Some things to think about after the 2,000th American death in Iraq

I guess its about time that I added my 2 cents to the news of the last couple of days. It has happened, we have now lost our 2,000th soldier in Iraq. I feel for the families of all of those soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen that have lost their lives or had them forever changed.

Mine was forever changed the day I left my family for 13 months, that's 13 months that I will never get back with my 70 year old parents, my beautiful wife or my 9 year old son. I am forever changed by the events of my time in Baghdad and the things that I have seen. Some may say that I lost a year, I say that I lived for that year.

There are children and families in Iraq that are able to vote, to choose their own future because of what my brothers in arms and I have done. Do not make this political, do not try to divide our country as it was during Viet Nam. What we are doing is just, it is necessary and it should have been done a long time ago.

Do not cry for our service men and women, hold them high for what they are doing. Keep them close to your hearts and offer them thanks. If we were afraid to pay the price to spread freedom and democracy the French, Belgians, English and most of Europe would be called Germans. China and the far east would be a part of Japan. We didn't stop because it was hard or we had lost too many people during that struggle, we continued to fight the good fight and we made the world a better place. Germany and Japan were about as much of a threat to us back then as Iraq or any other "enemy" of our is now.

According to the D-Day Museum, we suffered 1,465 killed in action during the Normandy landings. On Iwo Jima during the 36 day battle for the island we lost 6,000 American soldiers.
During the Civil War at a place called "Little Round Top" the armies of the north and the south suffered 51,000 casualties during fighting that lasted only 3 days.

Freedom is not free, it is bought and paid for by the people that have the will to leave their homes and their families, to go and knowingly put them selves at risk not only to protect their current family but to protect future generations. To offer a future not only to Americans but to every person on this planet.

Today you hurt for the loss of a loved one either dead or far away, do not cry for them, support them and help to keep the memory of their deeds alive for future generations to look back on so that they may decide if it was just or not.


Technorati Tags : Iraq, Baghdad, War on Terror, OIF, Army, Military, Navy, Marines

New Link Exchange Program for blogs and retail sites

Everything Below Retail is offering a new link exchange program for your blog or retail web site. Right now it is set up for outdoor related blogs, sporting good and automotive sites but I bet if you ask for a new category one will be added for you. Get the full story over at the EBR Blog

Technorati Tags : links, retail, blogs, blogging, marketing, traffic

Response to comments from my last post

This post is for the person that left the long winded comment in my last post about the uninformed. Click here to read the comment.

I am educated and so are my men. Everybody on my crew has atleast an AA if not a BA, mine is in electrical engineering. We are the highest educated fighting force that America has ever fielded so I can tell that you are far removed from the American soldier. I can tell you what makes a terrorist, poverty like none you have ever seen in America, a lack of hope for tomorrow, a life that isn't a life. That is what I saw when I arrived in Iraq. Have you been there? Have you seen the new look of hope in the faces of the young and old alike? Have you seen the warm welcome and the thanks that the Iraqi people offer up to the American soldiers? I think not! If you had you would know that we are doing the right thing by offering those people a chance to choose their own life, to be free of a mad man. I don't know where you get your "facts" but maybe you should put your boots on the ground and see for yourself like I have and will do again! Stop swallowing everything that people like Michael Moore are feeding you because it is full of slander, half truths, and utter nonsense.


Technorati Tags : Iraq, Baghdad, War on Terror, OIF, Army, Military