IRAQI FREEDOM Vet seems unpopular almost like VN vet?

[Taiko]

Originally Posted by green papaya

Ive been noticing a lot of Iraqi Freedom / Afghanistan vets with missing limbs, disfigurement, blinded, in public and some wear ball caps with Iraqi Freedom veteran on the front.

Has the war in Iraq / Afghanistan become an unpopular war? kind of like VN

since there really hasnt been any Victory? they still have problems as soon as the US forces left the country.

reminds me of when the PAVN rolled into Saigon in 1975 after US forces went home.

Back when both Afghanistan and the larger commitment in Iraq was going on simultaneously in fiction Afghanistan veterans tended to be hero characters while Iraq veterans were villains. Now all characters tend to be Afghanistan veterans since the longer period in country allows for a greater age range for the actors

[NVplumber]

People I see, all over in my travels, are saying "thank you for your service" to vet caps, everywhere I go. I have Navy cap I wear, and have to tell folks I'm not a military vet. I'm a civilian contractor. THAT has gotten me some looks. Contractor is a dirty word. Felt like adding " no not Blackwater" once or twice. Not all "contractors" are combat/intell. types. Though we are no less proud to have supported them that are. They have a rougher job than us. They had to watch out for us as we tried to "improve the people's existense". As it were.

Running water and all. I would see "contractors" far less disrespected. OK..fine...they're "mercenaries". But they do their job, same as a Marine or Army type. Most are former service. Its a job. One I came to appreciate. Not one I'd care for. A non combatant role, is hard enough. These guys babysat us, as we did work that is just routine, pick up the phone and call, here at home. In some places, calling maintenance has a LOT more involved than just a leak.

I would see "contractors" less...frowned upon.

[odanny]

We will continue to send young men and women into wars they cannot possibly win because we have half of America trained to cheer whenever politicians start talking about war.

If a Republican were to win the White House in 2016, and in 2017 gave an order to send military troops into Iran, over half of the people on this forum would bellow it's long overdue and should have happened decades ago.

And yet the outcome would be the same as Iraq, and these same people would sit in front of their computers and somehow try and blame Democrats for a war the party they blindly follow started. Not a single Republican has been held accountable for lying this country into a war of aggression against Iraq. Not one. Every politician knows this and has no worries about lying to start a war, regardless of how it turns out.

[thejackalope]

Originally Posted by odanny

We will continue to send young men and women into wars they cannot possibly win because we have half of America trained to cheer whenever politicians start talking about war.

If a Republican were to win the White House in 2016, and in 2017 gave an order to send military troops into Iran, over half of the people on this forum would bellow it's long overdue and should have happened decades ago.

And yet the outcome would be the same as Iraq, and these same people would sit in front of their computers and somehow try and blame Democrats for a war the party they blindly follow started. Not a single Republican has been held accountable for lying this country into a war of aggression against Iraq. Not one. Every politician knows this and has no worries about lying to start a war, regardless of how it turns out.

The root of the problem IMO is the idea that the military "fights for our freedom". If you oppose a war then you must oppose freedom. Common sense tells you that Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan, and Iraq have nothing to do with our freedom.