"Supporting our troops"

[Minimus]

It's been awhile since I have posted but I just gotta vent.

Not sure if any of my fellow DUers remember me but I have written about my military family in the past. My father was an officer in the Navy, retired after 25 years. Both brother in-laws were in the Navy and my nieces and nephews followed in their foot steps.

:rant:

One of my nephews was a Navy Seabee (Construction Battalion) and did two deployments to Iraq. The first time my sister had to buy his body armour. The second time he bought his own canteen because he remembered how there were never enough to go around and it was hot! Thank goodness he is now home - physically he is okay but his mental state is another story.

This nephew happens to be married to his high school sweetheart. They were in JROTC together throughout junior and high school and she also joined the Navy. She served her six years and was discharged a couple of years ago. She was in the Reserves and was called back to active duty in January. She has been attending some type of schooling for the last eight weeks (she was unable to tell us for what) and is now in combat training. As soon as she finishes she will be going to Iraq. She recently was assigned her equipment but guess what? They were unable to provide her with boots so she had to buy her own!

My oldest niece is on the Nimitz and her ship just left San Diego for the Persian Gulf. She is engaged to a nice young man, also in the Navy. They were supposed to get married this month but found out he would be going back to Iraq (this will make about his seventh deployment to the Middle East since the the start of "the war on terror").

I'm not quite sure what he does in the Navy but I know he jumps out of planes and dives. He has been carrying around a satellite phone just waiting for the call. Well he got the call and was told he will be heading to Iraq at the end of April and will be attached to an Army Unit. He is unable to take his equipment because it is "Navy issued". The Army does not have enough equipment to supply him so he just spent $1,200 of his own money buying the things he needs! He was told he will get it back on his taxes next year.

When bush and cheney claim Dems do not support our troops I just scream!! :grr: With billions of dollars being spent on their unnecessary war why in the hell have my nieces and nephews had to buy their BODY ARMOUR, CANTEEN, BOOTS and other EQUIPMENT?!!!!

Thanks for letting me vent.

:rant:

[bdamomma]

1. and how many more stories are like yours out there.

god, this is terrible, they are throwing these young people out there, with no equipment and some with no training, and another thing is how insensitive and rude this regime is to our troops when they say the Dems are undermining the troops. Also that one thing in your post bothers me, "he was told he will get it back on his taxes next year", god, how insensitive is that comment.

I feel your frustration in this never ending fury.

[Minimus]

2. Yes, I too thought the comment about the taxes was insensitive

Thanks for commiserating with me.

Since my co-workers are sick of listening to me it truly helps to be able to vent somewhere.

[bdamomma]

4. vent away!!!

[JHB]

9. Somehow I think it's likely...

...that come next year, he'll find out that he can't, in fact, "get it back on his taxes", he was just told that to shut him up and put him off, and he'll have to play bureaucracy-pong for years to try to get reimbursed (and probably have to spend more than he's owed to get it).

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. This is what every talk show host should be talking about

especially those on the right who say they "support the troops". Try and call Randi Rhodes about this--she's a liberal talk show host and a veteran. She'd really want to know this.

[Minimus]

8. Thanks for the suggestion. I just sent her an e-mail.

[habitual]

5. it can only be said that these are the very lowest and wretched

of humanity. They dare over and over again to label anyone who goes against them as not supporting the troops. The blood of the troops that drips from their hands as they repeatedly beat that hollow phrase to death has become noticeable to most now.

When they say that the democrats are not supporting the troops by not sending him a bill he can sign, i say F*** YOU, he does have a bill he can sign, but he doesn't support the troops.

When they say that the democrats are gonna cause the troops to stay longer and be less equiped, i say F*** YOU, you consistently send the troops without proper equipment and JUST EXTENDED THEIR TOURS, YOU ASSHOLES!

It's is really quite regrettably sad that there are so many of my fellow inhabitants of this country that aren't OUTRAGED at what these people are doing.

[genie_weenie]

6. The Admin has and continues to Support the Troops.

They support them making loads of money! Why the troops get to spend an extra 3 months in a combat zone! Do you know how much green those lucky stiffs get to make!

Why $225 a month hazard pay!
$250 a month separation pay!

Over 28000 chances for promotions!

And if they die the Standard SGLI is now $400K. What a windfall for their wives and families, unless they were in the 60+% which got divorced.

And those who've been involuntarily recalled they can enjoy the 2-3% raise the military received from our Benevolent Leader!

And to think the Troops then are able to pay back those in Power by being shown applauding and saluting the Greatest Decider in History!

[Jim__]

7. I hadn't heard this before.

Your niece had to buy her own boots. Her husband spent $1200 on equipment for his deployment. ...

Yet we have billions for Halliburton.This is an absolute disgrace.

[Gen. Jack D. Ripper]

10. Even with the perfect military strategy

which this administration certainly does not have, how can they hope for success when what Minimus is describing represents the state of the entire armed forces? You can't, your fighting force becomes ineffective. The problem is compounded exponentially with every engagement.

In the immortal words of Police Chief Wiggum, "this is only gonna get worse before it gets better."

[Theres-a]

11. Kick

[Evilismdestroyer07]

12. Active duty

Dems could be posting right now... On this thread... In this post even... We know whats what.

[Theres-a]

13. It's heartbreaking.

And the silence is deafening when I turn on my tv.