Stripes letter: GIs don't need civilians ("shameless war profiteers")

[lebkuchen]

GIs don’t need civilians

I love the newest complaint by civilians in Iraq concerning food portion control.

Have you ever seen these people? If I were to render a rough estimate, I could confidently state that 75 percent of them are overweight.

As for their cries of bias toward soldiers, I am appalled. These shameless war profiteers are capitalizing off the security on their bases that is provided by the soldiers who are having a plate brought to them while they are guarding the perimeter, or working on aircraft, or in the motorpool. How dare they consider themselves deserving of anything more than three to five times the base salary of the Americans providing that security. I consider it a slap in the face, and a poor military retention method, that they are here in the first place.

For every person who opts out of the military to make five times his base pay the government is charged twice. Not only the training of a new recruit to fill the loss, but the salary that KBR will pay.

We servicemembers are to blame for demanding so much. We have the equipment to support ourselves. The generators, tents and other necessities we brought with us are sitting around. Some are in use — the generators, a tent here and there, but, most aren’t.

I mention that to remind servicemembers and everyone else that we can do it alone. It wouldn’t be as easy or as comfortable, but civilians are not a necessity.

Civilians opted to be here, so they need to do the job they are being paid handsomely to do, and stop looking for equality, because they might find it.

Spc. Robert J. Tarrants
Logistics Support Activity Anaconda, Iraq

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=125&article=31172

[Erika]

1. W's house of cards is crumbling

but he and his buds are still profiting all the way to the bank.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. ironic

When this is over some of the troops will blame not the peace protestor, but the mercenaries for loosing the war.

[pnorman]

3. Here's from the last letter on that page:

Bush should see Sheehan

I wanted Cindy Sheehan to let her know that she has not only my respect, but my admiration.

Out of more than 1,700 grieving parents, many of whom I’m sure do not agree with the whole Iraq situation, Sheehan is the only one who has had guts enough to ask questions. Too many people are “silently” disagreeing with what is going in Iraq, and until things start to go public, I doubt we will see any change. Sheehan is doing the only thing she can do — go public.

I find it hard to believe that the sacrifice Sheehan has made is not worthy of an hour of Bush’s precious time. I agree that this is a very awkward situation, and I’m not sure there is anything that Bush can say that will be satisfactory. However, because Sheehan is the mother of a son killed in war, President Bush owes her the courtesy of a meeting. When, as president, you decide to go to war without (1) ascertaining that the intelligence is accurate, (2) obtaining congressional approval and (3) having a workable postwar plan, you should expect to have to answer some difficult questions.

As to the idiots in Texas who are protesting Sheehan — shame on you. She has suffered a loss that only those who have suffered that loss can understand. Go home, sit down, shut up and turn on the news so that you can see firsthand the senseless loss of American life you are supporting.

Debbie Ray
Lawton, Okla

pnorman