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Date: 24 Oct 2006 06:29:44
From: annika1980
Subject: Words from a War Hero
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After Pat's Birthday
Posted on Oct 19, 2006
By Kevin Tillman
Editor's note: Kevin Tillman joined the Army with his brother Pat in
2002, and they served together in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pat was killed
in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004. Kevin, who was discharged in 2005,
has written a powerful, must-read document.
---------------------------
It is Pat's birthday on November 6, and elections are the day after.
It gets me thinking about a conversation I had with Pat before we
joined the military. He spoke about the risks with signing the papers.
How once we committed, we were at the mercy of the American leadership
and the American people. How we could be thrown in a direction not of
our volition. How fighting as a soldier would leave us without a
voice... until we got out.
Much has happened since we handed over our voice:
Somehow we were sent to invade a nation because it was a direct threat
to the American people, or to the world, or harbored terrorists, or was
involved in the September 11 attacks, or received weapons-grade uranium
from Niger, or had mobile weapons labs, or WMD, or had a need to be
liberated, or we needed to establish a democracy, or stop an
insurgency, or stop a civil war we created that can't be called a
civil war even though it is. Something like that.
Somehow America has become a country that projects everything that it
is not and condemns everything that it is.
Somehow our elected leaders were subverting international law and
humanity by setting up secret prisons around the world, secretly
kidnapping people, secretly holding them indefinitely, secretly not
charging them with anything, secretly torturing them. Somehow that
overt policy of torture became the fault of a few "bad apples" in
the military.
Somehow back at home, support for the soldiers meant having a
five-year-old kindergartener scribble a picture with crayons and send
it overseas, or slapping stickers on cars, or lobbying Congress for an
extra pad in a helmet. It's interesting that a soldier on his third
or fourth tour should care about a drawing from a five-year-old; or a
faded sticker on a car as his friends die around him; or an extra pad
in a helmet, as if it will protect him when an IED throws his vehicle
50 feet into the air as his body comes apart and his skin melts to the
seat.
Somehow the more soldiers that die, the more legitimate the illegal
invasion becomes.
Somehow American leadership, whose only credit is lying to its people
and illegally invading a nation, has been allowed to steal the courage,
virtue and honor of its soldiers on the ground.
Somehow those afraid to fight an illegal invasion decades ago are
allowed to send soldiers to die for an illegal invasion they started.
Somehow faking character, virtue and strength is tolerated.
Somehow profiting from tragedy and horror is tolerated.
Somehow the death of tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people is
tolerated.
Somehow subversion of the Bill of Rights and The Constitution is
tolerated.
Somehow suspension of Habeas Corpus is supposed to keep this country
safe.
Somehow torture is tolerated.
Somehow lying is tolerated.
Somehow reason is being discarded for faith, dogma, and nonsense.
Somehow American leadership managed to create a more dangerous world.
Somehow a narrative is more important than reality.
Somehow America has become a country that projects everything that it
is not and condemns everything that it is.
Somehow the most reasonable, trusted and respected country in the world
has become one of the most irrational, belligerent, feared, and
distrusted countries in the world.
Somehow being politically informed, diligent, and skeptical has been
replaced by apathy through active ignorance.
Somehow the same incompetent, narcissistic, virtueless, vacuous,
malicious criminals are still in charge of this country.
Somehow this is tolerated.
Somehow nobody is accountable for this.
In a democracy, the policy of the leaders is the policy of the people.
So don't be shocked when our grandkids bury much of this generation
as traitors to the nation, to the world and to humanity. Most likely,
they will come to know that "somehow" was nurtured by fear,
insecurity and indifference, leaving the country vulnerable to
unchecked, unchallenged parasites.
Luckily this country is still a democracy. People still have a voice.
People still can take action. It can start after Pat's birthday.
Brother and Friend of Pat Tillman,
Kevin Tillman
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Date: 25 Oct 2006 16:27:33
From: annika1980
Subject: Re: Words from a War Hero
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Jack Hollis wrote:
>
> The purpose of the war in Iraq was regime change.
Ah, kinda like our mid-term elections!
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Date: 25 Oct 2006 16:25:38
From: annika1980
Subject: Re: Words from a War Hero
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Jack Hollis wrote:
>
> The purpose of the war in Iraq was regime change. The war has already
> accomplished its main goal.
That wasn't the stated objective. But even if we accept that, we
should've left after capturing Hussein.
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Date: 25 Oct 2006 11:52:31
From: John B.
Subject: Re: Words from a War Hero
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Jack Hollis wrote:
> On 25 Oct 2006 06:08:52 -0700, "annika1980" <annika1980@aol.com>
> wrote:
>
> >> The operative word is that both JOINED the military.
> >
> >Oh, then it's Ok for soliders to die in vain because their leader sent
> >them into wars they can't win.
>
>
> The purpose of the war in Iraq was regime change. The war has already
> accomplished its main goal.
The purpose of the war -- or the pretense under which it was started --
was regime change AND capture and destruction of SH's stockpile of
WMDs. Last I heard, we still hadn't found those.
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Date: 25 Oct 2006 07:10:05
From: John B.
Subject: Re: Words from a War Hero
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Bert Robbins wrote:
> Dene wrote:
> >
> > On Oct 24, 6:29 am, "annika1980" <annika1...@aol.com> wrote:
> >> After Pat's Birthday
> >> Posted on Oct 19, 2006
> >> By Kevin Tillman
> >>
> >> Editor's note: Kevin Tillman joined the Army with his brother Pat in
> >> 2002, and they served together in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pat was killed
> >> in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004. Kevin, who was discharged in 2005,
> >> has written a powerful, must-read document.
> >> ---------------------------
> >
> > The operative word is that both JOINED the military. Second thing to
> > note, Pat died in Aghanistan. Few Americans are against that
> > particular war.
>
> It's all the same war. What we don't hear about is what is happening in
> Afghanistan. The press only reports what fits its agenda.
that's funny - I've been reading quite a lot in the press about what's
happening in Afghanistan.
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Date: 25 Oct 2006 07:08:51
From: John B.
Subject: Re: Words from a War Hero
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Dene wrote:
> On Oct 24, 6:29 am, "annika1980" <annika1...@aol.com> wrote:
> > After Pat's Birthday
> > Posted on Oct 19, 2006
> > By Kevin Tillman
> >
> > Editor's note: Kevin Tillman joined the Army with his brother Pat in
> > 2002, and they served together in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pat was killed
> > in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004. Kevin, who was discharged in 2005,
> > has written a powerful, must-read document.
> > ---------------------------
>
> The operative word is that both JOINED the military. Second thing to
> note, Pat died in Aghanistan. Few Americans are against that
> particular war.
>
> -Greg
Few Americans understand how poorly it's going, either.
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Date: 25 Oct 2006 06:08:52
From: annika1980
Subject: Re: Words from a War Hero
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Dene wrote:
> >
> The operative word is that both JOINED the military.
Oh, then it's Ok for soliders to die in vain because their leader sent
them into wars they can't win.
>Second thing to note, Pat died in Aghanistan. Few Americans are against that
> particular war.
That's true. He was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan. And as his
brother wrote, he was concerned about the fact that they could be sent
anywhere. A soldier signs up to protect his country and do his duty by
following orders. The leaders should be held accountable when they
send troops into an area under false pretenses or when the troops are
underequipped for the task at hand.
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Date: 25 Oct 2006 12:35:14
From: Jack Hollis
Subject: Re: Words from a War Hero
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On 25 Oct 2006 06:08:52 -0700, "annika1980" <annika1980@aol.com >
wrote:
>> The operative word is that both JOINED the military.
>
>Oh, then it's Ok for soliders to die in vain because their leader sent
>them into wars they can't win.
The purpose of the war in Iraq was regime change. The war has already
accomplished its main goal.
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Date: 24 Oct 2006 18:59:12
From: Dene
Subject: Re: Words from a War Hero
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On Oct 24, 6:29 am, "annika1980" <annika1...@aol.com > wrote:
> After Pat's Birthday
> Posted on Oct 19, 2006
> By Kevin Tillman
>
> Editor's note: Kevin Tillman joined the Army with his brother Pat in
> 2002, and they served together in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pat was killed
> in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004. Kevin, who was discharged in 2005,
> has written a powerful, must-read document.
> ---------------------------
The operative word is that both JOINED the military. Second thing to
note, Pat died in Aghanistan. Few Americans are against that
particular war.
-Greg
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Date: 25 Oct 2006 12:52:06
From: Don Kirkman
Subject: Re: Words from a War Hero
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It seems to me I heard somewhere that Dene wrote in article
<1161741552.755016.54890@i3g2000cwc.googlegroups.com >:
>On Oct 24, 6:29 am, "annika1980" <annika1...@aol.com> wrote:
>> After Pat's Birthday
>> Posted on Oct 19, 2006
>> By Kevin Tillman
>> Editor's note: Kevin Tillman joined the Army with his brother Pat in
>> 2002, and they served together in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pat was killed
>> in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004. Kevin, who was discharged in 2005,
>> has written a powerful, must-read document.
>The operative word is that both JOINED the military. Second thing to
>note, Pat died in Aghanistan. Few Americans are against that
>particular war.
And, unless I'm misremembering, he was killed by our own troops in a
sort of panic situation. Not that that makes him less, or more, of a
hero.
--
Don Kirkman
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Date: 24 Oct 2006 22:04:23
From: Bert Robbins
Subject: Re: Words from a War Hero
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Dene wrote:
>
> On Oct 24, 6:29 am, "annika1980" <annika1...@aol.com> wrote:
>> After Pat's Birthday
>> Posted on Oct 19, 2006
>> By Kevin Tillman
>>
>> Editor's note: Kevin Tillman joined the Army with his brother Pat in
>> 2002, and they served together in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pat was killed
>> in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004. Kevin, who was discharged in 2005,
>> has written a powerful, must-read document.
>> ---------------------------
>
> The operative word is that both JOINED the military. Second thing to
> note, Pat died in Aghanistan. Few Americans are against that
> particular war.
It's all the same war. What we don't hear about is what is happening in
Afghanistan. The press only reports what fits its agenda.
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Date: 25 Oct 2006 12:34:44
From: Howard Brazee
Subject: Re: Words from a War Hero
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On Tue, 24 Oct 2006 22:04:23 -0400, Bert Robbins <screw@you.com >
wrote:
>> The operative word is that both JOINED the military. Second thing to
>> note, Pat died in Aghanistan. Few Americans are against that
>> particular war.
>
>It's all the same war. What we don't hear about is what is happening in
>Afghanistan. The press only reports what fits its agenda.
Afghanistan was a war against terrorism. The president had different
stated reasons for invading Iraq, and his actions have very strongly
helped bin Laden's cause.
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Date: 24 Oct 2006 17:21:18
From: Howard9
Subject: Re: Words from a War Hero
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He played golf ? Who knew !!!!
--
Howard
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Date: 24 Oct 2006 10:19:42
From: Miss Anne Thrope
Subject: Re: Words from a War Hero
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"Blah, blah, blah..."
Some of Tex's most insightful, witty, and educated thoughts EVER.
Way to go mouth breather.
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