How do you feel about the military?

Robert Toy said:

Got to love them and I fully support them. If the people who served made policy there would be no wars.

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Bush I fought in WWII.

And then saved Kuwait in Gulf I.

That's a nice quote for the quote books, but not true and probably never will be true.

IMO

billythrilly7th said:

Bush I fought in WWII.

And then saved Kuwait in Gulf I.

That's a nice quote for the quote books, but not true and probably never will be true.

IMO

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I’m going to pull a Biily

Nah..never mind…

Had to choose #1

Most of the men in our family have served in either the Army or the Navy. So I like the military fine.

But imo, we need major changes in the present direction and the civilian leadership...

Robert Toy said:

I’m going to pull a Biily

Nah..never mind…

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Toy boat toy boat toy boit tawbit tawbit tawbit....

I can't say it...lol

Toy boat toy boat toy boat toibot toibit toibit tibit tybit...

damn!!

billythrilly7th said:

Or the civil war?

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If you are referring to the War Of Northern Agression, good sir, kindly refrain from mentioning that in the same breath as the Second World War, or please give me the name of your Second.

Robert Toy said:

Got to love them and I fully support them. If the people who served made policy there would be no wars.

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Not exactly true.

Harry Truman, Major, US Army, WWI, Democrat-ordered atomic bombs dropped on Japan and put first troops in South East Asia. Committed US troops to Korean War.

Dwight Eisenhower, General of the Army, US Army, Republican-conducted Korean War

John F. Kennedy, Lieutenant, US Navy, Democrat, WWII-escalated Vietnam War and temporarily backed invasion of Cuba.

Lyndon Johnson, Lt. Commander, US Navy, WWII, Democrat-put tens of thousands of troops into Vietnam.

Richard Nixon, Lt Commander, US Navy WWII, Republican-Lost America’s first war in Vietnam.

Jimmy Carter, Lieutenant, US Navy, Cold War, Democrat. Committed troops and presided over numerous military and diplomatic snafus, that killed tens of thousands of people in Iran, Africa, Indonesia, Korea and South America.

Ronald Reagan, Captain, US Army, WWII, Republican. Committed troops, with loss of life, to Lebanon, Grenada, South and Central America.

Bill Clinton, no military service, Democrat. Committed troops to Haiti, Somalia, Kosovo, Macedonia and Bosnia. Launched missiles into Afghanistan, Iraq and Sudan.

Only Gerald Ford, Lt Commander, US Navy, in my lifetime, pretty much avoided war, but he did send our forces to rescue the crew of the Mayaguez.


It's not one party, or one president, that decides when or if wars will be fought. It's what's happening in the world.

SpookyWriter said:

I hope you aren't a dance instructor now.

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That's cruel, Spooky, she's w/ the ballet

And, yeah, the homecoming for you and Robert Toy was real heart-warming <insert sarcasm here>

I've several friends in the military and I do support them. If there was a way to have no war, I'd support that, too.

Quote:
Originally Posted by SpookyWriter
I hope you aren't a dance instructor now.

Jean Marie said:

That's cruel, Spooky, she's w/ the ballet

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Nutcracker, I presume?

Maternal grandfather was in the Navy during WWII

Dad was in the Marines and while he was fortunate that he joined up after they were withdrawing troops from Vietnam, he ended up retiring shortly after the Gulf War (reported directly to Powell btw, so I asked my Dad what Powell was like and my Dad said "very military". Yeah, like that's a straight answer).

My maternal uncle was in the Air Force. He didn't serve in any wars, but he did bring cool stuff back from Greece, so that was neat.

I was in the Army and released on a medical discharge due to a fractured hip. Yeah, I'm one of the reasons that men and women of the military don't march together anymore. Sorry 'bout that. As a sidenote: I was the first woman in my family to join the military. Not something I'm particularly proud of (I was a lousy soldier), but there it is.

My brother was in the Army. Discharge had something to do with getting in a bar fight in South America with a superior officer. Knowing my brother as I do I wasn't really surprised when this happened.

One of my best friends from 6th grade through high school is currently in Iraq. I send him a care package about once a month and try to bake enough cookies to last, but that never seems to happen. Ah well, that's what he gets for sharing. LOL

So yeah, love the men and women in uniform (well 'cept my Dad, he's an a$$) but hate the military and what it does to the people in it.

And SpookyWriter, don't get me started on the ineptitude of Naval Hospitals. I have this deep abiding belief that the medical team of the military are filled with those folks who barely graduated.

NightWynde said:

And SpookyWriter, don't get me started on the ineptitude of Naval Hospitals. I have this deep abiding belief that the medical team of the military are filled with those folks who barely graduated.

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Yeah, I know and understand. I spent a month on death ward, Balboa Naval Hospital, and watched how guys would come in one night and their beds emptied the next morning. I am surprised I lived...

Robert Toy said:

I’m going to pull a Biily

Nah..never mind…

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Isn't that like slipping on a banana peel?

I have profound respect for the military, if for no other reason than that they do what I could not and would not do.

A story - I was in college during the first Gulf War and I remember all the talk of a possible draft that was going around at the time. There was an organization on campus that would help people write up petitions for conscientous objector status. I had made no secret of the fact that I wouldn't serve, so someone from this organization approached me to "help." I told him that if I was ever drafted, I wouldn't serve, but I would go to prison instead. My thought was that if I really respect the law of the land, and I'm not willing to serve as asked, then I owe it to the men and women who do serve to accept the proper consequences.

The guy looked at me like I had just told him aliens had landed and were forming polka bands around the world.

Funny - I never thought that was such an odd philosophy.

billythrilly7th said:

?

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Jeez, Billy. It was a joke!

Former sailor. I picked the first option.

War

billythrilly7th said:

What about WWII?-Yes

Would you have supported that?

Or the civil war?

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-Yes

Forgive them for they know not what they say-like Robert and Spooky re:Vietnam for example-a war if you want to call it that-if left to us there would have been no Saigon embassy roof top tail between our a$$es run away-thank you McNamara and co. (If that is how you spell the traitors name) Been there did that-not again-no thanks

We need a military. As Octavia Butler pointed out in oneof her books...we are a hierarchical society. No matter how peaceful we want to be or claim to be, there are a group of (for lackof a better word) sociopaths that want things their way and do not care about what the rest of us want. If we allow people like that to impose their will on society as a whole you wind up with a real bad problem.

I also support option one, but not as strongly as I support option 3.

I'm not qualified to discuss politics.