Give Me Liberty or Give Me a Ride In That Super Sweet Blue Jumbo Jet

Everything that needs to be said has already been said.
The only thing to do now is to pick which side of the line you are on.

Mr. Linnane, Always worth reading.

"Unfortunately, I don’t expect Washington to reverse course and address the real problem. It is much easier for Congress to blame the health insurance industry for the rising cost of healthcare than to look in the mirror and see who is really raising the cost of healthcare in America."-Operator Dan from This Aint Hell, But you can see it from here. Also alwats worth reading.

So, you get the point.

If you are here you probably know me personally (blogging fail), and know what blogs I frequent, but if you randomly got here the above links will get you to where I go.

One day I will have links, oh yes, mark my words.

Deeds Not Words.

Of Mice and Men

Or, why I stopped listening to Hollywood.

I have been reading a lot of blogs covering the The Pacific, specifically the comments be Tom Hanks.

I served in GTMO and Iraq. I do not hate anyone based on race or religion and I never committed war crimes. I am wholly proud of how I carried Old Glory while liberating oppressed people.

I think that when civilians read a GI notes and journals they do not understand the situation in which those thoughts and emotions are coming from, so when they see negative comments about someone’s heritage they do not understand that those opinions are focused on individuals or a small group of people.

Now, let me be clear. I hated the enemy. I wanted to not only kill them, but to destroy them in such a way that their buddy would not want to fight anymore.
But, who were the enemy?

The enemy was most often a faceless specter, whom I could not come into contact with, because he is a coward, (guerilla warfare is a tactic, blowing up people indiscriminately to incite terror is not).

When I could make contact with the enemy he was a person that was a threat to my buddies, the people of Iraq, or me. Our ROE (rules of engagement) did not make all people with a gun an enemy combatant.

There’s that title: enemy combatant, which means that even when I have met the enemy and defeated him, he is no longer the enemy as a combatant.

As an American soldier I had the duty to preserve life. Yes, that includes taking lives at times, but with extreme discretion. (hint: that is why we regret accidents that occur on the battlefield.)

It is hard to take a life, it is a conscious decision, even in combat.

Especially when you are raised in a culture that celebrates it.

This is why throughout modern history the US GI has had so little respect for his enemy. Most often the US has been called to protect those that are helpless. It is illustrated across Europe, Africa, Asia, and other smaller regions.

I am sorry that actors are not capable of looking at people as individuals and are forced to make generalizations, but the American soldier has always had to look at individuals and assess them as friendly or hostile.

I have met people who would like nothing more than to cut off my head, but I have also had tea with families trapped in a warzone.

If I learned two things in the military it is these:

1. People are the same wherever you go.
2. Always conduct yourself with Honor and Integrity, because at the end of the day you gotta be right with the person in the mirror…

And you cannot lie to yourself.

Regulars by God,

Deeds Not Words.

Welcome to About Face.

This is my first blog so please stick with me and offer constructive criticism: I already know how bad I fail.

A Little About Me.

I joined the Army pre- 9-11 as an Infantryman and got Fort Hood put in my contract, which ensured that I would be heavy Infantry; either mechanized (11M) or mortars (11C). I got lucky and became a Mike. I am a Mike, not a Bravo, regardless of what the Army says.
I have been to GTMO (02) and Iraq (03-04) as a member of C co 1/22 Inf. 1st BDE, 4th ID.
I did just over 4 years and then got out. I went to school and graduated with honors and a BA in Accounting.
I now work for a large and largely unknown DoD agency, which I will likely not blog about; because I like getting paychecks. Outside of speaking directly of my work I will blog about anything.
I welcome constructive criticism (see above), and generally any help I can get.

A Blog is The Press.

I believe in the Constitution. I believe that the Constitution was put in place to contain the federal government. Don't get me wrong, the federal government is not evil, but I have a right to say what I don't like about it.
I believe that the first amendment gives you the right to speak, but does not require an intelligence test. Nor does it protect you from being hurt, hearing and seeing things you don't want to, or being disagreed with.
I believe that you can argue with someone’s ideas and statements without it being personal.
I believe that questioning someone’s faith, regardless of what kind of faith, is a good thing. If I cannot logically support my position, yet have faith anyways (read: religion, science, politics), the least I can do is admit that I am being illogical; very different from un-reasonable, and that the opposition has a point.
I believe in poking holes in people arguments, especially when they utilize fallacy in conversation and argument.
Oh, yeah, I believe Wikipedia is a perfectly fine source to start research and understanding, but not necessarily the final word.

Okay, that's enough rambling. I hope that my readers will get to know me and the other contributors as we go along.

Next Post: why you should read this blog!