{"article":{"id":93515,"heading":"Cheers for returning troops?","author":"Uncle Nam","created":"2003-11-09 19:04:52","modified":"2013-11-11 00:27:29","last_modified":"Mon, 11 Nov 2013 07:27:29","article":"



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US Soldiers At The

Baltimore Airport

11-8-3

Copied from: http:\/\/www.rense.com\/general44\/balti.htm<\/a>

The writer and his wife live in LA and both work for Uncle Sam.

Dear Friends and Family, I hope that you will spare me a few minutes of your time to tell you about something that I saw on Monday, October 27. I had been attending a conference in Annapolis and was coming home on Sunday. As you may recall, Los Angeles International Airport was closed on Sunday, October 26, because of the fires that affected air traffic control. Accordingly, my flight, and many others, were canceled and I wound up spending a night in Baltimore. My story begins the next day.

When I went to check in at the United counter Monday morning I saw a lot of soldiers home from Iraq. Most were very young and all had on their desert camouflage uniforms. This was as change from earlier, when they had to buy civilian clothes in Kuwait to fly home. It was a visible reminder that we are in a war. It probably was pretty close to what train terminals were like in World War II. Many people were stopping the troops to talk to them, asking them questions in the Starbucks line or just saying \"Welcome Home.\" In addition to all the flights that had been canceled on Sunday, the weather was terrible in Baltimore and the flights were backed up. So, there were a lot of unhappy people in the terminal trying to get home, but nobody that I saw gave the soldiers a bad time.

By the afternoon, one plane to Denver had been delayed several hours. United personnel kept asking for volunteers to give up their seats and take another flight. They weren't getting many takers. Finally, a United spokeswoman got on the PA and said this, \"Folks. As you can see, there are a lot of soldiers in the waiting area. They only have 14 days of leave and we're trying to get them where they need to go without spending any more time in an airport then they have to. We sold them all tickets, knowing we would oversell the flight. If we can, we want to get them all on this flight. We want all the soldiers to know that we respect what you're doing, we are here for you and we love you.\"

At that, the entire terminal of cranky, tired, travel-weary people, a cross-section of America, broke into sustained and heartfelt applause. The soldiers looked surprised and very modest. Most of them just looked at their boots. Many of us were wiping away tears. And, yes, people lined up to take the later flight and all the soldiers went to Denver on that flight. That little moment made me proud to be an American, and also told me why we will win this war. If you want to send my little story on to your friends and family, feel free. This is not some urban legend. I was there, I was part of it, I saw it happen.



\n","contact":"","link":"","address":"","phone":"213-555-1212","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"text\/plain","summary":"The below story is horrible! How could any American help speed the war machine? \r\nWe need to stay a peaceful country and supporting the troops is the wrong way to do it. \r\n\r\nI urge all that see troops returning home for this so-called-war to let the troops know what you think a simple "boo" or "how could you kill" would do. If the media, troops and administration see that American\u2019s are not happy with what they have turned our peaceful National Guard reserve force into killers for oil they will see more disfavor. Every troop return needs to meet with protest to the war. \r\n\r\nThese national guard troops are supposed to be here to protect the physical united states soil and for state natural emergencies like fire and flood not to go to kill others on foreign soil for his oil. \r\n ","numcomment":15,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/","filesize":null,"article_url":"\/news\/2003\/11\/93515.php"},"attachments":[],"comments":[{"id":93517,"heading":"Yes! We need to show our troops...","article":"...that we don't appreciate their sacrifices, their oath to protect our rights, their willingness to stand in harm's way so that we don't see the problems in Iraq happening on our very own streets!\r\n\r\nMay I suggest some time-honored epthets: "baby killer", "mindless killbot", "lean, mean, killing machine".\r\n\r\nUncle Nam, may I suggest you reflect on the oaths these military members, active duty, Guard, and Reserve, have taken.\r\n\r\nYou know, the one that protects your right to be an ungrateful, whiny butthead.\r\n\r\nSpeaking as a military member (13 years in February, USAF), we don't need your support. We don't need your thanks. We don't need your gratitude. We volunteered to serve our country and all her citizens. Our commitment is to the country as a whole and to the Constitution. We don't chose whose rights to protect and whose we will let come under attack.\r\n\r\nIn other words, I , and many more like me, have sworn to protect with our lives your right to treat us like dirt.\r\n\r\nEnjoy your right. It looks like you use it quite often.\r\n\r\nOh, and may I make a suggestion?\r\n\r\nGrow up. And understand this: no one wants war. But you'd damn well better have someone around ready, trained, and able to wage it, other wise you're going to be overrun.\r\n\r\nI'll close with a John Stuart Mill quote that seems to fit you precisely:\r\n\r\n"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse."","author":"nonanarchist","parent_id":93515,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-09 20:12:17","modified":"2003-11-09 20:12:17","fileurl":""},{"id":93528,"heading":"The airport story never happened that way","article":"The airport story never happened that way.\r\nIt's an example of a story reworked by government propaganda agents. Just like WMD and the private Lynch story and countless other government lies.","author":"x","parent_id":93515,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-09 22:39:11","modified":"2003-11-09 22:39:11","fileurl":""},{"id":93529,"heading":"The airport story never happened that way","article":"The airport story never happened that way.\r\nIt's an example of a story reworked by government propaganda agents. Just like WMD and the private Lynch story and countless other government lies.","author":"x","parent_id":93515,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-09 22:43:09","modified":"2003-11-09 22:43:09","fileurl":""},{"id":93531,"heading":"Great","article":"Proud to say I was raised in Baltimore.\r\n\r\nThe bottom line is that, of course, no one wants war, but we were attcked by these animals one too many times and it was and is time to agressively defend ourselves. Face it, there are still hordes of savages littering Irag, Iran, Syria, Lebanon etc. that need to be eradicated.\r\n\r\nThese soldiers are bravely fighting what will probably be the most important War we've ever fought.\r\n\r\nThere is simply no denying the fact that the civilized world is on a collision course with the barbarism of fundamental Islam. Deny it and lionize these bastards all you want but it's the truth. \r\n\r\nAnd again, hat's off to the troops.","author":"fresca - 96778","parent_id":93515,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-09 23:12:07","modified":"2003-11-09 23:12:07","fileurl":""},{"id":93540,"heading":"x","article":"Oh, so the story didn't happen that way?\r\n\r\nHow in any way does that negate the ungrateful and downright stupid attitude of the Kum Ba Yah singer who posted the article?\r\n\r\nHint: It doesn't.\r\n\r\nNow, it says much about you that you would rather make a political point about the letter than the ridiculous attitude of Uncle Nam.\r\n\r\nAren't you late for Kum Ba Yah practice?","author":"NonAnarchist","parent_id":93515,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-10 00:40:17","modified":"2003-11-10 00:40:17","fileurl":""},{"id":93546,"heading":"christ!","article":"fresca is one hateful shithead. Real milk of human kindness and understanding, gone rancid. Making lots of friends. Convincing me to her way of thinking. What a doutch-bag.","author":"yodallayde who","parent_id":93515,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-10 01:42:03","modified":"2003-11-10 01:42:03","fileurl":""},{"id":93549,"heading":"To Fresca","article":"Than you for your support, my brother is over there and has killed a few of those terrorist bastards himself and he is very prould of his job, his president and his country. My family loves all the support the vast majority of our great nation is pouring on our troops as they return, and proud of having a few notches cut into the butt of his rifle. ","author":"jp","parent_id":93515,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-10 01:57:07","modified":"2003-11-10 01:57:07","fileurl":""},{"id":93551,"heading":"The Great American Military Superiority Complex,","article":"brought to you by:\r\nnonanarchist (bush admirer), fresca.\r\n\r\nGo ahead, fire up your "unpatriotic Lefty", "protecting your freedom", "grow up", "we don't need your support" bullshit (yawn...) \r\n\r\n\r\nPS: So, any WMDs found yet? Saddam still on the loose? Perhaps the street dancers can tell you about his whereabouts. \r\n\r\n","author":"Ralph","parent_id":93515,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-10 02:45:58","modified":"2003-11-10 02:45:58","fileurl":""},{"id":93554,"heading":"Wow!","article":"Apparently John Stuart Mill was talking about you too, Ralphie boy!\r\n\r\nNo, I'm not going to repeat what I've said. Something about "teaching a pig to sing" springs to mind.\r\n\r\nP.S.: How about those anti-war protests, huh?\r\n\r\nMan, they sure did work, didn't they?\r\n\r\nOh, wait...no, they didn't.\r\n\r\nLuckily for the average Iraqi, some people have the courage to do the right thing.\r\n\r\nAlso, what about the estimated 5,000 Iraqis who died every month prior to the war?\r\n\r\nI expect the ones whose date with death got interrupted by the 3rd ID are pretty pleased about the whole thing.\r\n\r\nOr do you think they'd be better off dead than under US occupation? ","author":"nonANarchist","parent_id":93515,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-10 03:02:15","modified":"2003-11-10 03:02:15","fileurl":""},{"id":93565,"heading":"Oh wait guess its not","article":""the estimated 5,000 Iraqis"; let me guess this is a stat from Dick Cheny right?\r\n\r\n"Luckily for the average Iraqi, some people have the courage to do the right thing" Translation;\r\nLuckily for Haliburton and Bechtel, some people can be fooled into wasting thier courage and blood to make them profits.\r\n\r\n"Or do you think they'd be better off dead than under US occupation". Would you be better off alive under Russian occupation or dead?\r\n\r\nP.S. how about "major Combat is over" (Oh wait guess its not) or "Mission accomplished" (Oh wait guess its not) or Were going to invade because of the WMD's (Oh wait guess its not) or because of the Iraqi Nukes (Oh wait guess its not) or maybe to bring democracy to the middle east (Oh wait guess its not) or because Saddam was a bad man (Oh wait guess its not) or because, (Oh wait guess its not) because (Oh wait guess its not), because (Oh wait guess its not), because (Oh wait guess its not)...","author":"OzzyTeppics","parent_id":93515,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-10 11:44:31","modified":"2003-11-10 11:44:31","fileurl":""},{"id":93567,"heading":"Very good, Ozzy!","article":"You managed to hit all the talking points from the DNC order papers.\r\n\r\nAnd no, the 5,000 figure is from the UN.\r\n\r\nNo apology necessary...or expected.","author":"nonanarchist","parent_id":93515,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-10 14:56:30","modified":"2003-11-10 14:56:30","fileurl":""},{"id":93581,"heading":"How predictable","article":"Before the war, the kooks at IMC were throwing around the "5,000 Iraqi children die each month because of the sanctions" figures as if they were the undisputed truth. The kooks regularly quoted this figure, as reported by the UN -- although these figures originated from Saddam's Ministry of Health.\r\n\r\nFast forward 6 months. Now the 5,000 Iraqi children dying under Saddam's regime each month has been transformed into 5,000 people dying under Saddam's regime each month -- and now the Ba'athist supporters here are questioning this figure as being too high.\r\n\r\nHow predictable. The intellectual sloppiness of the IMC kooks is astounding.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n","author":"Dagny","parent_id":93515,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-10 18:56:50","modified":"2003-11-10 18:56:50","fileurl":""},{"id":93783,"heading":"Same old issues new groupings","article":"The cold hard fact it what both sides in this discussion have hatred not love for one another. An alternative to this is that both sides are trying to survive. From Saddam to Bush \u2026 to the peace activist to the solider. \r\n\r\nThe question of our age is how to survive without losing what we hold closest to our hearts without loosing our minds. The insanity of war and love is hard to distinguish at times. But the need to survive is basic. So I ask why hate a solider for trying to protect another and live. Why should a solider hate to kill. I do not believe he does hate I believe he thinks he is preserving just as the terrorist. The terrorist is trying to ram a way of life and religion the other an economy. In the end both want good things for their people but have a demented way of obtaining their goals. \r\n\r\nWhen will we as communities \u2026 as a humanity learn? Both sides seek control one through religion the other through economy. Some of the tools used by both sides do the same things and for the same goals. Both seek to survive from the foot solider, to the peace marcher and preserve a life style and love from what they hold dear. What will make humanity humble and seek to light candle of peace and love without hate, contempt and betrayal? \r\n\r\nIn the end the basic instinct of man and mammal is to survive less we beach our selves in despair. \r\n\r\nWe need to seek positive ways to continue to grow holding on to hate is not the way. Seek what is truthful to your own sole and what does not involve controlling another or hate. Focus when you see a problem before you on survival for both sides of the issue, learning, growth and love. Good luck. \r\n\r\n","author":"Yihiyeh Tov","parent_id":93515,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-12 10:36:48","modified":"2013-11-11 00:27:30","fileurl":""}]}