11/1/2006
‘Get educated, or get stuck in Iraq’
American Soldier says,
I don’t see why Kerry is so bitter about the Iraq war. Yes it’s in his political standing to disagree with Bush but he is taking quite the stance with his comments as of late. I like to consider myself an educated man. I gave up time in my life and made an educated decision to volunteer to go to Iraq. I methodically planned it out, discussed it and did it.
Some men I fought along side had their MBA and were still enlisted men. They chose that option fully knowing they could easily attain a commission. I fought with men who put their families and studies on hold because they wanted to be there for their fellow man.
John Kerry doesn’t know about that camaraderie.
Filed under: General
28 Responses to “‘Get educated, or get stuck in Iraq’”
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What’s maddening is his lack of forsight into any reasonable thought. Who does he think joins the ranks. Tell me Carlos Hathcock was a dumb dumb, or any general leading a battle plan. For that matter the grunt in the field who has volunteered to serve his country. And this party has the respect of who? Some of the brightest have served us, and Kerry that was no slip or bad joke. He meant it, and they alway’s got some exscuse for there bad choices, on both sides.
If it was not for the wise, we’d be North Korea.
Ok… I dislike Kerry just as much as any ‘loyal republican’… but I just read an article about his statement and it seems to me that he was making a joke about President Bush’s intelligence… not that he was saying only the uneducated become soldiers who ‘get stuck in Iraq.’
Maybe I’m missing something. Kerry says it was a botched joke about Bush… I may have to get checked out by a doctor… perhaps I’m feverish… but I think I actually believe John Kerry. *GASP* Could it be?
Kerry should read before he speaks. As to Kerry, he is bitter because he wants to be included with true American Hero’s, and he knows he does not qualify. It is easier to pull down our true hero’s to Kerry’s level than for him to get to their level.
It *may* have possibly been a slipup… BUT nonetheless…he should be CAREFUL how he says things, what he says…… and if it WAS a “genuine” slipup, then he should most certainly apologize for inadvertently offending gazillions of people…..
but funny how I don’t see an apology coming……
if i screw up and say something stupid (which I’m quite good at) my very first reaction is, “OMG - that came out totally wrong and that’s not what I meant!” not defiance and arrogance and…
Ok, i’ll shut up now before I go off on a Kat Rant again….
A tree is known by its fruits, right? And Kerry’s certainly fruity.
Don’t buy into the republican spin or you do look illiterate.
Oopps…sorry…I really didn’t mean that.
I am not an apologist for Kerry BUT he did serve in Vietnam - honorably and won a Silver Star (they didn’t give those out like candy - you had to earn it!). Our boy Bush on the other hand hid in the AF Reserve and the only combat he probably ever saw was dodging martinis thrown by other (to include him) drunks in the Officers Club.
The reason he gave why he did not report for his annual flight physical was something to the effect that “I was busy campaigning for (whoever)”. The REAL reason in my humble opinion was the fact that the flight physical REQUIRES a blood test - which would have detected any cocaine, pot, etc in the blood - a court martial offense for any officer. So “campaigning” came first - of course.
Back to Kerry’s remark: Any young man or woman today who wants to go to college and doesn’t have the$$$ can join the military and have G.I. Bill benefits (not as good as the “old G.I. Bill which paid for tuition and other expenses WITHOUT member contribution). Many young folks do this just to be able to get to go to college and unknown numbers do NOT have the patriotic drive or the draft to spur them to enlist first - and consequently wind up in Iraq or Afganistan. So in that regard he spoke truthfully. For a poor youngster today wanting a college education what alternatives are there for funds?? And the recruiters really push the G.I. Bill benefits to encourage folks to enlist.
So what did Kerry say that was untrue?
Respectfully submitted,
B. Nuccio
http://images.military.com/Shock/images/SA_image_061101_2.jpg
Well, “For a poor youngster today wanting a college education what alternatives are there for funds??”, it is called having good grades. It is called getting a job. It is called work study. The opportunities are there…. It just depends on the drive of the individual and whether that individual really wants to go or stays at home and whines about how unfair life is.
Kerry spoke his heart. He spoke what he really thinks of the military. This is just continuing the line he presented at Vietnam when he stated that our soldiers were barbaric and war criminals.
But the picture is nice, and it probably does more damage to Kerry and the Democratic party than any word can say.
Its a matter of history, liberals in office equals a weak military, conservatives in office equals a robust military. I’ve heard lots of talk in the media from the libs regarding being “stuck in Iraq” or “the lack of a plan”, but they never say what their plan is or what they would have done differently. Even the major networks, who have a liberal agenda, are starting to ask this question. Still no answer.
The reality is war is complex, some strategies work, some don’t. Nobody realy knows what is going to work til you get there. Nobody ever knows when a war is going to end, you just fight til you win! So to say “we need a time table, etc. is rediculous. As the saying goes “the best laid plans often go sideways”.
I do agree with the libs when they say “we should already be out of Iraq”. However this would have required the military to do what it does best, arrive in mass, mame, kill, and destroy everything in its path , and then leave, something the libs have proved they do not have the stomach for.
We do know for a fact our warriors are killing the terroist piece of shits wholesale, making America a little safer. Pray for them to destroy our enemies with extreme violence and prejudice.
Kerry messed up a joke on the president! He is a perfect example of what happens when you don’t study!!! He should have studied his damn speach before he gave it then he wouldn’t have created this mess by saying something stupid that he didn’t mean to say. He had a speach written for him and he failed to use it correctly. The joke, if it was said the way it was written, was a crack on Bush alone and not the soldiers. So anyway he shouldn’t be bashed for thinking the soldiers are dumb he should be bashed for being a hypocrit!!
Barry, I don’t follow your reasoning. Are you saying that if a student is poor or can’t afford college, that he must be stupid? Therefore he goes to Iraq? And that he’s not patriotic? And that a person can’t be naturally smart? And what, praytell, does a poor, stupid person do in Iraq? Save lives? Naw, doctors and nurses do that. Fly planes & helos? Nope…gotta be a smart pilot. Computer work? A mechanic? Still need some brains. Perhaps the infantry!?! Hehe..stupid people shouldn’t have guns. I got it! He stands at the door of the chow hall and counts the hungry people as they file in for a meal. So, according to that theory, Iraq is filled with ‘head counters’ and the professionals that we think are there are just figments of our imaginations.
I know a high school senior who plans to join the Army to get a free education. SHe is not poor, she is a member of the National Honor Society, and she is a patriot. She certainly doesn’t fit your mold. Her cousin is in Iraq..not poor or stupid….she looks up to him. She wants a little of the Army life, and a free education. So what? Doesn’t she blow your and Kerry’s theory?
AS, you guys shouldn’t let Kerry get under your skin. He made himself look like the stupid one. I’d take an ‘uneducated’ man who’s been to Iraq in a heartbeat, as opposed to someone like Kerry!
I sent this to collaborator Kerry’s Office:
Thanks for your comments on how stupid US troops are!!!! I assure you that I am not a stupid soldier and I am not STUCK in Iraq. Soldiers in Iraq are there because they want to be. The real soldiers on the ground who are fighting that war are the heroes and we know that only Stupid people make stupid comments like the one you did. Some people (I assume the uneducated ones) call you a war hero.. Why? You may be a war veteran but you certainly are no hero. Real hero’s and veterans do not bad mouth there brothers in arms in anyway shape form or fashion. We are doing everything we can to persuade any military member, spouse and civilian not to vote for any democratic official this election. Hey, do what any democrat would do; cut and run Senator Kerry and leave the strongest fighting force in the world alone. I no longer consider you a brother in arms no matter what you have done in the past. You are a collaborator for the enemy.
When I was a teenager I had an Uncle and Cousins in the Army, Navy and Air Force! During WWII, I was only five years old but you bet I learned all of the “Fight Songs”! Even at that age, I looked up to all of these people and still have a very fond memories of each branch. Every one I knew came home except one Army friend. I was spending the night with his wife whenever the notice arrived! So at an early age, I was introduced to all of the ups and downs of our service wives, mothers, and friends. At the age of five, we lived close to Bell Aircraft (now Lockheed) and Dobbins AFB, when I would hear the airplanes come over our home at night, I would cover my head up and would not move until my Mother came in and called me! I just knew all of my family had been blown to pieces! GOD BLESS ALL OF OUR SOLDIERS AND THEIR FAMILIES!
WHY DOES any one consider KERRY –a hero when he became a traitor before the senate in 1971 ? To him, Viet Vets were baby killers, rapists, murderers.
Later, Kerry became honored by the enemy we fought thanking him, Fonda, for helping win the war for them.
Silver Star. was supposed to be thrown away.
A Picture is worth a thousand words. This is how I feel.
only one day to the election !!
Kerry is upset that he was drafted to Nam. He tried his best to get a deferment and didn’t succeed. He blames the military and has never forgiven them for it.
But I find it quite humorous that Kerry stayed in school, did his homework, worked hard, got educated and still wound up stuck in Vietnam. For 4 months anyway.
Bobbie
Kerry was right when he made those comments and he shouldn’t have to oppologize for it, he was a soldier and he has an inside look on what’s going on in that area. If he says that you best get educated or else you’ll be shipped to Iraq, then I suppose that is how the Mil targets it’s recruits.
What’s the big fuzz anyways.
Kerry still amazes me. One of the few people I know that can get his foot caught in his mouth, and get the other foot caught trying to get the first out. Then he managed to grow a third foot to get stuck!
I could see how it may have been a botched joke. Fine, it happens to the best of us. And a normal person would realize that what they said had offended people and apologize to those people immediately (I’m not talking the President here, jabs like that are the norm). He added insult to injury in stating he would apologize to no one. What a putz. Then he posts an almost-apology “I’m sorry my remarks were misinterpreted comes off as somethin akin to ‘ I’m sorry you’re too stupid to understand the subtlties of my wit”) on the web instead of doing the right thing and giving it personally.
If he had stood up immediatly when it became an issue and said “Geez, I really botched that joke. I never realized how it sounded until I heard the tape. I never intended it to be a slight against the troops. I guess I had better give up my dream of being a stand-up comic”, it would have blown over in hours instead of sticking in peoples craw. But I guess that would require some humility and a sense of humor - something lacking from a good portion of left leadership.
DamdYankee,
Well Said.
I support our troups no matter what. They did not ask to go to war but have stepped up to the plate and I think all of America should be proud of them. No matter what the press says our Americans are doing a great deal for the people in the middle east from building schools to building every thing else and the soldiers I hear from tell me that Iraq and Afganistan people are glad that we are there. If ever there was deication it is the America soldier. Catherine
I think the below letter did get published in the Washington Times.
John Kerry’s statement that only losers join the military aligns precisely with his uncorroborated testimony before Congress about how I, and others of TF116, committed unspeakable atrocities against the South Vietnamese. In my little corner of the war our boats and ships were ordered not to return fire from the village of Nam Can as they transited to and from Seafloat. We were expected to gut it out through the kill zone, because the village was designated by us as a sanctuary from the war for civilians.
Now he regards my son who joined the Marine Corps infantry out of high school as intellectually failed, and never considers the possibility that he may have deferred college to serve his nation. My son had the aptitude scores and security clearance to serve a tour with Marine Presidential Security Forces, before joining Third Battalion Fourth Marines security.
Life has come full circle.
Guys remember all this when the scuzbag tries to run again. He ain’t outta ketchup money yet. I was drafted, ent to Nam and came home and went to school. It was a life shaping and changing event. I was blessed that it was not a life ending event. I hope that in some way the things I have done for kids and my community over the years is a tribute to those who were not as fortunate.
I would like say thank you to all of the young men and women who are in Iraq and Afganistan for what they are doing for America. Without them these nuts would be over here. When these men come home each and every one of us should walk up and say thank you for serving.
Kerry’s point is that the military generally draws it’s recruits from the undereducated and underprivileged who frequently lack mentors, motivation or serious educational opportunities. But that’s hardly surprising or new. Even when our country has had a drafted army the wealthy and educated frequently avoided military service through various loopholes (just look at Dick Cheney’s record in avoiding service in Vietnam). Certainly though there are a minority of recruits who come from wealthy or highly educated backgrounds but they are hardly the rule. Oh, also, I wouldn’t say Business Degrees like MBA’s give someone the best tools to make good decisions about the historical risks of military service.
Educated Voters Make Better Decisions