[Old Sarge]

I was referring to the poster who was goading you. Not you. He/she/it writes no more like a troop in service than my pooch.

I'm assuming you were referring to me.

Yours is the opinion of the majority of FReepers: if you're not Delta Force, you're not a real soldier. National Guardsmen like me and my kids are accustomed to that treatment by many veterans on this forum.

[wallcrawlr]

well then wallcrawlr is in the minority.


I pray you stay safe, encouraged and resolute...

[Coop]

National Guardsmen like me and my kids are accustomed to that treatment by many veterans on this forum.

I can't recall ever seeing any veteran mistreat a Guardsman around here. Oh, I'm sure it exists here and there, although I bet a lot of it is the good-natured interservice rivalries and the like. But you're not accurately portraying this forum, not in my view anyway.

[SW6906]

"Yours is the opinion of the majority of FReepers: if you're not Delta Force, you're not a real soldier. National Guardsmen like me and my kids are accustomed to that treatment by many veterans on this forum."

Oh good God, I pray that you didn't ever think that of me! I profusely thank every single soldier there is - regardless of service - for what they are doing for us over there!!! Please, please, please don't think that me, or even a majority of Freepers feel that way!

THANK YOU FOR DOING WHAT OTHERS OF US CAN'T!!!

[Ramius]

It breaks my heart to read your posts tonight.

I hope that you will NOT lose heart over this petty political crap you see on TV. Right now what you're doing really does matter. Years from now you'll see that the change started here and now. It's going to be something to be proud of for a long time.

Don't let the bastards get you down.

[WorkingClassFilth]

Hey, Sarge, I'm raising some little Americans that are grateful to you. They remember you in their prayers, too. There are lots of us out here but we don't get the press - don't forget that!

For what it's worth...

It is my opinion that all who serve are equal in deserving our gratitude and honor. Having said that, the truest American soldier would be the classic citizen-soldier exemplified today by our Army Reserve and National Guard. The minute man, the soldier of Valley Forge, Billy Yank and Johnny Reb, the doughboys, dogfaces and grunts were ALL citizen soldiers. Nothing has ever been more brilliantly conceived than to safeguard liberty than citizens taking up arms on behalf of other citizens (and, of course, the armed populace = the militia).

Far better to have the leavening a trained soldiery brings to civil affairs (that'd be you, Old Sarge) than to have a elitist professional army at the control of a ruling clique who is able to cow a passive and ignorant populace. We've seen the later model too many times in history to get cocky about who is, and is not a soldier. The net result of this particular kind of stupidity is to foster a cult of devotion to a warrior class - just plain bad wrong. If anyone doubts that devotion to self that develops in professional organizations, just look at politicians...

To my thinking, the worst thing this country could do is develop a cadre of uber-soldiers that would, eventually, become the fist of tyrants. Any sort of arrogance and division in our armed forces (beyond the usual inter-service frictions) should be thought of as nothing more than ignorance and, in actuality, anti-American.