Memorial Day

As a member of the armed forces it is important to remember those who have gone before us and especially those who have fallen.

I salute those brave souls who have moved on and given the ultimate sacrifice for the greatest nation on Earth-The United States of America.

I am in the middle with two of my friends.

Political Commercial

I read today that the candidates are spending millions of dollars in Iowa and New Hampshire because there is a lack of name recognition. I know who Mitt Romney is. I know who John Edwards and Bill Richardson.
It just goes to show that the masses have to be shown candidates in 30 second clips to even know who they are. Most people know Hillary and Rudy or McCain and some Obama because of their past or in the case of Obama because of the new moniker "Great Black Hope." But why should Americans not take the time understand who the candidates are and, here's a crazy idea, actually learn what they stand for.
Personally, I am voting for Mitt. He has some "flip flop" on issues that others will say is a weakness but I think in business and leadership if you are so set in stone that you can't change your opinions you are going to get blasted. President Bush (who I fully support as a soldier) has tried to do what he can to keep sight of the goal of victory in Iraq. But the media and left destroy him for being too unwilling to change. Of course, the original Bush got hammered for changing his "no new taxes" and then adding tax.
Guess it all depends on who you are.
So why doesn't the media show fair coverage of the candidates. It shouldn't matter if some of the fringe candidates are a little bit out there (Hello, Chris Dodd) but if there is federal money going to these candidates then it should be fair. (But, really, does the American public need to put tax dollars towards campaigns? Another issue for another day.)
So let me just say that Mitt is the man; if Hillary is elected I can't re-enlist because I can't take the oath to respect the President; and if Americans just educated themselves the best candidates would rise to the top.

Politics and War

As a soldier in the Army I have the opportunity to see things that most of the general population doesn't see. I know that soldiers generally think the war in Iraq is going poorly but not for the reasons the media or general populations think.
The military has "rules of engagement" or ROE's that determine when and if they can take action-especially deadly force. If you have seen the movie Black Hawk Down there is a good example of the ROE's: A Blackhawk helicopter sees a group of civilians being gunned down for simply trying to get food from an aid truck. They radio back for approval to help but are told no because they are not under direct fire themselves. They could have helped but COULDN'T because of the ROE's.
Now, I am not saying that there should be no ROE's but many soldiers are put at a disadvantage when they are patrolling the streets of Baghdad or in Afghanistan because their first thought when they are in a dangerous situation isn't "how can I survive this situation and kill my enemy?" Many times it is "if I shoot back will I get in trouble?"
I don't know all of the circumstances of the Marines that are on trial for murder in Iraq but the basis of the story is their vehicle was attacked, they stormed the house they thought the attack came from and killed those in the house. Any soldier can sympathize with their reaction. Unfortunately many politicians (especially those on the left side of the isle, but increasingly on the right) don't follow the American tradition of innocent unless proven guilty. For most soldiers it is "guilty in the media unless they can prove otherwise."
Soldiers give up their rights to defend the rights of others. We take orders and follow them despite our personal thoughts. We don't want to be deployed but we do so because it is in the best interests of the nation.
"I stand ready to deploy, engage and destroy the enemies of the United States in close combat" is part of the soldiers creed but it is also a regular part of life in the military.
Soldiers deserve respect, they earn respect. They also deserve the benefit of the doubt and rules that allow victory in Iraq.
So instead of complaining to congress that we should be out of Iraq, maybe people should complain that the kid gloves should be taken off of our soldiers. The insurgents behead people and it gets play in the media for a day or two. US Soldiers put underwear on a man's head and the media deems it "torture."
Lets have some perspective. Lets support the troops and lets have the opportunity to win in Iraq.