Iraq Vet Will Return His Medals In Protest

I'm a DESERT STORM veteran and Cold War vet, still serving. Haven't been to Iraq yet. I'm older, and now a Medical Service admin troop, so they probably don't need me. I don't miss it. But I'll go if they send me, take any risk anyone else does, and do my unit proud. That's what we do in the Service. I don't belittle this individual. I would like to point out the headline is faulty. The GWOT and National Defense medals aren't big news. They're just ordinary service ribbons that DO NOT CHARACTERIZE service. Allow me to explain. A Good Conduct Medal says "good service". A Bronze Star says "Exceptionally meritorious service in a combat theater". If awarded for valor (a bronze "V" is attached to the medal) it represents heroism in combat at great risk of life, above and beyond regular combat duties. The Silver Star is a giant step beyond this, and the Distinguished Service Cross (equivalents: Air Force Cross, Navy Cross) and Medal of Honor represent actions greater than most, even most veterans, can imagine. I have one of the smallest possible decorations that says "courage" in the citation; it was for aviation duty not involving combat! But no matter how much I hate this war and despise the way it began, I wouldn't give that medal up. It was earned. It doesn't take much to give up a GWOT and National Defense. The NatDef is awarded upon completion of Basic Training! The GWOT after 90 days deployment. How many Bronze Stars have been turned in? Silver Stars?

Mr. Gains Is sadly mistaken He has no medals.
What he proports to return are Campaign Ribbons. Good hart, nice gesture but ineffective.

NOW THEIR IS A NATIONAL HERO !!!!!
Betrayus has no right to have say over such a patriot. He and those like him should be the ones testifying to 'congress'. This is an area that needs re-vamping. Our troops have earned the right which they defend. Speak when in uniform.Why do we ask our military personal to give up the Rights they are putting their lives on the line to protect- WHAT the F@c*. Why- because we would actually get accurate views from the "ground", so as people in a 'democracy' we are able to relate our wishes to those who 'represent' US in our gov't affairs of state. Betrayus was just a spokeman for the agenda who happens to were a uniform to work. What ever he earned as a real 'soldier for the people of the US" was lost as soon as he accepted his new political position in the administration. Can't tell a book by it's cover.

Bravo to Josh Gaines, what an honorable young man.

I do have one suggestion for him. Along with his medals, send a box of Preparation H suppositories with a note suggesting that Rumsfeld use them to ease the pain of shoving the medals up his ass!

"If anything, this conflict has bred more terrorism in the Middle East."

clang

clang

clang

The bell of truth rings loud and clear for anyone who would hear.

I have made an error - Here is the current oath of enlistment for officers of the military AND the one it replaced. The current oath is contradictory in that it allows for "two" commanders - The Constitution and the President. The Constitution isn't going to help any officer these days.....only kissing the administrations ass will help. Ask Betraus.

The wordings of the current oath of enlistment and oath for commissioned officers are as follows:

"I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God." (Title 10, US Code; Act of 5 May 1960 replacing the wording first adopted in 1789, with amendment effective 5 October 1962).

"I, _____ (SSAN), having been appointed an officer in the Army of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of _____ do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God." (DA Form 71, 1 August 1959, for officers.)

The US military is mostly composed of young enlisted men in reserve or national guard component who have no interest in an NCO career.

There are few helicopter pilots who were once commissioned officers, but today are warrant officers.

The commissioned officer ranks are both academy or ROTC/OCS. At one time, only academy graduates received O-6 or better rank. The current crop of generals include many who took the ninety day wonder or four year part time college root to a butterbar.

Very few of the officer class with O-1 to O-3 rank have not made up their mind to obtain field grade and the necessary education to receive it.

Polls suggest that the majority of national guard and reservists are against the war. Only regular component NCO and career officers know that rank accompanies theatres of war.

American troops take an oath to follow orders - American military brass take an oath to defend the US Constitution, NOT that of the piles of shit occuping our government.

Nowwwwwwwwww you have got it !!!!!!!!!! You fought to steal oil, water and land for the Fuhrer

About 9 a.m. on August 2, 1934, the much anticipated death of President Hindenburg finally occurred. Within hours, the Nazi Reichstag announced the following law, back-dated to August 1st:

The Reich Government has enacted the following law which is hereby promulgated.
Section 1. The office of Reich President will be combined with that of Reich Chancellor. The existing authority of the Reich President will consequently be transferred to the Führer and Reich Chancellor, Adolf Hitler. He will select his deputy.
Section 2. This law is effective as of the time of the death of Reich President von Hindenburg.

The law was technically illegal since it violated provisions of the German constitution concerning presidential succession as well as the Enabling Act of 1933 which forbade Hitler from altering the presidency. But that didn't matter much anymore. Nobody raised any objections. Hitler himself was becoming the law.

Immediately following the announcement of the new Führer law, the German Officer Corps and every individual soldier in the German Army was made to swear a brand new oath of allegiance:

"I swear by God this sacred oath: I will render unconditional obedience to Adolf Hitler, the Führer of the German Reich and people, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and will be ready as a brave soldier to risk my life at any time for this oath."

The unprecedented oath was to Hitler personally, not the German state or constitution, as were previous Army oaths. Obedience to Hitler would now be regarded as a sacred duty by all men in uniform, in accordance with their military code of honor, thus making the German Army the personal instrument of the Führer.

Sound familiar - Now the United States has it's own Fuhrer!!!!!!!!!

It is still sort of a free country, and Josh Gaines may do with those medals whatever pleases him. I am glad he is using them to make a statement about the war in iraq.

It is hard, but I try to picture what it would feel like to be about 19 again, and suddenly be put in a strange land, where I don't know the language and people are shooting at me, and be given weapons and told to kill people. It is amazing that anyone emerges still sane from that dehumanizing experience, although many don't.

Last night in Hilo, I attended a Public Forum sponsored by the Army seeking public comment on their Draft Environmental Impact Statement regarding stationing the Stryker Brigade on the Big Island. A veteran got up and told the protesters that: a. they should join the Army and get their heads blown off, b. Osama bin Laden would cut off their thumbs, and c. if we were newcomers to Hawaii, we should just leave the islands. Then he wandered around whispering to anyone in a uniform.

SUPPORT YOUR TROOPS
END THE WAR AND START NO OTHERS

well, i, for one, appreciate this veteran's service and his protest. he has honor and courage on many levels. he has my admiration.


i wonder how long it's gonna take the "true" patriots of his country to start swiftboating him.

During the Vietnam era, there developed the theory that it was the Universal soldier who also shared responsibility for the killing.

If the soldiers see that the basis of the invasion and the occupation are illegal and they keep on signing up, then they have to question the morality of the counterinsurgency tactics.

This young man completed his tour of duty. He understands that the killing and continued occupation of Iraq are against his moral values. He has chosen to exercise his First Amendment rights.

Who is more courageous, the guy who says nothing or the guy who blindly supports the troops despite the error of the policy or the atrocities that he must engage in every day?

Many of my friend were severely damaged in Vietnam. The Gulf War has seriously harmed one in four in their health - not in a specific pattern, but also not just as post-traumatic stress disorder.

Depleted uranium casings, nerve agents unleashed by exploding ammunition dumps, viruses, heavy metal toxic exposure, etc.

The Pentagon disputes the cause but the epidemiologists have indisputable evidence of the fact that 160 to 200 thousand US servicemen were in fact "injured" in the First Gulf War, also about oil, according MSN News Service this morning.

Agent Orange still affects some 15,000 Vietnam citizens and countless US servicemen and women.

Congress will not de-fund the war, citizens will not protest, so guys like this must stand up and de-glorify the mission by returning the medals, as did John Kerry and many others.

The beauty of our great country - that fine veteran is permitted to do just that. He's permitted to protest the war by returning the medals without fears of retaliation.

Thank him for his service.

God bless the troops.

Thank you for your service soldier, I support you 100 %, my father fought at the Battle of the Bulge, as well as many other places during WWII, he earned so many medals, including the Purple Heart, Medal of Freedom from the President of Belgium etc., he was shot in both lungs, they repaired one but told him they wanted to remove the other, they did, then they told him the other lung probably wouldn't last so they wanted to remove it and make him live in an iron lung for the rest of his life.
He said no way, and he lived to 59 years of age, then developed brain cancer and died. But he never stepped foot in another Veterans hospital, collected any benefits, renewed his drivers license, and he stopped paying taxes.
He said any government that treats it's returning vets like that can keep their medals and he would not contribute another dime to the government.
As for those medals,he ended up giving them to me, but I can understand how you feel.
You see Bush and all his kids and other rich white kids going to college, those Young Republicans spewing their crap about how we must stay in Iraq, but um they cannot serve, they have college to finish, and vacations and jobs. So, they will just let the other people take care of it.
Good luck to you sir, I hope the future holds much for you and God protects our troops still over in that mess.