Wednesday

bring. them. home...NOW

A brave Marine and his fiance BEFORE HIS DEPLOYMENT.

And after he came home, THEIR WEDDING PHOTO.

Bring them home, now.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

OMG!This is soooo sad.She looks like she is in absolute shock.The poor kids...

Anonymous said...

I can understand your personal feelings towards a soldier and not wanting him to go away and die, but, let's be frank: in the US nobody forces you to be a soldier; if you CHOOSE to be one, it's expectable that you'll have to go away, fight, kill and die... that's what soldiers are for, isn't it? It's a whole different matter when there's a draft, and when there's a draft and you get legally killed by your state if you dodge it...

Marta from Lisbon

Anonymous said...

o mercy

Anonymous said...

It's easy to say shit on the internet, but would you say that to his face? To his wife's face? To his KID'S face?

- Steve K.

Anonymous said...

This is just one example of the horrors of war.However,instead of focusing on bringing our soldiers home,our energy might be better spent by seeing that our soldiers have the very best healthcare once they get home.My family members are retired military and it really annoys me when people whith fluffy little lives(that have no real life experience with the military)protest war but do nothing to support the people that served their country when and if they come home.The job is not finished when there is an end to any war.

Anonymous said...

However,instead of focusing on bringing our soldiers home,our energy might be better spent by seeing that our soldiers have the very best healthcare once they get home.

So why can't we do both?

p.s. My dad spent 35 years in the Army trying to the best of his ability to see that soldiers got the very best healthcare once they got home.

-- Steve K.

Anonymous said...

Yes,I agree.Enough is enough.However,some people do alot of talking about ending the war but do nothing other than protest war because it might be the cool thing to say or do (which is so not cool!)There will inevitably be an end to this war,but where are all the protesters after the war?Have you ever seen them protesting for better healthcare for soldiers?

Anonymous said...

And let's be honest..even if we *end* the war in Iraq the troops will still be deployed there. I work with a guy who spent a year in Afghanistan and then a year in Iraq (Marine) and he says that there are as many troops still deployed in Afghanistan as when we first deployed there way back when.

Also, to Marta from Lisbon: Yes, you sign up to fight for your country but we have overstretched our volunteer army. Their deployments are being extended, re-issued and not to mention the fact that they are coming home to inadequate healthcare which is a real disgrace to America and a real heartbreak to the families.

Anonymous said...

Like it or not, we're involved in this war. We can't just yank the soldiers out of there. Our country decided to go over and help "liberate" the Middle East, and it can't pull out in the middle of it. But instead of just leaving our guys (and ladies) languishing over there with no idea of what's going on or when it will end, we need to set a plan and be done with it. And then we need to make sure our vets get the care, honor, and respect they all deserve.

Anonymous said...

To Steve K:
Marta makes a valid point. Too bad somebody didn't tell that 'shit' to the kid before they brainwashed him into signing up for the Marine Corps. They don't show wounded Marines in their commercials for a reason.

To Marta:
It's a 'volunteer' army but mainly made up of people who have few other job prospects. So it's the Army or a dead-end job at Wal-mart. And how much free 'choice' can a kid of 18 make when he's grown up on macho bullshit? 'Real' men fight and die for their country, blah blah blah.

Anonymous said...

As I said before,people with fluffy lives with no investment are annoying.They have no clue.You cannot just pull everybody out immediately.It's not a game where you can quit,take your ball and go home.Instead of alot of talk about ending the war we should put more energy into what we are going to do NOW to take care of our soldiers when they get home.We know that our soldiers are coming home hurt and maimed on a daily basis and we know that they are coming home now.Maybe it's easier for people to sit back and complain about the ugliness and inequity of war instead of doing something to help our fallen warriors(whether they were "brainwashed" into wanting to protect our country or God forbid,they love their country enough to want to protect those of us that just take all that they can get from our country) :) jcb

Anonymous said...

Whose 'fluffy lives with no investment' are you talking about?

and who do you think it is that 'just take all that they can get from our country?'

Anonymous said...

To all the anonymous posters, specially to the one answering Steve K and I:

Don't get me wrong. I'm tottally NOT into the macho culture of war and fighting for your country blah blah blah. Yes, I am aware that a lot of young American soldiers are volunteering because their expectations at home are, to say the least, very limited. And yes, I also support the idea that once the State engages young men and women at its service, it should repay them accordingly, with dignity and justice.
And, finally, I think the whole war in Afghanistan and in Iraq is wrong because it is being fought under false pretences and leading to gruelsome consequences, both amongst American soldiers and the local populations. It is being sold as a patriotic war but I guess only in the US will you be led to think that way. And do not come to me with all your "You decadent, cowardly Europeans!" because in this instance your government is very much alone now in the whole world, Europe and beyond, after all the lies and misinformation it has produced to justify the war (sp Iraq's) in the first place.

My father fought in the 60s in our colonial war in Mozambique, so I know what I'm talking about when I talk about a draft army. My father and his age cohort had only three options to avoid being sent to Africa for 2 to 3 years (yes, that is true!): flee the country undercover; refuse to flee the country and refuse to go to war - being therefore sent to languish in jail for god knows how long; or go to the war. My father did the latter because the 1st option was only opened for those with connections and a certain economic standard. The 2nd option was suicide.
We were then living under a dictatorship. Like the Iraqi soldiers, or the Taliban soldiers. There was really no choice.
But you, you have a choice. I don't understand why the anti-war movement does not organize a massive no-more-soldiers movement in the present situation. Maybe those poor, illiterate young Americans would think twice and choose to stay home, even if working at Wal Mart...

Marta from Lisbon

Anonymous said...

katie i want to share this with some friends.how do i find the link?
thanks

Anonymous said...

talk about emotionalism!!!! If fighting for freedom is what we are doing and its the right thing to do then this guy is a hero. What you are saying is that if there is great personal cost to someone then they should just worry about their own heinie coverage and not do anything that might get them hurt, no matter how heroic and right it is. This guys injuries have NO bearing whatsover on whether we belong over there. People have been gravely injured in every war. You live in the south. I am sure you learned your civil war history and how they sawed off arms and legs without anesthesia. Would it be better if that war was never fought simply so soldiers could avoid pain and suffering?
Now if you believe philosophically that war is never ever ever appropriate or if you believe that in this case this particular was is not "just cause", then that is a totally different matter. However emotional appeals about soldiers injuries are a pretty low blow. You might as well show a picture of a cop with his face blown off to convince us all that the police force is evil for recruiting and that we would be better off without law enforcement. Ditto for firemen. Ever seen those guys injuries? Guess we shouldn't have a fire department and we should just let everyone fend for themselves since these guys get hurt doing their jobs, eh?

Anonymous said...

The biggest problem with current wars is that war technology (the ability to hurt someone) and medical technology (the ability to save someone) are too equally matched. The other bigger problem is that politicians, who start wars, are disconnected from the wars and the people they ask to fight them. I don't think it's right for any country to go to war unless the people who want the war sign themselves and/or their childen up for the front line.

Anonymous said...

you know, these are very very real issues. In the past, such as say the civil war, anyone that was too seriously injured died, if not immediately then ultimately from infection within a certain time. However discussing these issues is far more intelligent than a knee jerk emotionalism inducing picture. I believe I saw the original article about this guy in People and if my memory serves me correctly I do not remember the piece being used to justify a particular political opinion. Nor do I remember either him or his wife voicing anything about whether he should have been over there or not. To use this man to push your own political agenda, which could in fact be the exact opposite of his own is a very very cheap shot and minimizes the suffering that he and his family have endured.

Katharine O'Moore-Klopf said...

I am so sad for this young man and his wife. There is absolutely no reason for the U.S. to be occupying Iraq. All of the American soldiers and the Iraqis who have died have died in vain. What a waste for everyone.

Anonymous said...

mm yeah Katharine. I looked at your website and despite your most non humble claims to be the fount of wisdom....you're not. On so many issues.

Anonymous said...

Those men and women never die in vain. They die fighting for their country or something they believe in. The deaths and injuries are terrible and saddening, but how dare you degrade them by saying everything they've gone through is in vain? If you don't believe in the war (I certainly don't), then that's one thing. But these soldiers put their lives on the line to try and make a difference. Don't take that away from them.