My Rant
I have to be careful that I don't get on a rant when I am faced with anti-war, anti soldier pacifists. I find it disturbing that there are so many people like this out there.
I am also disturbed by the news media saying that only 23% or 28% of the American public consider this war or the threat from Muslims Extremists is important.
I would like to point to two incidents that hit close to my home in the last 7 days. Out of respect for family involved I will not name names
My son went into the military with 3 of his best friends right out of high school. They enlisted at the end of the 11th grade and left 4 days after graduation. They all felt strongly about 9-11.
All 4 have done tours in Iraq. My son (Jeff) and one other of the 4 are 13 months into a second 15 month tour in Afghanistan. They have seen more than any 22 year old young man should have to see. Most other kids their age (4 years out of high school) will either be graduating from college or 4 years into a career of some kind.
Jeff’s friend who is in the 82nd Airborne with him had his room mate die in his arms from an IED while in Iraq. Anther soldier in his unit also lost a room mate in Iraq. When they re-deployed back to Ft Bragg they asked to room together, which they did for 2 years. Then 13 months ago they shipped out to Afghanistan together. During those 2 years they became best friends. They had plans to vacation together when they got home.
While Jeff and his high school buddy are in the 82nd Airborne they are in different battalions and in different places Afghanistan, But still not all that far apart in the mountains. They are both right on the Pakistan border.
Last Monday a suicide bomber drove a truck bomb through compound gaits and into the building where the Americans were staying. In fact he drove it right into the building where the American lived. Two killed and 15 wounded.
Jeff's friend survived because he was on a guard tower that night. He helped fight off the attack that followed. His room mate did not survive and was killed. Jeff's friend flew in the helicopter that took the bodies of his two friends back the Bagrham Air Force base. Two days later he sent me an email that basically said “Ed it was really really bad. I am luck to have survived”
We didn't hear about this on the news.
This past Sunday a Sgt in Jeff's company died on a combat patrol when his vehicle hit an IED one other soldier was injured.
So we have three families who had been so very excited because they were within weeks of having their sons, husbands and/or fathers finish their 15 month deployment. In the last 7 days these 3 families got the worst knock on their door of their lives and now they are planning funerals.
I cannot bring myself to believe the media. In fact I think they have their head in their ass most of the time. I refuse to believe that 75% of Americans don't consider this war serious business. I have a hard time believing that so many people who flew American flags at their homes and on their cars after 9-11 have forgotten how dangerous Muslim extremists are.
How many suicide bombers need to slip through the cracks and make it to America before this country would go into a melt down? Would you guess the number to be 5 or 10? Hell Jeff was within 200 yards of 6 or 7 suicide bombers while in Bagdad that killed over 60 people. (no Americans – but does that matter?)
If 10 suicide bombers hit America it would make the current economic housing crisis look like a stole through the park on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
And to those naive individuals who think that pulling out is going to make these fanatics forget how much they hate us – I say “NUTS” !!!
If the Americans leave Iraq I wonder if Barac Obama thinks these extremists are going to go off and buy homes in the suburbs of Baghdad. Does he think that these suicide bombers are going to take off their suicide vests and hang them in the closet? Or is Bin Laudin is going to buy a house in the country and thank Mohamed that it’s over?
I hate this war.
I hate what it does to families who loose soldiers.
I hate getting up every morning and looking to see if there is a military car sitting in my drive way.
I hate going 8 weeks without a phone call, an email, or a letter from my son because he is so far out there that there is no way to make contact or because he gives his very few satellite phone minutes to the young married solders that are with him.
I hate my cell phone because it has not been more than 5 feet from my body for the last 13 months. One time I had not talked to Jeff in 3 weeks. Three weeks is about the time frame when the stress starts to get bad. Well I had forgot my phone on my desk up stairs when it started to ring – I ran like hell got to it just as Jeff was about to hang up. That never happened again.
I hate having to wake up from a dead sleep when the phone rings at 3 am and have it be Jeff. I am overjoyed that it’s him and mad that my head doesn’t work because I just woke up and we only get a 7 minute satellite phone call. So I scribble notes as best I can while I talk so in the morning I don’t forget what we talked about. I then treasure those notes for weeks.
I hate having to keep a running check list on my desk about the thinks to tell Jeff the next time he calls. There are times I stair at that list for weeks and just keep adding to the list.
Yesterday I got a 2 minute call. It has been almost 3 weeks. The satellite connection was so bad we never completed once sentence back and forth. But I was able to hear his voice and his laugh as he got mad about how bad the connection was. But in those two minutes I knew he was alive and he was ok – and I heard him LAUGH.
I hate the fact that twice my son went 8 weeks without a shower because they did not have showers at the firebase his platoon was at. It was too far out there. Can the average American imagine 8 weeks without a shower? I think not.
I hate the phone calls that start out “Mr Frawley this is the Army calling to let you know there has been a death in your sons unit – your son is OK. I am sorry we don’t have any further details.”
The first one of those calls makes the hair stand straight up on your neck but after you hang up you realize if it had been your son you would have got the knock on the door.
I hate feeling guilty about feeling lucky that it was another soldier who died and not my son. I feel guilty it is another soldiers family that got a knock on the door only to find a military Chaplin standing there in his dress uniform.
The instant this happens they hoped it was a bad dream, a wrong address, or maybe there son was just wounded and not killed. But this is not the case and now they are planning funerals.
I hate hearing Obama talk about change and pulling out. The only change we will find if we pull out of Iraq will be that we will have another 9-11 in our country and the next one is going to be bad.
My sons Company has built a lot of schools in 13 months. They even hired a Afghan to be the general contractor to help build the schools. The soldiers are proud when little girls come to school because that has always been a “No No in Afghanistan”. The Taliban cut the head off the contractor and stuck in on a stake outside the American compound.
What will Obama do about people who can do these kinds of things? Does he think he can CHANGE this? Tell me how !!!
But more than anything I hate the thought that this next presidential election could put someone in the white house who doesn’t have the balls to deal with these Muslim extremists.
What I believe is that there are more Americans out there with the common sense to see the forest for the trees and do whats right for our country. This is not a democrat or republican issue or a black Vs white issue. It’s an American issue. This is not about a housing crisis, it’s about the security of our nation.
So this is the end of my rant. Now I can go back and continue to obsess for the next two months about my sons’ safety.
If you have a friend who just doesn’t seem to get it – send my words to them in an email. Ir's fine with me that my name and email address (frawley@leerburg.com)are on what you send.
This is not my story. It’s the story of every American family who has a member in the military. We want American to listen to us.
Re: Remember to say thanks - they appreciate it
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