President visits troops

[RHINO]

Boy, this sure is a tough clique to break into.

[Rob Nye]

Originally posted by Rhino6207
Boy, this sure is a tough clique to break into.

Not really, Dave just scarfed all the pie. I didn't even get a piece and I am Team K's evil red-headed step-child!

Best,

Rob Nye

[kbasa]

Sorry man. There's the quick and the hungry.

*tosses Rhino a beer*

[LORAZEPAM]

I will have a brew as well kind sir, Blue Moon or Newcastle will work for me

[kbasa]

One Newkie Brown, coming up.

*tosses lorezapam a beer*

[jgr451]

Hello Rhino,welcome to the forum.
I cant believe K ate all the pie,weren't there two???
I'll have a beer too,thanks K.Rhino,you ready for another one?

Rhino you have my respect.Sounds like you are a career soldier.Who is still alive and has not lost his mind.
GOOD!!!

Welcome.

PS I am Canadian.We are in Afghanistan.We were in Somalia.Our elite strike force unit was disbanded by the politicians because of military and political mistakes in Somalia.Most of us can only imagine how crazy and dangerous that place must have been.

So ,me too :hope to meet you on the road.Spokane in July?

[RHINO]

KBasa - a Trappist ale please (Chimay?) please. I need to beg the best, as I will soon be retired...

JGR451 - Thanks for the welcome and kind words. Somalia left a lot of folks with a bad taste. I actually spent a few days with the CAR, I was impressed with the people I worked with. It is a shame how the actions of some cause all to suffer the consequences. Hope to be there!


Doug

[kbasa]

Dopple or Tripple?

[BASKETCASE]

Pie's gone ...

As late as I am getting in on this, I suspect that all I'll get to do is hear the early arrivals belch.

[R75_7]

Rhino,
I'll pass you a Trapiste. I'll be in Belgium over the holidays. I'm also looking forward to having a Trippel and hopefully some frits with mayo. I also wanted to say that I had the pleasure of serving with some of your dogs in Somalia. I was the SOG at the ASP and I had six Marine Snipers attached to my squad for about a month. They were great we had a lot of fun. No matter what was going on they always carried out their duty with a professionalism. Although we did have the occasion to make our own fun while not on guard. Have you ever had Brand beer from theNetherlands. When I was there they served it to us in little water glasses. We were like"wheres the rest of our beer?". The barkeep just laughed and said"small glasses big alcohol". We didn't believe him so we ordered 2 more each. And that was it, goodnight. I just remember the guy laughing at us while we stumbled to our rooms. And the stuff was crystal clear amber and tasted very smooth and refreshing. I can't wait to get back. I haven't been in about 10 years. I'm taking my wife for her first time this Christmas for 20 days. I'm also a little excited to see what Europe(especially Germany) has made of itself.
Thanks again,
Michael

[Rob Nye]

Originally posted by 1977 R75/7

Have you ever had Brand beer from theNetherlands. When I was there they served it to us in little water glasses. We were like"wheres the rest of our beer?". The barkeep just laughed and said"small glasses big alcohol". We didn't believe him so we ordered 2 more each. And that was it, goodnight. I just remember the guy laughing at us while we stumbled to our rooms. And the stuff was crystal clear amber and tasted very smooth and refreshing. I can't wait to get back.Michael

Hey Michael,

When I lived near Detroit my roommate used to buy Brand Beer, it came in white bottles. I have been looking for it in the U.S. ever since but can't seem to find it. Good stuff indeed.

If anyone has seen this in the U.S. or knows where I can get some I would be very grateful.

Best,

Rob Nye

[RHINO]

Michael,
I spent some time in the "Thunderdome". Ahh, memories...

I have not tried that beer. The last time I was in Europe was 92. In my early days I used to travel frequently throughout Europe. You will be VERY surprised how things have changed. Germany is Germany; even combined all is in ordnung. Enjoy the Holidays and remember it still is a damp cold over there !

I didn't need the pie anyway....

Doug

[oldcarkook]

A few comments have been made about our lack of accomplishing stated objectives and I'd like to throw my two cents in:

First of all about intelligence gathering...

We have this wonderful forum where we share information and help each other work through the problems of our beloved Beemers. There is no Taliban or Ba'ath forum where we can be told where bin Laden or Hussein are hiding. In fact, quite the opposite, life and culture there is very primitive and so are intelligence gathering techniques. Be patient about intelligence gathering. It will only come in dribs and drabs at best and over a long period of time.

On 9/11 issues...

9/11 was very personal for me. I lost a friend on 9/11. Start there.

GW said he was going to dismantle the Taliban and get Bin Laden and Al Queda on the run and eventually run him down. At no time did he (*we) state that we were going to march in, arrest the thugs, and bring them to justice. We have accomplished our initial objectives of dismantling the Taliban, getting al queda on the run, and foiling COUNTLESS terror plots in the US.

I am not happy with detainees in Gitmo. Not at all. I have no doubt that they are bad people who should be locked up or disposed of, but my concern is that we have a system of justice and we are not using it. Whether military tribunal, federal court trial, or lynch mob, get those detainees processed and hand out their sentence. Holding them in a gray area of law is not good and sets a dangerous precedent for us. They are political prisoners until they are tried at which point they are convicted criminals. Try them one way or another and do it immediately!

On bin Laden. I think he, like Saddam, is alive and well and hunkered down somewhere. I have felt that he's been in Iran since the beginning, but some information would suggest otherwise. I want his head on a spear paraded through Times Square, and then I want him and all like him to be buried with pigs for the whole world to see.

I have a little different opinion of Middle East mindset and culture due to my own experiences. My wife was born in Egypt and I have spent some time in the Middle East (as part of my work) and I believe that the mindset of most Middle Eastern countries is such that they respect ONLY what is intimidating and may hurt them. They do not have a culture or system that allows free world logic to be applied so forget the logical discussions. There is no regard for human life throughout most of the Middle East in my humble opinion. Words are useless, but actions speak louder than words in that region. This is precisely why the Taliban and Hussein were able to flourish for so long in that region.

On Iraq....

I think that GW screwed up royal when he played the WMD/Clear and present danger card. I trusted that the President of the United States, when he states that we can prevent WMD from falling into the hands of our enemies and terrorists if we act now, had "eyes on target" intelligence. I trusted that Tenent and his band had people who knew where they all were, but we just couldn't get at them. Obviously, we did not have the level of intelligence that we needed to play the clear and present danger card and that is most unfortunate. I suspect that the lack of WMDs will result in this being GW's only term in office, but we have a wonderful system here that lets us all decide who's running the show. This is an issue pertaining to BEFORE the show and we must keep it in perspective in this context. What I mean by that is that the decision to invade Iraq was made before we invaded. What happens after we invade should not determine whether we finish the job or not.

With regards to what has happened AFTER the decision...

The US military is the most powerful and best trained military in the world. No doubt. We accomplished our military objectives quickly, efficiently, and with honor. We took great pains to minimize collateral damage even though the enemy carefully and intentionally weaved themselves into the civilian population, and civilian locations using hospitals, churches, and schools as military hiding spots. When GW declared an end to major combat operations, it might have been better to say that the enemy is now so thoroughly scattered and disbursed throughout the civilians in such a way as to prevent further strategic combat actions without massive loss of innocent lives. We have shifted from fighting an enemy on the other side of the line to fighting an enemy who will be hidden amongst the population. No more enemies in uniforms to see clearly, but now an enemy that uses children and innocent people to carry out its guerrilla tactics. We are now in a mode of playing policemen in an area that is laced with crafty vicious people who do not care about killing three innocent civilians in an attempt to kill one US soldier. Very sticky stuff and the only way to finish this is to see it through.

Lastly, a post earlier mentions policy. Please do not punish the women and men of the United States military for your disdain for our President and his policies. Use the power that our constitution gives you and if you don't like what he's doing, impeach him or vote him out the next time around. Our military has enough people taking pot shots at them that they need only the unconditional support of the American people from every angle.

So do this: For Christmas, Hanukah, or whatever reason or holiday you celebrate or don't celebrate, please write an open letter to a soldier in the Middle East. Tell them that you are proud of them and thank them for their VOLUNTARY fighting that they are doing. Tell them where you live and what the weather is and that you value the ability to walk down the street freely. Tell them that you appreciate their work. Remember, unlike Viet Nam, EVERY SOLDIER IN IRAQ volunteered to join. They need your unconditional support.

Whether you agree with the policy or not, do not blame the messengers for delivering the messages.

[jgr451]

Old car kook you touched me when you talked about not condemning the military along with a flawed foreign policy,that is exactly the mistake made after Vietnam and the cost to Americans was far too high.
The military is actually YOU,your sons,daughters,brothers...who go where they go and do what they do because they believe they are doing it for you.
The Canadian politicians disgraced our elite strike unit,The Airborne, ?¡n Somalia,by disbanding it,because the politicians sent a military unit composed of young warriors to do a job that would have been impossible for a company of Kissingers.
I am Canadian but I watched the US soldiers coming back from Vietnam via TWA and being spit on and reviled at the great airports.What were you people thinking then?Those men would have died for you.Do not repeat these mistakes.
Sorry if this is too political or emotional for this fun forum,but it does come up...

[MANICMECHANIC]

Thank you, jgr. I remember all too well being "advised" when and where the wearing of uniforms was acceptable. There are a lot of other things I prefer not to remember, as I would like to forgive the poor unfortunates who took their anger out on the people trying to do their job by serving. Granted, I never made it over "there", but the reactions were the same. I also remember the first Memorial Day with Clinton at Arlington, and the Vets turned their backs on him. All he could say was, "Aww, you don't really mean that." Maybe GW isn't the best, but we can, and have, done worse. If the politicians that get us into these messes would only allow the military to do what they're trained to do, instead of doing as LBJ did, maybe we could get in and get out quicker.

Just my nickel's worth. Sorry for the outburst, just remembering some of those who didn't come back.