[kindj]

Found this today, and thought it to be spot-on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hope Rides Alone
By
Sgt. Eddie Jeffers, USA
From The New Media Journal


I stare out into the darkness from my post, and I watch the city burn to the ground. I smell the familiar smells, I walk through the familiar rubble, and I look at the frightened faces that watch me pass down the streets of their neighborhoods. My nerves hardly rest; my hands are steady on a device that has been given to me from my government for the purpose of taking the lives of others.

I sweat, and I am tired. My back aches from the loads I carry. Young American boys look to me to direct them in a manner that will someday allow them to see their families again... and yet, I too, am just a boy... my age not but a few years more than that of the ones I lead. I am stressed, I am scared, and I am paranoid... because death is everywhere. It waits for me, it calls to me from around street corners and windows, and it is always there.

There are the demons that follow me, and tempt me into thoughts and actions that are not my own... but that are necessary for survival. I've made compromises with my humanity. And I am not alone in this. Miles from me are my brethren in this world, who walk in the same streets... who feel the same things, whether they admit to it or not.

And to think, I volunteered for this...

And I am ignorant to the rest of the world... or so I thought.

But even thousands of miles away, in Ramadi, Iraq, the cries and screams and complaints of the ungrateful reach me. In a year, I will be thrust back into society from a life and mentality that doesn't fit your average man. And then, I will be alone. And then, I will walk down the streets of America, and see the yellow ribbon stickers on the cars of the same people who compare our President to Hitler.

I will watch the television and watch the Cindy Sheehans, and the Al Frankens, and the rest of the ignorant sheep of America spout off their mouths about a subject they know nothing about. It is their right, however, and it is a right that is defended by hundreds of thousands of boys and girls scattered across the world, far from home. I use the word boys and girls, because that's what they are. In the Army, the average age of the infantryman is nineteen years old. The average rank of soldiers killed in action is Private First Class.

People like Cindy Sheehan are ignorant. Not just to this war, but to the results of their idiotic ramblings, or at least I hope they are. They don't realize its effects on this war. In this war, there are no Geneva Conventions, no cease fires. Medics and Chaplains are not spared from the enemy's brutality because it's against the rules. I can only imagine the horrors a military Chaplain would experience at the hands of the enemy. The enemy slinks in the shadows and fights a coward’s war against us. It is effective though, as many men and women have died since the start of this war. And the memory of their service to America is tainted by the inconsiderate remarks on our nation's news outlets. And every day, the enemy changes... only now, the enemy is becoming something new. The enemy is transitioning from the Muslim extremists to Americans. The enemy is becoming the very people whom we defend with our lives. And they do not realize it. But in denouncing our actions, denouncing our leaders, denouncing the war we live and fight, they are isolating the military from society... and they are becoming our enemy.

Democrats and peace activists like to toss the word "quagmire" around and compare this war to Vietnam. In a way they are right, this war is becoming like Vietnam. Not the actual war, but in the isolation of country and military. America is not a nation at war; they are a nation with its military at war. Like it or not, we are here, some of us for our second, or third times; some even for their fourth and so on. Americans are so concerned now with politics, that it is interfering with our war.

Terrorists cut the heads off American citizens on the internet... and there is no outrage, but an American soldier kills an Iraqi in the midst of battle, and there are investigations, and sometimes soldiers are even jailed... for doing their job.

It is absolutely sickening to me to think our country has come to this. Why are we so obsessed with the bad news? Why will people stop at nothing to be against this war, no matter how much evidence of the good we've done is thrown in their face? When is the last time CNN or MSNBC or CBS reported the opening of schools and hospitals in Iraq? Or the leaders of terror cells being detained or killed? It's all happening, but people will not let up their hatred of President Bush. They will ignore the good news, because it just might show people that Bush was right.

America has lost its will to fight. It has lost its will to defend what is right and just in the world. The crazy thing of it all is that the American people have not even been asked to sacrifice a single thing. It’s not like World War II, where people rationed food and turned in cars to be made into metal for tanks. The American people have not been asked to sacrifice anything. Unless you are in the military or the family member of a servicemember, its life as usual... the war doesn't affect you.

But it affects us. And when it is over and the troops come home and they try to piece together what's left of them after their service... where will the detractors be then? Where will the Cindy Sheehans be to comfort and talk to soldiers and help them sort out the last couple years of their lives, most of which have been spent dodging death and wading through the deaths of their friends? They will be where they always are, somewhere far away, where the horrors of the world can't touch them. Somewhere where they can complain about things they will never experience in their lifetime; things that the young men and women of America have willingly taken upon their shoulders.

We are the hope of the Iraqi people. They want what everyone else wants in life: safety, security, somewhere to call home. They want a country that is safe to raise their children in. Not a place where their children will be abducted, raped and murdered if they do not comply with the terrorists demands. They want to live on, rebuild and prosper. And America has given them the opportunity, but only if we stay true to the cause and see it to its end. But the country must unite in this endeavor... we cannot place the burden on our military alone. We must all stand up and fight, whether in uniform or not. And supporting us is more than sticking yellow ribbon stickers on your cars. It's supporting our President, our troops and our cause.

Right now, the burden is all on the American soldiers. Right now, hope rides alone. But it can change, it must change. Because there is only failure and darkness ahead for us as a country, as a people, if it doesn't.

Let's stop all the political nonsense, let's stop all the bickering, let's stop all the bad news and let's stand and fight!

Isn't that what America is about anyway?

[speechlesstx]

Sgt. Eddie Jeffers was killed in Ramadi. And while Senators are up in arms over quoting Rush Limbaugh out of context, Gen Petraeus being slandered and Gen Sanchez' out of context remarks being used for propaganda, I bet some anti-Bush zealot will find a way to use Sgt. Jeffers death to do continue exactly what he spoke against. How sad.

Steve

[ETWolverine]

Hope Rides Alone

No it doesn't. Real Americans ride with the soldiers. We stand behind them and with them. We love them for what they for us, for what they sacrifice for us. They are NOT alone, and we will not abandon them.

America is not a nation at war; they are a nation with its military at war.

That pretty much gets to the crux of the matter, doesn't it. Many people at home do not see how the war affects them, they see it as an event occurring thousands of miles away, of no real concern to them. And so, winning or losing doesn't really matter to them.

Perhaps it's the fact that I lived in a country suffering fom terrorism before 9/11 happened. I know just how it effects us at home, not just the big, but occasional incident like the WTC attack, but also the little attacks that only kill one or two but happen almost every day. Maybe that gives me a perspective that others lack. But it seems pretty clear to me that many Americans do not understand the eventual cost of losing the war. We can't afford to lose. And the guys like Sgt. Jeffers are the only thing that stand between us and the enemy. But too many people can't see that.

Elliot

[BABRAM]

No it doesn't. Real Americans . But it seems pretty clear to me that many Americans do not understand the eventual cost of losing the war. We can't afford to lose.
Elliot

What happens if we lose the war in Iraq? | Politics & Government | Funny Videos, Pictures and Jokes at JibJab

Although my formula for destruction of the former Iraqi govt would had involved a heavier Air attack, more targets, and less troop involvement, I agree wholeheartedly with the article.


Bobby

[tomder55]

As Steve pointed out Sgt.Eddie Jeffers died on duty . Here is his father's web site Salt and Light » Blog Archive » Hope Rides Eternal

Where he request that anyone considering a donation should sent it to 'Fisher House' . Fisher House -- Helping Military Families

Here are some other Eddie Jeffers essays :

Gazing at the Flag: Freedom Feels Good by Sgt Eddie Jeffers

Gazing at the Flag: The Real Deal in Ramadi by SGT Eddie Jeffers

[Choux]

What freakish Romanticism of this War!

This horrible and tragic war started by a moron(Bush)who wouldn't let the military generals run the war from the git-go, rather let his civilian airhead neo-Cons try to run the war on the cheap and a dream. Pretty terrible not to know the enemy before invading on a lie and pretext of hidden weapons of mass destructions. Bush dreamed the War and now the Nightmare will go on endlessly into the future.

You couch warriors going to lose your lives over this endless horrific bungle?? Didn't think so. Romantic talk is *fantasy*.

[ETWolverine]

Chou, {personal insult removed-<>}

Nobody is romanticizing the war. Unlike you, several of us have actually worn uniforms and know exactly what war entails. We aren't romaticizing the war. What we are doing is listening to and telling others what the soldiers on the ground are writing and saying about the war, with great elloquence.

If you aren't willing to listen to the guys on the ground, fine. If you are willing to brush off the words of the soldiers, that's you're right. That tells us a lot more about you than most of us really wanted to know. It tells us you don't give a crap about the guys in uniform or what they have to say. It tells us that you romanticize the ideology of the left that says that spitting on the soldiers and ignoring what they have to say is brave and an act of free speech and heroism. It tells us that you don't have an ounce of thankfulness, respect, or gratitude for the people who are putting their lives on the line for YOU.

You can couch that however you want. "You're not anti-soldier, you're anti-Bush's war". But the result is the same. You hate Bush so much that you spit on the soldiers to make a point. That showes a lack of respect for those soldiers. And I find that disgusting. I have long since lost all respect for you... and I once held you in high esteem at Answerway. But now I have nothing but contempt for you.

You have the right to say whatever you want about the war, the soldiers or Bush, or even about me. But don't expect me to just take it. I have freedom of speech too. I can call your contemptible slogans and rantings like I see them. The moment you brushed off the words of Sgt. Eddie Jeffers, a war hero, as just a "romanticization of Bush's war" and something "freakish" you lost all respectability of being able to say that you support the soldiers but not the war. Because you clearly do not support the soldiers or anything they are fighting for, or even their right to speak about the war.

Shame on you, Chou.

Elliot

[ScottGem]

I'm afraid I see things differently than Sgt Jeffers did. And I see nothing in his essay to change my opinion.

I don't think that, when the soldiers return from Iraq, they will find anything but respect and support.

Sgt Jeffers talks about the result the anti-war sentiment. But I'm not clear what he thinks that is. Does he believe the insurgents in Iraq take comfort and are encouraged by such sentiment? Frankly, I don't believe so. I believe they are so driven by their own fanatical hatreds that it wouldn't matter to them if America was 100% behind this war.

As for me, personally, I believe this war was illadvised, illfated and unnecessary. I've believed this from the time it was even suggested. I can think of no better way to show respect and support for the brave men and women who are sacrificing so much then to get them out of harms way as quickly as possible.

I really dislike this rhetoric that says if one doesn't believe in this war then one is dissing the soldiers. That's ridiculous.

I also don't believe that America has lost its will to fight. But I do think that a significant part of the populace wants their fights to have meaning and justification. That portion doesn't believe that Hussein presented a clear and present danger to the United States. And as such, an all out war and the sacrifice of thousands of American soldiers was not and hasn't been justified.

[ETWolverine]

Scott,

Do you believe that the leaders of the insurgency and the terrorist leaders don't read American newspapers and watch American Cable News programs? When they see that a large segment of the population is actively protesting the war and actively working on getting the troops to be pulled out of Iraq, what do you believe they take from that? Do they react by saying that America has the guts to stand and fight, or do they take hope and say that America will crumble if they just ratchet up the pressure for a while? What is the effect of the anti-war movement on the decision-making process of the jihadists?

I'm not saying that if America was 100% behind this war that the war would already be over. It wouldn't. There has never been an anti-insurgency or anti-terrorism operation that has taken less than 10 years to result in victory. This war would still be going on regardless of what we did at home. But perhaps the upsurge in terrorist and insurgency violence of 2006 might not have been as bad. Perhaps a few people that are dead would be alive now, because the terrorist leaders would have made different decisions regarding when and where to attack.

And what of the Iraqi people? What do they take from the anti-war protests? We abandoned the anti-Saddam forces (particularly the Kurds)back in 1992 after promising to stand with them. They got slaughtered as a result. What will happen to the Iraqi people if they think that half of the USA wants to abandon them again? How will that effect their cooperation with US forces? How will that affect the Iraqi government? How will it affect the "neutral" factions in Iraq that are neither part of the insurgency nor on the side of the USA?

And I won't even talk about issues of morale within our own military. I think that the effect on the morale of the troops is fairly obvious.

Do you really think that what happens here has NO EFFECT on what happens over there? In this day and age of instantaneous communication, do you really believe that they don't know what's going on over here, and that what we do has no effect on what they do? If you do, then you are being a bit naïve.

You may not have supported the reasons for the war, or the way in which it was fought until recently. But that DOESN'T MATTER. What happened 4 years ago is old news. Even if you are 100% right about Bush lying, the war being ill fated, ill advised, there being no plan to win the peace, etc. Even if all the best generals in history would have advised against going to war in Iraq in the first place. Today, regardless of how we got there, we are in a war in Iraq and Afghanistan (and elswhere too, but I won't get into that right now). What do you intend to do about how we fight that war right now? Do we pull out TODAY simply because you think the reasons we went to war 4 years ago were wrong?

Do you think we should base tactical and strategic decisions today based on 4-year-old news? Is that how you make decisions? Wouldn't it make more sense to base your decisions of whether to pull out of Iraq on the information as it stands today, and the effect our decisions will have today? And based on what we know TODAY, what will the effect of pulling out of Iraq be on the Iraqi people, the enemy and our allies?

Can you justify pulling out of Iraq, not based on what happened 4 years ago, but based on what is going on in Iraq today? Because the only justification you have given in the post above is that it was wrong 4 years ago. What about the effects of pulling out NOW?

Elliot

[Choux]

Bush's *Endless War* policy is no longer an option American citizens want to consider, Elliot. Endless War equals endless SOLDIER death.

Endless War, Endless debt. Bush mismanaged the war,HE ADMITTED IT, and now America is stuck with this situation.

[ETWolverine]

and now America is stuck with this situation.

Yes, that's the point isn't it. Even if you are 100% right about everything that Bush did (and you clearly are not), what are we going to do about the situation TODAY? What will the effect of pulling out today be? Or do you just not give a crap about Iraqis that will be killed if we pull out? Or the Americans that will die when the jihadists come here next? Are you so stuck on how we got into the war that you aren't willing to deal with how things are today?

Guess so...

[BABRAM]

What freakish Romanticism of this War!

This horrible and tragic war started by a moron(Bush)who wouldn't let the military generals run the war from the git-go, rather let his civilian airhead neo-Cons try to run the war on the cheap and a dream. Romantic talk is *fantasy*.

I served in the military over twenty years ago and my brother is currently serving in Iraq, his fourth time. I know liberals using such ideology don't like to admit it, or perhaps they have short memories, but the Bush admin never claimed this war would be short and sweet. In fact, that "cheap" argument doesn't fly. The proof is that most liberals, some moderates, and a few conservatives have pushed the Bush admin for specific timetables on troop re-deployment and progress markers on the Iraqi military and government.



Bobby

[N0help4u]

AND Hillary has the better answer? She is now backing down on here "ALL troops OUT WHEN I AM President" because she is facing the fact that IF she does become President and inherit the war she won't be able to do ANY better of a job at ending it OR giving timetables!

[inthebox]

Choux

What integrity are you talking about.

Sgt Jeffers writes of being human - scared, stressed, questions himself, wories about those he leads. He has the courage to continue on. He is more than entitled to his opinion that those that don't support the President and the Military on this mission are harmful.

The men and women of the military ensure that you have the right to have your opinion.

As to romanticizing -
Sgt Jeffers represents what should be romanticized:

Courage, perseverance, hard work, dedication, and the ultimate in self sacrifice.
I know that I could not do half of what he has done, I can't imagine what he has been through.

But you, Choux, in your irrational hate of the Bush administration, cannot get beyond that, and have to disrespect what Sgt Jeffers fought for.




Grace and Peace

[kindj]

Not passion, it seems more like "Propaganda" that's "overly emotional, usually untrue, at least in part, it blinds average people from considering the *REALITY*of any political situation."

Dang it! You beat me to it!

[tomder55]

[quote=tomder55]In all honesty Scott I do believe that the enemy did indeed monitored public reaction in the US and much of their action was designed to influence it.Former North Vietnamese General Staff officer Bui Tin did an interview . 2 Questions stand out :

I think the same dynamics has applied to date. [\quote]

I strongly disagree. Not with what the Vietnamese general said but that the same dynamics apply. In 'Nam you had a full fledged government with an army and general staff calling the shots. They were fighting a war to reunite a country. There wasn't anything close to the religious fanaticism and hatreds present in Iraq. The insurgents are not a trained military being led by trained strategists with a far reaching plan. Maybe some of the higher-ups think about it, but I don't believe most care a fig what the American people think. If there were real strategists here, they would let things calm down so the troops would go home and then try to take over.

I've said this before, one of our greatest strengths is also our greatest weakness. And that is our freedoms. I would rather see us weakened by our freedoms then weakened by the reduction of them.

[tomder55]

Sgt. Jeffers was absolutely, positively, 100% genuine, and damn sight more generous than you've ever been on your best day. He ADMITTED his doubts, his fears, his concerns, but he did his job anyway, knowing FULL WELL that there were people (and I use THAT word loosely) like YOU who wouldn't cross the street to spit on him if he were on fire. In fact, he (and every other servicemember) did his job not just in SPITE of people like you, but FOR people like you,

"When the warriors are all beaten into submission by the cries of the
weak minded and weak of heart; who then will defend the nation those
weak souls live in?" - A tired apache warrior

[speechlesstx]

Dang it! You beat me to it!

Sorry buddy, I couldn't resist :D

[BABRAM]

I can express my views with passion; *who do you think you are* telling me how I can express myself over an ENDLESS WAR?????

You corporate fascist fellows can take your quibbling and propagandist techniques elsewhere.

I stand for integrity. :)

Your "integrity" just took another nose dive. I see that you didn't take the highroad or my advice when I suggested being constructive when applying your view.




Bobby

[ScottGem]

Of course they watch the media, but frankly I don't think they believe it. Just as we have a hard time understanding the mindset of people who send children to be suicide bombers and the like, I believe they have a hard time believing that Americans can be so free or that our leaders would pay attention to such things.

But I actually do agree that we just can't pull out. I do think we need to have the Iraqi government take over the secuirty of their country. I don't think we need to have our troops sacrificing themselves for the security of a foreign country. One that is ambivalent, at best, at our continued presence.