DTN

I know it's my job. I stated that.

I was providing base defence for the ICDC and police training facilities. We trained them up from nothing and now they have plenty of ranks which they could take on themselves. The rates of all of that stuff has been getting on the right track for a long time. It's time for us to step out and let them handle it like Korea or Germany. We don't need that many soldiers to monitor a country 1/2 the size of texas. Let them do the job that they've been trained for. You should see the ammount of money which is being dumped into Iraq for mobile bathrooms, food, little houses for each of the soldiers, showers, and mostly, generators running fuel 24/7 to power it all. It's worthless to have it in that quantity, and that money comes out of taxpayer's pockets.

I'm not saying we shouldn't have been over there. I think we should have stopped when we eliminated the real threats and stood up a police force and military. Let them take their own bullets. We need to reduce the force and restructure the way things work over there. It dosn't really matter that much to me as I've got 9 months left until I've got my degree in biomedical equipment, 4 years of work experience in biomedical equipment repair, and I'm a civilian. I just don't want others to be there taking bullets needlessly because I care.

Iraq is all dirt, sand, and mud. There's some trees and occasionally grass. When it rains, everything turns to mud. For the most part, I was located near the euphraties river in Ar Ramadi, but I traveled to do acceptances and repair other radars. The whole area was pretty much marsh. Our Q36 shelter truck's ladder kept pushing down into the mud, so we'd throw a pallet under it to keep it on top of the mud. By the time I left, the radar operators had at least 4 pallets under that ladder sunk into the mud. I trudged through the mud daily.

Stocker

Calm down children. War sucks. Somebody even said it was hell. If it was the jungle you'd still be in mud except there would be snakes vs. sand fleas. If it was all concrete it would be (even) hot(ter than it is).

Yes we need to reduce our forces in Iraq. That's why we are DOING it. We are pulling out and letting the I's do their own job. We're not done. When we're done, we should leave -all except one big base in Iraq. Does anyone know how many troops we currently STILL have in Germany? How about Japan?

And yes, there are some people in the service dumber than a box of rocks. The average service member is better educated and from a more wealthy family than the rest of the US population, however.

lmao.gif lmao.gif lmao.gif lmao.gif lmao.gif now you guys got me thinking about some of the people I had to serve with!

Ericy321

Here is some things to consider not that it matter anymore. Obamas aunt is living here illegally in public housing paid for by taxes. Think hell do anything about the illegals here?

Also, should we pull out of Iraq or Chicago?
Body count: In the last six months:
292 killed (murdered) in Chicago ;
221 killed in Iraq .
Chicago.... Who Runs it:
Senators: Barack Obama & Dick Durbin
Rep: Jesse Jackson Jr.,
Illinois Gov: Rod Blogojevich,
Illinois House leader Mike Madigan,
Illinois Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan (daughter of Mike),
Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley (son of Mayor Richard J. Daley)
.....our leadership in Illinois .....all Democrats.

Thank you for the combat zone in Chicago .

Of course, they're all blaming each other!
Can't blame Republicans; there aren't any!

State pension fund $44 Billion in debt, worst in country.

Cook County ( Chicago ) sales tax 10.25% highest in country.
(Look 'em up if you want).

Chicago school system rated one of the worst in the country.

This is the political culture that Obama comes from in Illinois
. And he's gonna 'fix' Washington politics for us?

Everyone saw this coming but why? People were so uninformed it seems where none of the facts even mattered.

Stocker

the people who saw it coming didn't vote for him eh. The rest I guess think hopechange sounds good.

REDZMAN

ANd that's all fine, but don't make it sound like you were an infantryman on patrol in the shit, because you weren't.



My favorite quote of all time...

"And when someone asks you what you did during the W W 2 you won't have to say, well, I was shoveling shit in Shinola."

I didn't know you were in the service... What did you do and where, until when?

Stocker

Avionics Technician Petty Officer 2nd Class, USN, 1996 to 2001

1 year in school
2 years in Rota, Spain w/ VQ2
6 months school
2 years in San Diego w/ AIMD NASNI

met my wife when we worked next door to each other @ VQ2

HyundaiKitCoupe

Ericy makes a good point about the deaths but its something that cannot be controlled by 1 single person.

Next we must be morons because thats all I'm hearing.

90% of the world and newspapers say he's president, so I will say it too.

Dtn is also right, malcom x is better than 50cent, and we both live in tough cities. We are all people. One of them happened to make history. If Mccain won I know I wouldn't be sore about it. Some folks need to go hit up the airport and see America how it really is and not how you think it is. Done deal.

DTN

Don't be acting like you deployed.... Why have you made it your mission to degrade me in any way possible? You're a real ass you know that?

Gauntlet thrown, gauntlet picked up.

Let me tell you. I was in your old unit when I was in Germany, it was alot nicer then . I deployed with the First Infantry Division, the Big Red One....You know, the unit they made a video games and movies about? I trained and fought by their rules. 1st inf div dosn't play around. They have a heritage of going in and blowing shit up. They send the fighting first in when they need people dead. I was a BRO. I was an infantryman.

You seem to think because I was the only radar repairer in the division that they just forgot about me and let me slide. Well they didn't. I've had a guy at gunpoint with orders to shoot him if he moved and he kept moving. I had to walk around with the same clothes on my back for 2 weeks because they were all destroyed by an explosion. I had a dud rocket land 20 feet from where I was sleeping.

You seem to think that I also had a sham job or something like a army lighweight vehicle mechanic who stays in the rear working on trucks when everyone leaves. I was another artilleryman when I wasn't working on a radar. This meant alot of long hours for me. I worked my ass off, I had to stay late all the time. I had almost a full month of 16 hour days once.

It wasn't like I drove around, finding a spot, then marking it, going back to the rear and my job was over. I actually had to work.

The job I'm in now is a cake 7-5er. A much needed break for my PTSD.

Tibbychick

Oooo, someone's not happy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRQN5A0Gho8

7 years ago, people gathered in that very same spot, not to celebrate, but to mourn the devastation of 9/11. At 2am this morning they were singing the national anthem with all they had in them. I haven't seen that kind of patriotism displayed in NY since the months immediately following 9/11.

I care because I am American, I'm a New Yorker, and I wear it on my sleeve so everyone I meet knows it. I don't want the US to fail. The world does not want the US to fail. All throughout the world people of all colors, creeds, shapes and sexes celebrated. This election effects every single country on this planet. This morning I watched Obama's acceptance speech at work with my Canadian co-workers and boss. It moved us all practically to tears. This affects us all. We all want to see the US succeed.

Also, last night was a defining moment in history and I am ecstatic to be living in a time where a black man can be president. Somewhere up there, Dr. King is smiling I'm sure.

REDZMAN

^^^
I'm plenty happy, and very VERY well said TC. I just gained a newfound respect for you. No, my man didn't win, and I don't agree with a lot of Obama's ideas and promises (been through more elections than a lot of folks on this site), but he is an excellent speaker, a great organizer, and does have possibilities. The only thing that made me respect him at all was him going on the O'Rilley Factor and doing a decent job of it. I don't have to like the man, but I respect him and his position.


As for DTN, why am I all over you? I'm tired of your games here on this site. That's why. I have no respect for you at all, not one ounce. I've dealt with enough radar techs in my life to know exactly what you guys do, on and off duty. I know how important the position is, and how much it costs to train and keep them around. I also know that because of their position, most of them lie and try to make it sound like they are more than they are, like the cooks in SEAL units that make it sound like they were a SEAL.

I may never have been in combat, but I've been shot at enough times in my life. I had a 155 shell land 50 meters from me on OP 16 at Ft. Riley, and have large sections of the shell that I pulled out of my Hummer. I've had friends killed in the field in mindless accidents, and friends killed at NTC by friendly fire. I've never once pretended to be more than I am, and when anyone finds out I'm a Disabled Veteran, the first thing I explain is that no, I never went to the sandbox, and no, I never got shot or blown up, but I did my duty just the same and was there for the call.

I never got an article 15, I never got DEMOTED, but I did get in my fair share of mischief.

Most importantly though, I learned to never, EVER, shit where I sleep.

You'll learn it one day.

I'm closing this topic, feel free to open new ones about the election if you guys want, but this has gone off topic and just isn't needed anymore.