Short Shadow's taxicab report: A dish best served cold.

Just one small soldier's story today. Met one kid I got to talking to. From the Island of Guam actually which I think I put my foot in my mouth asking some stupid questions about but he suffered my ignorance politely. Got into quite a conversation about his career and how he had recently received an article 15 for fighting. Seems his SGT, not sure of exact rank, was quite the jerk to this guy on post and carried it to public one night and just pushed him too far and actually shoved him first. Fight ensued and of course all parties got in trouble. After that story he launched into how he learned his lesson and was working his way back up with good works (IE running PT for squad leader, general motivation of fellow troops) and how he was going to be career military. He went on about how he was offered special forces training but refused because he wanted to advance in the regular army more. He was working toward his Masters degree,spoke 4 languages, and just started "armor" specialist training where he was learning the ins and outs of foreign weapon systems of enemy and friend. He spoke of how he liked to train the troops and do the PT. He said he just had a torn up knee which had kept him from going to ranger school but he thought that was BS because he outscored most of his platoon in PT and he liked almost using that to motivate slower troops. "I tell them, we have to be fast as we can in combat. I show them the scars on my knee and say look at this shit. I shouldn't be outrunning you."

All in all this Soldier whose name I learned but won't relate, and I pray I don't have to mourn someday, I thought exemplified the kind of person we want in our Army. He seemed a man of fervent honor and sound philosophies. Had a deep concern for the safety of his troops and was looking to become an officer so he could better lead them. Despite the goings on in the world, I thought to myself, at least there are some good guys still joining our army. Then came the cold water in the face. The subject of Iraq came up, I wasn't going to test this guys politics this time. There didn't seem an opening and I still don't know how he feels about the WOT in general but almost as an afterthought, or perhaps a confession, he told me his primary motivation for wanting to go there. This wise, intelligent, strong, young soldier who seemed to be the model of what we would want in our honorable fighting men, simply wanted to go kill Iraqis. It seems his brother, a marine, was killed in the original Desert Storm. "Iraqi's killed my brother, Iraqi blood must be spilled in revenge.", direct quote I swear. I was thankful the ride was over soon after because I was at a loss at that point. I gave him the standard, and very sincere, parting words I give to all soldiers I know are going to deploy soon. "If I don't see you again you make sure you keep yourself safe over there and get your ass back to us.". I should have thanked him for reminding me that despite talk of honor and duty and mission, in the end war is still just blood and death and horror and the whole world will soon be blind.
S

'Blown knee' is the number one reason I have heard for flunking out of SEAL training and other wannabee special forces.

180

he'd definitely had some surgery on it probably a few. I may have my facts jumbled. He either refused ranger or SF originally but couldn't do one or the other later after his knee was injured.

Noble dreams used to pull them in, and in the end they wind up working for the merchants of greed who've never risked their own lives in combat...Always trying to serve some noble cause, wind up doing the exact opposite, wind up dead, and for what? What a goddamn mess it all is.

but as I said his motivation for wanting to go to waris pure revenge. I wonder if he's going to distinguish between "good" and "bad" Iraqis when he takes it.

people.

I wouldn't even want to know this soldier, this man that wants to murder.

I think he is the worst kind of soldier.

but as I said other than that one fact he seemed to have his head on straight. I don't agree with it but I do somewhat understand his motivations misguided as they are. Indeed how many are in the unique position that their sibling was killed in the first Desert Storm. Can you say you wouldn't go with vengance partially on your mind? Hopefully he will learn quickly that it heals nothing and only creates more vengeful feelings in others.

that vengence isn't all its cracked up to be. "Vengence is mine, sayeth the Lord"-in other words, not ours to do. Vengence is like acid, only instead of eating up flesh it can eat up your soul. May God have Mercy and Compassion and teach this man the lesson he needs to learn about this in a good way, a way that doesn't end with him feeling pain or guilt or continuing the spread of vengence.

WAR IS A RACKET

Smedley Darlington Butler

Major General - United States Marine Corps

Born West Chester, Pa., July 30, 1881

Educated Haverford School

Married Ethel C. Peters, of Philadelphia, June 30, 1905

Awarded two congressional medals of honor, for capture of Vera Cruz, Mexico, 1914,

and for capture of Ft. Riviere, Haiti, 1917

Distinguished service medal, 1919

Retired Oct. 1, 1931

On leave of absence to act as director of Department of Safety, Philadelphia, 1932

Lecturer - 1930's

Republican Candidate for Senate, 1932

Died at Naval Hospital, Philadelphia, June 21, 1940

For more information about Major General Smedley Butler, contact the United States Marine Corps.

Chapter One

WAR IS A RACKET

WAR is a racket. It always has been.

It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.

A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of the people. Only a small "inside" group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes.

In the World War a mere handful garnered the profits of the conflict. At least 21,000 new millionaires and billionaires were made in the United States during the World War. That many admitted their huge blood gains in their income tax returns. How many other war millionaires falsified their tax returns no one knows.

How many of these war millionaires shouldered a rifle? How many of them dug a trench? How many of them knew what it meant to go hungry in a rat-infested dug-out? How many of them spent sleepless, frightened nights, ducking shells and shrapnel and machine gun bullets? How many of them parried a bayonet thrust of an enemy? How many of them were wounded or killed in battle?

Out of war nations acquire additional territory, if they are victorious. They just take it. This newly acquired territory promptly is exploited by the few – the selfsame few who wrung dollars out of blood in the war. The general public shoulders the bill.

And what is this bill?

This bill renders a horrible accounting. Newly placed gravestones. Mangled bodies. Shattered minds. Broken hearts and homes. Economic instability. Depression and all its attendant miseries. Back-breaking taxation for generations and generations.

For a great many years, as a soldier, I had a suspicion that war was a racket; not until I retired to civil life did I fully realize it. Now that I see the international war clouds gathering, as they are today, I must face it and speak out.

Read the rest of the article at:{/i] http://lexrex.com/enlightened/articles/warisaracket.htm

Chapter four: HOW TO SMASH THIS RACKET! Damn, this guy's awesome. I read that a couple of months ago; now I'm reading it again. Great ideas.

This one points out the folly of war. It doesn't bring peace, it makes blood feuds. Those tend to propagate like vicious weeds in a garden.

Eden is here. Hell is here. People make the choice between the two in what they sow.

Yes I'm a greatest page whore, so sue me.

If you want to make the greatest page more often, paragraph more. I almost didn't read it because of your long paragraphs. It's hard on the eyes. It's well known that white spaces keep the reader reading longer. I'm not criticizing because it was a good piece, but hoping to help you out.

It all just kind of blurted out of me at 3AM and I didn't have the energy.