Michael's Dispatches

Insightful from the perspective of a MedeVac Crew Member headed to the battlefield. I'm a former MedeVac Pilot, but did not fly in combat, but did serve in a MAST Unit with the same conviction that you have - I was there to save lives.

Regardless of the bigger picture you will make a difference in the lives of all that you come into contact with in the line of duty. It has to start somewhere and starting with just one Afghan person that you are able to save will influence their life and hopefully the lives of those around them.

Thank you for your service! Be safe and know that there are many people praying for your safety and that of all of our soldiers serving today. Remember that these people have not lived with a true government and society as we know it, but lived in a world of tribes continually fighting amongst themselves. No foreign military has every been able to concur and take over Afghanistan as a whole throughout history let alone establish a democracy of the people. I believe that it is a foreign concept to them and not one they readily understand or even want.

jredman, when you go you go with our prayers before you, and our strong belief in you and what you will accomplish. As the mother of a combat soldier, I confess that I want this war to end, and I grow tired and disillusioned with it all, having seen far too many of our nations finest give their lives, and countless others their limbs. I fear for my son as any mother would...but never once have I wavered in my support of those of you who go, nor will I. May God bless and keep you safe, and thank you so much for what you do. My own son will be there at the same time as you. God speed to you and to him.

[quote name="David Parsons"]Exactly right. We should never have flooded Afghanistan with American soldiers. The light footprint, heavy air bombardment was the perfect solution for that place. After sending so many soldiers for so many years, we've lost some of the fear factor that said "don't mess with the Americans"[/quote]

Dear David,

Actually we should have done the opposite in 2001/2002 when there was a short time span window to destroy both the Afghan-Taliban Leaderships (ie above all to kill Mullah Omar who had put on Mohammedan's cloak in Kabul in 2000 making him in the people's eyes Allah's viceroy in Afghanistan) and al-Qeada. Operation Anaconda was the most critical time period (read NOT A GOOD DAY TO DIE!). But Rumsfeld kept interfering, not releasing that on Ranger battalion stationed north of Afghanistan as asked for by the CIA and not allowing the 101st to bring its artillery. And as a result they escaped giving the Muslim World the impression that Allah was on their side. In counter insurgency if you hear "To little, to late." it is always a bad sign.

Also the American pubic needs to remember two sayings from Asia:

* "In war take the last step before taking the first step."

* "To kill is easy. To unkill is impossible."

Last the American people need to grow up when it comes to war. Bumper stickers and flags taped in windows are no enough. Anyone after 9/11 that tried to warn them and asked them to just look at a map and do some reading on Afghanistan and Muslims were condemned as defeatists and lacking in patriotism. And no war taxes I knew would come back to haunt us just as it did in the War of 1812.

Jack E. Hammond

So any criticism of the neocons is antisemitism? Your's is the kind of response that will shed more American blood.
Fear of Muslims? Hardly. Your's is the fear of truth however. Your comment is pure projection.

Hold on there. DP!! I am stunned by your statements -positing them as facts- are you? And what pray tell did you use as your historical [or practical] reference for these mind farts?
My husbands been all over the middle east.SINCE 2004!!!! and guess what?? WE ARE LITERALLY PROTECTING THE TREATIED "RESOURCES" and thats our ONLY "military interest!" We are there to protect mega conglomerate interests in RARE EARTH AND OIL-PERIOD!!!! I can tell you personally and directly, my husband IS GRATEFUL he gets to help SOME...But he absolutely despises the arrogant whiney PRO WAR ignorance expressed so eagerly by folks like you -especially the armchair QBs! PLease explain to me why you think we should remain in this Lie of a Forever War! As a wife and mother with both son and husband "walking the talk" I can say THIS WAR WAS PERPETRATED ON LIES & PROFITS the few!! The criminal and despicable actions were initiated by Congress and the White House -and revenge obsessed American public! Who by the way can sit and claim they support but dont lift a finger! How many care packages have you sent ? PTSD suicide prevention? Nah! Didnt think so!
Shame that all of you who spew "lets kill em all!" arent mustered in and drafted! I wished someone would grow some gonads and institute a full on draft! THEN we'd see a different picture! NO BODY Most especially those frakking carpetbaggers in Congress would be spewing pro war sentiment then I'll wager!
My husband gets searched, patted down and dosed with excess radiation everytime he comes home by the TSA! He is treated like a criminal in his own country! Yet over there? They are still "TSA tyranny free" -so please tell me again- what and WHO are THE US soldiers fighting for? BRING THEM ALL HOME! NOW!! PLEASE! So we can fix our own VERY BROKEN house!

I think he might be making a historical reference to the Atilla the Hun or Genghis Khan or whatever his name was that kind of pushed the Crusades back (Rome?)...Been many years since I had a history lesson, but I think the writer was basically reminding us who was the last nation that conquered Afghanistan? And the last time that region/culture decided to expand their borders they did alot of conquering...

[quote name="okiquit"]The South Vietnamese betrayed themselves by running a completely corrupt government and a military led by men who didn't give a damn for their country as long as they could steal, steal, steal.

We gave the South Vietnamese 12 years, 58,000 lives, 300,000 wounded and hundreds of billions of dollars. But clowns like you say, "If only!"

If only we had spent another 10,000 lives ... another five years ... another $100 billion ... THEN we would have seen democracy and capitalism replace tyranny and corruption in South Vietnam![/quote]

Are you ok okiquit? Your numbers mean absolutely nothing to me and mean nothing with respect to freedom. You knew Vietnamese during the War did you? YOu slept in their villages, did you, as I did, protected by them? You spoke with Vietnamese citizens and found out why they fled North Vietnam did you, as I did? You spoke Vietnamese, as I did, did you? You taught English to the Vietnamese in Hue City in 1970, did you, as I did? You served with the 3rd Marines, 101st ABN and 1st of the 5th ID, as I did, did you? You are not a clown, okiquit, just an angry ignorant bitter man...I suppose you would not have gone to Korea for the South Koreans, would you?