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The Other Side of Paradise
Eastern Afghanistan -- From the outer walls of this fire base in eastern Afghanistan, you can see the mountains that mark the border with Pakistan. The Taliban rocket this base regularly, and move throughout the area with relative ease. The US soldiers here live with this threat, but are so restricted by the rules of engagement established by NATO and the Karzai government, that taking military action is difficult. This is a war that is now driven by politics and cultural sensitivity, rather than tactics and strategies that seek some form of victory.
Soldiers are notoriously silent about their political views. By law they are committed to supporting the Commander and Chief. Yet this election has brought about deep feelings of distrust and uncertainty within their ranks. The perception of Obama for these soldiers is grounded in some simple realities that for them draws into question the President-elect's intentions and core beliefs in the United States .
Sitting on a couch in front of the television in the early hours of the morning, an Army Captain watched as the election results were being reported. He shook his head in disgust. "This is proof that the media can elect a President." The room walls were grey concrete, the floor covered in a red Afghan rug, the sofa and love seat torn and worn down from constant use. The dusty television was set in a plywood box; a field made "entertainment" cabinet. The Captain continued, "I take [Obama's] not wearing the flag on his lapel and his reasoning very personally. Fuck him. That flag is more than just about a country and its ideas; it is about the man on your left and right that you fight with and die for." The Master Sergeant sitting in the room commented,"He has no use for soldiers. He never took the time on his tours to spend time with soldiers, only senior commanders and foreign politicians."
As the morning progressed and the polls began to close, more soldiers filled into the room. It was now standing room only as Obama's electoral count pushed passed 200. Another Captain spoke up, "If McCain can win California and Texas he still has a chance." A Lieutenant grabbed the television remote and began flipping through the channels. "Look as these newscasters. These fuckers are making this a racial issue. This was never about race." As he continued through the channels, every major network was interviewing an African-American, discussing some form of a "coming of age" of America. Another soldier spoke up, "This is not about race. It's about religion. That is the war the we are facing. I want to see what book Obama swears in on."
As the morning progressed, the electoral totals confirmed Obama's win. The mood fell quiet, a feeling as if one of their own had been killed in battle. I looked across the room to a Major sitting near the back corner. " The issues of race that are spouted by mouthpieces like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and others can no longer be argued. There is now a black President. I don't trust him, but then again, this is what this country is about... allowing an African American unknown to rise to President. As they say, be careful what you wish for. The American public will get what it asked for, whatever that turns out to be."
Another soldier continued, "You know what really sucks is that none of our votes count. Sure, we voted, but they are absentee ballots. They only are counted in the event of a tie. What type of statement is that towards democracy. You fight, you die, but your vote while deployed doesn't count."
The group discussion continued, " As a military officer I will serve whoever is Commander and Chief. But this is the wrong guy for the job, and the wrong time for our country. He's weak." The soldier continued, " The greatest fear for a military officer is dedicating your life to a fight that ends up meaning nothing. This generation of Americans behind Obama is the "me" generation. They haven't served their country, they serve themselves. They haven't buried their friends for a cause they believed in and fought and died for. Now those friends that I buried will have died for nothing. All Obama wants to do is get us out."
By mid-afternoon, an article appeared on CNN.com stating that Afghanistan's President Karzai had made a plea to President-elect Obama over civilian deaths in a recent US-lead bombing. As I sat with the soldiers for lunch, the article was discussed. "Karzai is a politician just like Obama. He's playing his hand to make himself look better in the eyes of the Afghans and to help ensure his re-election after the first of the year." As the Sergeant finished, a Major continued,"This is a war. Karzai wants it both ways. He wants to point the finger at us whenever he thinks he can gain favor with the Afghan people. But he wants our money and our soldiers to fight for him. I expect Obama to support him, cut our budgets and hang us out to dry for the sake of his vision of change. He is all about negotiating and compromise."
I looked over at a Captain sitting on a chair, slumped down, arms on the table. I asked him if he was alright. "I have no energy today. I feel like I have been betrayed. This is the rise of the "me" generation into the places of power." The soldier next to him looked across the table at me, "I'm done. It has gotten harder and harder to do our job. This election is the final blow. I just need to finish up my time and get out." As he dropped his head, another Captain slid his chair to the table,"Obama is now our President. We're not happy about it. It sucks. But now that he is our President, we will support him. That's part of being an American soldier. That's what makes our country strong."
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Is it a secret that the Cheney/Bush regime has made turning the military into another arm of the religious right their goal?
I've heard/read many accounts of religious intimidation within the ranks, especially among senior officers who give preferential treatment to the more evangelical-types, while ridiculing the less ardent and punishing them with really crappy assignments, and worse.
And the major recruitment targets seem to be concentrated in the Bible Belt, where guns and religion go hand-in-hand. Big surprise. They don't think too much of education in the BB, either.
I'm a vet who voted for Obama and Biden.
My Congressman said to me two years ago that his vote to go to war with Saddam the second time was a huge mistake. My Congressman, a Democrat, was reelected ( and so was Congressman Kucinich, D. Ohio.
I would tell these soldiers " I hope you understand that I want you all home in the US. You will no longer be fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. We need to protect our borders, rebuild our financial system, educate our children, and do other things that are beneficial for us. War has not been beneficial for us."
The majority has spoken.
Why didn't Kesterson present a more balanced set of opinions? I'm a Vietnam combat vet who proudly voted for Obama. It sounds like many of these soldiers have been forced to watch Fox "News" during their off-duty hours.
I have a problem with this quote:
"This is not about race. It's about religion. That is the war the we are facing. I want to see what book Obama swears in on."
I'm Not even upset about the implication that Obama is anything but a Christian man (it's been dealt with time and time again, and like Colin Powell said, even if he isn't Christian, why should that matter?). My problem is people's beliefs that we are fighting a religious war. This is even worse anti-muslim sentiment than those false smears against Obama. This is NOT a crusade, and I hope that young man comes to his senses.
Vet who voted for Obama. I am still serving and proudly voted for Obama. While I don't agree with what these particular service members said, it's amazing that these opinions are the only ones the embedded journalist choose to cover. There are a lot of Vets who are for Obama and those who were for McCain... but paint a fair picture, not just one side...jeez!!!
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And this is the best evidence of the REASON WHY decisions of war are made by POLITICAL LEADERS and NOT soldiers.
Soldiers want to fight and they don't want to stop unless the enemy is dead.
But soldiers also kill civilians and non-combatants and they say "so what". "Wear my shoes."
THAT'S WHY CIVILIANS make the choice, not soldiers.
Everyone understand NOW?
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that's an extremely unfair generalization. those soldiers are good American citizens. I don't agree with the opinions of the soldiers quoted in this article, but soldiers should NOT be treated as second-class citizens. Americans treat celebrities and soldiers in much the same way - we celebrate and idolize and inflate the idea of them, and cannot handle the reality.
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Soldiers are ALL automatic heroes. Don't you watch the NEWS?
Policemen, firemen and soldiers = AUTOMATIC HEROES. They can do no wrong.
Except when they come back and murder their wives or beat their babies or take illegal orders while deployed and go to prison whilst their officers collect pensions and promotions.
Are those the soldiers yer talking about? Or was it the other ones?
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I am amazed and dismayed at the comments on this page. If anyone has questions that an Obama presidency will bring people together, this should answer them. One man cannot change everything, it is a tone that is set; and this tone is not at all good. What I see here is a form of hatred against the men who are downrange putting themselves in harm's way for this country. The new intolerance has begun, and many of Huffington's readers are apparently among the intolerant.
There is hatred, condescension, superiority, and disdain recounted in so many of the comments below. Is this the country I fought for? Did the people I risked my life for always look down on me in this way? Sadly, I think perhaps yes. This is no dawn of a great new day, but a harbinger of a great division of our society. This is the way that the Left treats the soldiers of this nation.
I see so many explanations you have come up with for the political ideals of the preponderance of warriors who have chosen to put themselves in harm's way downrange; everything from accusations of Nazism to speculating about the nature of military training. You've missed the boat, folks. The fact is that most people who answer the call of this nation are conservative in their views. You don't find a bunch of liberals in the military. That's just the way that it is.
Take from that what you will.
We have a right to disagree, and should do so with civility. We care about our troops, in the fact that they are fellow citizens doing a job most of us won't do- but many of us disagree with the jobs you are forced into. True, you are a volunteer armed force, and must go where the CIC demands- that doesn't mean we agree with your boss, who, is ultimately OUR representative face/leader to the world. Democracy and freedom also means equitable dissent and not blind obedience.
This article is very sad and absolutely amazing.
These men are completely backwards in their passionate beliefs and opinions and what sounded like hatred at times. They are also a shrinking majority if not already a minority.
Unfortunately, the media they accuse of electing Obama is likely the same media that has fed them lies and poisoned them for years.
This historic election IS what our soldiers have always fought for.
The media did not elect Obama, the PEOPLE did in a magnificent rebuttal of the politics of fear and class warfare and division and hatred.
I met a 24 year old Iraq veteran recently. He voted for Obama. Enough said.
I am a 36 year old combat vet and also a small business owner. My brother is a 28 year old combat vet. We both voted for McCain.
I voted for McCain for several reasons. One was because I didn't like the comments about taxes from Obama during his run for the presidency.
He talked about raising the capital gains tax because it wasn't "fair" that the higher income earners make more money off of their investments than the lower income earners do. Even after it was pointed out by Charlie Gibson that it would reduce revenue to the government, he persisted in his belief. Sorry, but Economics 101 doesn't account for fairness.
The people who work harder make more money, that is the way it has always been. Electing Obama isn't going to change that.
If my personal and business taxes go up, I am going to have to think about possible layoffs in my business and working more hours to keep the standard of living that I am used to from the past 8 years.
This election was a personal low point for me on several levels, the first of which was the idea that you are entitled to something because you live in a certain geographic area. Sorry boys and girls, but it doesn't work that way. Maybe when the economy falls even further during Barack's one term it will open some eyes.
Charlie Gibson? You mean the anchor on Fox News?
Restoring the Clinton tax rate will bring in an additional 200 billion a year in taxes.
It's an average of 3% to 8% increase for the wealthiest. These were
the rates under Clinton and it was a fairly good time for the country
and we had a balanced budget..
Our country is imploding- we need to help the middle class, invest in
the infrastructure and create jobs, green jobs, and create a health care system that serves everyone so we can all pay lower rates- as it stands you and I are paying for the uninsured who end up in the ER because they cannot afford regular doctor's visits.
It takes money to do this. All of this helps people but it also creates millions of jobs. In the end the jobs created then contribute back to the taxes the Federal Gov't can collect.
I too own a small business and according to my accountant (a Republican
by the way) I will not pay a penny more in taxes, will probably pay less, and
will get some tax breaks which would allow me to expand or hire.
Gross 180k to 230k per year over last five years.
So please don't listen to the "Joe the Plumber" nonsense.
It was a lie and a ploy to get votes. BTW all of this is researchable
information that you can verify yourself. Read the tax plans for both
McCain and Obama- it's very clear.
"The people who work harder make more money?" And it's always been that way? What country are you in? I want to be there, because that means justice is alive somewhere. How did you make this happen? Were your proressive thinkers smarter than ours? In America, we have people working two, maybe three jobs who can't afford a decent home. We have stock traders and real estate speculators, who produce nothing, who make ten times what a brick layer or teacher or social worker makes. We have people who work hard and get advanced degrees, but can't find a job with health insurance. In our country, if you're born wealthy you can be an artist, a writer, a ballonist, any damn thing you want, but if you're born poor you have a 1 in 1,000 chance of not being poor too. Please, tell me what wonderful country you live in and how I can make our country more like it.
who said anything about specific geographic areas (unless you meant the entire united state, which i'm pretty sure you didn't...)? I mean, other than Palin and other people who have decided that only certain parts of AMerica are patriotic enough. I mean, I live in a major coastal city - since when am I not "American" enough?
Sen McCain voted against the GI Bill which is sad because he has thrown his Pow around.
He hired the same people to go after Sen Obama that President Bush did to him in 2000
No Scott it wasn't the media it was the American People Who Voted for Obama.
Over 65 million of us did. that tells you something.
I have no idea if he talks to ones back home that have had jobs cuts,jobs lost,plants closed,homes of family or neighors foreclosed along with ones having no healthcare.
President-elect Obama hasn't taken office yet and more people are in need with many small towns that are folding up because of jobs lost people living with family members (if) they still have homes.
President-elect Obama was our best choice that get get the economy back on track which will take a long road uphill like one walking with weights on their ankles.He will be the best one to be able to talk to World Leaders,listening and trying to keep peace as a 'listen,think then do (if) needed,while Sen McCain is more as a 'do first and think later' after sad results which would put our America deeper
than it is now here and abroad.
Continue
First it was said that President Bush looked at 5 different Countries and picked Iraq.
I have no idea what State Scott is from and this is how he and many others vote.It was Not the media who picked President-elect Obama,it was the fathers,mothers,brothers and sisters,daughters and sons,nieces and nephews,young,old.All races that make up the USA.
Continue
As a veteran with 31 combat missions during Viet Nam, I understand what members of the military do and where their loyalties lie. The most important person in the world is the guy next to you, the one who has your back.
But John McCain has not supported veterans. His own military record, other than his time as a POW, was spotty at best. Since the Iraqis want us out of there, the options on that field are limited. He also finished in the bottom
Obama seems committed to Afghanistan, so we'll have to see. The guy who made the comment about
The media didn't make the election. In fact, the media was much more careful about calling the election than it has been in the past. Our military is misinformed.
While it's true that "the" media didn't make Obama president, it IS fair to say that was Obama's USE of the media that made him president.
Ironically enough, if Democrats had been able to impose the {gag} "Fairness" Doctrine after the 2006 elections, we would be looking at President-Elect McCain now...
Michale.....
Thank goodness the American People of all races,young and old knows that our Country has to go forward instead of staying in libo.McCain tried using his pow while many others that were pows knew that doesn't make a good President.McCain was out of touch not evening knowing how much gas was while Obama was in touch with the people and did know how it was like to live in a single parent family home with grandparents helping out.Look,read and see how many people are getting laid off from their jobs every single day around the Country while wondering where are they going to live with their kids.
You're batting one thousand on your wrong headed pronouncements so far on this blog, Michael. President Elect Obama won the election. Get over it.
Wow. I am really sorry our soldiers in the field do not share our joy at the election of Barack Obama. The President-elect did not shun all soldiers in uniform. I have seen pictures of him shaking hands with troops. I have heard that conservative viewpoints are everywhere in the military. The military needs to open its mind and hearts to possibilities. They can rest assured that Obama is a completely loyal American, with or without flag pin.
The flag pin issue is "much ado" about nothing. Why would it be so important for him to wear a flag pin? Did any of the other candidates wear a flag pin? How many presidents have constantly worn a flag pin?
My ancestors came to this country in the 1600s and I don't wear a flag pin.
Sorry, you don't get to decide what other people's concerns are...
It's not allowed...
Michale.....
Where are the troops positioned in regard to the planned oil pipeline thru the country? "There are no good targets in Afghanistan" Karzai an oil man. Think back to Henry Kissinger's Paris peace talks. I'm an ex-marine, Nam, 64 - 10-65. Same, same I see. I had spit on my shoulders to stop the spread of communism.
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