Thread: Ask me about the Army...

I have one question. What do the civilians think of the war?

Also, be safe!

Have you killed anyone?

Ok, There are alot of questions here...So I can only really answer a few each time I am on. That said, I will try and give you quality answers, as opposed to a huge qauntity of answers. If I avoid certain questions, please dont be offended, I would love to answer them, but there are just some things I cant talk about...(Exact numbers of troops, equipment specs, so on)

Q. Are there a good number of servicemen over there who off-the-record feel the war is misguided or should be rethought?-Skysaw
A. We all have our ideas and opinions. I can truthfully say there are alot of soldiers who think this war is misguided...I can also say that alot of soldiers feel we are making a great difference here.

Q. How often do you meet Iraqis who show appreciation for what you have done or are doing?-Universal Mind
A. I think most Iraqis are indifferent to us. The exception is the kurdish parts of Iraq. The Kurds love us and we have an almost celebrity status there. Students from the university talk to us (They study alot of english), and we are able to walk around thier area of Iraq without worrying about someone trying to kill us.

Q. Do you always agree with the orders you are given?-NeAvO
A. Nope. Not by any stretch at all. I really see 2 kinds of orders. Orders are either someone telling me what to do, or a policy someone with alot of rank creates telling everyone what to do. Much of the time the policies are stupid, and you find out about them when you violate them...as that kind of information is put out poorly, and quickly.

Q. Do I fight for my beliefs, or because someone told me to fight?-NeAvO
A. I fight for the people I serve with. I fight in self-defense, or the defense of the people I am with.

Q.Is there anything fun to do out there?-Neavo
A.This place is pretty boring. Before my platoon was disbanded our hobby was to drive around and hit every dangerous area we could find. Other than that I have been trying to attain lucidity, find rules to break, read, talk with family, Listen to music and now I check the forums here.

Q.Does the army over there feel it's as pointless as many civilians back home think?-Mes Tarrant
A. This Goes alot with my first Question of this post really...As A National Guard Soldier, most of us just want to get this over with and go home.

Anyways, that is it for tonight, I have to go, as it is getting late, and wakeup could be anytime tomarrow...Its been fun, and everyone do take care.

VenusBlue, thanks for answering my question. I know you have been asked a lot of them and can't get to all of them, but I have one very big question that I would love to read an opinion on from somebody who is fighting in Iraq. I should have listed it as my first question, and I consider it the million dollar question of the whole situation...

*What do you think Iraq will be like in 50 years?*

If you could tell me what you think about that, I will consider that enough questions for me in this thread. It is the biggest question I have about the Iraq war. Please try to get to it whenever you find a convenient time. Thanks.

Originally Posted by Universal Mind

VenusBlue, thanks for answering my question. I know you have been asked a lot of them and can't get to all of them, but I have one very big question that I would love to read an opinion on from somebody who is fighting in Iraq. I should have listed it as my first question, and I consider it the million dollar question of the whole situation...

*What do you think Iraq will be like in 50 years?*

If you could tell me what you think about that, I will consider that enough questions for me in this thread. It is the biggest question I have about the Iraq war. Please try to get to it whenever you find a convenient time. Thanks.

I have no clue at all. The major cities (Baghdad and Mosul) seem to be held together with duct tape. The average person here lives in builings that would be condemned in the US. The infrastructure here is pretty lacking too, as much of the time thier sewage just drains into the road. (I am a gunner too, so if my driver is retarded, and drives through a lake of sewage at 60, I get to take a shower...)
That said, these people dont understand freedom right now, and since there isnt a variety of people to interact with, people are still killed for thier beliefs here, and they are surrounded by fundamentalist and militant countries, I seriously don't know what will happen there.
This probably isn't the style answer you were looking for, but heh, I seriously have no idea, there are alot of variables, and things in this place that need to play out before an educated guess can be made.

Originally Posted by CoLd BlooDed

Have you killed anyone?

I don't know for sure really...There was one time, when my squad was driving down a road at night. I saw an explosion go off on the other side of the median, it was huge...but nowhere near any of us. Just as it went off I was thinking to myself "Why the fuck would they blow it up so far away from..." and then I heard gunshots and saw the guys muzzle flash in the window, so I lined my sights up on the flashes of light and I shot like 20 rounds his way...and he quit shooting. Later on people searched the area and no human remains were found...although we couldnt pinpoint the exact building we lit up, since all the buildings in Iraq are falling apart, and really look about the same.