suicidal_george

Fucking aye ...

fuck is a versatile multi-purpose verb

Haven't you, at times, been quote 'starving'? You're on your way!

yes, nopantsdave is back on my list

nah, my pookie doesnt look like owen in real life. he actually gets a lot of remarks from strangers saying he looks uncannily like Ed Norton.

thanks for the photo frrom the university of nebraska. you look very cute with your girlfriend.

Hey,

I'll try to answer your questions as well as I can.

-Why are they moving so many troops out of korea? I've got my ideas, but I'm wondering what they're telling the troops.
Well, the answer is obvious (Iraq for now, perhaps Afghanistan later), and they certainly haven't hid it from anyone. During my tenure in Korea (which was 2 months after Iraq kicked off to just 2 months ago) it was understood that the 2nd Infantry Division would move away from the DMZ. The troops likely knew as much as a year out that their unit would eventually be going out.

-How much time do you have left on your enlistment and how long have you been in?
I've been in for about 8 years now, and I've got a year and 2 months left. I studied illustration in college and I'm taking a 2 year break to get a 2nd Bachelor's in education.

-Do you know where they are sending you next?
Yes.

-Have you (or others) been pressured to re-enlist or get sent to Iraq?
I might not be the right person to ask that. I'm in a 100% volunteer specialty. As such, those who are not excited for the mission are actually encouraged to stand up and make their feelings known. When we first started operations in Afghanistan, our Commander gathered us all and requested for those who had issues with going to speak with him--no repercussions. Furthermore, the Army units I've been aligned with for the past 5 years have been almost 100% volunteer units as well (some support elements being the exception). I believe I know what incident you're refering to. Ultimately, no one can make you re-enlist (a stop loss might keep you in, though)--but once you get in the service you have to understand that you can't assume you'll be spared come fighting time. The enlistment doesn't end 'till you end your contract.

-Have you talked to anyone in Iraq (not Kuwait) or afganistan and what did they have to say about the situation
I have. Most of my co-workers have been supportive of the operations, though they have been somewhat frustrated with the way the government executed things. You have to understand that our mindset is somewhat different than that of the civilian populace. Many of us have the mindset that we execute policy--we don't make it. If the embargos were a failure, then that's the civilian sector's fault (UN, US, whatever). In our eyes, we've killed a lot less people than the sanctions did, and the vast majority of civilians who died during our fights did so largely by accident (stray bullets, errant bombs, etc.). While I have heard negative thoughts on Iraq (I have some as well), I have yet to hear the same on Afghanistan.

-Have you met anyone injured in Iraq, and what did they have to say about the treatment they recieved from Uncle Sam?
I have. The worst part seems to be the transfer from the battlefield/Iraq to safe ground (e.g., Germany). I haven't heard anyone express displeasure at the service they got in Germany or in the States.

-Do you know any national guard folks, and ifso, are they being treated noticibly different (crappy training, meager supplier, poor suppor)
Again, I might not be the best person to ask. Our Guard counterparts were equipped and trained well enough to deploy in support of Special Forces teams and do a good enough job to earn medals and commendations.

What was your opinion of the situation? Are there enough people there to do the job? Also, I'm under the impression that those stationed there feel like they are forgotten and ignored; like they are just supposed to hold down the fort and nobody seems to give a shit they're still there.
I'm rather leery of giving opinions, as it puts me in a difficult spot with regulations I've sworn to uphold. If you search the boards, you'll likely find enough posts with my name by them where I address this sort of thing as best as I can. As to the rest of this question, I'd disagree. In both theatres, there seems to be a great deal of work being done to keep the troops connected with back home (e-mail, fairly good postal system, morale visits by celebs, singers, etc.).

Hope this helped.

Also, in regards to your questions concerning the draft, I already posted the pertinent info on a similar thread earlier today.

If you're interested, google "2005 draft" and it will give you any number of hits on Sen Hollings and Rep Rangel's proposed bill for a draft. Only the House version got any co-sponsors (a whopping 14), and neither has been given any attention since early 2003.

Rangel and Hollings wanted to make a statement about the disproportionality between the rich and poor in the military (though a Draft cannot guarantee anything different if it's truly random--and it has to be, because we cannot in any way afford mandatory conscription with living standards/pay expected by our populace). When Iraq got hot and heavy a year later, the proposition made its rounds around the Internet. Unfortunately, most people would rather read mass mail and bulletin board posts than read the actual legislature, and everyone started talking about the Draft coming back. Which it's not.

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damn that sucks balls.

it won't be any consolation that the same thing happened to me except it was my laptop's motherboard that died and i dont have enough money to get it fixed...so til then, i dont have access to all of my favorite things like special links to fun weblogs and other shit that i lliked to look at