SwiftVets.com

[karen2]

Hi folks,

I'm an English gal wanting serious information. I came across this site in one of our newspapers and signed up directly.

Although supportive of his past military ventures, like most Brits now, I
don't like where our PM Blair is taking us in Iraq.

I'm worried by what's going on in Iraq because
1) Al Qaeda hasn't been dealt with
2) Afghanistan hasn't been dealt with

Our soldiers are being killed, to no very useful purpose that I can see.

You guys are on the cutting edge of the US patriotic/military situation. How will the situation in Iraq get better? You know more than us - it seems to me that our PM followed you in on the coat tails.

This is important. My friend's son is in Basra.

Thanks

[mcb58]

FREEDOM IS NOT FREE

Since you are closer to the middle east, you folks will be speaking Arabic before we will.

You Brits have already given up you gun rights, don't let the Libs take the remainder of your rights.

Thank You very much for help in combatting terrorism in the world.

The people of the America will not forget who was with us and who was against us.

God Bless You

Keep the faith, good will prevail
_________________

THE GREAT FIFTY-EIGHT

[karen2]

This is really serious for me and my friends

Please help us by giving us real information that you know about how our troops will get out.

Thanks

[manelly]

Ditto that mcb
_________________
Enlighten the people, generally, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like spirits at the dawn of day.
- Thomas Jefferson

[manelly]

Karen,
Here is your advice ...

...You live the way you want to live , not the way the terrorists want you to live because they prefer that you did not live at all
_________________
Enlighten the people, generally, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like spirits at the dawn of day.
- Thomas Jefferson

[Tom Poole]

If the Swiftees have their way, the terrorists will leave before we do and your son will come home free. If Kerry is elected, your son will come home and your grandson will fight the terrorists later. Alternatively, you could follow the French and surrender.
_________________
'58 Airedale HMR(L)-261 VMO-2

[karen2]

Manelly,

Thanks for replying,

That's the way we thought we lived! Happy, uninvolved in other peoples' wars. But we woke up in a nightmare, with our sons once again cannon fodder.

For no good purpose!

Once we look beyond empty patriotism, why are our children dieing? And why are their children dieing?

My friend, the loveliest lady in the world, lost her eldest son in the first Gulf War. Her second and only remaining son is in Iraq.

This is no Band of Brothers.

[NavyBrat]

Karen-

Rest assured, Your PM, UK security forces, Scotland Yard, UK intelligence are absolutely top notch. Al Qaeda is being dealt with very swiftly in the UK. Our nation has the deepest respect and confidence in your country's ability to weed out terrorists as no other.

One example is here from an old CNN report
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/08/05/terror.wrap/index.html

I love the UK (even though your men wear wigs at court and your political representives keep popping up like jack in the boxes ) and I don't consider the UK "riding on the US coat tails. As I recall, we, as two nations, stood together in unison against this horrible enemy.

Keep supporting Tony Blair.. Even though his economic policies differ from ours, he is doing the right thing here and is under an enorous pressure to change.

Ps- The best thing to do is keep informed through media, websites and writing to your representitive(s). You're doing a great job as it is being a support to your friend. Maybe you could organize a support group for military families with sons, daughters ect over in Iraq now? That would be a GREAT help for her!
_________________
Laura~

[Indianbaboon]

Karen,

the middle-eastern countries have been terror-mongering since the end of WW2...when most of them got their autonomy from European nations.

SOme govts have directly done so, others, like Saddam, have done so indirectly by turning a blind eye, condoning, secretly funding their work, etc.

The only way to bring peace to the world is to Marshall Plan the middle east the same way Europe was post WW2

we need to give these people freedom, not necessarily because we're happy idealists willing to spill our blood for people across oceans, but because that is the only way we will be safe.

Rome was not built in a day, europe and japan did not become what they are in three years, and the islamic nations will not become places that are no longer islamic in nature but free in nature overnight.

[karen2]

Nothing posted here makes me feel OK about the future.

I know brave boys in the Lancers and Black Watch who will go about their business and do a brilliant job.

That's not the point.

They shouldn't be there. That's what destroys us. This is an unjust war. Our brave soldiers shouldn't be there.

Your brave soldiers shouldn't be there either.

ADMIN: This is your opinion and you are entitled to it, but you are off-topic for this bulletin board. We are not here to argue policy.

[manelly]

Ok Karen,

OUR (this includes yours) Men and women are fighting a GLOBAL enemy. Would you rather take the fight to them our fight it in your driveway?
_________________
Enlighten the people, generally, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like spirits at the dawn of day.
- Thomas Jefferson

[coldwarvet]

Hello Karen from the other side of the pond.

My letter to the troops

All of America will always be in your debt.

Because of your service and sacrifice of being in harms way keeping us out of harms way we have not had an attack on the home land since 9/11/01. And for your service America will always be in your debt. I believe in all sincerity that if it wasn’t for you bringing the fight to them these indoctrinated Jihad insurgent combatants would be attacking us here on the home land and instead of 100s of fallen American troops we would have burried 10s if not 100s of thousands of American civilians by now. It is only because the Jihad indoctrinated enemy is pre occupied with keeping a democracy from being established in the heart of the Jihad terrorist world have they not had the resources to expend on attacking America.

It is my personal opinion as you guys keep tightening the noose and the enemy realizes that the objective of keeping Iraq from becoming a democracy is a lost cause that with the remnants that remain they will shift their focus on attacking the homeland. Hopefully by the time you guys get done with them they will not have much left to attack the home land with.

You guys have done an outstanding job of capturing or killing 2/3rds of their leadership. You have also completed numerous public works projects, moving Iraq closer towards becoming a true democracy in the heart of the Jihad terrorist world “Job well done uniformed Americans”. Give them hell guys so that they will have even less to work with as they desperately try to land another punch to the homeland.

The Cold war lasted from 9/2/45 thru 12/26/91 and I am thinking this war against terrorism is going to be very long as well. This war will not end until the Jihad doctrine is no longer being taught anywhere on the globe. And as far as I know there are hundreds of thousands of Muslim male children being indoctrinated into the Jihad culture as you read this. Even if this practice ended this year it will take another generation of those who have been indoctrinated to be deprogrammed, captured, or killed,

We won the Cold War with the American media hammering away at us. But those of us who served knew in our hearts what the tragic result would have been if we would have stood down from the soviets. As I stood watch over Minuteman III Missile Silo’s out in the prairie land of WY I prayed along with millions of others that this is one shot that would not have to be taken. I thank God that the blast doors never opened and the missiles stayed in the ground. I wish some how the war on terror could be as clean but it is not, so thousands will die so millions of us can live out of harms way.

Out of dozens of movies Hollywood managed to produce about the Vietnam soldier they managed to get it right just one time and that is “We Were Soldiers” if you get a chance I would recommend that you watch it or read the book. I will mail out copies to the first five of you who ask. The movie depicts the exact tactics I was trained to use in the 70’s and I thank God that I was never called on to use the training I received.
_________________
Defender of the honor of those in harms way keeping us out of harms way.

"Peace is our Profession"
Strategic Air Command - Motto

USAF 75-79 Security Police

[Bob Chamberlain]

Don't get discouraged, it's going to take a while. I think people today get too used to "instant" everything - and they tend to forget that things are seldom that simple in real life.

Here is my take on things:

It is clear that no country on earth can stand up to the military capability of countries like the US and GB on an open field of battle. We aren't going to see wars like WWII where one country stands up and attacks another like Germany and Japan did. And I say thank God. The last man to try that was Saddam Hussein in Kuwait and we all saw what that has earned him. But that doesn't mean that we don't have enemies or that these enemies will not attack us. But these enemies are going to attack us from ambush, just like in Vietnam. They are not going to stand and fight. They are going to hide among a population of more or less innocent civilians and attack us at times and places of their choosing. While we can combat these types of attacks, we can never really eliminate the attackers until we can change their societies. That takes time and it will cost us lives. But we really don't have any choice.

The Arab societies in which our present attackers grew up are "closed". There is no real freedom of thought, expression or religion - in many cases (at least for women) not even freedom of dress or education. As these children grow up they hear "Hate the Infidels!" in school, at home, in the mosque and in whatever media they have access to. Is it any wonder that they hate us? They have no real knowledge of why. They simply have been taught to hate. And then some Mullah in a mosque tells them that the greatest service they can perform for Allah is to die while killing a few Infidels. That they will be admitted immediately to Heaven and provided 72 virgins for wives. That they as "anointed ones" will be able to help their family members gain access to Heaven. In many cases, their families are promised great financial rewards in this life for the sacrifices of their martyred children. Is it any wonder that these children and even educated young people are brainwashed into strapping on a few pounds of explosive and detonating themselves in a crowded bus? Or flying an airplane into the WTC?

To defeat this enemy, we have to change their societies. Their citizens have to be exposed to many different ideas and ideologies and allowed to think for themselves. Basically, the citizens have to be trained to be individualists. They have to have options. They have to get used to making choices for themselves. In a few words, they have to experience freedom and democracy. Our present enemies fear this type of individual thought and empowerment. They know that they cannot survive in such a society. And therefore they will fight to keep the US and GB from establishing such societies in the Middle East. We have made great strides in Iraq and Afghanistan. We are forming the very basics of a free society in these countries. They will have constituions and free elections. They will have education (even for women). There will be a free media, disseminating a variety of thoughts and opinions. All of this is very positive, but it is going to take generations for it to become a way of life. Look at how many centturies passed between the signing of the Magna Carta and the establishment of a true and free democracy in GB. It won't take as long in the Middle East because these countries have the examples of the Western nations - and the wonders of modern communications. But it will take generations.

I am absolutely convinced that the only solution for the Middle East is to change the existing societies. When these societies raise their children in freedom and democracy - and prosperity - these children will have no reason to hate the "Infidels" and they will be unwilling to die to kill a few of us. Hopefully, they won't even regard us as "Infidels", but just as different people. But there is a rabid minority in all of these lands who will go to any length to keep this change from taking place. These are the people we are fighting today.

I regeret more deeply than I can express the fact that many of our young men and women will be injured and killed to accomplish this goal. I respect them greatly for their willingness to serve and their acceptance of the risks. But I do strongly believe that these young men and women are changing our world. The sacrifices they make today will one day result in a world where we do not require metal detectors at our airports. A world where all may sleep in comfort.

If you go back 60 years and look at Europe today from that perspective, I think you will see what I mean. Europe is at peace and has been for these last 5 decades. Except for the terrible civil war in Yugoslavia, no country in Europe has attempted to harm another in all this period. And Europe is becoming steadily more bound together. There is no reason to believe that the countries of Europe will ever attack each other again. The sacrifices made by our Tommy's and Joe's at Normandy, Arnhem and Bastogne have made this difference. I am convinced that 50 years from now, the world will be able to make similar statements about our men and women who are sacrificing for us today. I salute them, I support them and I am very thankful that our societies still produce such selfless people.

So, my recommndation is to support your PM and give him a chance (and the US as well) to get the job done in the Middle East. And send a thank you note to a soldier.

[Indianbaboon]

[karen2]

Again, again and again, I don't get the logical response.

You wrap youselves in Old Glory and close down your brain cells. My friend in Basra will probably lose her son!

ADMIN NOTE: Stop with the insults or you will be gone!

That is surely the most important thing in the world! Her second son lost! Why? Because the US administration that conquered Iraq is a shambles!

So help us here. Ask questions. Why has the US performed so badly taking over Iraq? Please help us!
_________________
I'm such a loserrrrrrrrr!