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US troops fear end of war

Jul 11, 2011 16:12

82nd Airborne Paratroopers Unhappy With Iraq, Afghanistan Troop Withdrawals

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afghanistan, iraq, usa, military

Comments 40

erunamiryene July 11 2011, 21:34:49 UTC

... where are the articles talking about how units are just happy that they're not deploying every other year? Oh yeah, that's right, that's not "controversial" like "no fun, I want to be deployed all the time" is.

"I know what the situation is, I trust the guys over there. I don't trust hardly anybody here."

Hypervigilance isn't exactly something new to people who have deployed. You know what to expect. You're used to looking for escape routes. Coming back here, where everything is an entirely different kind of unknown, is rough. My husband still goes through this and he last deployed in 2006/2007.

Not to mention, yeah, grunts don't have shit to do when they're home but go to the field and clean vehicles, and I can kind of understand how that would suck. It really doesn't read all WOOHOO FUCK YEAH WARRRRRRRR LET'S GO KILL PEOPLE to me. IDK, maybe it's just cause I was in. /shrug

antiotter July 12 2011, 00:56:33 UTC

There was a great quote I saw from a soldier who got wounded, and would never deploy again.

"Sometimes I wish I was back there, just so I could wish I could be home again."

Going home is always such a major disappointment.

jettakd July 11 2011, 21:59:38 UTC

Yeah totally a coincidence that they interviewed a bunch of 82nd guys. I've heard...interesting things about them through friends :/

staringiscaring July 11 2011, 23:03:51 UTC

Details, por favor.

jettakd July 11 2011, 23:20:31 UTC

I've heard them called the "frat boys of the Airborne". That they are really gung ho, war-crazy and really let the alcohol flow, you know? Like more so than usual among military personnel. And also the woman Airforce officer I knew who was telling me about them, said all the ones she'd met really gave her the creeps :/

staringiscaring July 11 2011, 23:51:15 UTC

Weird. Then that puts this article in another light.

Thread 10

akashasheiress July 11 2011, 22:22:34 UTC

''"As the most free nation in the world, there's a responsibility that goes with that.''

lol

mswyrr July 12 2011, 08:32:11 UTC

Don't you know, we have more freedom per square foot than any other country on earth!

akashasheiress July 12 2011, 19:53:30 UTC

''The most free'' sounds like something a five year-old would say.:D

mswyrr July 12 2011, 21:05:32 UTC

LOL Yep. Though that leads me to think of these guys as five-year-olds with guns, which is rather unpleasant.

staringiscaring July 11 2011, 23:02:58 UTC

Its not surprising that some might not want to leave. With this economy, I know a lot of people who were joining up just to have a job. Then factor in the sad statistic that the rates of homelessness for Iraq/Afghanistan vets is rising higher and quicker than for the Vietnam vets and that a lot of these soldier were recruited in high school so military life is all they know.

ceruleanst July 11 2011, 23:03:44 UTC

While more and more enlisted are turning to suicide when they realize that they're being redeployed over and over indefinitely and will never be free to go home, pardon me if I don't shed a tear for how much Capt. War-Boner would miss all the excitement.

antiotter July 12 2011, 00:55:32 UTC

Especially since: A) he's a captain and b) a staff officer.

Meaning he might, at most, go outside the wire of a heavily defended base once a month, if ever, and even then, he would most likely be part of a massive "combat tourism convoy" of senior officers.