What I can do for my country!

[R.M.GREENMAN2]

First of all, I will start with confirming that I have nothing but the upmost respect of our military and the men and women serving therein. They are doing a job that I myself can't see myself doing.
For one, I injured my back in my 20's after taking a fall while rock climbing. To this day, I feel it if I try to do more that 15 push ups. Sit-ups are no problem, but after watching movies where boot camp scenes are dipicted, I do not believe I would make it through the conditioning.
And for second, something that I realized as I got older is my freezing up when things got stressful. I generally step back and think it out before acting. In war, that could cost me or my fellow soldiers their lives. I could not live with that.

Now, with all due respect to all you soldiers out there, there seems to be an underlining disrespect for those of us that can't or hasn't served in the millitary. I for one believe we can serve this nation in more ways than militarily.

I am a proud citizen of the U.S.A.! What I do for this nation for starters is stay employed. Thereby paying my taxes, which goes to our soldiers and police (ect.) Buys the guns that they use to defend themselves and the tanks.
I do not live off the system and lay around getting fat.
I do a lot of volunteer work for various organizations, keep an eye out for the safty of my neiborhood and my neibors. (Although the Government won't arm me against home grown terrorist such as gang bangers and general low life crack heads)
I vote!
I follow and respect the laws!
Before I loose my train of thought, I really would like not be made to feel like I am less of a man or citizen because I have not served in the military.

Once again, I have nothing but love for you people in uniform. Just remember, we are all part of this country and we all have our crosses to bear, duties to perform, lives to live.

[R.M.GREENMAN2]

First of all, I will start with confirming that I have nothing but the upmost respect of our military and the men and women serving therein. They are doing a job that I myself can't see myself doing.
For one, I injured my back in my 20's after taking a fall while rock climbing. To this day, I feel it if I try to do more that 15 push ups. Sit-ups are no problem, but after watching movies where boot camp scenes are dipicted, I do not believe I would make it through the conditioning.
And for second, something that I realized as I got older is my freezing up when things got stressful. I generally step back and think it out before acting. In war, that could cost me or my fellow soldiers their lives. I could not live with that.

Now, with all due respect to all you soldiers out there, there seems to be an underlining disrespect for those of us that can't or hasn't served in the millitary. I for one believe we can serve this nation in more ways than militarily.

I am a proud citizen of the U.S.A.! What I do for this nation for starters is stay employed. Thereby paying my taxes, which goes to our soldiers and police (ect.) Buys the guns that they use to defend themselves and the tanks.
I do not live off the system and lay around getting fat.
I do a lot of volunteer work for various organizations, keep an eye out for the safty of my neiborhood and my neibors. (Although the Government won't arm me against home grown terrorist such as gang bangers and general low life crack heads)
I vote!
I follow and respect the laws!
Before I loose my train of thought, I really would like not be made to feel like I am less of a man or citizen because I have not served in the military.

Once again, I have nothing but love for you people in uniform. Just remember, we are all part of this country and we all have our crosses to bear, duties to perform, lives to live.

[Guest]

On a similar note those of us who were not in favor of a war with Iraq were made to feel as if we were being unpatriotic, that we didn't support the troops and many told us to leave the country.

I think I supported them by not wanting to see them put their lives on the line for an unproven battle. I am sad that daily some die and all because Bush wanted to be a wartime president so badly that he ignored evidence that didn't match up with his theories and didn't think to verify evidence that did.

If I hear "they are fighting for our country" one more time I think I will explode. We were in no danger from Iraq and still aren't. If anything, the war increased our chances of harm here. They had nothing to do with the plane hijackings and there are other countries out there right now with citizens living under even worse conditions than those did in Iraq that are being ignored by our government.

I support the troops.... I think they should all be back home before another kid falls. Doesn't anyone realize that most of the ones out doing the fighting are barely out of high school? They are still kids in my opinion. Bring them home.

[hm0504]

R.M.Greenman2 wrote:

quote:

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I vote!

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I think this is the first and foremost duty in a democracy and it is absolutely pathetic that only 50% of potential voters vote in federal elections (usually worse for state/provincial or municipal).

For nearly all of us, the actual act of voting is almost as easy as picking up milk at a convenicence store. Yet, I think voter apathy has become one of the greatest dangers to the existence of our democracies (U.S. and Canadian). When you vote, you are keeping democracy alive.

I agree with the Australian law that makes it an offence NOT to vote.

[Guest]

Even though I'm a veteran, I've never been in favor of war. I suppose sometimes it's a necessary evil.

Also, I do not disrespect people who are physically or mentally unable to serve their country in military service. The ones I have no respect for are the ones who refuse to do so when they could. They live here enjoying the benefits of this great country provided by people who made great sacrifices, and then all they do is complain. If everyone refused to go into active service, where would this country be?

[sw1sweendog]

one thing you could do to support the troops in iraq is send a care package,along with some reading material and non perihable snaks[NO CHOCOLATE!!!]put in a short letter explaining your support for them,i know when i was over there nothing put a smile on my face more than getting a letter from a stranger saying thank you.
p.s. any post office can get an address for you,just put any service member

[R.M.GREENMAN2]

I have sent quite a few care packages to the troops, especially when they were sitting in Kuwait bored out of their minds.
A friend of mine was part of the first wave to go into Iraq and some time before the operation began he had wrote me to send him some "Girly Magazines" and some Southern Comfort.
I wrote him back and said,"I thought you weren't allowed to have porn over there, because it was illegal in Kuwait?"
He wrote back and told me that the American base was considered American soil and it was allowed only on base. But he told me to disguise the alcohol in a listerine bottle.
Well, I sent him the stuff, but then the conflict began and when he finnally came back last August, he said he never received it.
I wonder who did get it??

Anyhow, this thread ain't so much as what I can do for the troops, but what I already do for my country outside of military service.

But thanks sw2sweendog, for reminding me that I have a stack of paperbacks to send out there!

[Dan and Janette]

quote:

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Originally posted by sw2sweendog:
[qb] one thing you could do to support the troops in iraq is send a care package,along with some reading material and non perihable snaks[NO CHOCOLATE!!!]put in a short letter explaining your support for them,i know when i was over there nothing put a smile on my face more than getting a letter from a stranger saying thank you.
p.s. any post office can get an address for you,just put any service member [/qb]

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Just wondering why you emphatically stated no chocolate. Spoilage, or is there another reason?

[Qikdraw]

quote:

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Originally posted by Jon-Marc:
[qb]Also, I do not disrespect people who are physically or mentally unable to serve their country in military service. The ones I have no respect for are the ones who refuse to do so when they could. They live here enjoying the benefits of this great country provided by people who made great sacrifices, and then all they do is complain. If everyone refused to go into active service, where would this country be?[/qb]

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I disagree with this. The US military is there so that people can complain. Yes US service people have made great sacrifices, but for the most part that is by choice. If someone joins the military they are voluntarily protecting every US citizen's right to complain. Thats part of a democracy, the voices of many. You don't have to agree with what people say, but if you are a soldier you are a soldier to defend their right to speak their minds.

I do think that the top political positions, President, Vice President, Secretary of Defence, and Secretary of State should all be regular service veterens. National Guard or Reserve would not cut it, unless you've done it full time on a deployment. I realise that this would disqualify a lot of good candidates, but I think that someone who has worked with regular soldiers would not be as quick to send them off to war.

Qikdraw

[nacktman]

The old adage

"I may not agree with what you say/stand for, but I will defend your right to say it/stand for it"

is what those that serve are really saying to all of us. Military service is but one of many ways to serve your country. I understand Jon-Marc's position...felt that way myself and will so again I am sure. He, I and others took a stand to allow me and you that right.

Opinions are like [email protected]*^#les everyone has one. Sometime they do grate on the nerves though.

Serve your country by:
voting, volunteering, learning more, asking questions, searching for truth, etc., but most of all to keep the USA strong defend its citizens and quests even if you despise what they say/stand for because the alternatives would mean the NAZIS and the Stalinist version of Communism really did win the Second World War and the "Cold War" respectively.

[NudeAl]

Greenman I think you are on the right track with the volunteering, voting, etc. I know not everyone can serve in the military. I just feel we have lost the spirit of giving something back to our great society. I mean we don't teach this in civics classes anymore. The pursuit of financial gain is all we care about these days it seems. What about that great Quote by JFK, "Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country." That is patriotism. Giving something back and not expecting a huge financial reward for it. Just doing it to make this a better place.

This is the only reason I would support a draft of some form with lots of alternatives to military service peace corps, job corps, habitat for humanity, Red Cross volunteer. There are many good reasons for this we have a ton of things that we need done community service projects to improve our public places, building trails, planting trees, the list goes on and on. That and the fact that if more politcians had their son or daughter in uniform they might think twice about sending them into harms way.

Of course a draft doesn't mean that the military will fill with a greater cross section of our society than is there now. There will always be ways out for the children of priviledged few. There is a quote from the comedian Howie Mandell who served in Viet Nam when there was a draft. They were on the field at bayonet practice. The drill instructors would shout, "Who are the only two people on the battlefield?" To which the draftees were to respond, "The quick and the dead!" Well when it was Howies turn his reponse was, "The poor and the minorities!" He got a laugh out of them but extra duty to.

[blindmanin99]

I only have enough time to say that the chocolate will melt and the person receiving it will be disappointed that their chocolate melted. It may seem like a minor thing, but it really means something when the sender has put some real thought into the gift. That's simple way to show some support. Out of time here, gotta go.

.)

[nudeM]

I just love the phrase, "Ask not, what your country can do for you, ask, what you can do for your country." John F. Kennedy-------------------------------

Seems like everyday when you pick up the paper, that phrase is beginning to sound more like, "Ask not, what you can do for your country, ask, what your country can do for you." It's almost as if people are becoming more and more dependable on the country looking after them, rather that looking after and helping themselves.

People are expecting the country to come to their aid for just about anything, instead of just working and trying to better themselves. Why work, when all you have to do is just ask for a little hand-out, which will eventually be granted.

All that said, getting back on track, I do not particularly agree with this war, but I will support our troops 100%. Even though I don't agree with many of the policies of this administration (I am pro Bush), I will stand up and defend those policies. I just think it is wrong for the politicians to treat this war as a political ploy. Those who constantly attack the President should stand up and side with him, at least on the war.

Like it or not, we are all in this together with one goal in mind, and that is to get the troops home in one piece. War is supposed to bring a country together, but instead, this war has deteriorated this country, and "the other side" has tried it's best to make sure that it stays that way, just for political leverage. And please, don't get me started on the media and it's coverage of the war. I'll spend all day here.

Nice, but interesting subject.

[sw1sweendog]

dan and janette,chocolate does'nt hold up very well when the temp hits 135+and it tends to get on everything else in the box.

[Sol-Searcher]

When I went to Viet Nam, my aunt and uncle sent me a care package. She enclosed some loose candy, a letter, and a carton of cigarettes. the candy had melted on everything, and I still have not been able to read the letter, but I know they sent it because they loved me. Little did they know that the Army gave me a sundry pack every 10 days that included all that, but it was special to me, and made me feel appreciated. Send what you can, do all you can do, someone will apprecaite it. The troops in Afghanistan are having problems getting cigarettes, if you want to help, send them some.

Your friend,
Randy