Oh my dear God, this breaks my heart

[WilliamPitt]

stranger posted this over on bartcop, and it deserves to be seen.

Caveat: DO NOT post on the forum below, under any circumstances or for any reason. The website below was set up as a forum where families of Iraq soldiers can support each other. If you do not have family in the 3rd Infantry Division in Iraq, you have no place to post there.

Sorry to sound like a dick, but it's that important (to me, anyway).

This is a web forum for families of soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division in Iraq. As stranger said on bartcop, these people are pissed.

http://support3rdid.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=2180&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1

It breaks my heart.

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Sean Reynolds]

2. Sad.

I was browsing, did you see the 'poll'? Majority say Bush is doing a poor job.

[GalleryGod]

3. Breathtaking in it's pool of pain & frustration

We got to relieve this prick of duty.

Pink slip his cotton candy ass.

[WilliamPitt]

4. Did you browse around?

Look in some other threads? 'Daddy was a soldier,' for example, destroyed me. Destroyed me.

[MoonAndSun]

5. What really struck me was that most of the posters seem to be

women, and they are mad!! A few of them pointed out that "these men", i.e. Rumsfeld, etc. are idiots. (my interpretation)

bush* will find out very soon, do not piss off the women!

And yes, Will, it is heartbreaking to read what these people are going thru.

[jpgray]

6. Appropriate to be going in there?

If this is private and for the 3rd's families, I don't think I should be going in there. But I can only imagine their anger and frustration.

[WilliamPitt]

8. I thought about that

but its fairly easy to password-protect a website if privacy was desired. No one, but no one, from DU should post there, but I also think people need to see what the people keeping the watch are saying.

[jpgray]

9. Ok just making sure

.

[blondeatlast]

15. Absolutely agreed. Politics (ideally) has no place on this site.

Heartbreaking. The only good to come out of this is that these people have a way to connect in cyberspace. (Literally) Beseeching God: May He please send His grace their way.

As tempting as it is to lurk, this one is not going on my bookmark list. God, I am so glad these people found each other.

[LawDem]

7. It's good to be reminded . . .

It's good to be reminded that these troops have families -- people who love them. People who spend every waking hour worrying about a knock on the door. My secretary's husband was in Iraq. He's back home safe now, but the weeks leading up to his return were pure hell for his family. The story kept changing on when he would be back. Then finally, on the day he was scheduled to disembark, she (my secretary) ran out of the office crying. We finally found out that someone at his home base had told her that they had lost contact with the plane. That turned out to be a mistake, thank God (sometimes even an agnostic has to say it).

Stories like this are being played out in thousands of households across America. So never forget that when Bush talks about "bring 'um on," these are real people and real lives he's playing with.

[karlschneider]

10. I tried the link & got an immediate "access denied"...???

Of course I had no intention of posting anything...
strange

Edit: I guess it was just busy, tried again & got in.
Disregard previous message.

[Ardee]

12. try again Karl

I just got in, browsed a bit and it is ,as Will states, toughon the emotions!

perhaps there was too much traffic during your attempt?

[Poisonskin23]

11. Wow

I was arguing with an insane Rwinger about the Bring it on comment.

Rwinger said that America likes Clint Eastwood and Arnold S. so these are the kind of comments that they wanna hear.

I asked Rwinger how you think that comment would make the troops and their famalies feel.

Rwinger said it makes them feel proud.

I said I doubt that, but I guess we'll see.

[JohnKleeb]

13. they were pissed I dont know what this RWer is talking about

I wonder what this idiot would say when I say
Let's remember those who have fallen all of them had a story to tell and they all died in probably the most terrible of ways. Even though I opposed the war and wouldnt get along politically or personally with most of their families my heart goes out to them and their families. response'd be
"you communist" my response fuck you and a long rant.

[havocmom]

14. Thanks for the link, Mr. Pitt

and we share your heartbreak. You're probably not of an age to recall that this all has a familiar feel to it. I recall a time when the morning high school announcments were too often punctuated by a list of names of friends who would not be coming to any reunions.

They took the 45 record of "War" outta the juke box in the cafateria, thinking that would quell our dissent. We stood on the tables and sang it ourselves.

I never went to any reunions. Too many faces wouod be missed.

We feel for them and your link strengthens our resolve to kick BFEE ass. No more blood for fools and their adgendas.

[blondeatlast]

16. I'm in tears now. This has got to stop, please God. make it stop.

nm

[blondeatlast]

17. I swore I wouldn't rate threads, but this one gets a 5; every DUer needs.

to SEE (but not interfere with) this.

[catzies]

27. I'm too empathetic, I just can't go over there.

But I do imagine their pain. My soul already hurts for those people.

And the people in Baghdad who lost loved ones.

And the people in Afghanistan, the ME, the Balkans, Africa, Northern Ireland, and the good ol' War on Drugs right here in the US that also kills overseas.

How long must we go on killing or letting people die?

[angka]

18. damn.

read them talk. wow. remember all those rightwing-inspired reports about how much the military hated clinton?

but no, republicans support the military, don't they?

the scales are falling from the people's eyes...

[MuseRider]

19. Painful to read

I can't imagine living with it. Thanks I guess, makes me cry and worry for my two draft age sons. Damn Damn Damn I don't think I could live with that.

[KoKo]

20. Those of us who protested, who wrote letters to UN, Congress, White House,

anywhere we could..........thought this would happen......And it makes me sad for them.........

I remember standing on a little grassy knoll across from a major shopping mall here in NC on a Sunday afternoon just when the "Invasion" started and a gal rolled down her car window and said you "F**ing People.....Don't you know my Husband's over there....why do you get a life you s**t's.

I yelled back at her while holding my "Support Our Troops Bring Them Home Sign" saying: "THAT's WHY WE'RE HERE!!!" She shook her head and rolled her car window up. My husband had the "Who Would Jesus Bomb" sign that day. My sign had a small American Flag on the corner. She thought I was "Shit." They were all pumped up for the war because of Shrubbies propaganda.

I know there are many others who would have supported me.......and maybe this gal lied and didn't have a husband over there.......but when you are standing with only about 12 other folks feeling your efforts are so small.......that kind of stuff hurts. But, we didn't care.

Sometimes folks don't know what's best for them......and you've got to take a stand. I've been proud I did everything I could to stop this Invasion.........and when the "Impeach Bush" rallies start.......I'll be there, too.....no matter what crap they yell........but I wish we could have stopped this........so that those families didn't suffer like they are.

I feel so badly for them......

[WEagle]

39. I lost sleep

sitting up late into the nights writing letters. Stood outside our Senator's office, made countless phone calls, organised local rallies, took buses to DC, but being "right" in this case, makes me all the more sad. Such a criminal tragedy, I am so ashamed of this country.

[no one in particular]

21. Access Denied

It says "Access Denied. We Cannot Proceed".

Tried dozens of times. No go.

On the main page it says one must be registered to read posts.

I dunno.

[Samantha]

25. I got the same message

I am kind of afraid to keep trying after reading some of the comments here. I might not be able to sleep tonight and I have to go to work tomorrow. My cousin just came home from Iraq. My family is a big Bush* supporter. I was really angry when I heard my cousin had to go and couldn't even discuss the matter with the rest of my family.

Is this website the stories of people who lost family members there?

[ward919]

22. I know you can't post there, but how do you read the posts?

I can't even access to read the posts.

[no one in particular]

24. Well...You can register...

I finally got in. (not gonna say how)

A message posted by the moderator: "This site is for support of our Soldiers, if you are a tree hugger, human shield or a movie star this place is not for you".

[IndianaGreen]

29. "tree hugger, human shield or a movie star"

A message posted by the moderator: "This site is for support of our Soldiers, if you are a tree hugger, human shield or a movie star this place is not for you".

I get the message, liberals need not apply. Asshole!

And I suppose Bush gives a rat's ass about the suffering of the families, or the dismal conditions in which the grunts have to live.

This is a war that could have been avoided were it not for the lies of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powell & Co. But it is better to believe in the lies about WMD and Iraqis welcoming us with flowers than it is to admit that Bush lied, and people died.

[OneTwentyoNine]

33. Tree huggers and Movie Stars tried their best....

To keep Americans the hell out of Iraq and alive. Shit,who's that guy want?? More war mongering assholes like Bush,Cheney and Rumsfeld so Americans can take a bullet on a daily basis all in the name of CORPORATE PROFIT????

I was going to register but screw em. That moderator needs a reality check on who the hell really cares about his skin and other soldiers. IT AIN'T BUSH YOU DUMB ASS!!!!!!


David

[leesa]

35. What incredible ignorance

Have they ever asked themselves what is wrong with hugging a tree???? What is wrong with trying to stop genocide as a human shield??? What about Ronald Reagon, movie star and Arnold, who's planning to run for governor of California.
Whatever Rush tells these ignorant fools, they slurp up and regurgitate over and over again. Hard to feel sorry for nasty people like this.

[OrdinaryTa]

38. What Were They Expecting?

This is a war that could have been avoided were it not for the lies of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powell & Co.

Bush ran on a platform of restoring respect for the military and for renewed aggressiveness in foreign policy throughout the world. The present situation shouldn't have been a surprise to people with an interest in the outcome.

Wars are grim. There's nothing new about that. Bush all but said that if people voted him in as president, he would start a war. A fair number of the people who say they were betrayed by Bush actually voted for him. It's not true that he betrayed them - he's doing what he said he would do.

[blm]

23. That was my reaction, too.

Overwhelmingly sad.

[aquart]

26. Access denied.

I wasn't allowed to look.

[HerbieHeadhunter]

28. Can somebody with the stomach....

pass along what the thread is talking about. I get access denied and I do not want to register out of respect and I think it is important to hear what they are saying.

[Merlin]

30. Looks like this site is blowing off visitors.

They apparently don't want anybody to see what you're pointing us to, Will.

[WilliamPitt]

31. No surprise n/t

[BiggJawn]

32. Someone must have clued them in to us "Damn pinko-commie-fag-li-bu-rals"

Trying to get in "And poke fun at decent folk who gave their kin "...
For OIL...

Pretty grim over there, eh, Will?

[alaine]

34. I bet that's it, some lurker clued them in...

It's sad, I remember the man who lost his son over there and held his picture up and said something to the effect of "Bush, you took my only son away from me..." I guess they do want the terrorists to "bring it on", that's fewer benefits to have to pay to living soldiers?

My ex will go over at the end of the year, I'm expecting to be getting the cat either at the end of this month or next month. She said to me a month ago that everyone in her unit KNOWS this is a bunch of bullshit about oil and money. Nobody believes the hype. I think people's eyes are opening, now there is no big honcho to look up too, and I know people are grateful protestors care; 10 million people world-wide is not a focus group.

[revcarol]

36. I worked with the Red Cross in the Vietnam war, and just knowing what

the wounded were going through in that insane war to face down communism has haunted me ever since. At Elmendorf AFB, the planes would land, to switch planes, to change crews, to take off severely wounded who couldn't be transported further.Sometimes they would be on the ground for hours because there were so many of them they couldn't be received at the other end. I would write letters for them, call their families, cry with them, and if they had a hand left, hold their hand.

I couldn't access the site, but just remembering.......Going to war when it is unnecessary is a war crime. Bush ought to have to meet every planeload of wounded and dead soldiers.

[DemoTex]

41. God bless you Revcarol

God bless you for your works. From your works and faith will come blessed grace.

Mac

[HellKat]

37. Sad

This is truly sad I wish these families the best and hope that their love ones return safely. And to the moderater of the forum not wanting tree hugging libs he/she must understand that Its these money grubbing bigoted oil loving PNAC pigs that put our soldiers lives on the line

[Zan_of_Texas]

40. Remember

who went to fight. It wasn't the rich. It wasn't sons and daughters of Congress (with one exception).

It wasn't even all Americans who went to fight for America. (Well, not for America -- to fight for BushCo/Exxon/Bechtel/Halliburton/etc.)

It was people, many, who felt it was a good economic opportunity compared to their other opportunities, who thought it would help them pay for college, who may not have known what to do after high school. I have word from inside one high school here in Houston, that the minority high schools were much more heavily recruited than the white schools. In some cases, the military recruiters lied to the kids. They would get them to sign a letter of intent as hs juniors. Then, when spring of senior year comes, the recruiters come back and "collect" the kids. If the kids say, "Whoa, I just got a nice offer to go to college. That's what I'm gonna do," the recruiter has said, "Nope, you made a legal contract. You HAVE to go. If you DON'T go, we will have to charge your parents $25,000 in fees for training etc." The letter of intent, I'm told, is NON-binding, but the kids don't know that. These are poor parents usually, and they are terrified of men in uniform, or being sued for that kind of money. It's a fake threat, but the parents don't know that.

I think over 30,000 troops were not even US citizens, but were told they could get special consideration for themselves and their relatives if they enlisted. If they die fighting, they get to be a US citizen, posthumously. Awfully special, isn't it.

An increasing number of those in conflict zones are basically mercenaries, contract people hired by the likes of KBR (Brown & Root/Halliburton), DynCorp (now CSC), and other defense contractors. They do lots of things that used to be done by troops. Include get killed too. But, those folks in body bags is less of a PR problem to the military.

The poor and disadvantaged fight the wars to make the rich richer. It is infinitely wrong.

Re: The armies for hire -- more at

America's For-Profit Secret Army

New York Times Business Section
Oct. 13, 2002

LESLIE WAYNE

With the war on terror already a year old and the possibility of war against Iraq growing by the day, a modern version of an ancient practice - one as old as warfare itself - is reasserting itself at the Pentagon. Mercenaries, as they were once known, are thriving - only this time they are called private military contractors, and some are even subsidiaries of Fortune 500 companies.
The Pentagon cannot go to war without them.

Often run by retired military officers, including three- and four-star generals, private military contractors are the new business face of war. Blurring the line between military and civilian, they provide stand-ins for active soldiers in everything from logistical support to battlefield training and military advice at home and abroad. <snip>

[Circe_Invidiosa]

42. it would not let me go look

i tried and it said the access was limited or something like that

sigh