Another Soldier Speaks

I recieved this letter last night from a Soldier I have been chatting to who is currently deployed to Iraq. The Soldiers are now reaching out more now than at any other point in this war and they need to be heard. This is no longer just about morale, it is also about getting the truth out there before it is too late and the Defeatocrats are successful in bringing them home.

My wife had gone home to visit her family and read an article in her home town paper called "Education Trumps War".

TENT STATE UNIVERSITY Education trumps war Home News Tribune Online 04/24/07 RUTGERS — The Iraq war framed the debate as this year's Tent State University term officially began on Voorhees Mall Monday afternoon. Through the early afternoon, students and organizers repeatedly called both for an end to the war and for that conflict's funding to be diverted to higher education. ""Do the students support the war? ... Do the public support the war? ... Do the soldiers support the war? ... Hey everybody, do the Iraqi people, who we're spending $500 billion to save, support the war?'' student organizer Erik Straub asked from the speaker's dais in front of the campus' Vietnam War Memorial. ""That's what I thought,'' Straub replied after his queries were met with resounding cries of ""No!'' from 40 or so students and organizers sparse attendance by Tent State standards. Straub, a sophomore philosophy major, said that while Tent State's ostensible aims were to convince legislators of the need to sustain affordable higher education, the event also seeks to empower and embolden students to build their own alternative learning environments. ""Tent State University says that people who work together decide together. We are you,'' he said. Link

This article asks the questions which basically states that no one seems to care or support the war. If that's that case, then why do we get people in here asking us to come to their village and get rid of the bad people. Why do we feel the need to be here?

As a soldier, I don't want to be separated from my family, but I understand why I am here, and I can see that I am making a difference with the Iraqi unit I am helping to train. It may be small steps, but to me it seems they are making progress from when we showed up here. Yes, they still ask us for more help than we feel they need sometimes, but that is to be expected.

In the old Iraqi army, they beat detainees to get information the detainee might have. Now with the US helping to train Iraqi army units, we don't see that as much. Well, I can say we don't see it here at the IA unit I'm helping to train. Detainees still make accusations, but they generally don't have marks on their body to prove they were beaten. Detainees are always going to make accusations simply because it is world news with what happened at Abu Gharib. See, a few bad examples of US soldiers makes us all look bad.

Now people aren't blaming all soldiers, but what do you think people remember more. The soldier being recommended for the medal of honor for diving on a grenade and saving the lives of his buddies, or the abuse and mistreatment of detainees at Abu gharib?
Yes, there is a soldier who died a year or so ago that did this. Abu Gharib will be talked about for years to come, but I can't even tell you that soldiers name. He made the ultimate sacrifice. He was a gunner in the turret when the grenade landed in his truck. He was the only one that saw where it went, and instead of diving out of the truck, he dove on the grenade thus saving the rest of the people in his hummer. Here is the link for this story.

Spc. Ross A. McGinnis has been nominated by his commanders for the Medal of Honor, said Maj. Sean Ryan, a spokesman for 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. On Dec. 4, while on duty in Baghdad, Iraq, McGinnis used his body to smother a grenade, saving the lives of four fellow soldiers. McGinnis died from the blast. McGinnis, 19, was assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, which is attached to 2nd BCT. Only one soldier and one Marine have received the Medal of Honor since the beginning of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and there has been debate about why there have been so few recipients of the nation’s highest award for valor. McGinnis’ family will have a memorial service for him at 2 p.m. Sunday at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Knox, Pa. His remains will later be transferred to Arlington National Cemetery. According to information provided Tuesday by Multi-National Division-Baghdad, McGinnis was manning the gunner’s hatch when an insurgent tossed a grenade from above. The grenade flew past McGinnis and down through the hatch before lodging near the radio. His platoon sergeant, Sgt. 1st Class Cedric Thomas, was in the vehicle at the time. McGinnis “yelled, ‘Grenade. … It’s in the truck,’” Thomas said. “I looked out of the corner of my eye as I was crouching down and I saw him pin it down.” McGinnis could have escaped the blast, Thomas said. “He had time to jump out of the truck,” he said. “He chose not to. He gave his life to save his crew and his platoon sergeant. He’s a hero.” Three of the soldiers in the vehicle with McGinnis suffered minor injuries. Two of them have returned to duty. The fourth soldier is recovering in Germany. McGinnis was approved Monday for a Silver Star, the nation’s third highest award for valor, according to a press release from MND-B. In it, he was referred to as a private first class. His company commander, Capt. Michael Baka, had signed a waiver to promote McGinnis the morning he died. McGinnis was posthumously promoted to specialist, Baka said. Link

I had to google it. But as you can see. The way the media is in the US, a bad story always trumps the good stories. The media will put out 1 good story to every 9 bad. At least that's the way it seems to me. Well, I guess I'm gonna get off my high horse about the war and get on to other things.

I think it's great the Soldiers are speaking out. So many people back in their home countries are making decisions about what is best for the Troops for them without even asking for their input. It's an interesting situation when the Defeatocrats want to bring home Troops who, for the main part, want to stay and finish their job. Shows somebody isn't listening.

Governments are elected by the people FOR the people and yet all I see is a bunch of people who are in it for their own personal gain.

We need to get these letters out there, these Soldiers have earned the right to be heard.

If anyone has any questions for this particular Soldier I am in contact with him on a regular basis and would be happy to pass them on.

A_C

A Letter Worth Reading...

Once again I will let this letter speak for itself.... No rant required.

A LETTER WORTH READING Be my voice. I want this message heard. It is mine and my platoon’s to the country. A man I know lost his legs the other night. He is in another company in our batallion. I can no longer be silent after watching the sacrifices made by Iraqis and Americans everyday.Send it to a congressman if you have to. Send it to FOX news if you have to. Let this message be heard please… My fellow Americans, I have a task for those with the courage and fortitude to take it. I have a message that needs not fall on deaf ears. A vision the blind need to see. I am not a political man nor one with great wisdom. I am just a soldier who finds himself helping rebuild a country that he helped liberate a couple years ago. I have watched on television how the American public questions why their mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters are fighting and dying in a country 9000 miles away from their own soil. Take the word of a soldier, for that is all I am, that our cause is a noble one. The reason we are here is one worth fighting for. A cause that has been the most costly and sought after cause in our small span of existence on our little planet. Bought in blood and paid for by those brave enough to give the ultimate sacrifice to obtain it. A right that is given to every man, woman, and child I believe by God. I am talking of freedom. Freedom. One word but yet countless words could never capture it’s true meaning or power. “For those who have fought for it, freedom has a taste the protected will never know.” I read that once and it couldn’t be more true. It’s not the average American’s fault that he or she is “blind and deaf” to the taste of freedom. Most American’s are born into their God given right so it is all they ever know. I was once one of them. I would even dare to say that it isn’t surprising that they take for granted what they have had all their life. My experiences in the military however opened my eyes to the truth. Ironically you will find the biggest outcries of opposition to our cause from those who have had no military experience and haven’t had to fight for freedom. I challenge all of those who are daring enough to question such a noble cause to come here for just a month and see it first hand. I have a feeling that many voices would be silenced. I watched Cindy Sheehan sit on the President’s lawn and say that America isn’t worth dying for. Later she corrected herself and said Iraq isn’t worth dying for. She badmouthed all that her son had fought and died for. I bet he is rolling over in his grave. Ladies and gentleman I ask you this. What if you lived in a country that wasn’t free? What if someone told you when you could have heat, electricity, and water? What if you had no sewage systems so human waste flowed into the streets? What if someone would kill you for bad-mouthing your government? What if you weren’t allowed to watch TV, connect to the internet, or have cell phones unless under extreme censorship? What if you couldn’t put shoes on your child’s feet? You need not to have a great understanding of the world but rather common sense to realize that it is our duty as HUMAN BEINGS to free the oppressed. If you lived that way would you not want someone to help you???? The Iraqi’s pour into the streets to wave at us and when we liberated the cities during the war they gathered in the thousands to cheer, hug and kiss us. It was what the soldier’s in WW2 experienced, yet no one questioned their cause!! Saddam was no better than Hitler! He tortured and killed thousands of innocent people. We are heroes over here, yet American’s badmouth our President for having us here. Every police station here has a dozen or more memorials for officers that were murdered trying to ensure that their people live free. These are husbands, fathers, and sons killed every day. What if it were your country? What would your choice be? Everything we fight for is worth the blood that may be shed. The media never reports the true HEROISM I witness everyday in the Iraqi’s. Yes there are bad one’s here, but I assure you they are a minuscule percent. Yet they are a number big enough to cause worry in this country’s future. I have watched brave souls give their all and lose thier lives and limbs for this cause. I will no longer stand silent and let the “deaf and blind” be the only voice shouting. Stonewall Jackson once said, “All that I have, all that I am is at the service of the country.” For these brave souls who gave the ultimate sacrifice, including your son Cindy Sheehan, I will shout till I can no longer. These men and women are heroes. Their spirit lives on in their military and they will never be forgotten. They did not die in vain but rather for a cause that is larger than all of us. My fellow countrymen and women, we are not overseas for our country alone but also another. We are here to spread democracy and freedom to those who KNOW the true taste of it because they fight for it everyday. You can see the desire in their eyes and I am honored to fight alongside them as an Infantryman in the 101st Airborne. Freedom is not free, but yet it is everyone’s right to have. Ironic isn’t it? That is why we are here. Though you will always have the skeptics, I know that most of our military will agree with this message. Please, at the request of this soldier spread this message to all you know. We are in Operation Iraqi Freedom and that is our goal. It is a cause that I and thousands of others stand ready to pay the ultimate sacrifice for because, Cindy Sheehan, freedom is worth dying for, no matter what country it is! And after the world is free only then can we hope to have peace. SGT Walter J. Rausch and 1st Platoon 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)

A_C

No Tears In Heaven

This is just beautiful...

The four Soldiers sat around an olive drab painted footlocker playing cards. Actually, the group was comprised of three Soldiers and one Marine, all wearing desert camouflage uniforms, their blouses removed exposing brown t-shirts, not because they were hot, rather it was just more comfortable to have them off. “Let’s go for six Top,” the Marine Captain said to his partner. “Six it is then Sir,” First Sergeant McNeely agreed. Julian McNeely was from Newark, New Jersey and had served in this man’s army for just over 17 years. He took a lot of shit for his first name while coming up through the ranks, especially while at basic training, but only his brother got away with ribbing him about it in recent years. Julian McNeely’s partner in this game of spades was Captain Mike Williams from Sarasota, Florida. Private First Class Williams attended the United States Marine Corps Officer Candidate School at Quantico, Virginia and graduated as Second Lieutenant Williams on September 9, 2001. He enjoyed playing cards with Top McNeely and the men, it kept his mind off of missing his wife and daughter. Sergeant Booker B. Washington grew up in Montgomery, Alabama before enlisting in the Army the day after he graduated from Robert E. Lee High School in May of 2002, where his picture still hangs as the All-American quarterback who took the Generals to the state championship two years in a row. Booker B. Washington turned down several scholarship offers from colleges and universities like Notre Dame, Syracuse, Clemson, and the most tempting, the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide. In his 18 year old heart, young Booker knew he was to be a Soldier first, before anything else. “I can go three myself sergeant,” Private First Class Brian Velleux of Newport, Maine told his partner, Sergeant Washington. “OK, we’ll go five and set them ‘V’,” the sergeant said confidently. Brian Velleux disappointed his parents by joining the Army a little over a year ago. He was supposed to play professional hockey and make a ton of money and buy his parents a house in Florida and have fake teeth and bad knees and a BMW. He never really liked playing hockey; the early morning practices, the long ass drives to play 90-minutes of “chase the puck,” and the never living up to his father’s expectations on the ice. Brian Velleux loved being a Soldier had aspirations to one day be a noncommissioned officer like Sergeant Washington. “Damn.” Captain Williams said, throwing his cards down onto the makeshift table after being set by the younger team. His partner grinned slightly, knowing the young officer had bid bigger than he had in his hand. “We ought to start making our way to the station,” the first sergeant announced looking at his watch. Captain Williams reflexively asked, “We got someone coming in Top?” “Yeah, we got another Soldier comin’ home,” McNeely answered as he placed the deck of cards dead center of the footlocker and put on his blouse. “Let’s go greet him ‘V’,” Sergeant Washington announced standing up, likewise putting on his blouse. As the train pulled into the station, Corporal Carmen Sanchez marveled at the number of people awaiting their arrival, waving banners and holding signs all welcoming them. When she stepped off the train, Corporal Sanchez was greeted by Captain Williams and First Sergeant McNeely first, with a firm handshake and a pat on the back. “Welcome home Sanchez,” McNeely said with all sincerity as he gripped her hand with his right, his left hand on her shoulder, and his eyes looking into her soul. Carmen Sanchez joined the Army three years ago to the day in El Paso, Texas though she was originally from Honduras. Her parents immigrated to America when she was 13 years old, determined to give their daughter a future filled with freedom, liberty, and opportunities. The melodic sounds of a band playing patriotic music caught her ear as she passed by countless numbers of people welcoming and thanking her, when Corporal Sanchez realized that she was the only Soldier on the train. Though there were other civilians disembarking, the “welcoming party” was solely for her. Tears welled in her dark brown eyes. The original group of four received Corporal Sanchez as if they had known her forever. The card games continued, rotating Carmen into the mix while the “odd man” out took care of keeping score and maintaining refreshments. She quickly noticed that it didn’t seem to matter who partnered with Captain Williams, his team never won a game. On her third day at home, Devlin Thomas, a tall blonde haired reporter in his mid to late twenties from New York, New York, who had taken the train with Corporal Sanchez, stopped by to see her. “Hey Devlin,” Carmen Sanchez said looking up from her cards held in a fan with her left hand in front of her. “Hi Carmen, how are you managing?” the reporter somberly asked. “Fabulously! And you?” she responded slapping down the Queen of Spades, trumping that hand. Devlin Thomas, junior reporter for the New York Times, just kind of shrugged in response, staring off into the distance, longing to be someplace else. “Would you like a soft drink or some bottled water sir?” Private First Class Velleux asked, interrupting Mr. Thomas’ trance. “Ah, no thank you,” Thomas answered. “Where are you from Private Velleux?” he asked the young Soldier. “I’m from Maine sir,” replied Brian Velleux. Devlin Thomas then slipped into his reporter persona asking harder hitting questions of the young private, “Why are you here? Is it worth it? Aren’t you angry?” Private First Class Velleux refused to answer. A little later, Sergeant Washington was the “odd man” out and found himself talking with Devlin Thomas who took a bit of a different approach. “You married sergeant?” he asked with a sincere tone to his voice. “Yep, to my high school sweetheart; she’s a runway model. Well, she is when she walks up and down our hallway. She gave me three beautiful babies, two girls and a boy and truth is I miss that woman, and them kids,” he added quickly. “Well, aren’t you angry with the Army, the government, for taking you away from them?” Thomas asked. “Angry?” Sergeant Washington asked, confused by the question. “Why in the hell would I be angry? I’m here so that they can live safely there. I want my kids to grow up tasting, smelling, and breathing freedom, not misery, not oppression, not shackled. I’m happy that I’ve helped to make that happen for them in my own small way.” Devlin Thomas seemed to take offense to the answer, angrily arguing, “But you’ll never see them again! They’ll never see you again! You’re dead!! We’re all dead and why in the hell are you all so damned happy about that?!?!” A hush fell over the card game as all four players focused their attention on the angry reporter when First Sergeant McNeely slowly stood up. “Mr. Thomas, you are correct, we’re dead, but there are no tears in Heaven. We’ve each given all that we had to give for our country, what is it you would like to know sir?” the salty old NCO asked. “Well, I mean, isn’t anyone else besides me pissed off that their lives have come to an end?” he asked incredulously. Captain Williams spoke up, “Top, sit down please, you too Mr. Thomas and you too Sergeant Washington. We’ve got plenty of time to play cards,” a slight smile crossed the first sergeant’s face. “Let’s talk awhile,” the officer offered. “Devlin,” Carmen Sanchez began, “I’m not angry at all and I left behind a little boy. Ernesto is three and a half years old; he lives with my momma now. I used to miss him terribly, especially at night, lying on my cot in the tent at FOB Mercury just outside Mosul, but since I’ve been here my sadness is gone. I’m so happy that he’s safe and free that my heart no longer aches for him, instead it swells with pride.” Devlin Thomas, unmarried and with no children, could not fathom Corporal Sanchez’s reasoning and said as much. “Well, what about you Captain?” he continued, “Don’t you miss your wife and little girl? Aren’t you mad that you had to die in a fiery helicopter crash depriving Chrissy of her daddy?” “I do miss my wife Mr. Thomas, I miss her every time I’m away from her, that’s called love. Likewise, I miss my daughter Chrissy, she’ll be six next week by the way, but I must say, emphatically, that she has not been deprived of her daddy. I am her daddy and when she thinks of me, speaks of me, dreams of me, I’m overwhelmed with joy that she’ll know I’m in Heaven continuing to watch over her and her mother. This isn’t about my death Mr. Thomas, it’s about my life, and just as with my comrades here, my life ended for a purpose, for a greater good.” “How do you know that she knows you’re still her daddy, her protector? How do you know that she knows your in Heaven?” the reporter pressed. “And by the way, you call this Heaven?” A few smiles appeared on the faces of those who had been there for awhile before Captain Williams responded, “I know, Mr. Thomas, because each night I hear my Chrissy’s prayers, one of the perks for being here, and no, I don’t call this Heaven, this is the port of embarkation, Heaven is over there, through those gates,” he said pointing to his left. “Then why are you here, and not there?” the reporter snipped pointing at the very gates Captain Williams had. “We volunteered to be here sir,” First Sergeant McNeely flatly explained. “You see, no Soldier, Marine, Sailor, Airmen, or Coast Guardsmen ought to arrive to Heaven without a proper greeting. It’s the least we can do considering their sacrifices. And I’d like to add, that through those gates are at least a thousand others who have volunteered to take our place here.” After a few moments of silence, Devlin Thomas tried again asking, “What about you Private Velleux? Surely you see the travesty in dying at such a young age, your life wasted?” Brian Velleux felt his face flush with anger but held it in check after a reassuring look from Sergeant Williams. Taking a deep breath before answering, the young Soldier said, “With all due respect sir, my life was not wasted. My life was spent defending your right to publish articles in your newspaper criticizing my life. My life made a difference in providing the very freedoms you take for granted to a group of people who still don’t understand what freedom means. My life ended while saving a school full of young Afghan girls from an IED that was meant to kill them all. My life was not wasted sir.” Several moments passed before a word was spoken. “I’m sorry Private, excuse me, Brian, I didn’t mean to offend you and I was out of line, the truth is, I respect what your life represents,” Devlin Thomas sheepishly replied. Turning to the entire group he asked, “If I might, I’d like to ask just one last question but before I do, I’d like to say how honored I am to be here among this group and I apologize if I came off antagonistic.” “If you were offered your lives back, a second chance if you were, to leave Heaven and go back, would you take it?” All five answered yes and the New York Times reporter felt that he had found the thread that would validate his original position when First Sergeant McNeely said, “And I’d go back to Iraq to finish the job I started.” “I would too,” Corporal Sanchez offered. “Same here,” Sergeant Washington added, “my Soldiers need me.” “As would I,” added Captain Williams. “And I’d go back to Afghanistan, in a heartbeat,” pronounced Private First Class Velleux. Seeing that Devlin Thomas was stunned by their replies, First Sergeant McNeely offered, “Mr. Thomas, we don’t belong in Heaven, we belong on the battlefield, on the front lines defending America and our way of life, but we’re here, our missions complete, we only pray that there will be others to follow our paths so that those who follow your path can continue to publish newspapers, and our kids can continue to ride buses free from fear. It sucks to be dead Mr. Thomas, but it is truly blissful to know that America remains free. Rest assured sir, there are no tears in Heaven, no tears.” Speechless, Devlin Thomas stood in awe of these people for what seemed like a very long time when First Sergeant McNeely broke the silence. “We ought to start making our way to the station,” the first sergeant announced looking at his watch. “Care to join us Mr. Thomas?”

This was posted on Myspace in the bulletins so I'm not sure where it comes from but just thought it was a beautiful tribute.

A_C

I'm Not The Only Aussie Who Can Rant....

Loretta over at International Troop Support (http://www.myspace.com/internationaltroopsupport) did a pretty good job of it today too!!

Date: Apr 29, 2007 8:58 AM I’m writing this to have my say and defend our military serving in this war on terror. I am tired of listening to troops crying pouring out there hearts and souls. They are feeling so lost and hurt by people’s words. And it is slowly killing them more than a terrorist bullet ever could. Because of their hypercritical countrymen, politicians and people saying bad stuff about them. And the god darn media needs to get a life and start supporting the troops. I have listened and talk to many a troop some crying over the way the media puts them down. I’ve heard them say what’s the point in defending my country when the people hate us. Here’s a quote a lot of the troops are quoting “"IM TIRED OF BEING HATED BY MY OWN PEOPLE FOR TRYING TO DO THE RIGHT THING AND HELP PEOPLE WHO ASK FOR HELP ITS KILLING ME MORE THAN A BULLET WOULD" Do you have any idea how much your betraying these brave men and woman who swore an oath to protect and defend you so you have freedom. From where I sit you people against the war are no better than the terrorist themselves. And in some ways you are worse than the terrorist for not standing by your countries troops. We all want this war over with and one day that will happen. But until them get off your high horses about how much this war is costing and start helping because of their hypercritical countrymen, politicians and people saying bad stuff about them. And the god darn media needs to get a life and start supporting the troops. The thing that everyone in all our countries forgot is that war is an ugly business. Soldiers die, civilians die and contractors get rich. We as the United States and allied troops promised them we would stick with them until the end, had them believe in the dream of democracy, and now it seems that we will abandon them and send them to a painful future and no will be to blame for this but ourselves. It does not matter what you believe in nor what position you now take on the war. We promised someone in 2003 a better future after we destroyed there government and to abandon them now just because we don't like the way things are going is a slap in the face in all that our nation’s is built on and all that we as a society believe in. All military swore a oath the day they joined the military to serve their country no matter the personal cost, no matter what their personal beliefs, no matter the beliefs that the public holds. Do you really want the enemy to drive the mighty United States, Australia, the United Kingdom and other allied forces out of Iraq and Afghanistan. Regardless of what you think, if we leave prior to completing our mission the people that live there and the terrorist will see it as the terrorist and militias that won the war on terrorism not the USA or her allies. Do you really want the terrorist to see that as a sign of weakness and attack our nations more deadlier than September 11th,London and Bali. Because if we leave that’s what we are doing giving in on helping a nation rebuild and have a brighter future. And sending the Jihad resistance, the Taliban and Al Queada that we just don’t care and that we are weak. For those that don’t know me well. I am military I swore an oath to protect my country but I also swore allegiance to my allies. And I will stand up and defend those troops fighting and rebuilding in Iraq and in Afghanistan. And any other deployments they are on. I have many a good mate over there but I’ve also 6 of my own brothers over there fighting side by side with Australia’s allies. They are doing the best job they can and regardless of what you think I am proud of each and everyone of them even if your not. For all the honest supporters, loved ones, friends and family. I am going to ask you to do something lets start giving these brave troops fighting a louder voice let them know we will post any stories or photos they send us. Let’s harass the media and our politicians’ and start showing them the good they are doing in this war. Lets all make a stand against the hypocrites that bad mouth and bash the troops. The louder we get the better off the troops will be. LETS GIVE IT OUR ALL. I thank all the troops on my page for doing their duty I’m totally proud of you all and respect each and every one of you. God bless you all. To all the troop support agencies, mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters and other loved ones, friends. I thank each and every one of you for your support, love and friendship. I couldn’t have asked for a great bunch of friends. You all have my love, support, friendship and love. God bless each and everyone on my page. Please repost this and please add your say as you go. Your Friend Loretta International Troop Support Maybe if we supported our troops as much as we support our sporting teams.......................... *FOR MY LOVED ONES IN IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN & TIMOR..

Look, I agree 100% with Loretta. I think it is absolute Bullshit that people are so quick to take our Forces for granted. Now, I wonder how many of you caught this...

Defence losing the war of attrition Sid Marris and Mark Dodd April 25, 2007 DEFENCE is losing its new soldiers, sailors and pilots at an accelerating rate, with more than one in five army recruits quitting in the first 12 months. Despite the heightened pace of military operations around the world, which has stretched the defence force to the greatest extent since World War II, it is still rejecting two applicants for every new recruit it accepts. The figures, which show air force and navy recruitment numbers have fallen, reveal the extent of the crisis that has engulfed the defence force. The navy is the hardest hit, with an 80 per cent increase in the number of recruits lost in the first 12 months. From 2002-03 to 2004-05, naval recruitment fell from 1534 a year to 1145, while the dropout rate increased from 6.8 per cent to 16.4 per cent - a total of 188 personnel down. For the army, recruitment rose over the same period from 1713 to 2201, but the loss rate increased from 18.8 per cent to 21.6 per cent for a total of 475 personnel. While the air force lost fewer of its first-year recruits, the dropout rate has been rising because fewer were being enlisted in the first place. Air force enlistments fell from 828 to 622, and the dropout rate increased from 9.8 per cent to 11.6 per cent. Link

Begs the question - Why the hell should they stay in Service when people don't give a damm?? - Don't ya think??

I wonder if maybe we started to support our Service Personnel, maybe they would be more inclined to stay int he Services and continue to fight for us.

Come on Australia, it's time you all WOKE UP!!

Support our Diggers - Past and Present. They have more than earned it.

A_C

What to Believe.....

Radical cleric Faiz Mohamad is at it again..

Jihad hymn in youth group's soccer video Richard Kerbaj April 28, 2007 A VIDEO posted on a hardline Islamic website to promote a soccer tournament in western Sydney has outraged Muslim leaders by featuring an Arabic song often used by al-Qa'ida to promote jihad. The song calls on militants to "exterminate" non-believers and make them "hear the tunes of death". The video is used by the Global Islamic Youth Centre, headed by radical cleric Faiz Mohamad, who has praised jihadists and compared Jews to pigs. It plays the jihad tune, which also says "we shall go to heaven fearing no death", to images of local and international soccer players displaying their skills. Bomb explosions and missiles launching form part of the music in the clip promoting the Liverpool Youth Cup. "With the swords we shall exterminate the infidels and death is the desire of the pure," one translated verse says. "With jihad the banners of the evident victory shall rise high. "We shall go to heaven fearing no death. We shall not waver ... we are the cubs of the victorious conquerors." Senior Muslim leader Ameer Ali attacked the seemingly "hidden agenda" of the video, which was pulled down by GIYC yesterday afternoon following The Weekend Australian's inquiry. "I'm worried and I am concerned there is a hidden message behind this soccer tournament (promotion)," said the former chairman of John Howard's Muslim reference board. Link

Seemingly hidden agenda?? This guy has openly produced and distributed dvds encouraging muslim parents to have children and offer them up for martyrdom and they call it a seemingly hidden agenda?? I think that might be a small understatement, don't you??

Interesting isn't it?? With all the fuss radical cleric Faiz Mohamad has caused, the Muslim Community still back pedals and denies and knowledge of his actions. They KNOW that this man openly supports terrorism and while they don't openly support him and his actions, by not coming forward and standing against him they are in fact, condoning his stand.

If indeed the Australian Muslim Community want to live side by side with Australians it is time for them to reject the likes of Faiz Mohamad and Sheikh Al Hilali and appoint reponsible leaders to their positions.

This man has access to young boys and men who can easily be manipulted to his cause. While this is of concern to many Australian Muslims, still nothing is being done. They need to be completely removed from positions of power so that they can no longer harm the reputation of the Australian Muslim Community.

A_C

Never One To Miss An Opportunity....

Now anyone who reads my rants on a regular basis knows I am not one to miss an opportunity to verbally bash David Hicks. I think the guy is a Traitorous Mongrel Dog and completely undeserving of the support of Australians.

Well, while perusing the Australian this morning I came across the following 2 articles.....

On the torture trail David Hicks's claim that he was abused is the most contentious part of his story, argues associate editor Cameron Stewart April 28, 2007 WAS David Hicks tortured or abused during his six years in American custody? The question has been a central mystery in the Hicks case and one readily exploited by supporters and critics of the jailed Australian. In her comprehensive account of the Hicks case in Detainee 002: The Case of David Hicks, ABC journalist Leigh Sales is careful not to jump to a definitive conclusion on this sensitive subject. But the evidence she provides adds weight to the probability that Hicks either invented or greatly exaggerated his claims of physical abuse at the hands of his American interrogators. At the heart of the mystery is the contradiction that Hicks first alleged severe abuse during interrogations aboard the USS Peleliu following his capture in Afghanistan in 2001, yet in his plea deal last month he stated that he had never been illegally treated by Americans while in custody. Hicks's sympathisers are broadly sceptical of this turnaround, saying Hicks would have been pressured to deny any ill-treatment as part of the deal that will see him returned to Australia and released from prison by the end of the year. They don't see why Hicks would have been spared the harsh treatment often dealt out by CIA interrogators to other frontline terror suspects. But others say Hicks's denial is proof that he was never subjected to torture or physical abuse. Link

I will still stand by my claim this piece of crap should have been slapped around a hell of alot more often for being a traitor. Hicks has done nothing but lie throughout this whole saga. As these articles state, he likes to talk and apparently will say whatever needs to be said to whoever happens to be there at the time. He has no concept of loyalty either to his country of birth, nor to those he swore to fight beside in Afghanistan.

It begs the question though, did he speak as freely with the Leaders in the Taliban Camp he was living at?? We all know Hicks isn't bright (BIG understatement) and couldn't have given a great deal of information anyway (remembering of course he was rejected by the ADF and would only have the knowledge of the average Australian). I have to admit, I still have issue with the INTENT behind his support for Al Qaeda though.

Bumbling Hicks 'not dangerous' Cameron Stewart April 28, 2007 DAVID Hicks was a bumbling wanna-be who would have been a "total liability" for al-Qa'ida in any terrorist attack. In a scathing critique, Hicks's US military prosecutors have privately described the convicted Australian as a man of "no personal courage or intellect" who rolled over as soon as he was questioned. And they have undermined the Australian Government's portrayal of Hicks as a dangerous terrorist by admitting that his crimes were relatively minor compared with those of his fellow inmates at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. "I think he read Soldier of Fortune magazine too many times," said John Altenburg, the top US official in the Office of Military Commissions from 2004 to last year, speaking publicly about Hicks for the first time. "His case was a very ordinary case; there was nothing special about it in that clearly he was but a foot soldier, not a leader or a planner ... for people wanting to see the worst of the worst, this was not going to be it." Link

The fact that he's an idiot doesn't take away from him being a traitor. He still trained and fought with this countries enemies. 2 hours (before running like a Chicken Shit) is still 2 hours.

I guess we can rule out Hicks running back to his Al Qaeda buddies now that the cat is out of the bag and they know he told all he knew about them. The average, THINKING Aussie doesn't want him here so what's next for David Hicks??

He can live off his infamy for a while here but even his supporters are going to grow tired of this pathetic waste of space eventually. I certainly hope there are a few red faces when the truth does come out. The Pro Hicks crowd supported a good for nothing, lying piece of shit. The truth is coming out now.

Hate to say 'I Told You So' but....

A_C

A Ranger Speaks...'Let Us Do Our Job'

No Rant Required..

Due to my format and the embed format the pic doesn't fit my screen. AAARRGGGHHHH!!!!

But you can listen at that is the main part...

Diggers Despair Over Slain Mate

WAR veteran Mark Hutchinson survived the horrors of World War II only to be slain in his backyard six decades later. Today, the digger should have been making the trip from Armidale to Sydney to take his place alongside soldiers from the 2/12 Field Regiment for Wednesday's Anzac Day march. Instead, as homicide detectives close in on his killer, fellow veterans are struggling to think of April 25 without him. Link

I remember on ANZAC Day watching the WW2 Diggers embrace and shed tears of both joy and rememberance at seeing each other yet another year. It was one of the most touching moments of the Day, just watching them. These strong, proud men who held each other and wept to be with their mates again.

When I think of those Diggers I simply can't imagine the heartbreak the friends of Mark Hutchinson must have felt at the loss of their mate, just days before they would have all been reunited for another years ANZAC Day March and festivities.

That their friend survived the horrors of WW2, only to fall victim to the same atrocoity at home that he had fought to prevent only makes this story all that much sadder.

My deepest sympathies to the family, friends and fellow Diggers of Mark Hutchinson. May they find peace, justice and a speedy end to this horrible incident.

A_C

A Soldier Shares

I don't think it's possible to share something from a Soldier enough. Though their words can break our hearts and tear at our souls, they are the honest, every day experiences of those fighting the wars we can only read about safe at home.

The following comes from a man I greatly admire. As he states in his report, he grew up in post war Vietnam. He has grown up with the tragedy and aftermath of war before coming to the States and choosing to fight one. He is a truly inspirational person and someone I simply adore.

A place that I will always remember Personal background: I was the platoon leader for a Signal unit before participating in Operation Iraqi Freedom. All my knowledge in Signal assets came from various exercises in Germany and Poland. It was great experiences and helped me a lot since it built a good solid foundation for a Signal Officer getting ready for any future deployment. Being in a Long Haul platoon leader means that I have to be on the move at least sixty percent of my platoon leader time; therefore, it prepared me as well as all my fellow platoon leaders for any possible tasks. The Desert of Kuwait: On one night of March 2003, the main body of our Signal Battalion received its orders to fly to Kuwait. By late evening, the unit arrived at Kuwait International and finally set foot on Camp Pennsylvania. A week later, we finally arrived at Camp Virginia to join the rest of the Brigade and we were ready to get our equipment from the Port of Kuwait. Once all of our equipment was retrieved, the validating exercise commenced per order of our unit commander. On 19 March 2003, the ground war began that night, and the SCUD attacks also began… SCUD attacks: There is nothing more frustrating to Soldiers than the feeling of being a walking target. Everyone knows the enemy targeted us but the idea that the SCUDs would travel our way was not favored by the troops. One day, seventeen alarms went off, and at least ten of them, we knew were real. The indication that they were real was because the Patriot Batteries would fire and sometimes you could see the missiles intercept the targets in mid air… The most aggravating feeling was that wearing a protective mask really narrows down your vision, you’re feeling trapped most of the time in that tiny prison. We breathe pretty hard and try to not think. The problem began as you wait and continue to watch the sky, waiting for something to happen… Feeling Anger: On 23 March 2003, late evening, there were rumors that the Insurgents had attacked a lost convoy and executed prisoners. The next day, the news and Arab papers were filled with pictures of our dead while the Insurgents laughing and dancing. That enraged all of the troops within the Battalion. The news was they killed our troops and wore civilian clothes; one thing for sure, our troops were determined to go to war. On the evening of 27 March 2003, all troops received Ammo Basic load, with additional anti-tank weapons and we received our marching credit for the next day. It was the longest night I had experienced. I’ve been to war before in Vietnam before coming to the States, but this time, I’ll be attacking an enemy that had everything ready for me to walk into his home turf. One thing for sure, it won’t be a cake walk like everyone said. Crossing into Iraq, 28 March 2003 (or is it 30 March 2003) and arrived to Baghdad. On 28/30 0530 MAR 03, the battalion began its march into Iraq. The instruction to us was that we support Division Rear, 3rd Infantry Division. We would travel approximately 120 miles the first day. Along the way, the sight of war was definitely devastating. The Republican Guard units and the foreign fighters put up a lot of resistance along Highway 8 toward Baghdad. Charred remains of enemy T-55 and T-72 tanks were still smoking as the battles were just concluded momentarily before we arrived. Sometimes, enemy dead lay scattered right next to their vehicles. That night we arrived at Objective Adder. The next morning, prior to moving out, our movement was delayed because the Iraqis tried to overrun Objective Adder. Cobra and Apache gun-ships coordinated with ground units to counter attack. We received orders to move out while the battle raged on. The Battalion moved slowly into Talil Airbase as it had just been taken by Coalition Forces. Charred remains of enemy soldiers and equipment again littered the battlefield, along the road and around the airfield. V Corps TOC moved into Talil and set encampment there. During the course of this action, enemy forces tried to retake Talil with disastrous results. More wreckages and fresh burning vehicles lit up the night sky. From our position, we could see illuminated rounds from the M2 Bradley engaging enemy targets. It was a one way fight; the Iraqi finally gave up and abandoned their dead during the night. The next morning, we received orders to continue our march again. As the Battalion moved closer to Karbala, we had to stop due to the city had not been secured. Enemy prisoners of war were rushing to the rear area as U.S. armor unit engaged the remnant of the Iraqi Medina Division. The next day, to take Karbala, units from 3rd ID and 101st Div began their assault. It was a real firework alright! The 101st did a massive air assault ahead of the tanks and infantry of 3rd ID. It took an entire day and night of grueling combat but Karbala was finally secured. By 7Apr03, the Battalion finally stopped approximately eighteen miles from Baghdad. Two days later, 9Apr03, we received the news that Baghdad had fallen to Coalition Forces and by 1May03, combat operations was declared over. The signs of war: Nothing can sink a person’s heart more than seeing civilian’s suffering during human conflict. While I was visiting a Combat Surgery Hospital unit or stopped at the town of Al Hilla, I can never forget a little girl’s face as she was transported in by a Medivac badly burned or a glimpse of the bodies buried in one of Saddam’s mass graves. For people who asked if they trained terrorists? They did, our sister units found terrorist training sites with weapon cache ready to use against Coalition Forces scattered throughout their Area of Operation. You can receive anything from training, how to shoot a rifle to patch up a chest wound. For me, nothing prepared me to look into the eyes of the innocents, killed by their own government in order to stay in power. All the civilians admitted at the CSH were shot by the Iraqi as they tried to escape toward Coalition lines. News and Media: There is nothing more hateful to me than watching the news and their bulletin all the time on the TV. They did not show any progress of our troops’ contribution to the reconstruction of the country of Iraq. All the time, they were “sharp shooting” our effort by just plain displaying all the negative aspect of the war. Of course, they were very quick to arrive to film an explosion or demonstration but never once, arrived to film a soldier carrying mattresses to a school dormitory and they were never there to see one of my fellow officer giving clothes and toys out of her own pocket to a poor family in Baghdad. Insurgent Attack: Although as a Signaleer, I was also subjected to many of the dangers in and around Baghdad. Sometimes, we had to travel some considerable distance on escort missions, re-supply and occasionally even cleared our own areas of hostile forces. At first, the Feedayens were pretty poorly trained with their weapons. They often attacked us with RPGs and small arms fire. The RPGs often missed our HMMWVs. At one time, they attempted to throw an IED into our convoy but the IED rolled off one of our HMMWV’s hood and very luckily no one was hurt. We did return fire when fired upon but the majority of the time the targets were obscured by housing structures or civilians which made the processes of target identification and engaging almost impossible. KIA: No one in the platoon would ever forget 5Dec03. As I got off nightshift and ready to go back to my tent, SPC Cl. my former driver from B Co came into the Battalion TOC. We exchanged a brief conversation and he went on a convoy to downtown Baghdad. That night, when I came on shift, there was a report posted on the secure net stating that our unit sustained one KIA… It was Cl. The vehicle he was in got struck by an IED on the driver side and hit him with shrapnel. He was twenty years old. There is nothing harder than to have to write a letter to the next of kin of a KIA Soldier. I didn’t have to but Cl was with me, side by side and shared a fox hole from the beginning of the war. I wrote to his mother and it was the most difficult thing that I ever had to do. The Final Note: For all I know, our Battalion made the drive over 500 miles into Iraq during Combat Operation with no serious incident. We successfully contributed to one of the most complicated Tactical Networks assembled in the Gulf and supported the War-fighters. Because of this action, our Coalition Soldiers achieved the ultimate goal: to remove Saddam Hussein and his regime and free Iraq and we did just that. I returned to the world as we passed the 1st CAV DIV guys at Kuwait International Airport. Like us, they will experience the horror of war and a year long away from loved ones. As we return home, each one of us who experiences war completely change… We became mature beyond our years. That one country with the side of Texas in the Middle-east will forever be a part of us. Of course, back home, the civilian population will never know what we had been through, because they don’t want to know and they don’t care. As for the guys, even though we haven’t seen each other since we last met, we still share that common bond. We took care of each other in the most adverse conditions, and danger in war; I could trust and count on each and every one of them with my life.

Censoring The Diggers

This is CRAP!!!

And the ban played on MORE than 80 years since the repeal of the War Precautions Act, Australian soldiers are still being censored. Last December, after footage of Australian troops skylarking with weapons was posted on YouTube - including one video of a digger pointing a gun at a fellow soldier dressed as an Arab - Australian soldiers were banned from blogging. A 26-year-old Sunshine Coast soldier serving in Iraq was placed under review and his military weblog, "Iraqi Letters", was deleted during the defence force's move to silence servicemen online. Some defence forces, the United States' in particular, use military weblogs (or milblogs) as a recruitment tool and for positive publicity. According to milblogging.com, there are more than 1700 military weblogs from 29 countries, but Australia has none. And other forms of military-related censorship still exist. Australia and Britain are the only two countries that have a D-notice system, under which the media agrees not to publish sensitive government information deemed a threat to national security. Enacted in Australia in 1952, it has not been used in this country for decades, although the Keating government considered enacting it over reports it had bugged the Chinese embassy in Canberra. BEN DOHERTY

Ok look, I can see the ADF's point of view as far as the Youtube inceident goes but come on, these are young people, giving up their youth and their personal lives to fight for our freedoms. They are prone to be a little boisterous from time to time, especially considering they can't get on the Milblogs to Blog away all that extra energy!!

I have to wonder though, did it ever occur to the ADF that we may WANT to hear what the Diggers have to say??

The only positive news to come out of places like Iraq and Afghanistan is on the Milblogs. without them, how would people know we are in fact making progress in these places??

This reminds me of the first Post I ever wrote for Tanker Brothers back in Oct 06...

Just A Thought.. For once I have chosen to stay quiet on the subject of blogs vs security concerns. To be honest, I don't believe I am knowledgeable enough in this area to comment. However, I will share my opinion on what I believe to be the possible social and emotional ramifications of this decision. As we have all seen, the Tanker Brothers have an amazing family unit to support them during their deployment. Then of course, there is the extended 'Tanker Family'. This site, their blogs are their way of being heard on a subject that they are truly passionate about. Their contribution to this war is two fold, both ont he ground and online, spreading the word of it's positive outcomes to the masses. I know they certainly helped this novice understand it better. Now they fight to keep this site, their labour of love alive. But people, what if they fail?? What if the internet freedoms our soldiers enjoy are limited?? I have the honour and privelige of being able to access the thoughts and emotions of both deployed and recently returned soldiers in various formats, including blogs and home pages. Day after day I see the emotional rollercoaster these brave men and women are on. I have to be honest, this leads me to wonder if the Powers That Be have ever really read any of these. The internet provides a healthy outlet for these people to share thoughts and fears, negatives and positives. To reach out and find comfort in complete strangers when they find it to hard to confide in family and friends. It provides the means for socialisation to many soldiers who are at, or nearing an age where they would have been reaching out, looking to meet new people in clubs, through sport or other recreational activities. I don't know who makes these decisions and on what basis but imagine for a moment you are on your first deployment, you're just starting out, your life experience is limited to high school and boot camp. Suddenly you are in another country, away from your loved ones. You are looking at the same 4 walls, you have the same people as both workmates and room mates. feelings of isolation begin to over whelm you. You're lonely and trying to reach out amongst people who feel the same way. Ok, if you have never personally experienced this think of a movie where someone had to get something off their chest. What is always the first piece of advice they are given?? Write it in a letter. You don't have to mail it, just pour your heart out. For those who have never done it - it helps. This is what people are doing when they blog. On the other hand, imagine you are sitting across from someone and they are asking you to pour your heart out. What is the first thing you do?? You clam up, you put on a front, you say you're ok. Every day people are using these internet formats to reach out to other people, build friendships, online communities, support each other in times of need. I truly believe it would be detrimental to the emotional well being of these people to be forced to endure censorship. I think we need to give credit where credit is due. Their stake in their own security is far greater than ours, of course they aren't going to do anything to endanger themselves or the lives of others. The blogs typically take on a more personal aspect anyway. What Milbogs do is encourage patriotism amongst the country men and women of our brave soldiers, encourage support and educate people to the hardships these soldiers face on a daily basis to ensure our continuing freedom. Where would we be without our Milblogs!! A_C

Food for thought

A_C

ANZAC Day Special

World War II veteran Fred Tubb from Euroa, Victoria, at Maribyrnong RSL in Melbourne. His uncle, also Fred Tubb, was one of three locals awarded the VC in the Boer War and World War I. Picture: David Geraghty

Please take the time to take a look at the ANZAC Day Special from The Australian Newspaper. It is packed with information about Australia, it's military and their history.

Link

A_C

Images From ANZAC Day

Veterans and family march in Sydney's Anzac parade. Picture: AP

A man holds an Australian flag as the sun rises at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne. Picture: Stuart Mcevoy

Australian soldiers stand guard during a dawn ceremony at Anzac Cove, Gallipoli. Picture: Reuters

A war veteran rides in a car in the Anzac Day parade in central Sydney. Picture: AP

Eleven-year-old Daniel Roberts carries the Australian flag in the Sydney parade. Picture: AP

Australian and New Zealander visitors attend a dawn ceremony at Anzac Cove, Gallipoli. Picture: Reuters

Fanatics sports fans at the dawn service at Anzac Cove, Gallipoli. Picture: AP

A young girl carries a photograph of her grandfather as she marches with veterans in the Anzac march in Sydney. Picture: Reuters

War veteran Pat Lee wears his old World War II helmet during the Anzac Day march in Sydney. Picture: Reuters

War veterans in the Sydney Anzac Day parade. Picture: Reuters

A man stands against some of the 24,000 names of soldiers and air force men who died but whose bodies were never recovered, inscribed on one of 12 columns, at the Kranji War Memorial Cemetery in Singapore. Australians and New Zealanders gathered at the memorial for an Anzac Day dawn service. Picture: AP

An Anzac Day marcher carries a photo of a family memeber. Picture: AP

Shadows of attendees of an Anzac dawn service at Singapore's Kranji War Memorial Cemetery are seen in the background while a catafalque guard rests on arms reversed as a form of respect. Picture: AP

Australian Navy Operations Officer Lt. Commander Ben Dalton bows with other navy officers as they observe a moment of silence at the Kranji War Memorial Cemetery in Singapore. Picture: AP

Enemies Who Would Be Friends

While Australians and New Zealanders gathered today, wherever they were in the world, to celebrate ANZAC Day and remember those who fought, bled and died for our countries, as well as those who currently serve or lost their lives during peacetime service a new story emerged.

Well, perhaps not a new story but certainly a new chapter of an old story. A strong friendship, forged on the battlefields of Gallipoli between 2 groups of men who should have been enemies. The ANZACs and the Turks were both Soldiers of Misfortune. They were fighting a war they barely understood and despite their best efforts to remain enemies, each side carried a mutual respect for the other.

So close, so cordial has that friendship become that the two old foes now commemorate Anzac Day together, in schools, in clubs and remarkably, in official observances; marching together, drinking together, praying together, remembering fallen heroes together. Among those marching in Sydney on Monday will be 20 or more members of the Turkish sub-branch of the NSW RSL. They will carry a large portrait of soldier-statesman Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, whose genius turned the Gallipoli campaign against the Allies, and a banner displaying his famous words of reconciliation. Thirty years ago such shows of loyalty, not divided but shared, would have been unthinkable. The former Victorian RSL state president Bruce Ruxton once ruled out any rapprochement: "Anyone that was shooting us doesn't get in." Significantly, the Germans and the Japanese still don't get in. So, how did the shooting over Gallipoli stop and the sharing begin? What now does Gallipoli mean to Australia's 150,000-strong Turkish community? And how will future generations remember? As the former NSW RSL president Rusty Priest recalls, acts of kindness and humanity between Australians and Turks, who probably did not even recognise each other's national identity, even punctuated the fighting at Gallipoli. "On May 24, 1915, something remarkable happened ... an armistice was called to give both sides an opportunity to bury their dead. Bodies were lying everywhere. The stench must have been terrible. But they met, shared a cup of water and a cigarette, and no doubt discussed the futility of war," says Priest. "I've always seen that as the place where the friendship started." By then, the two sides had developed mutual respect, recognising in the other a brave and tenacious enemy. Link

The saddest of realities with Gallipoli is that both the Turks and the ANZACs were nothing more than pawns. While both sides fought bravely for their own countries, they were loathe to consider each other as enemies.

Do Turks resent Australians for the Gallipoli battles? Kurtdere shakes his head. "We believe you were used by the British. The Ghurkas, Indians, Australians, New Zealanders: they were just pieces in the game." But do not get him started on the British and Winston Churchill. "They were as bad as the crusaders. Hitler, Churchill: same thing." While some may dispute his history - Australians went willingly to war in 1915 - it is typical of the warmth Turks express toward Australians. Kurtdere said the vast majority of visitors behaved well on Anzac Day, although "I have seen some extreme behaviour by a few who get drunk and take their trousers off, which in Turkish culture is not welcome". To Australians he says: "Greetings, love and welcome. We want to be friends for all time." Link

It is widely recognised that Australians are amongst the strongest and most tenacious Soldiers in the world. But these stories emerging from Gallipoli show that they are also compassionate. While they understood their reason for being at Gallipoli they were loathe to consider the Turks enemies. Both were fighting each other through nothing more than a stroke of misfortune.

We were at the rendezvous on the beach at 6.30. Heavy rain soaked us to the skin. At 7.30 we met the Turks, Miralai Izzedin, a pleasant, rather sharp, little man; Arif, the son of Achmet Pasha, who gave me a card, “Sculpteur et Peintre,” and “Etudiant de Poesie.” I saw Sahib and had a few words with him but he did not come with us. Fahreddin Bey came later. We walked from the sea and passed immediately up the hill, through a field of tall corn filled with poppies, then another cornfield; then the fearful smell of death began as we came upon scattered bodies. We mounted over a plateau and down through gullies filled with thyme, where there lay about 4000 Turkish dead. It was indescribable. One was grateful for the rain and the grey sky. A Turkish Red Crescent man came and gave me some antiseptic wool with scent on it, and this they renewed frequently. There were two wounded crying in that multitude of silence. The Turks were distressed, and Skeen strained a point to let them send water to the first wounded man, who must have been a sniper crawling home. I walked over to the second, who lay with a high circle of dead that made a mound round him, and gave him a drink from my water-bottle, but Skeen called me to come on and I had to leave the bottle. Later a Turk gave it back to me. The Turkish captain with me said: “At this spectacle even the most gentle must feel savage, and the most savage must weep.” The dead fill acres of ground , mostly killed in the one big attack, bit some recently. They fill the myrtle-grown gullies. One saw the result of machine-gun fire very clearly; entire companies annihilated - - not wounded, but killed, their heads doubled under them with the impetus of their rush and both hands clasping their bayonets, It was as if God had breathed in their faces, as “the Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold.” The burying was finished some time before the end. There were certain tricks to both sides. Our men and the Turks began fraternizing, exchanging badges, etc. I had to keep them apart. At 4 o’clock the Turks came to me for orders. I do not believe this could have happened anywhere else. I retired their troops and ours, walking along the line. At 4.17 I retired the white-flag men, making them shake hands with our men. Then I came to the upper end. About a dozen Turks came out. I chaffed them, and said that they would shoot me the next day. They said, in a horrified chorus: “God forbid!” The Albanians laughed and cheered, and said: “We will never shoot you.” Then the Australians began coming up, and said: “Good-bye old chap; good luck!” And the Turks said: “Oghur Ola gule gule gedejekseniz, gule gule gelejekseniz” (“Smiling may you go and smiling come again”). Then I told them all to get into their trenches, and unthinkingly went up to the Turkish trench and got a deep salaam from it. I told them that neither side would fire for twenty-five minutes after they had got into the trenches. One Turk was seen out away on our left, but there was nothing to be done, and I think he was all right. A couple of the rifles had gone off about twenty minutes before the end but Potts and I went hurriedly to and fro seeing it was all right. At last we dropped into our trenches, glad that the strain was over. I walked back with Temperley. I got some raw whisky for the infection in my throat, and iodine for where the barbed wire had torn my feet. There was a hush over the Peninsular. Link

There may well be much to be learned about these experiences and stories. As we watch Iraqi Soldiers, once little more than thugs under the rule of Saddam, now brave warriors fighting to rebuild their country, we are reminded of how those who were once enemies can become friends and allies. Today our Coalition Soldiers continue a legend born on the shores of Gallipoli, one of compassion for the enemy and a willingness to see a one time enemy become a friend.

I leave you with this image and the words they proclaim, an enduring act of friendship between 2 would be enemies....

Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives… You are now living in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours… You, the mothers, who sent their sons from faraway countries wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace, after having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well. Ataturk, 1934

A_C

ANZAC Day

I know many of you are probably wondering where the ANZAC Day posts are....

Well, I put them on Tanker Brothers (see the link on the left).

Attending the 3 Services today in my town was just such an awesome experience, the Spirit of the ANZACs is alive and well.

Head over to TB for a read

A_C

In The Interest Of Fairness

They say there are two sides to every story. In the case of the War in Iraq I have come to believe we are looking at the wrong two sides.

I know I myself seem to expend a hell of alot of energy being pissed of at Leftists Movements who negate the efforts of those actually brave enough to fight for their country. They simper and whine at every percieved injustice to the Iraqi people, while I am willing to bet they actually have no idea of what those injustices are. I am often left wondering how many Iraqi people these imbeciles actually have contact with, or how much of their carry on is simply words regurgitated verbatem from script writers and those looking to further political or personal causes.

No, today, right now I am convinced there are only 2 sides who have the right to be heard here. The Iraqi People and those who fight for them. And right now, I feel that even if the Iraqi people are not necessarily saying what we want to hear, they still have the right to be heard.

I still believe that a safer, democratic Iraq will prevail. The end result of all this fighting and bloodshed has to be peace by someones definition. I don't know that it will ever be the true freedom countries like Australia and America enjoy, but some semblance of that would be a good start for the innocent Iraqis, desperate to resume their lives.

The young of Iraq are losing their youth, their adolescence, their childhood and this saddens me no end. In Western Society we often debate the dangers of exposing our children and youth to violent video games and movies. I know where I stand on this and will not allow game consoles in my house at all. Movies I censor depending on the movie and age of the child (just to give you an idea of how strict I am I wont allow children under 8 to watch Harry Potter). So imagine your children being physically exposed to violence every day. Their view of the world tainted by the blood of loved ones as they die before their eyes.

Young Iraqi's are angry. The sad reality is that this anger could easily be used by the Insurgency to recruit the young to their cause. The Insurgency would have only to offer the promise of an end to the fighting and bloodshed as coercsion to the young to fight and die for them.

While Americans grow tired of the war and demand instant results, do they ever stop long enough to consider this war from the Iraqi point of view?? The sheer helplessness of watching a war waged on your very doorstep, of your life being restricted to personal and family homes, unable to attend schools or to socialise with friends. How will these problems be resolved if no one will fight for them??

To some in Iraq, the situation must seem so much more hopeless now than it did under Saddams rule. For those who were not targeted by his deadly regime there is perhaps a degree of understanding in their anti American sentiment. Those not directly affected had possibly become so adept at turning a blind eye to the suffering of other Religious and/or Cultural groups that they didn't realise just how bad Saddams regime was.

But to read their words now pains me. Young people in the prime of their lives being forced to endure the tragedy of war. Facing the threat of death squads, random mortar attacks, suicide bombings and the realities of displacement and sectarianism as well as the sheer hopelessness as their youth slips away from them is heartbreaking.

Here is an example...

Another terrifying day Yesterday was round 2 of mortar attacks on my neighbourhood. Over 20 mortar missiles fell on the neighbourhood and caused 30 deaths and injuries. Here is my side of the story: I was at my grandmah's house which happens to be next door to my house. Me and my cousin were at the back garden playing soccer and mocking each other. Suddenly we heard a very loud noise of mortar missile passing over us. I said "did you hear it?" and by the time he was saying "yes", a huge explosion took place. It was very close to us, we couldn't tell where it exactly fell as it was too close. We ran inside my grandmah's house and waited there for several minutes. Shortly after that, we heard screaming, shouting and people running in the street, we ran out to the street to see what happened. At first, I couldn't see as there was alot of dust and ashes in the air, then my vision cleared and I saw smoke clouds coming out from the roof of the house of my neighbour which is in front of my house. Instinctively I ran with the people to the inside of my neighbour's house to check for survivers. There were women all over the place shouting and screaming "help him, help him, he is at the roof", meanwhile mortar missiles were falling here and there very close to us. Me and several people ran to the roof of the house, and there was my neighbour lying on the floor with his legs got cut due to the explosion and he was severly bleeding and there was blood stains all over him. I was completely shocked, scared and terrified, I stood there and didn't know what to do. A man who was standing next to me shouted on me "come on!, grab him with me, lets take him to the hospital." I ran to him and carried my neighbour with him, we went down to the street carrying my neighbour where a kind man stopped his car and took us with him to the hospital. Although I tied his cut off legs and squeezed on it trying to stop the bleeding, but by the time we arrived to the hospital, he was already gone, as he was bleeding severely. In the hospital they didn't do anything to him, because he was already dead, they took him to the bodies refrigerator.shortly after his son (my neighbour's son) arrived to the hospital, he was shouting and crying "where is he? I wanna see him." We went to the bodies refrigerator, and it wasn't actually a refrigerator, bodies were lying on the floor, as there were too many bodies and there weren't enough rooms for them in the frig. The view of the bodies lying on the floor was very disgusting and sad, most of the bodies were victims of the mortar attacks. Anyway, my neighbour relatives came to the hospital and brought a coffin for their dead relative, we took the body and headed back to my neighbour house, so that his wife and kids can see him for the last time before they bury him. I told them not to take him to his parents, because it would be very painful for his kids to see their father dead and his legs cut off. Anyway, his son insisted on taking him back home. We took him back to his house, and there was his wife and kids waiting for him and by that time they didn't know whether their father was dead or not. By the time they saw the coffin they started screaming, shouting and crying. I was very touched seeing the tears of his little kids crying with so much pain. Shortly after that, his son said "lets take him to the cemetery, I want him to be buried before it gets dark". so they took him to the cemetery right away. they considerd him as a martyr.(In islam the martyr should be buried right away, with his blood and with his clothes he was wearing when he died). Anyway, we went to the cemetery, and the handlers started to bury him. I was standing with my cousin, near them watching them, before they were done closing his grave, another round of mortar attacks took place very very close to the cemetery, people just started to run and left his grave not completely closed, Me and my cousin closed his grave and ran to the car and headed back home. When me and my cousin went back, my neighbours told us that another mortar missile fell on my grandmah's house but it didn't explode. Thank god it didn't explode because my grandmah was alone in the house. Thats what happened yesterday. God knows what more can happen. Link

I think these young people have earned the right to be heard and I can only pray that they find the patience to allow this war it's due course. I strongly believe that there will be a better life for them at the end, if only they can endure the present with strength and faith.

And I hope they know there are people around the world wishing them the best and praying for them that their lives may be able to resume with some degree of normality as soon as possible.

A_C