Even though you're in the Christmas spirit, have you lost focus on the many soldiers from the US who will lose
952779
I think of our soldiers every day and ask the Creator to keep each and every one of them safe.  They believe in what they are doing and I believe in them!\n\nNEVER FORGET OUR TROOPS ARE STILL AT WAR!
767252
yess christmas is not what it used to be..it is more of a commercial holiday meant for retail stores across the nation to boost their profits
959981
Sometimes I wonder who is more heroic; the soldiers or their families.\n\nI know this is no comfort for you, but it is immutable fact-- without Americans like you and your sons, our nation would fall. The United States of America owes everything to our servicemen (and women) and their families.\n\nAlthough just an infant, I too lost a person as they served our country.  The comparisons between the current conflict in Iraq and the Vietnam War have an especially tangible meaning for me.\n\nI, and millions of other Americans thank God-- everyday-- for people like you and your family.
1174534
I definately feel that the soldiers who protect and serve our country have a better sense of what the word freedom means. The sacrifices that soldiers have endured have allowed them to understand that freedom is not free. None of us civilians could ever come close to knowing exactly what the cost is. We have people that are very opinionated as far as this war goes and seem to have all kinds of bad opinions to throw out there and it just makes me stop and wonder if they gave any thought to what you guys go through on a daily basis. If they did I feel that they would'nt be so quick to run their mouths. You guys are giving 100% of your lives and this is even when you're not in combat. I don't believe that people grasp that. A friend in the guards once told me that when dealing with ignorant comments about our military that I should just come back at them with the question " did you serve your country today or sit on your azz and let someone else do it for you? " . We can watch the news and feel for what you may be enduring over there but none of us can say that we fully understand unless we have been there. In my opinion the only people other than the soldiers that could even come close to understanding is the families who have lost a soldier. I'll never forget a conversation that I had with another friend of mine. He was in Iraq serving as a piolot for the army and I had sent him some pics of a deer that my brother had shot this hunting season and as polite as he could he told me to tell my brother congrats on the nice buck but after being over there and watching so many deaths that he could'nt enjoy hunting anymore because he had earned a new respect for life and death. That even in the case of deer hunting he could never kill one and not think about what he had just taken. Noone sees this side of you guys too often and at that moment I realized just how hard you guys have it ........not just physically but more important emotionally. So my answer to your question would definately be a yes.
206527
you know i was talking to a soldier who was just waiting around in new york to be deployed and at first i was so proud of him,but then i noticed that he did alot of drinking and playing video games and chatting on the internet and roughousing and getting wasted with fellow comrades and little by little i stopped admiring him i saw he really didnt have a life some of the soldiers there were lonely , they were just kids playing around and one good comment he made about the army was that is was a place where adults can act like kids and that really dissapointed me because i took kim seriously at first but i see how people can go crazy in the armed forces because of many reasons and the people that do lose their life it is all for anunjust cause. do i think  they are heroes not the ones sticking guns in peoples faces , butif a slodier is saving a life , yes he is a hero  , but i dont know if they realize they can be heroes to themsleves if only they would step up and grow up because the matter they are in is serious because they never know when their time is up . yes some of them dont always do heroe things or save lives but they did something not any of us could have and you might feel negative because maybe you know this war sucks and the ego games guys play and you dont want to acknlodege the losers the bastards to being heroes . thats understandable..
612060
No, we already LOST.\nLost money\nlost troops\nlost world-wide respect\nlost faith in our president\nlost direction
1152069
to be honest, i don't really celebrate lots of holidays anymore. just been really busy. but i do love this country. i'm even thinking about joining the marines after high school. i think people should know the history of this great country and know why they get july 4 off. well... some poeple still have to work on that day and any other holiday too. but you know what i'm trying to say right? \nfor ex: kids think it's just a day where you can blow up fireworks.\ni used to think like that when i was younger. now that i know some history about this country and others, i'm thankful for the things that i have. \n  SUPPORT OUR TROOPS! U.S.A
863374
Yeah, loads of people don't go home over christmas, get out there and have some fun!
3473
I think it is more important for those troops in Iraq to have positive thinking so that they will have the basic support in their mind to complete their mission...sometime bad news didn't mean there is no good news out there, maybe it just doesn't have that kind of more value than bad news...so bad things may keep happening but good things do keep happening too.\n\nPlus while in the middle of war, there is also no time to think it is right or wrong, as the most important things is we must believe on what we do is right, this is the most basic thing to win a war as who wants to lost a war? once the American troops is inside Iraq, then no one among them will expect they are going to lost will be the correct spirit.
707107
Christmas has branched out from a religious celbration to a secular holiday celbrating winter.  I bet most of the xmas songs sing about Santa and not Jesus.
684119
I have to say other than pay my taxes I have done NOTHING to support the current war effort in Iraq, but have supported it in Afghanistan.  I have friends serving in both locations and I remind them as often as we can email that regardless of how people feel about the wars I will NOT let them return to the "welcome" our vietnam veterans got.  I also discuss (that's right discuss) my views with others who share them and don't share them. I have learned a lot and they have too.\n\n(Remember, supporting our troops who are doing their job is NOT the same as supporting the wars.)
13360
Well yes the Christmas commerical end of it  gets to be overwhelming,,many people its a time of sadness hurt sorrow, and starvation,\nsanata and the reindeer represent the spirit of giving,,,\nits society in retro that pushes all the other buttons ,,\ndont take it out on the spirit of giving he s just an angel sent with a message that people dont see,,\n\ndont let ur self get cought inthe buyin ffrenzy\ngive from the heart not cause u have to\ngive yourself  thats what matters \n\ndont let the spirit die \nfor thru it all its the whole meaning of christmas\nthe day of celebration  of the king of angels
980077
Having been in for 20 years and deployed many times, I can honsetly say that it has to be harder to be left !!  While I was deployed I usualy was kept occupied on the mission at hand, worrying about my soldiers etc...    My wife on the other hand though  had to keep our Household running,  all the bills had to be paid, the kids school and after school activities needed to be met (Taken to and from, all the practices, all the games) etc...  Our household still had to run and she was the one who did it and she had to do it alone most of the times.  Yes the FRG was there to assist and the friends were there to assist also but it was all on her shoulders to keep our household up and running.   I have always said that the role of the Military Spouse has never been properly addressed.  A Good Military Spouse is a rare gem and one that needs to be kept and appreciated (Something that Military Members need to keep in mind).  I thank God for my wife who dealt with the military during our service and all of the deployments.  \n\nThe Military Spouse   \n\nWhen the good Lord was creating military spouses, He was into His sixth day of overtime. \nAn Angel appeared and said, "You're having a lot of trouble on this one. What's wrong with the standard model?" \nThe Lord replied, "Have you ever seen the regulations? It has to be completely independent, must be sponsored to get on base, have the qualities of both mother and father during deployments; Be a perfect hostess to four or 40, handle emergencies without military orders, cope with the flu and move around the world, have a kiss that cures anything from a child's torn valentine to a soldier's weary day, have the patience of a saint when waiting for the unit to return stateside, and have six pairs of soft hands."\nThe Angel shook her head slowly and said, "Six pair of hands? No way!" \nAnd the Lord answered, "Don't worry. We'll make other military spouses to help. Besides, it's not the hands that are causing the problem - it's the heart. It must swell with pride, sustain the ache of separation, beat soundly when it's too tired to do so, be large enough to say 'I understand' when it doesn't, and say 'I love you,' regardless." \n"Lord," said the Angel, touching his sleeve gently, "go to bed. You can finish that tomorrow." \n"I can't," said the Lord. "I'm too close to creating something unique. Already I have one who can heal itself when sick, feed unexpected guests who are stuck in the area due to bad weather, and wave goodbye to its spouse from a pier or runway and understand it's important to the country that the spouse leave." \nThe Angel circled the model of the military spouse very slowly. "It's too soft," she sighed. \n"But tough," the Lord said excitedly. "You cannot imagine what this being can do or endure!" \n"Can it think?" the Angel asked. \n"Can it think? It can convert 1400 to 2 p.m.!" the Lord said. \nFinally, the Angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek. "There's a leak," she pronounced. "I told you that you were trying to put too much into this model." \n"It's not a leak," said the Lord. "It's a tear." \n"What's it for?" asked the Angel. \n"It's for joy, sadness, pain, loneliness and pride," the Lord said. \n"You're a genius," said the Angel. \nThe Lord looked somber and said, "I didn't put it there." \n~Author Unknown
641467
buddy i am a vet, two tours in iraq. and i want to thank you for saying such a good american thing and having the courage to post it here. i finished my military sevice couple of weeks ago and people like you are the reason we can keep going. even though our wives leave us, we lose most of our money, never get to see our kids born and miss thier birthdays. it helps to know there are still people left that have a love for this nation we serve. its hard to put up with the things we do and most every morning we'd rather stay in bed. thanks for makeing getting up every morning worth something good. my name is sgt curtis wellman, 6 years usmc 3 years us army
370621
That's a really good question. I think that my views would probably change slightly. I think that it would help us in America understand the culture in the other country as well (if the media covering the war were able to capture and interject the daily lives of the natives of that country). This is really a good question to think about. I have friends in the military who are deployed now.\n\n****Wow. It's been six days and no one else thought this was a good question.\nI will expand on my answer at this time. One of my friends recently returned home (from being deployed in Iraq). I asked him to tell me some of the horror stories...After hearing what he went through, I would have to say that I know that my opinion of the war would change if I were able to see what was going on. Some of the things he shared brought tears to my eyes.
983461
I stopped enjoying it as a teenager.  I never have any money and I feel bad when my family gives me expensive gifts.  More than half the family has died, is in a nursing home or has become estranged so it's not the same anymore.  Thinking of the past makes me sad.  Drunk drivers worry me on every holiday.  I start getting stressed before Thanksgiving and it doesn't let up until New Years Day.  I usually wish they'd go away but I also wish I could just relax and enjoy them. - Oh yeah, I think about suicide (seriously) every time I see a Christmas related commercial/program on TV.
1059070
The U.S. is sort of in a bind in that it can't really win (the way we originally thought a win should look like) and we can't really leave (and have it look like we made mistake), so instead we'll phase out our troop levels over a period of years (10?) and continue to reassure the public that the Iraq government is able to handle things themselves and we're no longer needed, and it's anyone's guess how we'll explain the ongoing vioence.  How sad though for the families of fallen soldiers who may not see the ultimate worth in their sacrifices.