Open your eyes and see things as they really are

[KentuckyGhost]

When I retirement from the military in 2003 I see the world on the civilian side of the house. I have been out of the military for over eight years now. Living in the civilian world is a big change for me. In today?s world I have learn that a lot of folks don?t realized what is happening around the world or they don?t care about it.

I work downtown Nashville, Tennessee. On a daily basic I meet a lot of people in a day. Everyone I have met, never mention about the war that our boy?s and girls in military face everyday. I wonder if they even care or they are not willing to open their eyes. Once or twice in a week someone does ask me how I feel about the war. Sometimes I feel like talking about it, but sometimes I just tell them it bad and I walk away from them. It is not I don?t care to open my eyes. I read the paper and watch the news to hear update?s about the war also I read the emails from my formal unit friends. I am a combat veteran; I care a lot about our boy?s and girls in military. I understand what they are feeling being over there.

One day at work, I met this woman. She was looking at paper in the lobby, while waiting for someone. I noticed when she turns to the part about the war in Iraq. She took the paper and threw it away. She looks at smile, and then she asks me what I feel about the war. I went on to tell her that I believe that the people over here in America don?t want to open their eyes to the war. Our young boy?s and girls are putting their life?s everyday on the line and making life and death decisions. I went on to tell her about the piece of email from my friend I read. There was this young soldier in his twenty?s over in Iraq. He was a driver of a tank. One day he and his tank crew were taking a break. While he was taking a break inside his tank, he notices children playing outside the tank. From out of nowhere a man threw a grenade inside the tank. The young soldier could have tossed the grenade out of the tank, but he chose not to kill the innocent kids. He took the grenade with his hand and put it into a box inside the tank and held onto it. When the grenade blew up it injured him really bad, he died later on that day. When I said this, the lady, she was very silent and didn?t say anything to me in response. I think she finally had a taste of reality of what our young men and women are living everyday over there.

 

[Mayhem Death]

Most people around me are the same way Kentucky. They do not understand, probably don't want to either. It is understanable that they don't want to see the ugly side of the world, but it is sad that they don't even give two craps about it...

 

[druidsd]

Kentucky, this is just human nature, something that does not affect your life in one way or another does not concern you, unless you are close to the problem. The same way new yorkers feels about 9/11, Californians will not feel the same way.

We only care about what happens around us, Like World War 2 affected the whole world, small battles like Iraq, Korea, and Afghanistan do not affect our daily lives so it is overlooked. This is just the way we are, some people care about others, Others well, "Ignorance is Bliss."

 

[Dutchoper72]

people seem to be buttholes most of the time about it. The thing that is sad the most is we got attacked and people oppose the war. The only way people will truly understand is if the war was to be taken place in America.

 

[Pensive]

I would never degrade or troops though sometimes I do not wish to talk about the wars for various reasons including my believing that in some instances like Iraq, we had no reason to send our young people in to harms way in that country. The reasons given for that war were false and it saddens me to know that we have people there dying all the time for a war based on lies. I think their lives are worth more than that and that they should only be involved in wars that have valid justification. In the beginning it was to be a war to fight terrorism and I believe this could have been done best with a non-militant approach. We should have used CIA, and NSA resources and went after the high ranking terrorists. As it is we haven't caught or brought to justice the people we said we were going after. I also think we need to teach in our classrooms more about the rest of the world. The general America Is The Greatest Nation Of The World crap we feed our children is why the rest of the world looks on us with contempt. We teach many lies to make this nation look more humble than it is. We don't teach of Christopher Columbus who's real name is Crist?bal Col?n and how he destroyed the lives of indigenous peoples of the Caribbean islands and how when he didn't find gold at first he instead sent native Americans as slaves back to Europe. Or, even how his entire discovery was a blunder and a failure. We also teach that he discovered the world was round and not that 2000 years BEFORE he was born that in 570 BC Pythagoras made the hypothesis and that after that time no Greek person believed the world to be flat. Washington was not our first first president and the cheery tree tale is just that a tale, a myth, a lie. And, Washington and several other presidents owned slaves. Or, that Europe abolished slavery long before the us and had vigilant efforts to stop our slave trade. How bout that IBM helped to fund the Germans in world war II. It is fair to say that we teach so many lies in our schools that it is no wonder the rest of the world has a distaste for us. Basically what I am saying is I honor our troops but not our politics and education.

 

[KentuckyGhost]

Most people around me are the same way Kentucky. They do not understand, probably don't want to either. It is understanable that they don't want to see the ugly side of the world, but it is sad that they don't even give two craps about it...

Kentucky, this is just human nature, something that does not affect your life in one way or another does not concern you, unless you are close to the problem. The same way new yorkers feels about 9/11, Californians will not feel the same way.

We only care about what happens around us, Like World War 2 affected the whole world, small battles like Iraq, Korea, and Afghanistan do not affect our daily lives so it is overlooked. This is just the way we are, some people care about others, Others well, "Ignorance is Bliss."

people seem to be buttholes most of the time about it. The thing that is sad the most is we got attacked and people oppose the war. The only way people will truly understand is if the war was to be taken place in America.

I would never degrade or troops though sometimes I do not wish to talk about the wars for various reasons including my believing that in some instances like Iraq, we had no reason to send our young people in to harms way in that country. The reasons given for that war were false and it saddens me to know that we have people there dying all the time for a war based on lies. I think their lives are worth more than that and that they should only be involved in wars that have valid justification. In the beginning it was to be a war to fight terrorism and I believe this could have been done best with a non-militant approach. We should have used CIA, and NSA resources and went after the high ranking terrorists. As it is we haven't caught or brought to justice the people we said we were going after. I also think we need to teach in our classrooms more about the rest of the world. The general America Is The Greatest Nation Of The World crap we feed our children is why the rest of the world looks on us with contempt. We teach many lies to make this nation look more humble than it is. We don't teach of Christopher Columbus who's real name is Crist?bal Col?n and how he destroyed the lives of indigenous peoples of the Caribbean islands and how when he didn't find gold at first he instead sent native Americans as slaves back to Europe. Or, even how his entire discovery was a blunder and a failure. We also teach that he discovered the world was round and not that 2000 years BEFORE he was born that in 570 BC Pythagoras made the hypothesis and that after that time no Greek person believed the world to be flat. Washington was not our first first president and the cheery tree tale is just that a tale, a myth, a lie. And, Washington and several other presidents owned slaves. Or, that Europe abolished slavery long before the us and had vigilant efforts to stop our slave trade. How bout that IBM helped to fund the Germans in world war II. It is fair to say that we teach so many lies in our schools that it is no wonder the rest of the world has a distaste for us. Basically what I am saying is I honor our troops but not our politics and education.

Thank You guys great imput, especially Pensive well written.

Myself I go to work everyday with a open mine. I love this country, I may not agree with all things, but I would fight for her always!

Thanks for you all for your imput **Salute**

 

[Post-Its]

I served 5 years in the navy and before I joined I did not care to much about the state of our country. But when 9/11 happened it opened my eyes to the rest of the world and my little pei e of earth and to me seeing another contry come on our land and kill thousands was not going to be tolerated by me I decided I was going to serve in the 10th grade and did what ever it took to help. After my first deployment and Coming home to the parade and parties it made me feel like a hero for the first time in my life. I know alot of people think that we went thier for other reasons but you all have to realize we do what we are told. in the navy I loaded bombs on jets to support the troops on the ground and to take out terriost in buildings it was things that had to be done retaliation had to be done for 9/11 anyone who says we didn't is delusional. And I ask if someone killed your family with you not want payback

 

[Latros]

I love this country more than I usually show. I do not always agree with our leadership or our policies. I am also down right disgusted at how we can treat each other sometimes (but I am also deeply touched with how well we can treat each other as well.) However, I would fight for this country to my last breath. I have many friends who have done their time in Iraq and Afghanistan, from marine infanrymen to intelligence officers, it was them who persuaded me to become an EMT and a firefighter first before I decide to enlist. So it puts many of us in strange situation. I only want the best for our country, its men and women in the military, and its citizens and I hate to see brave indivuduals go to waste. These are conflicting times and not too much in this world is simple.

 

[DEPUTYDAWG8025]

I will say a great observation Kentucky. But, its that shelter that the protected have that keeps this country sane! There is a saying I used allot while i was in the my tour of civil duty. "Freedom has a taste the protected will never know." Yes people should know what is going on but at the same time they only need to know so much. Some people can only handle so much of the truth of what is going on in this so called war. Sorry bout the rant. Im going to stop before i get going on something i shouldn't

 

[KentuckyGhost]

I will say a great observation Kentucky. But, its that shelter that the protected have that keeps this country sane! There is a saying I used allot while i was in the my tour of civil duty. "Freedom has a taste the protected will never know." Yes people should know what is going on but at the same time they only need to know so much. Some people can only handle so much of the truth of what is going on in this so called war. Sorry bout the rant. Im going to stop before i get going on something i shouldn't

Thanks for your imput; I understand Sir. 22yrs plus and 4 tours.

Once again thanks. I just had to rant about what happen that day, the whole day went downhill. But we can only take day by day.

 

[Panzer1509]

I now started realizing something... (even tho im not from the states)

The boys that went to nam got their ass burned off, they experienced a tough war. And what did they get for it? Nothing, no heroes welcome home, everyone saw them as criminals and murderes, and who are they to tell? Their brothers didn't die around them, their buddies weren't lying on the ground, screaming and their friends have not been shell shocked. ( I mean no offense in this post)

On the other hand, im curious what weapon you used in your time of service (kentucky)

- Panzer

PS: I watched rambo alot in my youth

 

[KentuckyGhost]

I now started realizing something... (even tho im not from the states)

The boys that went to nam got their ass burned off, they experienced a tough war. And what did they get for it? Nothing, no heroes welcome home, everyone saw them as criminals and murderes, and who are they to tell? Their brothers didn't die around them, their buddies weren't lying on the ground, screaming and their friends have not been shell shocked. ( I mean no offense in this post)

On the other hand, im curious what weapon you used in your time of service (kentucky)

- Panzer

PS: I watched rambo alot in my youth

Thank you for your post Sir. No offense taken Sir.

Well, what weapon I use:glare: Well Panzer I spent half my life in the Army.
About 3 years of my life after I completed training I was with S-2 Military psyops,
then I transfer to 101st Combat Aviation Brigade with 159th 5th Battalion

Assign and 67 U crew chief

Weapon of Choice M60 Delta

When I wasn't flying I help out on Patrols and Special Mission snatch and grab, I carry M4 with grenade Launcher

Thank you for asking, I been retired for over 8 years now, I still now and then if needed go down to Fort Campbell with my friends to Blow crap up and train Troops we play the Bad guys :thumbup: