Wounded soldier: fought for nothing or fought for a liar? Can't be.

[LittleApple81]

Wounded soldiers cannot accept that this is the case. Cognitive dissonance about personal loss... He probably will vote repug again so losing limbs can be justified?


Time magazine: IRAQ /THE IRAQ WAR: U.S. CASUALTIES

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101031110-536257-4,00.html


SNIP...
The three wounded soldiers are united not only in their good humor but also their unequivocal support for the war. Wyatt doesn't much care for those who think Bush fudged the intelligence on Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction. "That makes you feel like you fought for nothing or you fought for a liar," he says. "They're telling me I went out there and I got my leg blown off for a liar, and I know that's just not true." Wyatt says he would stay in the Army if he could remain in a combat unit, but he knows that's unlikely. So he's considering college.

Castro says he just did what he signed up to do. "Someone has to do the job, and we did it," he says. "The price was my leg." He plans to return to college — his four-year hitch was up a week after he lost his leg — and marry his fiance Elizabeth Gonzalez, who quit her California job and moved to Washington to help him recover.
MORE...

[Demobrat]

1. He did fight for nothing.

He did fight for a liar. And so did all the others. My God, how that must hurt. And there's nothing we can do for them except fight like hell to get rid of W, damn his soul.

[texastoast]

12. Fighting for a Liar and . . .

Big Oil.

[grannylib]

2. This is freakin' sad...tragic even....

Man. I am speechless at the twisted logic of this poor guy...
Must be the only way to psychologically survive.

[Robin Hood]

3. That's called denial.

In the privacy of his forgotten life, he will eventually turn to anger, anger at bush for ripping his leg off of him.

[GainesT1958]

4. When they come home, and learn the truth...

The truth WILL "set them free"...and a part of that truth is the way Dub & Co. are treating returning vets...THEN they'll see just what a sociopath their C-I-C is, and boy, will THEY be TICKED!:mad:

They did THEIR jobs, and did them well, but Dub sure didn't do HIS---then or now!:grr:

B-)

[lovedems]

5. It is the spin those in charge are feeding the soldiers

to inspire hate of the enemy and love for the Commander in Theif. Think about it. How terrible has the spin been here at home and we have dissenters and those speaking out, over there they get one message at that's it. Maybe their minds will change when they realize not only have they lost a leg, but they have lost some benefits too. Good luck to those poor soldiers. I fear they are going to need it.

[tom_paine]

6. Give the guy a break. He is in bad denial and other feelings we

can't imagine.

Unfortunately, he probably will vote Bushevik, and normally I would be leading the charge of flames. But this guy lost his leg, and he lost in in ostensiible service to the country (even though it was in the service of a Liar to enrich his buddies).

I still feel bad for him, even if he is in dednial, I forgive him.

Will his children and his children's children forgive him if he helps Bunnypants and the Imperial Family secure the Empire for all time and turn it into a Third World Country?

[dback]

11. Very Ron Kovic in "Born on the 4th of July"

Even when he came home in a wheelchair, he was still spouting "My country, love it or leave it" blather. The rage and betrayal came later, and that's when he became an activist.

What on Earth does Kovic think of all this?

[qb]

19. I read that Kovic is trying to get to London for the anti-Bush protests.

[kayell]

21. Recent Kovic pic

Anti-war protester Ron Kovic, on whom the VIetnam protest movie 'Born on the Fourth of July' was based, makes a peace symbol during a protest and parade against the Iraq (news - web sites) War on October 25, 2003. Hundreds of people collected in Civic Center Plaza before the parade began. REUTERS/Susan Ragan

[StClone]

17. When the bravado fades

A cruel reality sets in and "non-hostile" gun deaths occur. This is a horrible situation to be in. Do you fight for your beliefs only to find they were lies to make some fat cat fatter while you and your soldier buddies faced death?

[xxqqqzme]

7. denial

is powerful self-preservation when U have sacrificed a part of your body



or

its a river in Egypt....I forget.

[beanball]

8. Our unbelieving troops

most of the enlisted men and women are so brainwashed they will believe anything their commander in chief or the officers over them tell them,its sad but true.The commander in chief is a coward and the generals and other high ranking officers are ass kissers(brown nosers) just waiting to retire so they can get a cushy job with one of Chaneys or Shrubs fathers good friends,while the enlisted die and suffer life long disabilties,wake up young soldiers you are being used by the cowardly,bloodthirsty clowns that stole our country.

[lovedems]

9. BTW, these guys should take a moment and remember Cleland

Would they like to have their patriotism questioned after what they just went through? I doubt it and I personally won't question it. BUT, they should reconsider their stance on * and this administration because they were behind the crude campaign of questioning a war hero who left his limbs behind in war. I would like to know what they think of that.

[tom_paine]

10. They don't even know who Max Cleland is

Like most Imperial Subjects of Amerika.

Except perhaps on Faux "News" they heard he is an unpatriotic scum.

[lovedems]

14. You are probably right but I just read on another post

that the person in charge of Cleland's smear campaign is now in charge of * (re)election campaign. I just wonder what they would think about that and how they would feel if THEIR pictures were advertised right along side Saddam and OBL? I wonder if they would change their minds about the chimp and his thugs?

[atreides1]

13. Just Wait

Just wait until he has to go to a VA Clinic for medical assistance, I guess it will hit him then, too bad it will be too late.

This is a prime example of the "Dumbing Down of America".

I'm a Desert Storm vet, I believed all the crap that they were spouting then, I now know the truth. But guess what it doesn't bring back the Iraqis who were killed, or the Allied soldiers who lost their
lives.

And maybe, just maybe 168 people from Oklahoma City would still be alive today. But we'll never know will we?

I salute these men for their service, but I will not condone their self imposed stupidity. The facts are out there, all they have to do is to look for them.

If they wish to live in denial that this pResident would send them into harm's way for his own personal gain, then so be it. But don't ask me to feel sorry for them.

[lovedems]

16. My thoughts exactly. Not only have they lost a limb, they have probably

lost much needed benefits as well. I do feel sorry for them, they are victims of BFEE/PNAC and just don't realize it yet. Hopefully they won't need to find JOBS soon to make ends meet because the government isn't taking care of them.

[woofless]

15. Let's give the kid a break.

I remember coming home on my first leave before going overseas. 1970and headed for Turkey. Half of our tech school class went to Bien Hoa and half to Incirlik. I spouted the party line only to be vehemently corrected by my Repub. Dad who was against the war and hated the thought his first born was going overseas. These guys are intensly indoctrinated and have little access to alternative views. He will learn. Let us hope that it makes him active and not bitter.

[Lars39]

18. Sanity and peace of mind are precious things.

Don't begrudge them their beliefs or attitudes that get them thru the turmoil their lives have become. Some may get to a point where they will see *the light* about this administration and survive and become activists, while others may not survive this journey whole-minded. Or others might take the final exit route.
If so many of us here have trouble comprehending the evils of this administration on a daily basis, I can't imagine what it will be like for so many of the troops when faced with the truth.

[Malva Zebrina]

22. You are so kind

I agree--they are so very young and certainly, if not in denial,as some here have suggested they are, just not aware of the depth of this war as seen from all angles--do not have the perspective yet, or the knowledge and experience to contrast and compare -maybe they do not even feel like analyzing it just now--they have had a horrible experience.

[Woodstock]

20. Bush rushed in before they had the protection they needed

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21366-2003Oct13.html

Tuesday, October 14, 2003

Nearly one-quarter of the 130,000 U.S. troops in Iraq still have not been issued a new type of ceramic body armor strong enough to stop bullets fired from assault rifles. Delays in funding, production and shipping mean it will be December before all troops in Iraq will have the vests, which were introduced four years ago, military officials said.

Congress approved $310 million in April to buy 300,000 more of the bulletproof vests, with 30,000 destined to complete outfitting of the troops in Iraq. Of that money, however, only about $75 million has reached the Army office responsible for overseeing the vests' manufacture and distribution, said David Nelson, an official in that office.

Angry members of Congress said as many as 44,000 troops -- significantly more than the Pentagon's figure -- lack the vests due to the sluggish supply chain. Relatives of some soldiers have resorted to buying body armor in the United States and shipping it to their troops, congressional critics said.

The Interceptor vests include removable ceramic plates in the front and back that can stop bullets such as the rounds fired by Kalashnikov rifles common in Iraq and Afghanistan. Older-model vests can protect against shrapnel and other low-speed projectiles but not high-velocity rifle rounds.

[Solly Mack]

23. They need to tell themselves that

and truthfully, they may even believe what they say.

It's sad though....very sad.