What's Up With Ft. Lewis?

[prole]

Link.

[Pete_H]

My wife's cousin's husband has been deployed for the last 5 months, is coming home for 5 days, then leaves for another year. That bullshit might have something to do with it. Also that the military is fighting the longest war in U.S. history for an enigmatic purpose with goals that are probably unatainable. Really quite a tragedy.

[Pete_H]

And the poor fuckers have to live in Tacoma.

[kevbone]

Also that the military is fighting the longest war in U.S. history for an enigmatic purpose with goals that are probably unatainable. Really quite a tragedy.

 

I don't remember congress declaring war on anyone. So really we are occupying. At the very least get that straight.

 

And yes there is no end in sight and it is very much a tragedy.

[rob]

Also that the military is fighting the longest war in U.S. history for an enigmatic purpose with goals that are probably unatainable. Really quite a tragedy.

 

I don't remember congress declaring war on anyone. So really we are occupying. At the very least get that straight.

 

And yes there is no end in sight and it is very much a tragedy.

 

Congress doesn't have the balls to declare war, they might lose votes. They'd rather just give a blank check to the Executive Office and let him take the blame. Fucking wankers.

[KaskadskyjKozak]

Congress doesn't have the balls to declare war, they might lose votes. They'd rather just give a blank check to the Executive Office and let him take the blame. Fucking wankers.

 

Neither does this,or any of the previous presidents since FDR. They keep calling wars shit like "police actions", "operations (enduring freedom!!)", etc

 

 

[rob]

We should have listened to Ike

 

[video:youtube]

[j_b]

I don't remember congress declaring war on anyone. So really we are occupying. At the very least get that straight.

 

And yes there is no end in sight and it is very much a tragedy.

 

Congress doesn't have the balls to declare war, they might lose votes. They'd rather just give a blank check to the Executive Office and let him take the blame. Fucking wankers.

 

Like Ron Paul did for Afghanistan when he gave a blank check to GW?

[kevbone]

I don't remember congress declaring war on anyone. So really we are occupying. At the very least get that straight.

 

And yes there is no end in sight and it is very much a tragedy.

 

Congress doesn't have the balls to declare war, they might lose votes. They'd rather just give a blank check to the Executive Office and let him take the blame. Fucking wankers.

 

Like Ron Paul did for Afghanistan when he gave a blank check to GW?

 

 

Yes....just like that.

[j_b]

It seems like denial of ptsd is a wider problem than at Ft Lewis, no?

[ivan]

Congress doesn't have the balls to declare war, they might lose votes. They'd rather just give a blank check to the Executive Office and let him take the blame. Fucking wankers.

declaring war on afghanistan wouldn't even make sense, given that, in theory, we're allies in an effort to install Disney Land in the Hindu Kush together i don't think congress has ever declared war on a non-state group, nor am i certain if it can.

 

anyone read "the savage wars of peace?" good book, the main point of which of course is that this shit is nothing new - the introductory quote is great, taken from the marines "small wars handbook" (composed over a half-century of direct experience) in 1940:

 

The history of the United States shows that in spite of the varying trend of the foreign policy of succeeding administrations, this Government has interposed or intervened in the affairs of other states with remarkable regularity, and it may be anticipated that the same general procedure will be followed in the future. We must be prepared.

 

as for this current ft lewis fella, and not to be beat the "the more shit changes, the more is stays the same" drum, but anyone know what tomorrow will be the 44th anniversary of? in the spirit of "a pic's worht a 1000 words," i'd post one but i don't want to be accused of copying bill's style

[ivan]

It seems like denial of ptsd is a wider problem than at Ft Lewis, no?

if they actually spent more time at ft lewis they'd jsut be suffering from SAD instead of PTSD and probably going just as bonkers

[AlpineK]

I spent a year plus working on the Fort Lewis base. The place seemed pretty nice. The only fault I found was they had a Popeyes Fried Chicken.

 

They should have listened to Oprah and Lenny Wilkens and gone with Ezell's

[akhalteke]

Tell you what. If that war wasn't over, it is now. The funny thing (well not really) is that an Imam stated after being asked why there weren't more protests (like after the Koran burning) and he said that it wasn't as big of a deal (compared to the burning of the Koran). Very few people can understand the logic of those people; even those that have spent a lot of time dealing with the rural population.

 

Their norms are so different from ours, any attempt to 'understand' them is futile.

 

As for the soldier in question, I cannot fathom a guess. I HOPE that his documented head trauma was the culprit.

 

In the end, it will do no good to stay now. With Hamid calling for our ousting, it is most certainly time to GTFO.

[akhalteke]

Also that the military is fighting the longest war in U.S. history for an enigmatic purpose with goals that are probably unatainable. Really quite a tragedy.

 

I don't remember congress declaring war on anyone. So really we are occupying. At the very least get that straight.

 

And yes there is no end in sight and it is very much a tragedy.

 

STFU Kev. Mire the topic in semantics. Really productive. Quit being such a flaming asshat.

[Mal_Con]

Random foreigners killing them is the norm, not unusual. It has been that way since Alex da Great. They expect that so it does not raise a stir. It only seems weird to us. But ist does not mean they like us in any way, they just see us as the expected assholes like the Russians before.

[kevbone]

 

STFU Kev. Mire the topic in semantics. Really productive. Quit being such a flaming asshat.

 

Mire the topic in semantics? Sorry if the truth hurts

[minx]

Kev

 

I've got to agree with Ak on this. it doesn't matter if its a war, conflict, occupation. it doesn't change what folks are dealing with in the aftermath.

 

although we're all entitled to an opinion, i'd guess that in many ways Ak's perspective is a bit more educated than most of us.

[JayB]

Has anyone bothered to compare the murder rate amongst returning vets to the same civilian demographic before concluding that vets in general are more likely to deliberately kill others?

 

Per the DOJ - "US offender rate for homicide in the 18 - 24 yo range is 26.5/100,000.For 25 - 34, it's 13.5/100,000."

 

Anyone know what the rate for returning vets is? I suspect that for all returning troops it's actually lower than the murder rate for civilians of the same age, race, educational attainment, etc - but it could be higher.

 

Having said that - even if it's lower in general it could be higher amongst units that have had heavy combat rotations. I just haven't ever seen the numbers.

[sobo]

In the end, it will do no good to stay now. With Hamid calling for our ousting, it is most certainly time to GTFO.

Shit, just when I was getting ready to rotate in.

[sobo]

as for this current ft lewis fella, and not to be beat the "the more shit changes, the more is stays the same" drum, but anyone know what tomorrow will be the 44th anniversary of? in the spirit of "a pic's worht a 1000 words," i'd post one but i don't want to be accused of copying bill's style

If my memory serves, that would be the anniversary of Lt. Calley's Folly.

[Coldfinger]

True, but even back then NCO's hang while officers walk.....

[sobo]

True, but even back then NCO's hang while officers walk.....

Calley was a 2LT, which is a commissioned officer. He was the only one to be convicted and serve any time, so I'm not following your comment, CF.

[jon]

Are Mitt's kids going to enlist when he takes us to war with Iran?

[Coldfinger]

Kinda thinking this one might be executed.

 

Lots of enlisted and NCO's did more time than Lt. Calley for far less than murdering somewhere between 347 and 504 unarmed civilians.

 

Calley got off lightly in comparison to what may happen to Sergeant _______.