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November 4, 2008

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Overseas troops reactions - Updated w/ MilBlogs reactions

By Mrs Greyhawk

Stars and Stripes reporters overseas will be collecting reaction from troops (including those in Iraq) on the election and putting them up ASAP on their site.

U.S. Troops Cautious About Obama Victory

Iraq Troops React To Election

UPDATE: Here are some MilBlog reactions:

[Bounammer - Scott Kesterson: - in Afghansitan ]: “The guys have their opinions. It’s definitely interesting.” He smiled and then chuckled.
“And what about you? How are you feeling about the election?”
“The media seems to be focusing on the fact that he is a black President. It has never been about race for me.”
He continued, “I looked at each candidate for what I thought would be best for the country. I felt Obama had a better approach for the country and what we are facing. Black candidates of the past have had black agendas. I felt Obama was speaking to all of America.”
The Staff Sergeant’s focus then shifted, “People get wrapped around the person who is President. But he can only do so much. We need to be focusing on the legislation that comes from the Democrats and Republicans we elect to Congress. They affect America more. Obama can come in and push an agenda, but if the Congress doesn’t buy off on it, nothing will happen.”
As we talked I asked the Staff Sergeant about some of the discussions that had been happening throughout the day.

[Fobbits need ice cream too - in Iraq]: Welp, new president-elect. First African-American president and all that shit, I suppose. I don't buy into that whatever-American shit though. You're an American or you're not. My grandparents immigrated from Norway after WW I, but I don't call myself a Norwegian-American. Black people over here have to wear body armor and get shot at just as much as us white guys; ethnicity really means nothing in the Army.

[S4 at War - in Iraq ]: Things have picked up here a bit so I haven’t had much time to create my typical brilliance. But I have been asked quite a bit what the military’s reaction to the election is. Now, I wouldn’t presume to ask any of my non-military friends what the civilian world’s reaction to the election is but I’ll do my part nonetheless. Here are a few overheards from today:
“He’ll close Guantanamo. That will be his big military move. For the rest of us motherfuckers up in here it’ll be the same old shit.”
“People are captivated when he talks.” “They cry and shit like he’s Michael Jackson.”
“He’s got Oprah, you don’t need shit else.”
“I’ll tell you this, if he gets me out of here I’ll vote for him again.”
I was watching the news with some of the civilians who work here and was surprised at how much more intense they were on their views.

[Bad Dogs and Such - in Iraq]: So...about that election - Well. That was a little more...definite than I had thought it would be.
I spent most of the morning in a room full of Sons of Iraq leadership, watching Al Arabia's coverage of said election. Explaining the electoral college through an interpreter is, in case you've never done it, kind of an adventure.

[CDR Salamander]: We are us and they are them. Also, we should all bask in the glory that to much of the Muslim world that knows their Sharia - we just elected and apostate to Islam as our President. That should twist the knickers of a few folks out there. In summary; the Republic will survive, do not despair - for the wheel will turn.
...Now, clear the cheese cloth from our eyes and lets take a sober look at what decision the American voters have made. We now have waiting for us in the new year the most Leftist government this nation has seen arguably in 70 years or 40 years depending on what formula you want to use. You can also argue that the potential exists for this to be the most Left - only time will tell

[Maj Z ]: I realized something today, as I watched our next batch of leaders take a PT test:
We're going to be okay. More than that, we are going to be a stronger nation.
We are a resilient country.
...Barack Obama is the new President. Support him until 2012. He is OUR President. He deserves OUR respect to do otherwise makes US the moonbats. Now is the time for us to show the world that we are not a nation divided. Our strength is in our unity.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you have to love or even like Barack Obama, but respect the office. I've had several bosses in the Army that I hated, both personally and professionally. They were still the boss, and they still got my respect, because they were in charge.

[This Ain't Hell]: I dispute this whole “historical” thing - I have these thoughts zooming around in my head and find it hard to work without writing them down.
I think it’s absolutely unAmerican to think of this as an historical moment in our nation’s long journey. It’s unConservative - and that’s been our whole problem with minorities, but it comes with the ideological territory.
In our Declaration of Independence, it’s written that “…all Men are created equal….” It doesn’t make a racial distinction.

[No Angst zone]: I must respectfully disagree. President-elect Obama shares absolutely none of the heritage of racial repression that has darkened this country's history. A man who has formative ties to Kansas, Hawaii, Kenya, and Indonesia does not know what it is like to have a father who can remember being fire-hosed and attacked with dogs while marching for civil rights. A man who attended Harvard does not know what it is like to work a job while attending night classes to become the first college graduate in his family.
The day we elect a person who grew up in a small town in Mississippi (or Alabama, or Louisiana, or Georgia), who attended a small state college, and who can trace their lineage back to a sharecropper and, before that, a slave, THAT will be a historic day for America.

[The War on Big Tobacco - in Iraq ]: There Were No Tanks in the Street - Mainly because all the tanks are over here in Iraq. But seriously, folks…
I’m smoking a Hecho a Mano Primo in celebration because when you think about it, it’s a victory no matter who won.
To 44 peaceful transfers of power...
G-d bless America.

[A Soldier's Perspective]: The fact of the matter is that whether we like it or not, Barack Hussein Obama will be this nation's 44th President of the United States. Like Bush before him, he deserves the respect that the office commands. The fact that Obama has won an office that only 43 people before him have ever held is an achievement that we must recognize.

[The Armorer]: But, now that there's going to be a Democrat in the White House, patriotism will be in again - so maybe the movies will be a little less dreadful, though they'll be no less preachy.
Does the election of a black man to the Presidency of the United States mean we can finally give Europe the finger? Seeing as how those hosers have never elected anything but a pasty-white European to high elective office?

[Illini6. - formerly known as Miserable Donuts ]: ...I'm afraid that this president is an unknown factor as far as defense and he will be pushed, just to see what he will do. I think this is similar to Kennedy and Khrushchev with the Cuban Missile Crisis. This is why I say, "Calm down." Let's see what the man does when his back is against it.
This election may have made some of our friends friendlier, but remember, regardless of the outcome of this election, America still has people who hate us and I think the world has just gotten a little less safe.

[Neptunus Lex]: There’s always change. ...We can also say farewell to the legions of homeless, at least for a while. That’s been solved. And all of those loons on stilt puppets. Farewell to all that.
Sometimes you’ve got to find the pony in the pile of shit.
Which is not to say that we give our new political class a pass. We should watch them like hawks, compare their policies to our preferences, hold them accountable, safeguard the Constitution.

[The Sniper]: I don’t like you because I don’t trust you. I think you’re a socialist, I think you’re a media whore, I think you’re a flash in the pan… but you won. So congratulations… you now own the most powerful office in the world. Everyone in the world is looking at you as an example of America and more importantly, an example of an African-American. Little black kids across America are lloking up to you. Try not to eff it up.

[Matt - BlackFive]: I do worry about nationalized healthcare from the standpoint of innovation, quality and access. First, what large system has the federal government ever taken over and made better? Second, if the government could get military healthcare to work well, maybe, just maybe, I'd buy into the idea.
I am concerned about defense spending - military innovations and technology, pay, equipment, etc.

[Deebow - BlackFive]: Now is not the time to shirk our duties as men and women who are used to fighting. Now is the time to gird our loins, sharpen our axes, gather our allies and make our stand based upon our beliefs and fight tooth and nail for all that we have; never yielding or giving an inch on our beliefs.
We will DEMAND that President Obama not cut and run from Iraq or Afghanistan.
We will DEMAND ...

[Grim - BlackFive]: I see that John McCain has called Senator Obama -- now President-elect Obama -- to concede defeat. Our country has made a horrible mistake; that much is clear. We will raise taxes in a recession, and cut military spending during a war.

[Bouhammer]: Audio Blog: Post Election comments - This Audio blog is my personal opinion and political rant of this Presidential Election and what it means to this country….in my humble opinion.

[CounterColumn]: Ok, now, as a uniformed service member (part time), I need to start to figure out how to run a blog when I am not likely to be very supportive of the liberal-in-chief's policies - if not outright contemptuous. Now, I hope I am pleasantly surprised by the future Obama administration, but it seems pretty clear to me that the man is part and parcel of the worst that Chicago machine politics has to offer.
Think about that for a second. Of all the machines Obama could have come from, he had to come from the single most corrupt machine in the country (with the possible exception of Hawaii's Democratic machine). And then ...

UPDATE: LT Nixon has more


Posted by Mrs Greyhawk / November 4, 2008 5:41 PM | Permalink

1 TrackBack

We deserve what is coming… McCain endured years of Vietcong torture and conceded to a single racist commie. Reality has now sunk in DelD Offers His Congratulations Speech How much change? a new day, a fresh start So long America Ammo or Alcohol... Read More

11 Comments

bunch of morons

who after 6 years leave us a divided country in Iraq and Taliban on march in Afghanistan

and can only repeat lies about socialism

poss scenario:

obama will retreat from iraq.

iraq might destabilize - causing a l,oss of all hard won gains.

this will be a morale killer.

recruitment will suffer.

reenlistment collapse.

obama will start a draft.

include women.

gays.

draft will be ameliorated by offering option: military or civilian service.

this is how he will start his civilian defense corps/brownshirts...

Dear "nick,"

Here's your assignment for this evening:

Pretend you're a normal person, go back and read your atrociously spelled and disjointed post, and then tell us who's the "moron."

I used to think of America as the shining city on the hill - no more, you have fallen to the depths of the rest of the crappy world. I guess the great experiment of the 18th century is over. Hail to an endless supply of dictators

Can any military folks reassure me that if Obama orders the military to seize private citizens firearms that the military will refuse to obey an un-Constitutional order like that?

chicopanther

My take:

Welcome to four years of Socialist America.

The rest is here:

http://sfcmac.wordpress.com/2008/11/05/welcome-to-obamanation/

I concur with realpundit; that is, a draft is coming. My son is 13 years old; well on the way to achieving his Eagle Scout by age 15.
Prior to the election he and I discussed how an Obama win could result in the return of the draft.
I feel that today's US military is the most formidable force the world has ever known. They are battle hardened by Iraq and Afganistan and no despot in his right mind would mess with us. Now that we have a Commander in Chief who very likely will undermine morale in many ways, I would expect to enlistment and re-enlistment drop like a rock. I pray that despite all this, enough of you veterans stay to train/mentor and watch over new volunteers and draftees. My son will need you (if he volunteers or is drafted). The war against radical islam will transcend the Obama administration. It is war for the future of civilization; God bless you all, I'll keep you in my prayers.

Seriously? Sour grapes much, gentlemen? I'm disappointed that so many on the right seem to think so little of both the American people and her democratic practices. Obama was elected by a majority of the American voters. They made their choice and I for one, respect it.

Do I think the election of Barack Obama means that in 2012 we'll all be living on collective farms and forced into gay marriages as some seem to suggest? Um, not so much. America has gone through 43 presidents (good, bad and downright awful), two world wars, economic depressions and so on. 4-8 years of an Obama administration will not be the death of the Republic. Stop whining.

You want your guys to win elections? Pick better candidates, run better races and actually get off your asses and vote. The Grand Old Party failed on all three counts this time so there's no one to blame but themselves.

And to those of you deployed with me in Iraq (and those in Afghanistan too), God bless and stay safe.

Hey SSG D:

Newsflash: I get off my ass and vote in EVERY election. As far as thinking "so little of both the American people and her democratic practices", I hold a very dim view of the 52% who voted for that socialist charlatan. They have signed over the security and safety of America to a human buglight for terrorists, despots, and Islamic thugs. Brace yourself. If you think Bubba Clinton gave the green light to al Qaeda because of his non-reponses to the terrorist attacks on his watch, Obama will be in the air traffic control tower giving the ok for takeoff.
You go right on ahead and support this disaster of a 'president'. Just don't expect the rest of us to follow suit.
SFC MAC
US ARMY (RET)
IRAQ WAR VETERAN

SFC Mac,

First off, thank you for your service. As someone who served honorably and retired you know that you don't get to pick your commanders. Obama is the President-elect of the United States and as such is entitled to the same respect accorded to all who hold the office, regardless of political persuasion. I'm inclined to judge him off of his performance in the office rather than prejudge him based off of smears, rumor and innuendo but obviously that's just me.

Mainly I am amused by the immediate histrionics of those on the far right (and left)when their choice doesn't win. The selection of Obama doesn't mean that you'll lose your guns or that our kids will be forced into a madrasah to study the Koran. Just like we didn't wind up in some sort of 1984 style Big Brother nightmare under Bush as those on the far left claimed we would. Why? Because the American people will only stand for just so much bullshit before they rise up and reject the silliness. Then we go back to our X-boxes and let the process begin again. Lather, rinse, repeat.

I applaud you for doing your part and voting but my point still stands. The Republican party once again picked a candidate because it was "his turn" (see Dole, Bob) who then proceeded to run an awful campaign that pandered to the "base", many of whom stayed home, and didn't attract anyone from the center. So, feel free to enjoy your ideological purity while your party continues to lose elections. You know, just saying. :-)

SSG D:


Point by point:


"Obama is the President-elect of the United States and as such is entitled to the same respect accorded to all who hold the office, regardless of political persuasion. I'm inclined to judge him off of his performance in the office rather than prejudge him based off of smears, rumor and innuendo but obviously that's just me."

I judge a candidate by their character, beleifs, associations, documented record, and stated objectives. Every one of those aspects, when appied to Obama, raises a gigantic red flag.
He launched his career from the home of two domestic terrorists William Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn, and collaborates with radical groups like ACORN under the guise of "community organizing". He sat in a church for over 20 years listening to the sermons of a rabid moonbat who "god-damned" America and railed against "whitey" and Jews.
Some of the world's worst dictators and Islamic goons are head over heels for his election. He's also accumulated Hugo Chavez, Mahmoud Amahdinejad, Louis Farrakhan, Daniel Ortega, Jeremiah Wright, and Hamas among his associates, admirers, and supporters. Considering his record and his proclivities, I will give as much respect as he derseves, "Office" notwithstanding". But, that's just me.

"......the American people will only stand for just so much bullshit before they rise up and reject the silliness. Then we go back to our X-boxes and let the process begin again. Lather, rinse, repeat."

We'll see how much bullshit they'll take from Mr. HopeyChangytude and his socialist policies, before they realize they may have to make another change sooner than they thought before he brings this country to its knees; economically, and militarily.

"I applaud you for doing your part and voting but my point still stands. The Republican party once again picked a candidate because it was "his turn" (see Dole, Bob) who then proceeded to run an awful campaign that pandered to the "base", many of whom stayed home, and didn't attract anyone from the center. So, feel free to enjoy your ideological purity while your party continues to lose elections. You know, just saying."

I agree about McCain. The GOP picked a lackluster guy who's lousy on illegal immigration, who failed to communicate a strong message, and who essentially abandoned his base. MY ideological purity is comprised of patriotism, protection of America and our Constitution, a strong military, facilitation of free enterprise, guarding America's interests home and abroad, and swift retribution against our enemies.

None of which is in the platform of the coming Obama regime.

Just saying.

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November 26, 2010


America@war
[Greyhawk]
I think anyone who's ever pondered the "comment" option - once only available on blogs and bulletin boards, now ubiquitous on almost any web site - will appreciate this:
The so-called faculty of writing is not so much a faculty of writing as it is a faculty of thinking. When a man says, "I have an idea but I can't express it"; that man hasn't an idea but merely a vague feeling. If a man has a feeling of that kind, and will sit down for a half an hour and persistently try to put into writing what he feels, the probabilities are at least 90 percent that he will either be able to record it, or else realize that he has no idea at all. In either case, he will do himself a benefit.

That's wisdom from the past, captured for posterity at the US Naval Institute, shared via the web on the institute's 137th anniversary.

From their about page:

The Naval Institute shall remain

INDEPENDENT - A non-profit member association, with no government support, that does not lobby for special interests;

NON-PARTISAN - An independent, professional military association with a mission, goals and objectives that transcend political affiliations; and shall encourage

IDEAS - Through its respected journals Proceedings and Naval History, its conferences, its books and its online content, in support of those who serve.

"The Naval Institute has three core activities," among them, History and Preservation:

The Naval Institute also has recently introduced Americans at War, a living history of Americans at war in their own words and from their own experiences. These 90-second vignettes convey powerful stories of inspiration, pride, and patriotism.

Take a look at the collection, and you'll see it's not limited to accounts from those who served on ships at sea, members of the other branches are well-represented.

I'm fortunate to have met USNI's Mary Ripley, she's responsible for the institute's oral history program (and she's the daughter of the late John Ripley, whose story is told here). She also deserves much credit for their blog. ("We're not the Navy nor any government agency. Blog and comment freely.") We met at a milblog conference - Mary knew (and I would come to realize) that milbloggers are the 21st-century version of exactly what the US Naval Institute is all about. Once that light bulb came on in my head, I mentioned a vague idea for a project to her - milblogs as the 21st century oral history that they are.

"Put that in writing," she said (of course - see first paragraph above!) - and here's part of the result.

Shortly after the first tent was pitched by the American military in Iraq a wire was connected to a computer therein, and the internet was available to a generation of Americans at war - many of whom had grown up online. From that point on, at any given moment, somewhere in Iraq a Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine was at a keyboard sharing the events of his or her day with the folks back home. While most would simply fire off an email, others took advantage of the (then) relatively new online blogging platforms to post their thoughts and experiences for the entire world to see. The milblog was born - and from that moment to this stories detailing everything from the most mundane aspects of camp life to intense combat action (often described within hours of the event) have been available on the web...

And et cetera - but since you're reading this on a milblog, you probably knew that. And you know that milblogs aren't just blogs written by troops at war, that many friends, family members, and supporters likewise documented their story of America at war online in near-real time, as those stories developed.

The diversity in membership of that group is broad, the one thing we all have in common is the impulse to make sense of the seemingly senseless, and communicate the tale - for each of us that impulse was strong enough to overcome whatever barriers prevent the vast majority of people from doing the same. Everyone at some point has some vague idea they believe should be shared - we were the people who, from some combination of internal and external urging, found and spent those many half hours persistently trying to write it down.

*****

But where will all that be in another 137 years? Or five or ten, for that matter. That's something I've asked myself since at least 2004 - when I wrote this:

Closing Blogs is nothing new. So many site's owners just give up on their own. They come and go, you know, these MilBloggers do. Like any other sort of blogger. Many post in the lonely down hours far from home, spill their guts for the world, then abandon their spots when the tour of duty is up. They have lives again somewhere in the world, and no need to share the details. So it goes.

Many are truly gone - no site left at all. "The page cannot be found." Other blogs remain, like abandoned defensive positions in shifting desert sands.

Membership in the ghost battalion has grown in the years since, and an ever growing majority of those abandoned-but-still-standing sites are vanishing. Have you checked out Lt Smash's site lately? How about Sgt Hook's? If you're a long-time milblog reader you know the first widely-read milblog from Operation Iraq Freedom and the first widely-read milblog from Afghanistan are both gone from the web. If you're a relative newcomer to this world you may never even have heard of them - or the dozens upon dozens of others who carried forth the standard they set down.

If you have a vague notion that something should be done about that, (a notion I've heard expressed more than once...) then you and I and the good folks at the US Naval Institute are in agreement. Preserving the history documented by the milbloggers is just one of the goals of the milblog project, the once-vague idea that we're now making real.

And it's a big idea, if I say so myself - too big to explain in one simple blog post, so stand by for more. Likewise, it's too big a task to be accomplished by just one person. So if you're a milblogger (and exactly what is a milblogger? is a topic for much further discussion on its own) I'm asking for your help. All I'll really need is just a little bit (maybe just one or two of those half hours...) of your time, and your willingness to tell the tale.

We've already made history, it's time to save it.

(More to follow...)




Posted 4:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

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The Mudville Gazette is the on-line voice of an American warrior and his wife who stands by him. They prefer to see peaceful change render force of arms unnecessary. Until that day they stand fast with those who struggle for freedom, strike for reason, and pray for a better tomorrow.
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  • sfcmac: SSG D: Point by point: "Obama is the President-elect of read more
  • SSG D.: SFC Mac, First off, thank you for your service. As read more
  • sfcmac: Hey SSG D: Newsflash: I get off my ass and read more
  • SSG D.: Seriously? Sour grapes much, gentlemen? I'm disappointed that so many read more
  • ObamaBinBiden: I concur with realpundit; that is, a draft is coming. read more
  • sfcmac: My take: Welcome to four years of Socialist America. The read more
  • chicopanther: Can any military folks reassure me that if Obama orders read more
  • matt tirebiter: I used to think of America as the shining city read more
  • MarkJ: Dear "nick," Here's your assignment for this evening: Pretend you're read more
  • reliapundit: poss scenario: obama will retreat from iraq. iraq might destabilize read more

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The Mudville Gazette is written and produced by Greyhawk, who recently retired from 24 years of active duty in the US military, but will maintain this disclaimer: Unless otherwise credited, the opinions expressed are those of the author, and nothing here is to be taken as representing the official position of or endorsement by the United States Department of Defense or any of its subordinate components.

Furthermore, I will occasionally use satire or parody herein. The bottom line: it's my house.

I like having visitors to my house. I hope you are entertained. I fight for your right to free speech, and am thrilled when you exercise said rights here. Comments and e-mails are welcome, but all such communication is to be assumed to be 1)the original work of any who initiate said communication and 2)the property of the Mudville Gazette, with free use granted thereto for publication in electronic or written form. If you do NOT wish to have your message posted, write "CONFIDENTIAL" in the subject line of your email.

Original content copyright © 2003 - 2011 by Greyhawk. Fair, not-for-profit use of said material by others is encouraged, as long as acknowledgement and credit is given, to include the url of the original source post. Other arrangements can be made as needed.

Contact: greyhawk at mudvillegazette dot com

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*****

Tending Distant
Fires


Far from hearth and home, watching
Cold alone but not alone
On distant shore and only wanting
Safe return and little more

What tales we'll tell
When that time comes
When tales can be told

When things grim
Seem far away
When other fires go cold

Some distant sunset, vision fading
Memories remain
And tired eyes gaze 'pon folded flags
While distant drums beat their refrain

Saluting fallen friends whose names
And youth will never fade
Here's to those on other shores,
for them live well, the price is paid

- Greyhawk,
Baghdad,
December 2004