This is going to be a bitch fest and I apologize ahead of time. I just got an e-mail from my son serving in Iraq. He tells me that his squad is now under investigation because they shot and killed the son of a high ranking Iraqi police official who was driving too fast toward a roadcheck ignoring signs advising not to. Their explanation to them is that because of the Italian incident they can't afford to have anymore bad press. Are you F@CKING KIDDING ME!!! Since when has it been more acceptable to die than to protect yourself. This is BULLSH#T !! And the worst part of it all is that against our wishes he volunteered to do another tour over there. I'm besides myself, it broke my heart reading his email, this is a kid (only 21) who believed in what he was doing, now he's dejected and scared that he'd get court martialed. THAT'S F@CKING BULLSHIT!!!! I'm sorry but I had to vent, now I have to go and tell the wife the wonderful news. Thanks for allowing me to vent, now I gotta spend the rest of the day watching the news to see if these @$$holes are going to have a field day w/ it.

i cannot imagine how distressed you must be to hear this awful news about your son. for what it is worth, my prayers are with you and your family. your son is a true hero.

and the things they tell me about the "hell on Earth" is just heartbreaking and sad...most of them, so young, should NOT  be there. Every time I read on the news about soldiers being killed, I look at the casualties list online hopping I don't see any of my friends names on it. I hope all goes well with your son and he returns home safe and alive. My heart goes to you and your family.

You should be very proud of your son and I hope he realizes that he and his squad did the only plausible thing at the time. Even if they try to use them as an example to be "politically correct" he shouldn't have any second thoughts about what they did. As long as he comes home safely I would be happy.

War is ugly no matter who's fighting and it should be avoided at all cost when possible.  With all the advancements in technology and so much history to learn from....how did we ended up here??

My thoughts are with you and family.  May your son reunite with you and your wife soon.

Soldiers talk about duty, honor and country; at the end of the day they fight for each other. Better he and his buddies are alive instead of politically correct and dead. No matter what happens, he can look in mirror and know he did the right thing. Let's hope the brass understands that as well.

Good luck,

pbroaddog, your neighbor from the DC board

of the trouble.  It's not fair to your son.  War is so dangerous and the things people in it do have to be so fast and yet so irrevocable that no one should fault them for making their best judgement and acting on it.  I hope the people investigating your son's squad recognize this.  I relate to this.  My son's making noises about enlisting and it scares the shit out of me!

Allow me to add that my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family too. A friend's son has been there too and none of us breathed easily while he was there.

Hang in there!

It is NOT more acceptable to die than to protect yourself!  Tell your son not to worry.  The investigation will reveal the truth and exonerate his squad.  My best to you.

I for one am so sorry to hear that. I have heard other horror stories about the poor kids over there and the shit that they are dealing with. I really hate this Bush Admin. and what it stands for in this war.

Keep your faith, hopefully he will be home soon!

I agree with Bosco. You should be proud of your son. With all the political BS that goes on with any type of war you knew that they would put some type of twist to it. He/They did the right thing. Anyone who thinks differently is just plain stupid.

You son agreed to go back. Did the best thing to protect the unit and it will become an "embaressment"..what a fking joke it is. I feel for you and you family. Mostly your son because he is there and his unit trying to do what it right.
Anything this country feels might be bad press is considered unacceptable. Someone please tell me what was accpetable about killing tons of people to begain with. To top it off, more of our own soldiers have died, out of "war time", than ever heard of.
It is horrible that such a young man and his unit be made to be the possible bad people, in this due, to another incident.
I deal with, in my real life, many cases of which I can not go into, post war syndrome. The guilt and tradgic stories are beyond any emapthy we could muster if we have not walked in those shoes.
It saddens me that your son and family could become another travasty in this unsightly fowl mess.
All the love and and warmth an outsider could feel for you and your family....


AngieRenee
Too sickened to smile.

  When I read your post, I didn't even bother to hit "View All".
 I understand exactly where you are coming from! As an ex submariner, member of the local VFW, and American Legion, I hear you loud and clear.

  First of all, I don't care who your son's squad shot! If he was the son of a high ranking Iraqi police officer, he should have realized immediately, that driving toward a U.S. controlled check point at high speed was tantamount to suicide! Our soldiers have learned that the rules of engagement were set by the enemy. Better to be tried by twelve than carried by six!

 A good marine I know who was in the local Legion honor guard, and who had just completed a tour of duty in Iraq, re-enlisted so that he could go back to keep an eye on his younger brother. One of the terms of his re-enlistment was that he be attached to his brother's unit. He is on his way to Iraq as we speak.

 Bellaco, they are all kids, but in really they're all men! I did it in Viet Nam, my dad did it in WWII, and my grandfather did in in WWI. War is bad. Some of us enlisted, and in years past,some of us were drafted. While we can always dispute weather our country has asked us to fight in wrong war, as Americans, we should wake up every day and thank god that we have men like your son who answer the call! Freedom for us or anyone is never free. I will be praying for your son, and I will be praying for sargeant McMahon and his brother. Feel free to PM me if you wish.

Are they to ask for at least two forms of ID from every suspicious person that they see because they may target the "wrong" person?  Someone approaches a checkpoint a high speed, ignoring the warnings to slow down... check their IDs from their ignorant, bleeding carcasses.

American soldiers should protect themselves, their comrades and the American citizens back home. I know that I can sleep without nightmares because our military might is doing what it can to fight terrorism.

God Bless Your Son!

JJ