Just so Bush can try to salvage his legacy
This is for Bush, Cheney, McCain, Lieberman, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and the rest of the Righties who want to keep our soldiers in the middle of this hopeless Iraq civil war mess .. just so Junior can try to salvage his legacy.
The first article gives a taste about what it's like to be a soldier on those mean streets .. about US Navy reservist Michael Christensen, a dedicated, brave and loyal soldier who made it home safely from Iraq, but not without being wounded twice by roadside bombs.
Christensen's job was to escort Iraqi and foreign contractors so they could repair roads and buildings. He was lead gunner on his team’s scout vehicle, perched with a machine gun on top of the truck at the front of the convoy — a dangerous position.
[..]"While politicians continue to debate the country’s stability, Christensen said daily life on the streets of Iraq is tense, especially for Americans.
“If you’re going to walk around over there, I’d strongly suggest investing in Kevlar (body armor),” Christensen said. “There are definitely warmer spots of American compassion, but things are still very … touchy.”
Christensen said his team was discouraged from interacting with Iraqi citizens, because it was difficult to tell friend from foe.
“There would be 10- or 11- year-old kids that would give us a ‘thumbs up’ when we drove by them, and then throw grenades under our truck after we passed,” he said.
But Christensen said the worst violence was saved for Iraqi groups that assisted in the American reconstruction of the country, such as the Iraqi Security Forces.
“If there is one group of people that they hate more than us, it’s the Iraqi Army,” he said. “If they catch wind that one of our convoys is working with the Iraqi Army, they’ll fight to the death. You take a few minutes for yourself before you (leave the base) on missions like that.” [..]
And now here's a poor kid with brain damage and Combat PTSD who didn't fare so well:
"DUNBAR, Pa. — Blinded and disabled on the 54th day of the war in Iraq, Sam Ross returned home to a rousing parade that outdid anything this small, depressed Appalachian town had ever seen. “Sam’s parade put Dunbar on the map,” his grandfather said.
That was then.
Now Mr. Ross, 24, faces charges of attempted homicide, assault and arson in the burning of a family trailer in February. Nobody in the trailer was hurt, but Mr. Ross fought the assistant fire chief who reported to the scene, and later threatened a state trooper with his prosthetic leg, which was taken away from him, according to the police.
The police locked up Mr. Ross in the Fayette County prison. In his cell, he tried to hang himself with a sheet. After he was cut down, Mr. Ross was committed to a state psychiatric hospital, where, he said in a recent interview there, he is finally getting — and accepting — the help he needs, having spiraled downward in the years since the welcoming fanfare faded.[..]"
How many more like Sam Ross? How many?
