Reply #17: And there you have it....

[Baclava]

The predictable, politically correct "feel good" responses I was anticipating. It's nice to be home and not have to worry about mortar rounds raining down on my safe and secure house. But safety at home comes with a price that not everyone is willing to pay. So be it. It's only when you're in a hostile environment that you see how superficial the veneer of civilization really is. You do what you have to do to survive...and you leave it in the field when you come back. You do your job and go home.
There's no time for politics on the battlefield, you're too busy taking care of your buddies. I didn't mean to sound like a hardass...but any compassion is saved for my guys first. The rest of the world is going to have to wait.

"It is not by speeches and majority resolutions that the great questions of our time are decided...It is by blood and iron."
-Von Bismarck