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Post by Swimmy on Apr 27, 2011 20:40:30 GMT -5
No... it's not cool...
It IS, however, awesome!
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Post by denise on Jun 1, 2011 10:42:46 GMT -5
He was with Ft Drum's 1-32 Infantry Battalion. They have been hit very hard since their arrival to Afghanistan in March www.uticaod.com/features/x724661068/Fort-Drum-Soldier-Killed-in-AfghanistanWhat is the event that needs to happen in Afghanistan before our troops come home for good?? I used to think it was when Bin Laden was captured/killed, but obviously that theory is out the window.
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Post by Clipper on Jun 1, 2011 11:02:19 GMT -5
One would think that the ultimate goal would be to stand up a stable government, with an army capable of defending it. The Taliban just doesn't seem to diminish in numbers. I have to wonder if we are in another Vietnam, where control will never be gained because of the fact that Taliban strikes not only from the mountain hideouts, but also from Pakistan. It's impossible to win a war against an enemy that is hard to discern from any other villager or citizen and that can strike and disappear. Vietnam killed massive numbers with booby traps and trip wires, and now they simply change the name to IED and detonate them in a different manner.
In conventional warfare, we have the strongest and most capable force in the word, but when the war is fought by geurillas and unidentifiable insurgents, it is impossible to gain victory. Seems we are simply sending our young men into a meat grinder, as we did in Vietnam.
It is becoming more and more evident that the war on terror needs to be rethought and tactically revised to fight it from a different perspective. I don't know what that strategy might be, but obviously the present strategy in Afghanistan is not working. God bless our troops.
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Post by dgriffin on Jun 1, 2011 17:16:58 GMT -5
For starters, we need a statement from our leaders specifying why we are still there. Only if their reasons are convincing should we remain and figure out our options.
I'm am not aware of any convincing arguments at this point.
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Post by denise on Jun 1, 2011 17:39:55 GMT -5
And secondly, we've been in Afghanistan for almost 10 years now. Ample time to be able to evaluate and realize what the Afghanis are capable of. I think our government's expectations as to what they are capable of performing, carrying out, their lifestyle, etc is too high.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2011 19:33:32 GMT -5
What would the government do with all the troops if the wars stopped. Eventually the government will act on what they already know; Pakistan is supplying aid and troops to Afganistan to fight against our troops.
We the USA should end this with a nuclear attact.
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Post by Clipper on Jun 1, 2011 21:10:51 GMT -5
We would go back to living in peace, secure with a very large and well equipped armed forces, just as we did after Vietnam and before the end of the cold war. We just would not have to be recruiting replacements for those being killed in action. We might be able to sit back and celebrate military retirements instead of funerals.
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Post by denise on Jun 2, 2011 7:43:55 GMT -5
I for one would be extremely happy to celebrate military retirements instead of military deaths.
I get sick to my stomach every time I have to read about another soldier getting killed in Afghanistan. There is just no reason for it.
If Afghanistan can't govern their own country, so be it. If their police can't keep control over their citizen's so be it. We can't never make Afghanistan operate like or look like the U.S. Our norm just is not their norm.
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Post by dgriffin on Jun 2, 2011 8:15:55 GMT -5
I do suspect the American government has it reasons for being in Afghanistan and Iraq and I suspect what they are, though I can't personally agree with them. In any event, it's time we had a President who will level with his (or her) electorate and specify our objectives honestly. Anything less ... like we've been getting ... is not helpful to our process of democracy. And without that, we're screwed.
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Post by Clipper on Jun 2, 2011 9:04:09 GMT -5
I do suspect the American government has it reasons for being in Afghanistan and Iraq and I suspect what they are, though I can't personally agree with them. In any event, it's time we had a President who will level with his (or her) electorate and specify our objectives honestly. Anything less ... like we've been getting ... is not helpful to our process of democracy. And without that, we're screwed. I for one would be interested in hearing your theory as to the reasons our government might have for being in Afghanistan and Iraq. Your opinions, unlike my own, are always well researched and grounded, and I am always able to take away something enlightening from almost every post.
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Post by dgriffin on Jun 2, 2011 15:03:03 GMT -5
Mine are not well researched. But I have always felt we are in that section of the world as a presence, an extended Monroe Doctrine that says we will protect our interests anywhere in the world where we feel they are at risk (the so-called Bush Monroe Doctrine.)
Such thinking has some validity, of course, because only by being there ... 'suited up' and ammo at the ready ... can we hope to influence governments and leave the undeniable impression that we can and will go where we want and get what we want. Yet the cost in lives is just as undeniable and we must in the future find a way to protect the blood of our economy, oil, or find other alternatives if we expect to protect the blood of our children.
America's leaders need to explain that to the population. We need to hear it and then consciously decide if we think the killing of our sons and daughters is worth it, or decide we'd rather conserve and find alternatives. I believe that if we squarely faced the reality and the consequences, more of us would take the problem a lot more seriously and get on board with the solutions. America is a great nation, capable of terrific focus and splendid achievement. We can accomplish miracles, but we need excellent leadership to pull us out in front and ahead of the pack. I haven't seen it yet. I think Obama could possibly be a sleeper, a technical and political lightweight (in national terms) but who with the right breaks and advisers could launch this country into the 21st century with all the right goals and insights. But I haven't seen the germ of his genius, if any, even begin to awaken to the light.
I'm not confident we'll see anyone helpful from the Republicans, although a few months is a long time in politics and anything can happen. So instead, I'm hoping for a miracle. I'm hoping that Obama gets out in front of whatever is slowing him down. I couldn't care less about his being "a liberal," nor do I care one bit about his personality, ego, birth certificate, blood type, college grades or how much gas his wife uses in the family bullet-proof limousine. I just want him to succeed. My future is at stake. So is everyone's.
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Post by chris on Jun 2, 2011 18:21:15 GMT -5
I think the state of our country is the worse it has ever been in history and that includes the depression era. (then at least we really knew why we were suffering) 21st century looks futile and hopeless and the lives being lost each day are not helping any.
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Post by denise on Aug 15, 2011 7:59:23 GMT -5
I know this battalion & company well. Godspeed to these fine young men. May we always remember them and the sacrifice they have made. For those in Company C, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Thursday was the worst of days. Five of its soldiers, all from 3rd Platoon’s 1st Squad, were killed when their Mine Resistant Ambush Protected All Terrain Vehicle rolled over an improvised explosive device on a desolate road in southern Kandahar province. www.stripes.com/news/dod-identifies-five-u-s-troops-killed-in-ied-blast-in-afghanistan-1.152181
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Post by JGRobinson on Aug 15, 2011 9:27:35 GMT -5
Going to Afghanistan was the correct thing to do, Staying in Afghanistan is the wrong thing to do!
Bin Hidin is Dead, time to come home!
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Post by Swimmy on Aug 16, 2011 6:50:11 GMT -5
The problem is that if we pull out and abandon Afghanistan, we will lay the ground work for yet another bin laden replacement. Don't forget that bin laden was once an American supporter during the Soviet-Afghan conflict. We trained him to repel the Soviets. Once that happened, America withdrew its support and left a war-ravaged nation try to heal. As they healed, they realized that their nation was used as a chess piece between the two super powers. And that either side's interest was only to the extent to thwart the other, no genuine interest to assist their nation. It was the perfect hot bed for bin laden and his followers to thrive and flourish.
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