One soldier comes home from Iraq an angry vet

[wellstone_democrat]

A former neighbor's son just returned from Iraq via military hospital in Germany said something that was so sad but so obviously true: when his father was saying that he was proud of his Purple Heart but that it was one medal he'd rather Jim hadn't brought home he continued on to say that they were proud of his Bronze Star but, not the price he paid for it (he lost an arm). Jim, a sweet Texas boy like so many others who went over thinking he was saving the world looked at his dad and said:

"Yeah, everyone cheers now but in 20 years it will be worth shit." His parents, good Baptist-teetotaling-clean living-Conservatives were shocked at his language but when his father asked what he meant, Jim just about gave him a heart attack when he said: "Your hero Bush talks about soldiers all the time but when a veteran runs, he calls him a coward and a liar---what do you think people like that will turn my service into if I ever gave them a chance?"

His parents tried to say that he misunderstood, that the "Kerry situation was different and it was not Bush but fellow veterans doing the campaign to 'tell the truth' " but Jimmy cut his father off and said that if "Bush trashes one of us, he trashes us all. I don't know anyone who is voting for that asshole. They turned the TV off in the hospital because when he came on we threw things."

This is one angry young man who has obviously been through hell and come back a very changed man. You have to wonder how many more people will be going through this---I am happy to see that the smear of Kerry is NOT being missed by active duty Army enlisted men. Jim told my husband (who he used to avoid as "a liberal!") that "we are just less than nothing to Bush. He's a fuckin' deserter."

Funny how you think that this would be cause for celebration (he's a fundamentalist WEST TEXAS boy and they don't turn easily) but its heartbreaking to see the pain this man feels---and even the betrayal.

ON EDIT: my husband reminded me to include this part---the father called Kerry's injuries "nothing like yours, they were scratches" Jimmy told him: "any wound is serious and if no one has ever shot at you, you don't know what you are talking about. I won't judge another soldier's injuries---good for him he didn't lose a limb!" My husband said about this whole thing: we sent them a boy, HE brought us back a man.

[jonnyblitz]

1. good story.

I have an army captain friend, who is in Iraq right now who gets to go online and chat every so often on yahoo messenger(he says they have some portable satellite unit with internet connections) and HE has some choice words for Bush . He is anxious to see "Fahrenheit 9-11 also..

[wellstone_democrat]

9. On F/911: I forgot

He asked my husband if we had a copy---he apparently saw part of a download copy in Iraq but wants to see the whole thing. My husband went on-line and pre-ordered him a copy.

Oh, and he told his father that he was not only voting for Kerry, if he could find a way, he'd vote for him twice!

[WLKjr]

2. Theres one of two twin brothers I know who says he isn't going back

He went section 8 in the army and his brother isn't wanting to go back because he said we have no fucking right to be there and he is ashamed of what we did to those people...

[Warpy]

24. Some folks still in the service are risking their necks by talking

in real life and online, about how they're beginning to connect a lot of dots concerning Bush and his crowd, and they don't like the picture they're starting to see. Iraq vets are making the most connections, and they're the angriest of all.

I've been saying for months that Bush has lost the military, and since the Swill Boat people have come out, and the news that they're fully funnded by Bushies has come out, even true believers in the military are turning against that gang. The generals have been against him since the end of the Iraq invasion, when he turned the whole deal over to Halliburton instead of listening to the advice of the military.

We will get this man out in November, or we will throw him out. Let's just hope an election will do it, and that the incoming administration will investigate all the crimes committed against the American people, the Iraqis and the world community instead of issuing a pardon.

[seabeyond]

3. it gave me shivers, and tears in the eyes

and love to that boy. i hear what you say, but the truth heals, not the coverup of the parents. this (boy)...........i hope he is able to find peace.

sittin in panhandle of texas, i so feel these people. thank you for sharing this story. tell him you shared story on board and we thank him for his sacrifice, his participation in this drama and never, will his loss of limb be insignificant to us. if you have the chance. we hear his story

[iconoclastic cat]

4. On edit: I missed the part about his injury.

That is heartbreaking. No wisdom is worth this cost.

[nostamj]

8. "injured badly" ???

he lost an ARM. i think that's pretty bad...

[iconoclastic cat]

10. Oops, I missed that part.

Good morning, nostamj!

[nostamj]

17. "new stories"???

not sure what you mean but, a good morning to you too :hi:

[iconoclastic cat]

21. I think I'm going to go over here now...

[Trajan]

14. According to GOP logic ....

One arm aint shit: Max Cleland lost 3 limbs, and was kicked in the groin by the GOP without a thought ....

The GOP hate true soldiers, because they are reminded of their own cowardice .....

[wellstone_democrat]

15. well ABOVE the elbow

prosthetics are a problem it seems but he's also "enjoying" the poor veteran's services in the area. THAT seems to have made an impression on Dad---who thinks that its all mistakes that will be "straightened out". Jimmy keeps saying: no snafu, just no appointments for six months and I'll be paying for much of this myself.

I think my former Republican Robot neighbors (nice people in SMALL doses) are going to find out what life is like for the rest of us in Bush-land....hell of a price for an education isn't it?

[Strelnikov_]

36. The Price I Am Afraid We Are All Going To Have To Pay

The 20%+ unemployment rate it will take to deprogram the 'base' will hit everyone not of the investor class, left and right wing, equally.

[sadiesworld]

5. Just sad.

:(

[Mari333]

6. that reminds me of that scene in Born on the 4th of July

when Ron Kovic came home and was so angry, and his family didnt understand..
I expect a LOT of angry vets returning, just like Vietnam, and stating how much they hate Bush and everything Bush stands for..
watch the Rove machine not let ONE media outlet cover these guys anger...

[nostamj]

11. maybe Chris Matthews will put a few of them on...

was he the one that went to the VA hospital recently?

I have a glimmer of hope for MSNBC...

[MichiganVote]

13. Excellent suggestion but they'll include the ones who are still

blind to their fate too.

[Mari333]

20. I wish someone would put them on

the families of military members in Iraq have been all but blacked out ..if it wasnt for Michael Moore you would have never heard of Lisa Lispcomb..
as for Sue Niederer , whose son was killed in Iraq, shes still in mourning, no doubt, and yet the people of www.mfso.org never ever get news coverage on any of the major media outlets..ever
only * hand picked stinking audiences who have to swear an oath of allegiance to the Boy King get on major media..
dark times for anyone with a loved one over there..dark times, and we get NO coverage. When mfso marched in DC against * and his lame speech, no coverage.
Nothing.
Its all been blacked out.

[poliguru]

7. if "Bush trashes one of us, he trashes us all."

So true - and sad. Bush also trashed all Americans when he called us unpatriotic for exercising our right to free speech about the war. He trashed all teachers when his Secretary called us terrorists. The list goes on...

My prayers go to your neighbor and every soldier over there.

[Trajan]

12. Wow ....

What a powerful anecdote .....

What an honorable soldier he is ...

Truly: The soldiers arent ignorant automatons: they are being damaged physically and psychically by a foolish man and his vicious party of lying thugs ....

There is so many different emotions running in this story .... so many different elements, so many truths becoming clear .... so many lies exposed ....

It is heartbreaking to know what pain the GOP has placed our nation's best in .... and how they have manipulated our soldiers for their own petty wants .....

The only redeeming fact: the Soldiers KNOW they have been had, and they can even see through this Swift Boat fiasco to recognize that Bush and his ilk would just as soon discard THEM if it suited their political need .....

Wow ..... I am shaking thinking about this .....

Amazing ....

I salute that brave young man .... thank you ....

[MichiganVote]

16. Good for him. He lost an arm but kept his dignity intact.

[jean]

18. Iraq War Vets Against the War? Would any be willing to testify, as JK did?

[Mari333]

22. There are Iraq War Vets against the War right now

proud to say my stepson is against it also, and will vote for Kerry from his station in Iraq.






http://www.vaiw.org/vet/index.php

[skygazer]

30. Kudos to your stepson

and thanks for his service.

[dansolo]

32. Do you think Bush will be so eager to have those ballots counted?

[watercolors]

37. neither will my grandson

He came home last month, hates bush, and thinks the whole war is wrong! He wishes he could get out of service and go on to college now.

[chookie]

19. Who's spitting on veterans now?

This kid has a pretty clear understanding of the world. It would be "easier" for him to buy into all the bullshit, especially because he is such a hot property politically this election year, but he is just too darned honorable. In twisted times like we are currently living in, possessing wisdom is a terrible weight to bear.

He's right -- despite all the pious declarations, the fact is they don't really give a shit about soldiers and veterans and honorable service -- all they care about is that you think what you're supposed to think, and if you don't, they will try to destroy you, as they did to McCain, Kerry and Cleland et al.

Here's a piece I wrote on the subject -- couldn't get it published as a LTTE, but BartCop picked it up:

"In the early seventies, when our country was as bitterly divided over issues as it is today, there were disturbing stories circulating about how returning Viet Nam veterans were being taunted and spat upon by peace activists. While these stories are believed to be popular myths disseminated to discredit the antiwar movement (1), alas, in recent days, vicious attacks on combat veterans are in fact occurring with alarming frequency in the homeland.

The scars of some veterans are being re-examined lately, with charges that they are really not that big or bad after all, inferring that the veterans who bear them are unworthy of the Purple Heart medal they were awarded – as has happened to John Kerry(2). A veteran who lost both legs and his right arm to the blast of a grenade has been called a traitor and compared to a Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden(3) and even mocked by a suggestion he foolishly received his grave injuries on the way to a beer party(4) -- as happened to Senator Max Cleland. A veteran who spent 5 years of his youth in one of history’s most infamous POW camps, tortured and abused, one day found himself whispered about as having been a "weak-minded coward" driven mad by his ordeal(5)—as happened to Senator John McCain.

Today’s soldiers serving their country in the field should note well that what really matters these days is not the fact that they served honorably – indeed, one can stay stateside voluntarily during a war one fervently supports and only fly training missions over one’s home state and be said to have served "honorably". It doesn’t matter if you served courageously, or with distinction, or that you were maimed, or disabled fighting for your country – what matters these days is that you think as you ought to think. Be aware that your opinions will be monitored for correctness, and that your attitude will be noted…and you better get it right or else.

Many have called for their fellow Americans to "Support Our Troops!", but why aren’t these same individuals or organizations denouncing the defamation of veterans like Kerry, McCain, or Cleland? Where’s the outrage? I don’t think it’s because the Viet Nam war is ancient history, as veterans of the Greatest Generation, like "Flyboy" George HW Bush, are still regularly praised for their bravery in combat service.

Could it be politics? What all the veterans I have named above have in common is having run against GW Bush in an election or having opposed some aspect of his policies.

In the past, it was alleged to be the shameful behavior of the antiwar movement, but who is spitting on veterans now?"

[wellstone_democrat]

25. thanks, I copied this for him`

and the link to the Iraq vets against the war--- He said he wanted to "do" something to defeat Bush* so we put him in touch with someone we know from the county Democratic party. He seems to need to *do* something.

He is a good guy and we were worried when he went because, as my husband said: apart from the obvious physical danger, if that kid ever figures out what a scam this whole thing is, it will crush him.

Well actually it looks like a case of "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

I'll tell him of the good wishes and thanks here and see if I can steer him over for a look himself. It might be just what he needs to channel some of his anger and pain.

[tlcandie]

27. If he can make it to DU, it might be part of the healing process...

I don't know, but it IS a suggestion. Some of the emotional stuff here might be too much though.

My prayers/thoughts are with him and all who come into contact with him! It's sad that something such as this must be used to educate the masses who simply refuse to open their eyes, ears, and hearts until it gets personal!

:hug:

[loathesomeshrub]

23. PLease email this to Chris Matthews - with a suggestion that

he interview him, and present his story and his feelings to America. These people need to stop being invisible to the nation which is the way our illegal, illegitimate regime wants it to stay.

[lostnfound]

26. The story of 'Iron John' comes to mind

These terrible wounds that become a source of wisdom and strength.

Thank him for having been once been idealistic and brave, but even more for becoming a truthteller. I hope he turns this into lemonade. God bless him and help him do so.

[Gin]

29. Touching story....The betrayal they feel must be unbearable...

My heart goes out to this man for his injury.. and... his courage as he comes to grips with the awful situation he was betrayed into.

[lostnfound]

35. If only we were more prepared for the interior battles as for the exterior

If only we were all raised to see that the personal inner struggles we face -- like dealing with the despondency and betrayal that he is facing -- are true tests in life.

[skygazer]

28. This is such a sad story

And my heart bleeds for that young man who has lost his youth and his arm and feels unappreciated and worries about being forgotten. THIS is how * supports the military and the military, obviously, knows it. It's terrible that this guy has to experience this but, on the other hand, it's good to know that he and others recognize the truth. I've been wondering how the Swift Boat Smear thing was going to look to veterans - I guess this answers that question!

[merh]

31. Please be sure to thank him for his service!

My prayers and deepest respect and admiration are sent to this young man. The true patriots of our nation are overlooked and forgotten if they don't serve a political purpose in the quest for power and control.

His story reaffirms my committment. Thank you Jim! :yourock:

[LibraLabSoldier]

33. The GOP

quit having rallies at Army Bases for a reason. He is sending us to war, and attacking a fellow honorable veteran. Forget what the polls show. Soldiers are voting with their feet (we are getting out in huge numbers, when we are able to, they are clamping down with the stoploss) and voting for Kerry in the fall. Some stupid polls have shown how in the military 80% of us support Bush. BUllshit. We can be put into prison for speaking against the president in a time of war. Freedom of speach is limited as a servicemember.

Wait until fall. Dont be surprised if the Bushites try to supress the military overseas votes...They know that we want a new boss.

Tell him I said thank you, one soldier to another.

[Proud liberal Kat]

34. Tears in my eyes

Tell this man that I thank him for his service and grieve for his pain. I hope that he gets what he wants and Bush is ejected from the White House. Tell him I will be thinking of him when I vote for Kerry on November 2nd.
Kathy

[DU GrovelBot]

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[wellstone_democrat]

39. Thank you all

I was surprised he visited us---we were "friendly in the driveway/block cook-out" sort of way. He knew, or rather assumed, that because we were *obviously* not the Conservative-Religious Midland Republicans he and everyone else was that we didn't support going to war. But, when we heard he went we sent things to him for the unit. Because he was a neighbor and I knew they needed so much. I think that left the door open for him in a way.

I think that when he came back so angry that he had no one in that "rah rah shoot 'em and smoke 'em out" world of Midland and he knew I was a veteran. I was glad he came by and we are happy to do what we can but will follow his lead and point him to resources and provide a non-judgemental, non-pressured set of friends he can visit.

I'll convey your thanks, wishes, and prayers to him. I'm not sure he's *quite* ready for DU but he has the link and we will see. While he was in Iraq, I did pass along pasted-in posts that I thought might interest him about *liberal* support for the men and women if not the war so he knows that there is a caring group out here.

Thanks again, what is heartbreaking to me is how many wounded men and women are coming home disillusioned and underprovided for.

[Cha]

40. So Heartbreaking, wellstonedem...

So sad that this is what it takes for the reality of bush to come out!!