'Waiting to Get Blown Up'

[Patters]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...072601666.html

BAGHDAD, July 26 Army Staff Sgt. Jose Sixtos considered the simple question about morale for more than an hour. But not until his convoy of armored Humvees had finally rumbled back into the Baghdad military base, and the soldiers emptied the ammunition from their machine guns, and passed off the bomb-detecting robot to another patrol, did he turn around in his seat and give his answer.

"Think of what you hate most about your job. Then think of doing what you hate most for five straight hours, every single day, sometimes twice a day, in 120-degree heat," he said. "Then ask how morale is."

...

"It sucks. Honestly, it just feels like we're driving around waiting to get blown up. That's the most honest answer I could give you," said Spec. Tim Ivey, 28, of San Antonio, a muscular former backup fullback for Baylor University. "You lose a couple friends and it gets hard."

***

Maybe suppose some of you think that the troops interviewed for the article are aiding the terrorists by expressing some disillusionment. Are these troops wrong? Are they helping the enemy?

[QuiGon]

Originally Posted by Patters

Maybe suppose some of you think that the troops interviewed for the article are aiding the terrorists by expressing some disillusionment. Are these troops wrong? Are they helping the enemy?

No but people like you and Nem are. The American liberal is the terrorist's best friend.

[PATSNUTme]

Originally Posted by Patters

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...072601666.html

BAGHDAD, July 26 Army Staff Sgt. Jose Sixtos considered the simple question about morale for more than an hour. But not until his convoy of armored Humvees had finally rumbled back into the Baghdad military base, and the soldiers emptied the ammunition from their machine guns, and passed off the bomb-detecting robot to another patrol, did he turn around in his seat and give his answer.

"Think of what you hate most about your job. Then think of doing what you hate most for five straight hours, every single day, sometimes twice a day, in 120-degree heat," he said. "Then ask how morale is."

...

"It sucks. Honestly, it just feels like we're driving around waiting to get blown up. That's the most honest answer I could give you," said Spec. Tim Ivey, 28, of San Antonio, a muscular former backup fullback for Baylor University. "You lose a couple friends and it gets hard."

***

Maybe suppose some of you think that the troops interviewed for the article are aiding the terrorists by expressing some disillusionment. Are these troops wrong? Are they helping the enemy?

Anyone who has beein the military knows that if you give soldiers a chance to gripe they will take it. It's been that way forever.

Maybe this looks like something new and exciting to some of you but its really nothing new. It's certainly not a "newsworthy" story. It's just soldiers being soldiers.

Just change the time in history, the place, and the people and you would hear just about the same thing.

[patsfan13]

Frankly many (if not most) of the military despise the press for their biased reporting.

If you are actually interested on what the soldiers on the ground are thinking without the filter of a press person with an agenda. you can start here:

http://www.milblogging.com/

A large listing of blogs written by guys on active duty and many from the frontlines.

[wistahpatsfan]

Originally Posted by PATSNUTme

Anyone who has beein the military knows that if you give soldiers a chance to gripe they will take it. It's been that way forever.

Maybe this looks like something new and exciting to some of you but its really nothing new. It's certainly not a "newsworthy" story. It's just soldiers being soldiers.

Just change the time in history, the place, and the people and you would hear just about the same thing.

Maybe that's because what they're diong sucks beyond belief. Maybe their situation is so surreal, inhuman, and contrary to everything they learned in Sunday school, it blows their mind!

[All_Around_Brown]

Originally Posted by QuiGon

No but people like you and Nem are. The American liberal is the terrorist's best friend.

Give it a rest, shill. You are too new to the board to be calling anyone here "terrorists best friend"

What a jackasss....

[PATSNUTme]

Originally Posted by wistahpatsfan

Maybe that's because what they're diong sucks beyond belief. Maybe their situation is so surreal, inhuman, and contrary to everything they learned in Sunday school, it blows their mind!

No, it's not a natual thing to do.

But, the point is that American soldiers gripe and it's always been that way. Even our soldiers are more free to say what they want than any other soldiers in history.