in Afghanistan. Despite the ravings of pundits and uninformed ambulance chasers, this fight doesn’t’ hinge on oil or payback. It isn’t about religion or race. And it damn sure is not about any innate desire to rule the world. These people will succeed or fail on their own merits. The task is daunting. You can release a person from bondage. You can remove a tyrant from power. You can create the conditions for liberty. But, you cannot simply grant or proclaim freedom. Freedom without honest action is a whisper in a storm just as change withoutvision and purpose is the illusion of progress. For ages these people wereliterally beaten to the point of submission by oppression, censure, murder,torture, and rape – regardless of age or gender. I have asked myself whythey let it happen. The only answer I can fathom is that evil flourished because good people refused to pay the price required to oppose it. Sure, it’s easy now to pontificate and blame the poor and down trodden for theircollective indifference, but forgive my sarcasm – I think we owe them morethan a couple of days to realize that their hopes and dreams have a chanceto grow and one day flourish. No amount of rhetoric and no pressing agendawill change the fact that time is required to help heal these people andthat ancient grievances require redress. Make no mistake: I’m no crusader -I do what I do because I am a professional soldier. For me it’s been simple:protect the innocent, punish the deserving, accomplish my mission and bringmy men home, period. As Sting said “Poets, Priests, and Politicians havewords to thank for their positions.” For a soldier it is black and white:deeds not words. If you need words to better illustrate, the Latin mottos oftwo Infantry Regiments I have served in will suffice: “Sua Sponte” and “NeDesit Virtus”: Of their own accord and Let Valor not fail. Or in true cowboy fashion: Saddle your own horse, cull your own herd, and bury yourown dead.
The threat we face is like nothing we’ve seen before. I’ve been in the streets with this enemy, fought him face to face, and have been lucky enough to kill him and come out alive. I have seen what he is capable of doing and the zeal with which he will do it. This threat won’t fit neatly into “the box” or be governed by any paradigm. It is a cancer within our collectivebody as the human race. We are all threatened by this evil, and evil it is. This enemy has twisted and distorted things both sacred and profane to guideas well as justify its means and its stated end. Nothing is beyond the realm of the possible when it comes to the depths to which it will sink, the horror it is willing to commit, or the suffering it is willing to inflict. This enemy has no concept of mercy nor does it recognize combatants. Innocence is not a factor. You need only look at the headlines of the day to confirm that children, teachers, and doctors are murdered everyday by these villains. What makes them evil? I submit that it is not the act that earns them the epithet of evil – it is the intent to commit and the pride theydraw from the act. These animals revel in the post act announcements that they are responsible. They feel vindicated by the proclamations that they perpetrated these horrors in the name of God and that having committed the seacts some how elevates them. Make no mistake, this enemy is formidable but by no means invincible. To defeat this cancer requires the one thing thatcivilized people all over the world possess in absolute abundance – The will. The will to be free can only be surrendered by the person that has it – it cannot be murdered, raped, tortured, or stolen. It’s not about being a martyr or a saint, it’s about being a decent human being. And, the unvarnished truth is that the killing and the horror will continue until those with the will to endure prevail.
I am a simple soldier, proud to serve, but my days in the service of the Queen are drawing to a close. Soon all of the cold war junkies will also begone and you my friends and your band of X generation anti-heroes will have the reigns. Like it or not, you are now the fulcrum upon which the balance beam rests. I will tell you that the outlook is damn good. I am absolutely humbled every day to have the rare privilege to march among the young menand women who chose to give soldiering a try. None finer have ever serve dunder the colors.
Beware the onslaught of false prophets who preach the one size fits allsolution. Look beneath the facade of their self proclaimed patriotism, peelback the shield of their dogma, and you are likely to find a charlatanmalcontent who was passed over for some accolade he feels he richly deservedor a flim-flam artist who knows a chance to make a buck when he sees it.They don’t have the will to endure. The will to be free comes at a heavy price. For some it is more than they can bear. Divorce, estrangement, financial burdens, health problems, depression, and even suicide are very real costs. Sacrifice is rarely recognized for what it truly is because theprice of recognition is guilt. Parades, giving medals, issuing promotions,and rousing speeches are simply the thin veneer that masks the desperateneed of those who are kept free by our endeavors for absolution from thisguilt. Adam Duritz wrote in the song Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby that “the priceof a memory is the memory of the sorrow it brings.”
I submit that it is our love of freedom, the embrace of our wives or sweethearts, the love of our children or family, and the earned respect ofour brothers in arms that cast the walls that make the will to endure afortress that can never be taken. I will be proud to stand the watch untilmy time is at an end, but soon you will mount the ramparts and stand thewatch alone.In closing, I leave you with the words of Marcus Aurelius “Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now, take what’s left and live it properly. What doesn’t transmit light creates its own darkness.”
-Base Commander Knute Lombatton, Iraq
shep says:
what is funny about the bush supporters is that they forget that the reason we invaded iraq was because of a lie. iraq never attacked us, did not posess the technology to attack us, and did not have WMDs. they are also in no way related to 9/11 as has been proven by the 9/11 commission and even stated by Colin Powell.
Oh well, you can’t teach blind people how to see.
miss penny says:
I hate to tell you, but “ole Knutte”(or whatever his name is), has got it right. But…I will be more outspoken and blunt than him. First, the MAJORITY of the US supports Bush. Hard pill for liberals to swallow, but that is tough shit.
Second…this mess with the radical Islamist will never end until you beat them down to where you have your foot on their necks…and you keep it there. Any concession made to them is seen as a sign of weakness….because it is! Their religion teaches them that us “infidels” have to convert, or be killed. I don’t want to be a damn Muslim! You can go over there and get them…or you can wait here, with your head up your ass, and they will come after you, like 9-11. Those are your two choices; and wars are not won on the defensive, so I suggest taking the initiative, growing a pair, and defending your country and way of life.
As for the military, our men and women are worth more to me than even the enemies’ children. “The problem with kittens is that they grow up to be cats.” Were I running things, we would have less casualties, they would have more; that is the only thing I that would be different. I know that sounds harsh, but that is the real world. Were the world perfect, just being nice, and minding your own business would be OK….but the world is NOT perfect, for it is inhabited by tribes of humans; and where there are humans, “There will always be wars and rumors of wars.” It is an unavoidable fact of this world we live in.
As for the reservist and the active duty people that piss and moan and hate the US for making them fight a war they don’t want to fight….guess what, I would venture to say that the majority of young people, throughout the centuries sent off to war, hated it. You have a rare one here and there that thrive in a war environment; the majority, do their duty and try to live to get back home.
The US military is not a welfare program, or a free lunch. It is there to fight wars. You don’t want to fight wars….don’t join the military, If you joined the military and you are called to do your duty, do it without complaining. Do it for all the benefits, education, and paychecks you receieved during peacetime for all those years.
Yes…you CAN teach blind people to see…and they will see. Right now, there is some confusion on your part about just exactly who the blind people are. From where I sit, you are the blind one. Roaming around with your head up your ass like the frighten child that hides it’s face thinking the boogey man can’t see them as long as they do not see him. But he is there, and he does see you…and his name is Radical Islamic Terrorist. And at some point, like it or not, you will have to fight him, or you will be killed and your way of life destroyed. One of those two things WILL happen, eventually. But even the blind WILL “see” this monster.
shep says:
typical thinking of a dittohead. we must stop people in case, in the future, they do anything to us. come one, boogieman? you’re the one talking about the muslim plan to take over and convert the world. go read about islam (not from a pro-bush, anti-muslim site) and understand their teachings before you bash their entire religion. Chrisitanity has just as much violence in their conquest to convert the world as islam does.
miss penny says:
No, Christianity does not, though the Catholics did in the past. You have some white supremeist that would like to.
Also, I said RADICAL Islam. Not ALL of Islam, even though, yes…their Quran does say that “if you can not convert them…put the sword to their necks.” Where do you think all the sawing heads off with dull pocket knives is coming from? Radical Islam is the same as if someone took the Old Testament and said, we are supposed to take over and kill everyone and everything that doesn’t submit to us. Yes, that has been used in the past. But history is no excuse for modern day atrocity. You know, Berg was a liberal, and a pretty nice guy, it seems. He didn’t believe in that “boogey man”, either. Neither did Mrs. Hassan, who worked and lived in Iraq most of her life. Probably the majority of the people killed 9-11 didn’t. We have not seen the last of the terrorist attacks by no means.
Try going to a site that translates some of the rantings that they are reading and saying over the people they be-head. I think you will see that they are not just out to get westerners; but other Muslims that do not agree with them also.
Just because I do not believe the same as you does not make me a “dittohead”. I find when people are threatened by the truth and have difficulty disputing it, they usually resort to name calling:-P
Miss Penny
miss penny says:
P. S. Much better picture, and the baby is soooo precious:-)
shep says:
well, i wasn’t calling you a dittohead, i said that the line of reasoning in your post is the typical thinking of a dittohead, and it is. and you are right, it is only radical islamists. That makes your point seem even more absurd because the amount of islamists that are actually radical is no doubt the same amount of people who are radical christians. the killings of people in the past because of islam were not so much because of the religion, but because of the most important thing in africa, that being the line of trading in the salt-for-gold trade. it was the same as GB invading africa and eurasia to secure their financial future. Being a history major, i could list every single time the christian religion has killed people because of their beliefs, but i do not have the time to do so.
“Yours is a voice that many have heard. We have not simply heard what you have said; we have, and continue to, listen to what you are saying. Far too often we simply carry on an inner dialogue when someone else speaks tore hearse what we will say when they finish. This war on terrorism will be with us for some time, so I offer an open letter to the generation I will pass this burden on to.
I believe that we are making progress in Iraq and in Afghanistan. Despite the ravings of pundits and uninformed ambulance chasers, this fight doesn’t’ hinge on oil or payback. It isn’t about religion or race. And it damn sure is not about any innate desire to rule the world. These people will succeed or fail on their own merits. The task is daunting. You can release a person from bondage. You can remove a tyrant from power. You can create the conditions for liberty. But, you cannot simply grant or proclaim freedom. Freedom without honest action is a whisper in a storm just as change withoutvision and purpose is the illusion of progress. For ages these people wereliterally beaten to the point of submission by oppression, censure, murder,torture, and rape – regardless of age or gender. I have asked myself whythey let it happen. The only answer I can fathom is that evil flourished because good people refused to pay the price required to oppose it. Sure, it’s easy now to pontificate and blame the poor and down trodden for theircollective indifference, but forgive my sarcasm – I think we owe them morethan a couple of days to realize that their hopes and dreams have a chanceto grow and one day flourish. No amount of rhetoric and no pressing agendawill change the fact that time is required to help heal these people andthat ancient grievances require redress. Make no mistake: I’m no crusader -I do what I do because I am a professional soldier. For me it’s been simple:protect the innocent, punish the deserving, accomplish my mission and bringmy men home, period. As Sting said “Poets, Priests, and Politicians havewords to thank for their positions.” For a soldier it is black and white:deeds not words. If you need words to better illustrate, the Latin mottos oftwo Infantry Regiments I have served in will suffice: “Sua Sponte” and “NeDesit Virtus”: Of their own accord and Let Valor not fail. Or in true cowboy fashion: Saddle your own horse, cull your own herd, and bury yourown dead.
The threat we face is like nothing we’ve seen before. I’ve been in the streets with this enemy, fought him face to face, and have been lucky enough to kill him and come out alive. I have seen what he is capable of doing and the zeal with which he will do it. This threat won’t fit neatly into “the box” or be governed by any paradigm. It is a cancer within our collectivebody as the human race. We are all threatened by this evil, and evil it is. This enemy has twisted and distorted things both sacred and profane to guideas well as justify its means and its stated end. Nothing is beyond the realm of the possible when it comes to the depths to which it will sink, the horror it is willing to commit, or the suffering it is willing to inflict. This enemy has no concept of mercy nor does it recognize combatants. Innocence is not a factor. You need only look at the headlines of the day to confirm that children, teachers, and doctors are murdered everyday by these villains. What makes them evil? I submit that it is not the act that earns them the epithet of evil – it is the intent to commit and the pride theydraw from the act. These animals revel in the post act announcements that they are responsible. They feel vindicated by the proclamations that they perpetrated these horrors in the name of God and that having committed the seacts some how elevates them. Make no mistake, this enemy is formidable but by no means invincible. To defeat this cancer requires the one thing thatcivilized people all over the world possess in absolute abundance – The will. The will to be free can only be surrendered by the person that has it – it cannot be murdered, raped, tortured, or stolen. It’s not about being a martyr or a saint, it’s about being a decent human being. And, the unvarnished truth is that the killing and the horror will continue until those with the will to endure prevail.
I am a simple soldier, proud to serve, but my days in the service of the Queen are drawing to a close. Soon all of the cold war junkies will also begone and you my friends and your band of X generation anti-heroes will have the reigns. Like it or not, you are now the fulcrum upon which the balance beam rests. I will tell you that the outlook is damn good. I am absolutely humbled every day to have the rare privilege to march among the young menand women who chose to give soldiering a try. None finer have ever serve dunder the colors.
Beware the onslaught of false prophets who preach the one size fits allsolution. Look beneath the facade of their self proclaimed patriotism, peelback the shield of their dogma, and you are likely to find a charlatanmalcontent who was passed over for some accolade he feels he richly deservedor a flim-flam artist who knows a chance to make a buck when he sees it.They don’t have the will to endure. The will to be free comes at a heavy price. For some it is more than they can bear. Divorce, estrangement, financial burdens, health problems, depression, and even suicide are very real costs. Sacrifice is rarely recognized for what it truly is because theprice of recognition is guilt. Parades, giving medals, issuing promotions,and rousing speeches are simply the thin veneer that masks the desperateneed of those who are kept free by our endeavors for absolution from thisguilt. Adam Duritz wrote in the song Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby that “the priceof a memory is the memory of the sorrow it brings.”
I submit that it is our love of freedom, the embrace of our wives or sweethearts, the love of our children or family, and the earned respect ofour brothers in arms that cast the walls that make the will to endure afortress that can never be taken. I will be proud to stand the watch untilmy time is at an end, but soon you will mount the ramparts and stand thewatch alone.In closing, I leave you with the words of Marcus Aurelius “Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now, take what’s left and live it properly. What doesn’t transmit light creates its own darkness.”
-Base Commander Knute Lombatton, Iraq
what is funny about the bush supporters is that they forget that the reason we invaded iraq was because of a lie. iraq never attacked us, did not posess the technology to attack us, and did not have WMDs. they are also in no way related to 9/11 as has been proven by the 9/11 commission and even stated by Colin Powell.
Oh well, you can’t teach blind people how to see.
I hate to tell you, but “ole Knutte”(or whatever his name is), has got it right. But…I will be more outspoken and blunt than him. First, the MAJORITY of the US supports Bush. Hard pill for liberals to swallow, but that is tough shit.
Second…this mess with the radical Islamist will never end until you beat them down to where you have your foot on their necks…and you keep it there. Any concession made to them is seen as a sign of weakness….because it is! Their religion teaches them that us “infidels” have to convert, or be killed. I don’t want to be a damn Muslim! You can go over there and get them…or you can wait here, with your head up your ass, and they will come after you, like 9-11. Those are your two choices; and wars are not won on the defensive, so I suggest taking the initiative, growing a pair, and defending your country and way of life.
As for the military, our men and women are worth more to me than even the enemies’ children. “The problem with kittens is that they grow up to be cats.” Were I running things, we would have less casualties, they would have more; that is the only thing I that would be different. I know that sounds harsh, but that is the real world. Were the world perfect, just being nice, and minding your own business would be OK….but the world is NOT perfect, for it is inhabited by tribes of humans; and where there are humans, “There will always be wars and rumors of wars.” It is an unavoidable fact of this world we live in.
As for the reservist and the active duty people that piss and moan and hate the US for making them fight a war they don’t want to fight….guess what, I would venture to say that the majority of young people, throughout the centuries sent off to war, hated it. You have a rare one here and there that thrive in a war environment; the majority, do their duty and try to live to get back home.
The US military is not a welfare program, or a free lunch. It is there to fight wars. You don’t want to fight wars….don’t join the military, If you joined the military and you are called to do your duty, do it without complaining. Do it for all the benefits, education, and paychecks you receieved during peacetime for all those years.
Yes…you CAN teach blind people to see…and they will see. Right now, there is some confusion on your part about just exactly who the blind people are. From where I sit, you are the blind one. Roaming around with your head up your ass like the frighten child that hides it’s face thinking the boogey man can’t see them as long as they do not see him. But he is there, and he does see you…and his name is Radical Islamic Terrorist. And at some point, like it or not, you will have to fight him, or you will be killed and your way of life destroyed. One of those two things WILL happen, eventually. But even the blind WILL “see” this monster.
typical thinking of a dittohead. we must stop people in case, in the future, they do anything to us. come one, boogieman? you’re the one talking about the muslim plan to take over and convert the world. go read about islam (not from a pro-bush, anti-muslim site) and understand their teachings before you bash their entire religion. Chrisitanity has just as much violence in their conquest to convert the world as islam does.
No, Christianity does not, though the Catholics did in the past. You have some white supremeist that would like to.
Also, I said RADICAL Islam. Not ALL of Islam, even though, yes…their Quran does say that “if you can not convert them…put the sword to their necks.” Where do you think all the sawing heads off with dull pocket knives is coming from? Radical Islam is the same as if someone took the Old Testament and said, we are supposed to take over and kill everyone and everything that doesn’t submit to us. Yes, that has been used in the past. But history is no excuse for modern day atrocity. You know, Berg was a liberal, and a pretty nice guy, it seems. He didn’t believe in that “boogey man”, either. Neither did Mrs. Hassan, who worked and lived in Iraq most of her life. Probably the majority of the people killed 9-11 didn’t. We have not seen the last of the terrorist attacks by no means.
Try going to a site that translates some of the rantings that they are reading and saying over the people they be-head. I think you will see that they are not just out to get westerners; but other Muslims that do not agree with them also.
Just because I do not believe the same as you does not make me a “dittohead”. I find when people are threatened by the truth and have difficulty disputing it, they usually resort to name calling:-P
Miss Penny
P. S. Much better picture, and the baby is soooo precious:-)
well, i wasn’t calling you a dittohead, i said that the line of reasoning in your post is the typical thinking of a dittohead, and it is. and you are right, it is only radical islamists. That makes your point seem even more absurd because the amount of islamists that are actually radical is no doubt the same amount of people who are radical christians. the killings of people in the past because of islam were not so much because of the religion, but because of the most important thing in africa, that being the line of trading in the salt-for-gold trade. it was the same as GB invading africa and eurasia to secure their financial future. Being a history major, i could list every single time the christian religion has killed people because of their beliefs, but i do not have the time to do so.
Nice hat! can I borrow it?:-D
lol the majority of the US hates bush. its because of him our economy is in such a bad place.
the quran says doesnt say that
Penny go fuck urself u dumb bitch