I’ll probably upset more than a few folks here, although my intentions certainly lean in the opposite direction.
Before reading any further, please take the time to digest the fact that I, with one heck of a lot of other people, spent a bit of time in a very bad place. The Republic of South Vietnam the ((at least theoretical)) “GOOD GUYS” half of Viet Nam. In fact, I was a bit more dedicated (slow??), than most of that era’s “Volunteers”……..”RA”….Regular Army…. and went, by request, to that Pearl of the Orient, three times. I knew guys who went six or eight times…all voluntarily.
Was I just “Dumb”….I still haven’t figured that out….at the time it was “Patriotic”…..and by damned that IS what I ARE, and will always be….. Doesn’t mean I agree with everything, (for SURE), that our Government, Military, or even a LOT of civilians think or mandate. I like to think that I know right from wrong, can see the gray areas, and am in fact a Free thinker. But it can give you a headache trying to figure out if we should have committed our boys to that one too……..(and yes several of the Administrations at that time….just plain SUCKED)….. but the rational of our being there can give you a headache….if you bother to do more than try to criticize others that is.
Now to the “POINT”:

Ever seen a stack, (or a bunch of stacks), of Body Bags????
It sure doesn’t make you feel good.
Ever think about ending up in one…..(SOON)??????, or KNEW you were gonna be in one in the morning????
Well the last thing I thought about was being shipped Home !!!!!!!!!
In fact I never really knew ANYONE, who wanted to be shipped Home.
Why bother???
Why not use the space, AND the money to send some of the following????

1. More troops…..BUT….PLEASE let them fight to “”"”"”WIN”"”"” if you send a young man into a COMBAT zone, then you have already made a decision……so let the Men and Women who are proud to wear our uniform, BE proud, and FIGHT TO WIN!!!! You send ‘em, then by GOD “”SUPPORT”" them !!!! And screw those who think “”WAR”" isn’t BAD !! You send them, while you sit on your ass and tie their hands, if it wasn’t for the “tied hands”, the Iraq joke would have been over LONG ago!!!!! We’d have won in Viet Nam…..right or wrong in being there, we’d have lost 1/10 of the Men we lost !!!!!!!!!! If you send ‘em to fight…..give them the means and the freedom to Kick Ass….Clean Up….and “Come Home”!!! ….And then CHEER…..the “surviving” Patriots…..the ONLY people who give YOU Freedom !!!!!!!!!

2. Good chow, (whenever you can). A GOOD steak,cooked in the rear areas of the Field….not just for the “REMF”s, but for ALL….whenever possible (safely). These “grunts” are just as important as the Pilots, who risk their lives every day….(and eat a lot of steak). The “grunt” knows he’s not a Pilot….but his ass is shot at a whole lot more…..and today He VOLUNTEERED to “”"”SERVE”"”.

3. A nice Cold BEER …. for those who care to imbibe….. and as long as you are not in “their” PUBLIC areas…..screw their customs…… those MEN and WOMEN are there to either Protect the LOCALS, or Kick their collective Asses !!!!!!!!!!!!!! The first should appreciate them AND our customs…. Beer included….and for the other side…… well we’re supposed to be Kicking Ass….. not Kissing it…………

4. LOTS MORE……”"GOOD”" Intelligence…… since the Cold War was declared over….(yep we ARE nuts….) While some of us started having a bit of common sense…e.g. the USSR, and China, a batch of our Presidents, and their followers decided we could save a lot of money if we didn’t try to keep an eye on our prospective enemies, and disbanded several of our MOST Effective, and Reliable, Intelligence communities……….So….we get blindsided with 911….. Good thinking huh?? Same reason we didn’t know squat about Afghanistan, or Iraq……. But we sure did “Pork Belly” with the money………

5. LOTS MORE …. New, or at least Reliable, equipment and PARTS!!!! Now our boys are using a LOT of sub-standard equipment….. replacements ???? Just ask your Local National Guard !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We are now Rapidly approaching the Fighting Readiness capabilities of the “Girl Scouts”……. Ask a GI how He feels about that???

6. WIN >>> WIN>> WIN>> If you die for a cause, and are buried in a FIELD OF HONOR…. (As in many places in EUROPE)…. It IS as Honorable as being planted in the USA !!!!………….BUT
ONLY IF YOU WIN !!!!!!! Otherwise, your Country has either been defeated at HOME, (as in OCCUPIED), or you have just PISSED your Life away for stupid Politicians, and Chicken S… NUTS who care more about the Bad guy, than you…….. and THEN and only then, can the Bad guys Piss on “YOU” !!!!

7. SO……. Send: LOVE, RESPECT, MEN and WOMEN who FIGHT, EQUIPMENT…..STEAK & BEER… (for when you have the time and safety to enjoy it),……..and more LOVE, and RESPECT !!!!!!!!!!!

Where you are planted means nothing ….. Compared to……….”"”"”"” WHY”"”"”" you are DEAD .

8. I do NOT discount HONOR…… A “Folded piece of cloth…..”"THE”" Folded piece of cloth….. means more to ANY “”GI”" Than Where He or She is “laid to rest”. HONOR Him/Her buy having a “small” group of Uniformed Men and Women, hand deliver that Most Sacred triangular cloth to their Family, in a formal or informal setting, as they wish………….. Remember DAMNIT…… He/She Died for ” OLD GLORY”……for what She Stands for, not some Politician, good or bad, or those not willing to fight for themselves.

9. Those I hold in the HIGHEST Esteem, wear the Uniforms of the Free World….. and Most of all the USA !!!!!!!

10. GOD BLESS our SOLDERS every last one of them………. and may our Fallen Comrades be HONORED by WINNING.…. whatever conflict our Government sent them to…………

I am not a happy holiday person.
I am a Merry Christmas person.
I like Christmas, in fact I would like it if we could
celebrate Christmas all year.

Every day as Christmas what an idea!
For that to work, I would have to make a few changes.

I would have to understand what celebrating Christmas really is and really is not.

Well the first one is easy, I understand Christmas is the day of the year we focus on the gift of the person, Jesus Christ. But what part of that do we focus on? his birth, his life, his death, his resurrection, his humanity, his divinity,his sacrifice?

Maybe I could learn one lesson a day about Jesus.
So I understand him better.

Gifts that’s ok, I can’t afford to do extravagant things, so maybe I could do a special something for one person a day, take turns, reach out.
I like that idea.

Maybe that neighbor I have never met, needs another set of hands to do a project and cant, because there is no one to help.

Or the man with the terribly dirty windows, who is in a wheelchair and cant wash them, and it drives him crazy, but is to afraid to ask for help, well maybe I can get just a couple of those windows washed,
don’t get crazy, just do a couple, leave it open, maybe I’ll want to come back and do more.

And that old lady with all the dogs needs someone to tell her favorite dog story to for a hour or two,
or help bathing one of the dogs.

And the parents, or grandparents always need something done.

And the boss’s wife who was pretty snotty, well maybe I can bring a bouquet of flowers from my garden
in for her, and not say a word.

And when is the last time I invited, the pastor’s wife to lunch out.
Or treated them to a movie.

Great opportunities come seldom in our life, but small opportunities come often.

It’s a wonderful thing to learn to give, without expecting anything back.
It’s good for me and for my family to look beyond ourselves.

So that is my plan for the holidays, what’s yours?
And as some of you know the first issue of the Carnival of 100 Bloggers
is out, for more on Happy holidays go here!

Carnival of 100 bloggers

Margaret was stocking green beans at the grocery store in This Small Town.
She looked at me,clearly upset,and said it’s an outrage.
Huh?
IT IS AN OUTRAGE,
OUR BOYS ARE HERO’S NOT CARGO.
They are stacking the bodies like cord wood on those planes.
Margaret best friend’s,son died in Iraq last year.

He died believing in the American ideals.
Fighting for America.
Any one who wants to disagree can kiss her.. grits.

I asked her ,what are yall talking about?
Someone, heard from a friend the news that OUR BOYS were being shipped home as cargo
on commercial, flights.

No military Color Guard
No Respect.
No HONOR.
No FLAG.

Yes this is the south. Still a part of the United States.
We Honor sacrifice, we respect the families who’s sons and daughters
Died for our Country.
To many good men from Small towns in Florida, and other states have died in Iraq.
In a war that no one understands.

By the time my groceries were bagged and
paid for 17 people were involved in the conversation.
The ladies were Confused, about the president, who was taught better than this surely,
the military, what damn fool came up with this?
What happened TO DOING WHAT’S RIGHT?

Mrs C. was at the store also.
She doesn’t curse ever. Her son is serving in Iraq.
Said she’d as soon say be damned as to hear her boy coming home dead with
His body disrespected.
Least they can do for those boys and girls
is show em the respect they earned with their blood.
She was wondering out loud if this is a communist plot,
if the President Bush’s mama
didn’t teach him better than this.

I don’t think she did.

Ferdinand, at the The Conservative Cat has more on this.