Having been in the Army myself I somewhat perplexed by the range of emotions in the service today. We have an "all volunteer armed forces".. Don't read this wrong. Just concider it.

I think alot of young kids got duped into joining the armed forces because of the " shock and awe " method of combat that had been used in Iraq. In the first Gulf war, there was little or no ground combat at all. large numbers of Army and Marine forces were sent over and never saw a shot fired. Instead of sticking around and becoming nothing more than targets, they pulled out and left. It was a candy cruise.

I don't think the kids who are in the service now, thought for a second they would be placed in the situation they are in. Its a lot different than the others before them. In the Nam era, the armed forces involved were vastly kids who got jerked out of their lives by the draft.. fight or jail, was the decision they had to make. That war was fought on the backs of the poor and middle class without their consent or willingness to participate. The current armed forces are 100 % people who asked to be in the service, and all that it implys.

I really wonder how history is going to treat this whole deal. These guys there now should not be, they know it, we know it, yet its a oath they took right up front. I feel bad for them. I just am hoping our politicians can pull their heads out of their asses and get out of there and let them do each other like they always have. Problem is, top military brass are pushing hard for more troops.. not the American public.