Who here has a family member or close friend in Iraq or Afghanistan?

[MLFerrell]

My brother is an Iraq II vet, and is returning to that hellhole in June. Part of *'s beloved "surge".

I know that I'm not the only DUer who has a loved one who has been there, is there now or is going there soon.

Who else is in a similar situation?

[Frogger]

1. I've got a few acqaintances

that have recently gone. No really close friends or family members, though.

[newyawker99]

43. Hi Frogger!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Frogger]

56. Thanks for

the welcome.

[Captain Angry]

2. My little brother is in Iraq for the second time right now.

He was supposed to be out in January of this year, but the Army said that they would sure like it if he stayed for an extra year beyond his enlistment.

Theoretically, he's out of Iraq in September.
Theoretically, he's out of the Army in January/March 2008 now. Depends on their stop-loss program, the one they used to keep him an extra year.

[MLFerrell]

4. Best wishes that he comes home safe and sound.

It's always in the back of you mind, except when it's in the front of your mind.

:hug:

[malaise]

3. My nephew had one tour and

he is not going back.

[Olney Blue]

19. My nephew had one tour, and thought he was finished. They are sending

him back. :-(

[malaise]

27. I hope he stays safe

but who is safe in Iraq.

[MLFerrell]

28. "but who is safe in Iraq?"

I can answer that: Nobody.

[MidwestTransplant]

35. This guy is safe in Baghdad

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/04/01/mccain-iraq-stroll/

[malaise]

55. But, but, but

he had loads of protection.

[fidgeting wildly]

5. My younger step-brother is there now on his first tour.

18 years old.

Also one of my cousins has done two tours. She is unsure whether she'll have to do another. Obviously, we're hoping not.

[cali]

6. My son's closest friend

returned a couple of years ago. He's a basket case now.

[MLFerrell]

9. I'm so sorry to hear that, cali.

When Ryan came back the first time, all he did was get drunk and start fights. Quit his job three weeks after he got started again, and just generally let his life become a shambles. He got home in early '04, and it's taken until now for his "old self" to reemerge. And now he's going back...

I sincerely hope that your son's friend regains his sanity, and soon.

:hug:

[cali]

12. Thanks.

I hope so too, but he's still drinking and doing a lot of coke. And yeah, he's constantly starting fights. He's been in two car accidents, one of them serious. Hard to watch. My son's pretty close to turning away from him. And they've been friends since 4th grade.

I'm so sorry to hear that Ryan's going back, just as he's getting it together.

[Le Taz Hot]

47. I hope your son doesn't give up on him.

Someday this young man will need a lifeline and there needs to be somebody there to throw it out.

[bdamomma]

50. oh, that is terrible, more and more young minds are going to

be damaged badly, we will need more Mental Health Workers.

[Solly Mack]

7. Nephew went back for tour number 2 in February

Husband went in 2003-2004

Assorted friends on varying numbered tours

[Marrah_G]

8. One brother and one friend on his second tour

Friend is NG- MP

Brother was forced from ten years retirement as IRR for a year deployment.

[MLFerrell]

10. May they come home safe and sound.

It's unconscionable that they pulled your brother out of retirement to fight for *'s ego.

When will this madness end?

[Marrah_G]

13. Thanks I hope so too

I think like many families of military people we hold our breaths. We sort of resign ourselves to the fact that the phone call or knock on the door might come and pray that it doesn't. This time it feels more desperate though. I was worried during gulf 1, this time I am truly frightened.

[spartan61]

11. My nephew will be finishing his 4th tour there in June.

He is a helicopter pilot in the USMC. Now this is what I find so baffling. He will be training to fly the president's helicopter for his next tour and he is very disappointed that he won't be flying dumbya, but whoever will be #44. Says he loves bush. Go figure. Talk about being brain washed.

[Marrah_G]

15. wow 4 tours

As for his loving Bush. It's a protective mechanism of the brain. To do what they have to do day in and day out they have to justify it in their own minds or go mad. They insulate themselves from things that will cause mental anguish as much as possible. It's really not a bad thing, since his chances of coming home are greater if he is focused on his job and not the politics behind it. The tough part will be after the war is over.

[Breeze54]

32. He sounds more like a Republican than anything else.

4 tours and he loves *idiot? :shrug:
Not all are brainwashed. They're just republicans.

[Der Blaue Engel]

14. My nephew shipped out last March

I don't speak to my sister, so I don't know how he's doing, but I assume she'd tell me if he were seriously injured or killed. :(

[Mind_your_head]

16. My niece's new husband served 2 tours in Iraq

he's home now for 3 months of training and then....they're not sure.

Also have a pretty good acquaintance who is in Afghanistan, but scheduled to come home "any time now" (keeping fingers crossed).

[sutz12]

17. My nephew did two tours IIRC...

but he's home now, sucking up his Veteran's disability benefits. I tell him go for it. Get every damn penny you can out of them. At least my tax dollars are getting to someone I know.

[tularetom]

18. My nephew's son is a marine in Iraq

He's my late sister's grandson, and his parents are both worthless. I'm afraid the poor kid joined the marines to prove something to his dad who was always on his case about being a wuss. He never wanted to go hunting with us and didn't want to clean fish and to his asswipe father this meant he was some sort of sissy. I hope he comes home safely and then lives his life however the fuck he wants to in spite of his dad's expectations.

[Taxloss]

20. I do, in Afghanistan.

Non-military, working for the British government.

[Klukie]

21. My brother and sister inlaw are both in the USAF...

although neither have been yet, it looks as if they will go soon. My sister inlaw who is a pencil pusher got word that she will probably deploy to Afghanistan by the end of summer. She has no idea what exactly her job will be. She is waiting to hear. My brother who is stationed in Germany said that there are currently 8000 army billets to be filled by Air Force personel for a variety of jobs. He said that numerous folks in his career field are currently deployed. This is all going on as the Air Force is downsizing on a major scale to fund needed aircraft.

[GregD]

22. my brother's sons - both of them...

one is a weather specialist, the other teaches survival in hostile environments

[seemunkee]

23. Friend of mine is an Arabic translator

He got hit by an IED and baynetted in Afghagnistan came back for a year to heal and is back over again. He's non-military, just a contractor currently in and out of different areas but based in Kuwait.

[gizmo1979]

24. My stepbrother is over there now.

He goes for 4 months comes home for 3 and back again until 15 months of service in country.He's stop loss because his 20 years were up 2 augusts ago.

[ellisonz]

25. That's one crazy schedule...

[MLFerrell]

26. Where did you get that awesome doobie-rolling smiley?

[michaz]

29. My Son-In-Law is in Afghanistan now.

Actually he put in his year and then was extended another 4-5 months.

[MLFerrell]

30. Don't get your hopes up when those 4 or 5 months are up...

My brother was supposed to be deployed for 9 months, and then it was 12. He ended up doing 15 before coming home.

Let's just hope that your Son-In-Law is more fortunate.

[michaz]

42. It will already be 16 months for him.

This was his 3rd trip there. He left a year ago Feb. and then came home the end of January. He and a few guys came home first because he is the head of the group. He arrived on a Saturday night and on Wednesday he got a call to get back to base he was going back over. So the next Saturday morning he was off again. Since it screwed up my daughter's and his marriage plans they got married on base that Friday night and he left Saturday morning. They had just signed on their new home and were unpacking boxes when he got the call. The military is so screwed up that they send them home and then send them back. Real organized they are!!

[buzzard]

31. I have a good friend leaving next week for Afghanistan he is a trauma surgeon and my sons 19 year

friend is going to Iraq in May.

[CANDO]

33. 1st Cousin's Son in Iraq

Air Force MP doing guard duty at one of the detention facilities. Don't know which one.

[Breeze54]

34. My oldest was OIF for 17 months.

12 of them 'in country'. Home now.
Hoping it stays that way.

[Lost-in-FL]

36. My best friend's hubby...

He's been coming and going since after 9/11. Qatar, Afghanistan, Kuwait, and now he is in the hell-hole for 6 months. He's part of CENTCOM.

[Mojorabbit]

37. My baby sis

went when the war first started to Afghanistan. Set up field hospitals and treated the injured, then transported them to Germany. Due to retire this year. Fingers crossed.

[MLFerrell]

38. After having read the replies to this thread...

I'm utterly astonished that of a random sampling of DUers who chose to visit the site today, so many have loved ones in hell's maw. I shouldn't be surprised, yet I am. I just wonder what this thread will bring:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=556580&mesg_id=556580

How many have been there, and seen the utter carnage with their own eyes? I wonder, I wonder.

I'll bet that they are amongst the most passionate opponents of *'s insanity.

[HawkerHurricane]

39. My son-in-law

Has done one tour in Iraq, and will do a second starting in December.
US Army Infantry.

[riderinthestorm]

40. Me. A nephew who grew up in our family as a son.

Although we offered to pay for his college and beyond, he felt he had to "prove himself" to be a man (ie. independent) and joined the Marines over a weekend we were away. He knew this broke our hearts but did it on a dare from his drug addicted mother.

I will be a basket case while he is gone, and if he dies - essentially because of a drunken, stoned dare, I will curl up and die myself.

[Ghost in the Machine]

41. I've got one cousin there now, he's a Navy Chopper Pilot. I had another

cousin there during the initial invasion. I saw pictures 2 years ago of her standing in Saddam's bombed out mansion, as well as his sons' mansions. She's a Full Bird Colonel in the Air Force (bucking for General, if she hasn't made it yet) and worked at the Pentagon in Intelligence (oh, how I hope to get to sit down with her and talk one day!) Her husband was a pilot who flew Air Force II when Gore was V.P.

Ghost

[SammyWinstonJack]

44. Daughter in law's brother is returning for a second tour.

[Le Taz Hot]

45. The son of a long-time friend

is about to be shipped off for a THIRD time. The first two times he went to Iraq. Apparently, this time he's going to Afghanistan.

My step-son who has been listening for years to "wonderful" military war stories from his West Point grad uncle was delighted to hear that my step-son recently enlisted in the Navy. Needless to say his father and I were not as thrilled.

[slackmaster]

46. My brother was there at the very beginning

He managed to serve an entire tour as commander of a US minesweeper (one of the first two vessels to enter the port of Basra) without a single casualty among his crew.

He'll assume command of a larger ship this summer. Thankfully, that will be in dry dock for repairs and upgrades for several months after that.

Best of luck to your brother, MLFerrell.

[TwilightGardener]

48. My husband was there last summer--he will probably go back again.

[dogpatch]

49. my cousin

went couple of months ago.

[Dora]

51. A cousin in Iraq. n/t

[Maine-ah]

52. 2 family members

both on a third tour, and are father and son. x(

[verse18]

53. My cousin is there.

He was supposed to be back in March but of course his tour was extended until who knows when.

[hootinholler]

54. nephew in Bagdad now.

Reserve unit from Il.

-Hoot

[Kerrytravelers]

57. Our best friend just found out he'll be going in September.

He is against this war, so he is NOT happy.