doodle1800
Active Member
My brother Steve is going to Iraq next month for 4 months it looks like to fly you guys around (air force reserves)... so... say hey to him for me and give him ----...
T
therock0861
Guest
Yes you are absolutely correct in assuming that this is what we signed up to do. The problem is not with the individual units or commands it is with the fact that our active duty military is spread too thin through out the world. I am sure that you have heard that 1st Marine Division is redeploying to Iraq. They just left here a couple of months ago and now they are coming back to serve as an occupying force, a mission we are not accustomed to doing. Don't be surprised if you hear the word draft resurface in the very near future because we are even beginning to tap out reservists very hard because of the operational tempo. It isn't just Iraq my friend, it is Afghanistan, Africa, Kosovo, and several other places in the world. This isn't the only show on the road.
I think that military spouses have a legitimate complaint because they are left to tend to everything in the house while their spouses are deployed. Being a military wife is the toughest job in the military. They can go from being a normal house wife to the mom, dad, accountant, doctor, psychiatrist, and much more in just a day or 2. Most of these wives will deal with it throughout normal deployment cycles but I would get upset too if I was asked to do it for 6 months to a year and the a couple of months later have to do it again. And we aren't talking about just a deployment, we are talking about combat with back to back tours in combat. Think about the extra stress that adds. That is why divorce rate is so high in the military.
Every military service member is doing this because we volunteered and not one of us regrets having to go to combat. The complaints you hear in the media is their way to create a good cover story so they use wives as the tool to get it. In the military we know we will deploy and we know that we will be away from our families for long periods of time on a moments notice and we are not concerned about ourselves but we are concerned about the welfare of our families. I miss my family but I know what I am doing here is as important as being at home so please don't ever think that the military complains just because they miss their loved ones. Rather, we are concerned about loved ones at home who have to deal with everything on their own without our help and they do it because they know that their husbands have the most important job in the world and that is protecting our country and our freedoms and they know that their spouses do it for pennies. So the next time someone or you yourself asks why wives are complaining and their is dissention in the ranks you can tell them because they would too. In my honest opinion someone who is not going through it themselves should never ask why these people are complaining but instead ask how they can help.
Squishy don't take this personally just trying to make you understand what military wives go through. But make no mistake about it, if I had the chance to do it all over again I would. We don't complain because we are expected to do what we signed up to do, the complaints come when the sacrifices are so over bearing that you start to question those same people that are writing these things "would they do it" and the bad part is the answer is probably no. Overall the problem is not that we were sent to fight a war, the problems are there because we are being asked to do it again and again with no time for ourselves or our families in such a short amount of time. I love the Marine Corps and I love the fact that I was actually able to do what I was trained to do but you have to ask yourself " is it worth losing your family for"? I can tell you countless times that my marines have gotten letters from their wives asking for divorces because they just couldn't take it any more and not only Marines but soldiers and sailors alike. So all in all considering the consequences they have to deal with, I say let them complain all they want because they should be allowed to.
Semper Fi
I think that military spouses have a legitimate complaint because they are left to tend to everything in the house while their spouses are deployed. Being a military wife is the toughest job in the military. They can go from being a normal house wife to the mom, dad, accountant, doctor, psychiatrist, and much more in just a day or 2. Most of these wives will deal with it throughout normal deployment cycles but I would get upset too if I was asked to do it for 6 months to a year and the a couple of months later have to do it again. And we aren't talking about just a deployment, we are talking about combat with back to back tours in combat. Think about the extra stress that adds. That is why divorce rate is so high in the military.
Every military service member is doing this because we volunteered and not one of us regrets having to go to combat. The complaints you hear in the media is their way to create a good cover story so they use wives as the tool to get it. In the military we know we will deploy and we know that we will be away from our families for long periods of time on a moments notice and we are not concerned about ourselves but we are concerned about the welfare of our families. I miss my family but I know what I am doing here is as important as being at home so please don't ever think that the military complains just because they miss their loved ones. Rather, we are concerned about loved ones at home who have to deal with everything on their own without our help and they do it because they know that their husbands have the most important job in the world and that is protecting our country and our freedoms and they know that their spouses do it for pennies. So the next time someone or you yourself asks why wives are complaining and their is dissention in the ranks you can tell them because they would too. In my honest opinion someone who is not going through it themselves should never ask why these people are complaining but instead ask how they can help.
Squishy don't take this personally just trying to make you understand what military wives go through. But make no mistake about it, if I had the chance to do it all over again I would. We don't complain because we are expected to do what we signed up to do, the complaints come when the sacrifices are so over bearing that you start to question those same people that are writing these things "would they do it" and the bad part is the answer is probably no. Overall the problem is not that we were sent to fight a war, the problems are there because we are being asked to do it again and again with no time for ourselves or our families in such a short amount of time. I love the Marine Corps and I love the fact that I was actually able to do what I was trained to do but you have to ask yourself " is it worth losing your family for"? I can tell you countless times that my marines have gotten letters from their wives asking for divorces because they just couldn't take it any more and not only Marines but soldiers and sailors alike. So all in all considering the consequences they have to deal with, I say let them complain all they want because they should be allowed to.
Semper Fi
tru conch
Active Member
everyone, thanks for the support, it means alot to all of us over here.
squishy- i will try to answer your ?s real fast, and i wont use too much miltary language.
the overall problem is the fact that the higher chain of command doesnt seem to have their act together. the war with iraq has long been in the planning, but a plan for occupation seems to be hastily thrown together. yes i know this is war, and it is a fluid situation that is not set in stone.
with my own personal experience i was called up from the national guard. there has not been this large of a call up since wwII. i had 23 hours to pack up my civilian life (college, work, family, girlfriend) and report in. so in the drop of a hat i went from civilian to gi joe.
the national guard is looked down upon by active duty, yet we do the exact same job as them. i have been shafted since the get go. my original orders were for 365 days of duty. when i was sent overseas, it changed to 6 months deployed, then again until one year of total duty, and once more to a year deployed in theater. the problem is i didnt know when i was coming home until 1 month ago. all i had to go off of was rumors. at least in vietnam the soldiers and marines knew that they had exactly one year.
i have been kept waiting for months, not to mention my unit was lost in the shuffle. all i wanted to know was when i was going on home so i can get back to my life. and for the record i spent 4 years active in the marines, deploying numerous times for training and for real operations, so being deployed is not new to me.
it does lower morale, b/c you just dont know when you are going to see your family again. yeah there is leave to go home, but its very limited and not everyone gets to go on home. if they could just give everyone a solid date and not backpedal and constantly change it then the morale would be better and wives wont complain as much.
as far as media/air coverage there are a few things to note. one is the advancement in media/communications techonolgy in the last 10 years, which means more up to date coverage. another thing is the fact that the us is occupying iraq, not just kicking them out of kuwait. the full impact of the course of this war will not be visible until a few years
i hope this kinda answers your ?s
again thanks for all the support and i hope everyone has a good thanksgiving
Rock- semper fi buddy, and i hope you get to pig out on some fine marine corps turkeyday chow!
squishy- i will try to answer your ?s real fast, and i wont use too much miltary language.
the overall problem is the fact that the higher chain of command doesnt seem to have their act together. the war with iraq has long been in the planning, but a plan for occupation seems to be hastily thrown together. yes i know this is war, and it is a fluid situation that is not set in stone.
with my own personal experience i was called up from the national guard. there has not been this large of a call up since wwII. i had 23 hours to pack up my civilian life (college, work, family, girlfriend) and report in. so in the drop of a hat i went from civilian to gi joe.
the national guard is looked down upon by active duty, yet we do the exact same job as them. i have been shafted since the get go. my original orders were for 365 days of duty. when i was sent overseas, it changed to 6 months deployed, then again until one year of total duty, and once more to a year deployed in theater. the problem is i didnt know when i was coming home until 1 month ago. all i had to go off of was rumors. at least in vietnam the soldiers and marines knew that they had exactly one year.
i have been kept waiting for months, not to mention my unit was lost in the shuffle. all i wanted to know was when i was going on home so i can get back to my life. and for the record i spent 4 years active in the marines, deploying numerous times for training and for real operations, so being deployed is not new to me.
it does lower morale, b/c you just dont know when you are going to see your family again. yeah there is leave to go home, but its very limited and not everyone gets to go on home. if they could just give everyone a solid date and not backpedal and constantly change it then the morale would be better and wives wont complain as much.
as far as media/air coverage there are a few things to note. one is the advancement in media/communications techonolgy in the last 10 years, which means more up to date coverage. another thing is the fact that the us is occupying iraq, not just kicking them out of kuwait. the full impact of the course of this war will not be visible until a few years
i hope this kinda answers your ?s
again thanks for all the support and i hope everyone has a good thanksgiving
Rock- semper fi buddy, and i hope you get to pig out on some fine marine corps turkeyday chow!
T
therock0861
Guest
Thanks brother same to you. I just realized we are some long winded individuals. These have to be the three longest consecutive posts in SWF.com history!!! LOL
tru conch
Active Member
hahaha, yeah and i tried to keep mine short!
now for the big choice for turkeyday, chowhall 1, the ever so popular chow hall 2, or the diamond in the rough chowhall 3? decisions decsisions
as a side note, once my contract is up with the guard im seriously considering going back in to the marines, but into the reserve componet (yeah i know theyve been busy too) but the army just isnt for me. once a marine alwasy a marine
now for the big choice for turkeyday, chowhall 1, the ever so popular chow hall 2, or the diamond in the rough chowhall 3? decisions decsisions
as a side note, once my contract is up with the guard im seriously considering going back in to the marines, but into the reserve componet (yeah i know theyve been busy too) but the army just isnt for me. once a marine alwasy a marine
T
therock0861
Guest
Semper Fidelis
barry cuda
Member
On an airplane last week I sat next to a soldier who was on the way home to see his 4-week-old son for the first time, then ship out for Iraq a month later. As I was on the way home to my own wife and children, it really helps drive home for me the sacrifices you all are making. Please add one more to the list of people who are thinking positive thoughts for you and all of your fellow servicepeople who are away from your families and at risk overseas. Come home to us soon and safely.
lovethesea
Active Member
Everything said, I have to speak for what this does to the individual also. My dad special forces green berets 3 plus tours of Nam. 1 of them they dropped him and his men out of a plane into the jungle and said,"find your way out" (basically). Since he was considered a Field Officer at the time, every time he came home it was right back again. Once he came home he wasn't the same for A LONG time. It pushes a human being to places they have never been physically and mentally and probably never fully trained for. Now a retired
Colonel, he sees this war and cringes a bit. A few years ago he was up for promotion and decided it was time to leave.
Just because you come home, there is a huge adjument back to "civilian life". Everyone expects you to pick up right where they left off.
Like my cousin said these last almost 2 years...he was greatful for the 3 week leave that he had, but he was more relieved that he wasn't sent home and then a few months later has to go back again.
I completely agree with you about the draft. I feel like they are saying it without really saying the "D" word. When Clinton cleaned house it left us in a bad spot. Too many irons in the fire for us to control all of it.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. Be safe and keep your head down. We will have you in our thoughts.
p.s. army kid can be long winded too
Colonel, he sees this war and cringes a bit. A few years ago he was up for promotion and decided it was time to leave.
Just because you come home, there is a huge adjument back to "civilian life". Everyone expects you to pick up right where they left off.
Like my cousin said these last almost 2 years...he was greatful for the 3 week leave that he had, but he was more relieved that he wasn't sent home and then a few months later has to go back again.
I completely agree with you about the draft. I feel like they are saying it without really saying the "D" word. When Clinton cleaned house it left us in a bad spot. Too many irons in the fire for us to control all of it.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. Be safe and keep your head down. We will have you in our thoughts.
p.s. army kid can be long winded too
T
therock0861
Guest
No he stayed at the airport for obvious reasons. I didn't even know he was here till we saw it on the net but he was about 2 miles from here.
jlem
Active Member
The problem with morale is that people are different these days when it comes to war. In WWII men were gone for YEARS at a time. Men went from one battle to the next and people accepted that as the price of freedom. There was no e-mail or morale calls or nothing. There was a fox hole, a gun and another gun taking shots at you or another ship or plane trying to blow you out of the waters. Companies would loose half there men just to fight another day and hopefully not loose the other half. People have lost all sense of what the price of freedom is. The price of freedom is sacrificing everything that you have to make your country a safer place and if that means being deployed for years then we should suck it up and accept the price that we have volunteered to pay to keep our familioes and fellow americans safe. I would rather keep the bad guys busy trying to kill me then busy trying to kill my family.
jbstuart
Member
6 of the soldier who perished in the blackhawk crash were from my town (Lawton/Ft. Sill). A mom of one who lived through the crash works for my father. He was coming home on his 2 week RR. He suffered a broken kneck (but luckily wont be paralyzed), and when asked he said he was doing his job.. That is sacrifice, and courage in the face of never feeling anything below your shoulders. Anytime anyone bashes the effort in place, I simply think of those who say they are doing their job.
Thanks
Jarod
Thanks
Jarod
wrassecal
Active Member
Before 9/11 the majority of men/boys that joined the military joined knowing in theory that they may be called away from their families to defend their countries. This is not to say that they had any real sense of what that could mean. Did any of us? The amazing thing about our military is that they are ordinary people called upon to to extraordinary thing in extraordinary times. For every 1 military wife complaining there are 100 extraordinary wives carrying on. IF WWII is your benchmark, I suggest a book called Flags of Our Fathers which chronicles the lives of the Marines and Navy corpman that raised the flag on Iwo Jima. You'll be surprised at the "reasons" those heros "joined" the Marines/Navy. The generation that is now fighting terorism is no less great or honorable than the generation that fought WWII. A little reading and research will show that there were just as many morale problems in WWII as now. The only difference is the Media and the propaganda that was put out at these 2 different times.
lovethesea
Active Member
Wrassecal, that was a GREAT BOOK. My father in law gave us that book right when it was published. He was an Iwo Jima Marine.
The stories he could tell. It was interesting to hear him talk to MY
father whom was in the Viet Nam war. (Husbands parents much older when he came around. surprise... ) Morale was a problem then too. Sitting in a fox hole for days on end, clothes soaked to your skin, having one or more of your men lying dead next to you. Its hard not to have effect on you. another cousin of mine is in the Navy. He headed a psychiatric hospital in Alaska. The stories he can tell would curl your hair. He was just transfered to head up the military hospital in the Las Vegas/Henderson area. Suicide is huge right now he said. Many men and women suffering right now just as in the past.
Great book I would suggest anyone to read it.
The stories he could tell. It was interesting to hear him talk to MY
father whom was in the Viet Nam war. (Husbands parents much older when he came around. surprise...
) Morale was a problem then too. Sitting in a fox hole for days on end, clothes soaked to your skin, having one or more of your men lying dead next to you. Its hard not to have effect on you. another cousin of mine is in the Navy. He headed a psychiatric hospital in Alaska. The stories he can tell would curl your hair. He was just transfered to head up the military hospital in the Las Vegas/Henderson area. Suicide is huge right now he said. Many men and women suffering right now just as in the past.Great book I would suggest anyone to read it.
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therock0861
Guest
I think that Wrassecal said it best when saying that you are just hearing about the one disgruntled wife instead of the hundreds and thousands that are accepting the fact that their husbands are away. And for every one upset soldier there are a thousand there to comfort him and help him/her along the way. And you can say what you want, but morale was low then and it is now that is the nature of the beast. Anyone who says they don't get a little mad about the situation has never really been there (in combat). Oh, by the way, combat isn't sitting on a ship and just being away from your family that is nothing more than a deployment like you said, combat is another story completely. You or anyone who bashes someone for what you call just missing home, is dead wrong and has no clue about fighting a war. There is so much you don't know and never will know and until you do, don't sit there from the warmth and comfort of your boats or living rooms and and pretend you know what combat is or ever question someone who does. I respect every branch of service in our military for the sacrifices they make but let's face it, we are not fighting the Japanese who bombed our ships with their planes and subs. That was combat, their lives were at stake every day and there was a very real possibility that their ships could be destroyed. That threat really isn't there any more and we haven't lost a ship in combat since the 40's. When was the last time you had a bullet fly by your head and mortar rounds landing a hundred meters from your position? This thread has already gone too far from what it was meant to do and that was just deliver the news that I will be back here a short time after I get back home. So make no mistake about it, I love my job and the corps and I would come back here a hundred times if it had to be done but that doesn't mean I should be happy about it, does it? I salute every man and woman in uniform and I respect them for the courage they have but never assume that you know what another man is going through and question him when he has something to say. I am done with this topic let's get back to reefing. I hope I have not offended anyone just giving my point of view.
T
therock0861
Guest
By the way, Lovethesea please send your father and father in law my respects they are the true heros.
wrassecal
Active Member
Rock - I probably sounded a little like a MOM (mother of Marines) which of course I am. I've got 2 daughters-in-law that have been and will be again soon in the same situation as your wife. They do not complain but they sacrifice. It's very hard on us but, no one outside of the military men/women serving knows any better than us the sacrifices made and the absolute PRIDE and LOVE we feel in our military family members and their military brothers and sisters.
lovethesea
Active Member
AAAAAMMMMMen Wrassecal!!
Thanks Rock I will !! Hope they gave you guys something a little special for Thanksgiving dinner.
Keep your head down and be safe!
Thanks Rock I will !! Hope they gave you guys something a little special for Thanksgiving dinner.
Keep your head down and be safe!