« Previous · Home · Next »
Will America Turn Its Back My Sons?
By Slab
Allow me to introduce you to Cathy Floyd. Mrs. Floyd is the mother of one of my childhood friends, and her family has been friends with mine for ove 15 years. One of her sons is a graduate of the Citadel, that little trade school down in Charleston that tries to imitate VMI. Following his graduation, he commissioned into the Army as an infantry officer, and served a tour in Iraq with the Mississippi National Guard's 155 BCT. After his return, he was sent to the 82nd Airborne Division, where he expected to finish out his active duty commitment this spring and take a job in the civilian workforce. President Bush's surge put his plans on hold when his brigade received orders to deploy to Kuwait in January, and shortly thereafter was committed to Baghdad. On top of that, her youngest son is contracted through Army ROTC, and will also be commissioning into the infantry in just a few months.
You might expect Mrs. Floyd to be upset and bitter about the surge, given the suspension of her son's plans to leave the Army, and his unexpected return to Iraq. You might expect her to be grateful for Congress's attempts to force a withdrawal from Iraq by the end of next year, since it would likely spare her youngest son from serving over there if it came to pass. But then, you don't know her.
She eloquently expressed her views in a letter to the Charlotte Observer earlier this week, Will America turn its back on my sons?
Maybe one of these days I'll be able to adequately voice the sense of betrayal I feel as Congress votes on withdrawal. In the meantime Mrs. Floyd's words can stand in place of my own.
Our son is in Iraq.He is in the infantry. This is his second tour. His commitment was supposed to be over this spring. He is not getting out or coming home then. He is staying until his unit's deployment is over and their mission completed -- whenever that is.
His younger brother is in Army ROTC and expects to be commissioned into the infantry later this year. The Army did not pay either son's tuition. We did. They don't "owe" this to the government. Nobody wants this war over more than we do.
Read the rest.
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://op-for.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/860
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Will America Turn Its Back My Sons?:
» tiqebezoyicn from tiqebezoyicn
nice post [Read More]
Comments
As a Vietnam Vet I am still angry over that betrayal. Now we are planning to betray another military generation.
Thank you, Cathy. Yell this from the highest rooftops. We also have two family members over there, and agree fully.
We're standing here watching this surreal thing happen again, and not able to do anything besides write letters to Congress.
Blood Money is right.
For what it's worth, the analyses I've seen say it's all a game. The Dems who put the withdrawal dates in the bills expect Bush to veto the legislation, allowing them to pander to their anti-war base while not winding up being authors of any real, legal withdrawal deadline.
Dick, I'm hoping and praying that's why they haven't proposed a "yes or no" vote on withdrawal.
If it's a move to appease the crazies, and ONLY a move to appease the crazies....I can...errrr, almost understand.
Almost.
It's still terribly irresponsible. And shits on the sacrifices of guys like Lightning, who have spent more time over there than in the States as of recently.
I have been on a rant for about a week for the same reasons!
Good thing I do not know where Harry Reid's offices are here in Reno....
Semper Fi.
//jcrue
It's all politics, man... politics.
To a grunt who spends his life on a day-to-day basis, this really doesn't amount to a hill of shit.
I've been there... and will be going back. I don't take this anymore personally than if someone called me a baby-killer. To me, if you haven't been there your opinion amounts to a cold glass of shut-the-fuck-up.
Opinions are like assholes. And politicians will sell their grandmother down the river to make a dollar or hold onto power.
And that goes for the douches of both parties.
Business as usual in Washington, DC. It is as distant a place to me (culturally, socially, and physically) as London was to the Founding Fathers.
My dear woman,
You would be best served to read up on the history of this great nation. You would see with your own eyes. the recounting of many occasions
where a mother has lamented the loss of a son to battle. This is the history of our country. We are the best and the greatest because of the dedication and sacrifice of a generation of men to further the cause of a free country. Look around at other countries on this planet. I Dare you to find another country with freedoms greater than the U.S.A.
And I DARE you to find another country with
the type of men and women that would fight an d die to protect these grear freedoms
Richard J. Brehme
Richard.
You are obviously intelligent and well read. You also obviously don't understand what the woman is saying, indicating a clear inability to understand the written word.
This woman's son's _are_ "the type of men and women that would fight an d die to protect these grear freedoms". It's also apparent that Congress has no appreciation for
"the best and the greatest because of the dedication and sacrifice of a generation of men to further the cause of a free country."
Our political leaders in the Congress, who are elected to do the will of the people, place their own interests above the nation. That is her fear - and mine.
Dear SueK,
No one understands better the Fog of War.
As a parent who watched his #1 son do no less that 3 tours in Iraq, I have the unique perspective of THE WAIT. If I may, do you have anyone in your immediate family serving? If not , then your critique of my entry is shallow at best, probably some triggered blogg-scan launched by my use of certain phrases that caused the need for some immediate counter-point on your part{:)
Just checkin
HeH
RJB
Richard, you obviously do not understand what Cathy Floyd and Sue K are saying. I will tell you, from my own personal experience, that Mrs. Floyd is very proud of her son, and she has also been very supportive of my family through all four of my overseas deployments. I'm sure she'll continue to be just as supportive during my next trip to Iraq. I'll submit to you that she has a very clear understanding of "The Wait", as you call it.
Furthermore, calling Sue's response "shallow" is extremely misguided. She clearly comprehended the point of Mrs Floyd's letter, where you did not.
Post a comment
Potential comment conditions listed here. Oh, and you may use basic HTML for formatting.
Trackbacked by The Thunder Run - Web Reconnaissance for 03/29/2007
A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention.