Are you a soldier that's been to Iraq?  Please answer this question.?
966686
I'm here in Taji right now and I can honestly tell you it doesnt matter, send anything that come to mind, receiving anything in the mail is the perfect gift, just to know someone is thinking about you and cares. To go with your follow up, its always awesome for you to send extras of whatever or at least two, because typically you live two to a room over here, and you dont know if that person is gonna receieve anything or not. Much better to brighten two soldiers day instead of one........sidenote- if your friends a smoker, cigarettes are always the best gift one could ask for,....wait no, a smuggling of alcohol is even better, Listerine bottles filled with Crown Royal work wonderfully.
254880
hi. i know that this is totally irrelevant to the question. but i was reading the question about any soldiers out there and you said you were an ex-solider. so i would just like to thank you and tell you i admire you
194479
NO. I have friends and family who are in Iraq in the military and my father in law just got back from Iraq as a civilian bomb dog handler. Each of them has told me how saddened and sickened they are by the media portrayal of only negative things from the war. Each of them has told me about how they can see positive changes in Iraq and how much better the living conditions are over there now and how they have started schools and brought order back in many places. I don't think that is a waste of time. It is hard for us who have people we love over there and I am sure we would like to see them all come home safely and not have to be at war -- but the efforts made my our troops in Iraq are not a waste of time.
1066659
What a great question... I love how it is worded.... you pretty much got what I thought you would in terms of answers though.  \n\nI am in Iraq now as a civilian contractor after my 3rd recall since 9/11.  After my stint in Kuwait I joined the civilian team and am glad I did.\n\nHUMANIST.... I AM HERE AND HAVE BEEN AS MILITARY AND A CIVILIAN, I AM NOT TOO SCARED TO BE HERE AND I BROUGHT MY LAPTOP WITH ME.... NOW SHUT UP OR JOIN THE EFFORT.
696932
One of our local National Guard units is getting ready for their third deployment to Iraq.  This unit has not volunteered for redeployment...they have been ordered.  I think if you do some research, you will find that Guard and Reserve units are being ordered back to the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan more than once, and they aren't raising their hands saying, "Send me, send me".  These are men with jobs and families, and they didn't sign up to be permanent active duty.
124809
Desert Shadow - I am the son of a Nam Vet.  My Dad served in the Navy.  He was stationed in De Nang.  My co-worker is retired army who was in Nam.  I love to hear his war stories but they are very gut wrenching.  He was on officer in Tactical Zone II with Black Ops & MIKE forces.  The operations & recons that he went on, I hate to say it are like movie scripts to me.  Shadow, you guys had your hands tied by the idiots in Washington, but I support all military troops & the war they fought (and are fighting)!  Sincerely - THANK YOU for your service!!
561295
i have.  26Th MEU.  we patrolled the Mediterranean.  helped out a bit in Bosnia back in 1995. we were part of the IFOR.  I loved it. I loved being a Marine.  wish i would have stayed.
943104
you would be better served to inquire of any of the men he served with.you may or may not get accurate answers on here.\nfailing that ,if you can find anyone who was a grunt and spent time in the bush,you will get a general idea of what it was like.\nwar is war and only the location and times change.\nask any combat vet you can find and the experiences will be similiar.
1018552
I was in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm.  It was bleak.  After the war ended, many, many, many families were left homeless.  We had hundreds of Iraqi soldiers surrendering to us every day, just to get some food.  We helped many Iraqi families flee from Iraq into Saudi Arabia.  The skies black from all of the oil fields burning in neighboring Kuwait.  I lost a good friend there.
703789
My little brother serves in the military.  I am proud of my little brother.  He has had to serve in Iraq for nearly one year.  He had to leave his new wife pregnant w/his child to go.  He did not get to see the birth of his first baby girl.\n\nDid he want to?  No.  He did it because it was his duty to protect his country and those of us who live here. \n\nHe wasn't the same when he came back  from war.  I do not know if it was because he had to kill people or if he just say so much death (he never has told me).\n\nBut I asked him if he would go back again.\n\nHe told me that he spent weeks without a shower; sand filling every orifice in his body.  He would go six days at time without sleep.  He rarely got to talk to anyone outside of his fellow soldiers.  He smoked nearly a carton of cigarettes per day.  Their water bottles would get so hot they would put them in socks , dampen them, and tie them to the outside of their truck so they would cool off enough to drink.  They would set their food in the window of their trucks to cook.\n\nBut he said, yes I would.\n\nWhy?\n\nBecause the people over there are grateful for us coming to help them out.  You see so little of it in the media.  \n\nSo if you have a problem with the leadership of this country get into politics.\n\nIf you have a problems with military policy, go demonstrate.\n\nIf you want to change the policy, go join and become a general.\n\nIf you want to disparage and degrade the men who serve this great nation because it is there duty, go to hell!
716225
Well some people are more familiar with the Iraq. I for one am familiar with Iraq's history because my parents were born there and am Assyrian. Soldiers that serve in Iraq begin to appreciate the history others have learned about. Making their respect for Iraq's (Mesopotamia) history tangible.
730331
I really appreciate your sentiment for it is what we were all brought up to believe is good about this country.  But may  I suggest that this is not a war.  It is an occupation by the United States of another country.  We were told that the people of Iraq were being held in oppression by the horrible dictator Saddam Hussein, and that they would be throwing flowers at our troops for setting them free, we would be welcomed with open arms.  Why do you suppose we have had to stay for three years, fighting door to door with citizens who desperately wanted us to enter their country and set them free?  If our policy was so concerned about their human rights, why are they fighting us to the death?  I offer this thought for discussion, for it sounds to me like we were not told the truth about what we are doing there, and the Iraqi people have made it very clear with the sacrifice of the own blood, that they do not like what we are doing?  If we were oppressed by a dictator and someone came in to set us free out of the goodness of their heart, would we fight them door to door for doing so?  I think not.
1006059
It is a shame that people are dying.  But the soldiers are in Iraq to try to better the lives of the Iraqi people as a whole.  I don't agree with war, but I also don't agree with oppression or dictatorships.  So it has me upset in more ways than one.  I do not want anymore people to get hurt, but what about all those that died under Hussein's regime?  One of those soldiers were from close to where I live...he was from Springfield, MA.  It does feel like it is never going to end.  I support the soldiers, for I know that they are doing their job, and it must be hell for them.  So I am a torn soul when it comes to this war.  I hope that the people involved are safe and no more harm comes to them...I can HOPE.
1015068
As a soldier, I am getting sick of not seeing my spouse. We have been seperated for 14 months. We both serve - him in Afghanistan and myself to Iraq. That being said, being in Iraq and seeing it first hand, I know that we cannot pull troops out of Iraq until stability is reached and the Iraqi government can sustain themselves. Unfortunately this will take years.
818101
I think i know what you went through!..I spent 7 years in the Australian army, and did 3 tours to Vietnam!..Where i was then blown up 4 times by the Americans!..{mind you, they didn't discriminate, they blew each other up as well!}..But after 'demob' i found civilian life very difficult to fit back into!..I survived by going to university and getting a degree in Geology!..But i still found it hard to tolerate the odd thinking of civilians, did you notice that you didn't seem to fit in?..I wonder if this was just paranoia or what?..Many Vietvets just didn't handle it at all!..a lot went "bush" many commit ed suicide, others went insane!.Moving from one world into another so suddenly has to have some sort of effect on the unprepared mind, and i bet you were never prepared by the Army for it were you?.
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.
619209
i tell you what why dont you ask my 14 dead freinds that i had to helpload in the back of humvess after they were blown to shreds by car bombs and roadside bombs or how about asking my two buddies that are laying up in walter reed hospital in maryland without arms and legs .just how dangerous and violent iraq is then post a question about when we are going to get to come home . we have been over there twice now and its only getting worse and each time we lose more people than the last time .