U.S. Army officers console each other during a memorial service for Staff Sgt. Du S. Tran at Forward Operating Base Warhorse in Baqouba, 60 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad on Wednesday, June 25, 2008. Staff Sgt. Tran, 31, was killed by a roadside bomb that injured five of his comrades from the Second Stryker Cavalry Regiment on June 20. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
A U.S. Army soldier bows her head during a memorial service for Staff Sgt. Du S. Tran at Forward Operating Base Warhorse in Baqouba, 60 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad on Wednesday, June 25, 2008. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)"I light my candle from their torches."
Robert Burton
Robert Burton
Evening...
The photos above may be difficult to look at for some...but it's life for the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment. I for one want to know what Chris and the rest of our warriors are experiencing. It is the least I can do...
A quick spin around the web revealed one article worth paying attention to...caught my eye - have you seen it?
Hmmm...this summer is shaping up a little differently than I had hoped for...
US forces face spike in deadly violence in Iraq
Chris, hang tough buddy and keep your head on a swivel. We are surrounding you and your teammates with prayer.
Be safe!
v/r,
- Collabman
Posts
12 comments:
After I read the title of the article
Violence Spiking I noticed the soldiers sitting at this very sad memorial service holding their weapons. I guess that says it all.
Good grief, just because Soldiers pause to go to a memorial service doesn't mean they are not still AT WAR. Their comrade got killed, so you think they should all just put down their weapons because this is just too much fighting and dying? Wouldn't the enemy just love that? That's why they are Soldiers fighting in Iraq, and you are sitting at home uselessly blogging and entering asinine commentary about a situation that you are so obviously unable to grasp. There's something called a "big picture" here. Unfortunately, you are too obtuse to understand that your smart a** comment is anything but smart.
Dear Anonymous,
We respect you have an opinion, but this blog is a great source of support for us who sit and wait for our soldiers to come home. Of course we cannot grasp the situation, most of us haven't been there. We can only search the web for any information about our soldier that we can find, and support each other in blogs like this great one. Please, don't ruin our day with your unkind words. If you want to be mean, I'm sure there are many other blogs that are made up of people just like you. We would appreciate it if you would move on to one of those. Thank you.
Staying positive, a proud soldiers mom, Terrie B.
These spikes in attacks will happen, much as we would wish the violence to stop altogether, right this minute. Remember the rash of market bombings in Baghdad a few months back? We all wondered if they would ever end.
Anonymous,
First, if you are going to write these "I have it all together" comments, the least thing you could do is use your name, but then again usually those behind anonymous are the ones who wouldn't do a knoble thing like risk their lives for their fellow man and become a soldier. The "big picture" smart a** is that you have no respect for the soldiers who are fighting this war for YOU, so you don't have too or the families that have sacrificed so much. We live in a country that values human life not give it away so easily. These soldiers have lived and worked together side by side 24/7 and have become family and yes even during war when you lose a family member you take a moment to grieve. This blog has been a source of comfort for those of us who have soldiers fighting in Iraq, and takes a lot of dedication to keep it up and should be admired not tainted with the likes of you. So while you are sitting there with your useless blogging, go find your anonymous self somewhere else to play. There are others with your mindset and where you will be welcome, you sure aren't welcome here. There are a lot of things I am thankful for and I am thankful that even though we are at war, we still take a moment to have memorial services and thank those who have sacrificed for us, that we have not become hard like our enemy.
Enjoy today!
The dictionary defines the word “obtuse” as “lacking quickness of perception or intellect”. I think that you Anonymous, are the obtuse one. Marti clearly grasped the “big picture” when she commented “I guess it says it all” that the soldiers were sitting with their weapons at the memorial service. For you to have the audacity to comment on this blog that “just because Soldiers pause to go to a memorial service doesn’t mean they are still AT WAR” and tell us why our loved ones are fighting in Iraq is downright asinine to say the least. Do you really think that because we aren’t THERE that we don’t comprehend what is going on? Do you really think that we don’t know that every second of every minute of every day our loved ones are fighting a war? Do you really think that we are just sitting at home “uselessly blogging and entering asinine commentary”? This “useless blogging” allows families and friends of loved ones to keep up on what is going on over there, to share things, and to be supportive of each other. I have been truly blessed by meeting many wonderful people this way. This is America, our loved ones are fighting for freedom, and you are allowed freedom of speech, but I say take it elsewhere, this site is for support and sharing, not for the likes of you.
Dear Marti, Soldier's Mom, terri B and janet r,
Miscommunication is a terrible thing. Perhaps I misunderstood Marti's point. If I did, I do apologize. After all, I am waiting back here in Germany since my husband is deployed with 2SCR along with these excellent men and women, and no one is more supportive of them than all of us here in Vilseck and Graf. I will be attending SSG Tran's memorial service tomorrow. I just get incensed when people make such comments when I know that my husband and ALL Soldiers down there are making a difference. No Soldier dies in vain unless the mission is forgotten, and though there may be a few moments to remember those who are lost, the mission does not end. Rather, it continues, unabated, so that those who are lost do not die in vain. What I read into Marti's comments was obviously very different from the rest of you. I read something that, to me, sounded very self-righteous and unsympathetic of those Soldiers who are still constantly in the fight. I thought that Marti was merely making a flip statement about the irony, and I then jumped to the conclusion that he or she, like so many others, blame my husband and all who fight alongside him that it is they who are to blame for the "spike" in the violence. And, frankly, Soldier's Mom, please re-read my posting. You misquoted me. I wrote "just because Soldiers pause to go to a memorial service doesn't mean they are NOT still AT WAR" That little word "not," makes a big difference. This war is very personal for those of us who are waiting for loved ones to come home, and praying every minute we get for their safe return. I deeply regret offending anyone. If you re-read what I wrote, you may understand that I had the best of intentions. Remember that even though those weapons they hold can be terrible things, in the hands of our Soldiers, they can also help save the lives of those we so dearly love, and holding them during that memorial is a reminder to us all that down there, they are always on the job, always on the alert, and always protecting their fellow Soldiers. I am praying that God will be with the families of those lost, and continue to watch over our Soldiers.
Respectfully yours,
A VERY proud Soldier's wife.
To anonymous...you are the proud wife of a 2SCR soldier and I am the proud mother of a 2SCR soldier. I would not ever presume to make light of the job our soldiers do. I, too, remember 24/7 that our soldiers are always at war.
Like I said, we have misunderstood each other. I've just become so used to all of the negativity, that I did not realize that was not your intent. I hope that you also see that I was not trying to make light of anything, either. I wish you the very best.
Dear Proud Soldiers Wife, we appreciate your reply. First let me say that we, knowing Marti via this support group, never thought anything negative in what she wrote. We have seen other memorial pictures and the soldiers did not have there weapons in hand. It seems different here.
This is a miscommunication for sure. As a parent of a 2SCR soldier I feel your pain and the need to defend your soldier and his fellow soldiers. You won't get anyone here that will speak ill of them. As you see, we are all defensive. We see your point and hopefully you see ours.
Since we have contact with you, know that your soldiers and all you families are in our prayers. It has to be tough being in a country that isn't your own while your husband is in Iraq. Our hearts go out to you. It is almost over, hang tough for just a little while longer.
God Bless Our Troops!
Terrie, Matt's Mom
Dear Proud Soldier's Wife - I too misunderstood and jumped the gun (no pun intended). You have my deepest respect and admiration being the wife of a soldier. I am sure it is so much tougher being in Germany. As you can tell from the replies we are all very protective of all our soldier's and very supportive of each other. I am sorry for the misunderstanding.
Thanks for the comments and most of all for talking through the misunderstanding.
This is exactly why I value our freedoms and voice-giving tools like a blog...
Thanks for your continued support and prayers for all of our warriors with the 2nd SCR.
Hold fast and stay with it...we will get through this together!
v/r,
- Collabman
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