gearhog

I was a C-130E pilot at the time. There was absolutely nothing unique about my experiences, and I implied as much in the post prior. I did countless HR movements and MEDEVACs as did any other crew. This one was memorable and I'll tell you why. I don't care if you like my perspective, but I am always willing to listen to an opposing explanation. You know I've written on the matter quite a bit. You've had every opportunity to present an alternative viewpoint. Instead, all I am getting from you is "You're parroting Russian disinformation!" You may want everyone to deep throat and cradle the same government approved narrative you do, but I think it's important to continuously challenge it. I get it though... you're going to deploy soon. If you were to entertain any questions as to the validity or purpose, I suppose it would have detrimental effects. I did the same. I tried not to think about all the BS I saw because it made my deployments easier. But now that I've retired, I'm free to honestly reflect on it, in spite of your disapproval. Classy. I specifically remember Matt because after the deployment, his family had written my crew a very nice letter. Turns out his brother, now General Mark "Buzz" August, was my first instructor when I arrived at my first operational unit. One of, if not the, best C-130 pilots I've ever flown with. Someone I always admired and considered a friend. I realize the life of that "poor dead grunt" holds no importance in the mind of a strategic thinking stone-hearted killer like yourself, but as I plainly stated before, the threshold for conflict should be higher than it is to prevent the loss of life like his. But please, continue. The more you talk, the more you reveal.

You're repeating the same argument in a sarcasm font. Not even trying. That's the second time today you've made a feeble attempt to diminish my service just to prop up your opinion in an internet debate. Lots of people here served in GWOT for a "hot minute" and have their own opinions derived from experience. Scoffing at anyone's service probably isn't giving you the credibility you think it does. It may even be giving others an insight into your character that you may not want exposed.

What you're consistently engaging in is a logical fallacy called Hypothesis Contrary to Fact or Speculative Fallacy. To say that if you were the Supreme Allied Commander, you would have done things differently in WWII and less lives would have been lost is an impossible claim to support. To say that not funding and compelling Ukraine to fight Russia would result in a greater tragedy is equally silly. This conflict didn't being in 2022 as you would like to frame it. I'm sure you've seen the posts here regarding the events in 2014. Do your own research. The Russian/Ukraine economic package was a threat to the West, so the Ukrainian government was overthrown and replaced with this one. This is about wealth, power, and influence, not an existential threat to the US, or even the West. The difference in our positions is I can assess the facts of the present actual situation and say that the actions and decisions have resulted in provable undesirable outcomes. Your position is based purely on speculation and belief of what might have been if we failed to pay Ukrainian leadership to send its citizens to the slaughter. So when you bring up that one time you did your Hero mission to Poland, don't forget those low-cost lives you're protecting. And you go on to claim that "we" are not losing any lives. Who is "we"? US citizens? NATO member citizens? Our allies the Ukrainians? Last I checked, there are significant losses on both sides. I've asked this before and haven't gotten much in the way of an answer. Why do you tout the relatively low cost of war but fail to mention the tens of thousands of Ukrainians being force fed into the meat grinder for your benefit? I'd think you'd garner more respect if you openly advocated for fighting your own battles. To brag that some other poor sucker did so you don't have to seems in bad taste.

FIFY.

LOL. As soon as I posted, I predicted you would armchair General the decisions of those actually living at the time. Of course you would have invaded earlier after consulting your WWII history books. So ridiculous. Your third paragraph isn't written clearly. I know you're being critical, but it doesn't make any sense to me. Sorry. EDIT: I think I may have deciphered some of it. I think you're saying the deaths of all of our people in Iraq was worth it because it avoided a larger conflict later on. Perhaps one where all that yellow cake was processed into nuclear weapons that Sadaam would have used to destroy the world. Also, we're preventing a wider conflict by funding a war that's weakening Russia faster than it's weakening Ukraine as evidenced by Russia's near collapse since this argument was made 2 years ago. We're avoiding escalation and improving our influence around the globe. Sort of like arguing your last COVID episode would have been "so much worse" if you hadn't gotten your shot or the Afghanistan surge prevented over a dozen 9/11s. Hard to argue against that. You make some great points.

That's a straw man argument. No one said or pretended there's been a time without any human conflict. You seem to be saying any conflict is acceptable because that's simply how the sausage gets made. Don't you see the irony in prefacing that with calling any other position "bold faced ignorance brought from a position of insulated relaxation"? I gotta give you credit, however. That's the strangest insult I've ever been given here, and many attempts have been made. You seem to be an astute student of history. Maybe review what you're calling an autocratic land-grab to avoid any appearances of ignorance or irony. I'm sure most of us here have seen the (if I may substitute) "freedom and democracy" getting made. One of my many memories is Capt Matt August. Three helos landed behind our Herc one night in Baghdad. His buddies carried him up the ramp and placed him into the HR container. The sight of 12-15 Army dudes, all arms around someone else's shoulders, crying standing there with my crew and I,while a Chaplain shouted his impromptu memorial service and prayers above the noise of the GTC (APU) is a memory I won't forget. I'm sure It didn't seem like a "little brush fire" to those who knew him and I would be hesitant to dismiss it as such. I just spent a day at the new WWII museum in New Orleans last Saturday. Absolutely fanastic. Highly recommended. It was good to be reminded how much resistance there was to enter the war until the pre-conditions crossed a relatively high threshold. And it when they did, it was a monumental effort of which the entire country was behind, designed to achieve a quick and decisive victory. I'm not a peacenik against all war. My contention is our current pre-conditions and thresholds for engaging, or continuing to engage, in foreign conflicts are often too low or for the wrong reasons, not that there shouldn't be any conflict.

Sorta makes you wonder if there's any middle ground between being isolationist and being continuously engaged in foreign conflicts for 20 plus years.

Pour three fingers of peated Scotch and give a listen.

I was attempting to mock that COA, but the resignation is starting to set in. Dont worry about it, I’ve never liked you anyway.

I know. You can see one of our Holstein steers in the background. They were purchased from a similar operation. I think factory livestock production is getting a little out of hand and I def thought “WTF” when I saw that vid.

There’s no saving the current financial system. Might as well stand on the gas.

I just never buy steak at all. https://twitter.com/JohnOberg/status/1681996424907735041?s=20

One of my favorite movie lines. https://youtu.be/9cjgYBaluLQ

This American goes by the name of Sarah Ashton-Cirillo. Sarah has been hired by the Armed Forces of Ukraine to be its official spokesperson for Western/English speaking audiences. - that'd be you. https://twitter.com/SarahAshtonLV/status/1687759882294861824?s=20

Seems to be a lot of this kind of stuff happening. Same thing in Chicago a couple weeks ago. Given that there seem to be a lot of healthy young people who want to fight, how would you solve these types of societal problems?

LOL https://twitter.com/kanekoathegreat/status/1687208312218210306?s=46

You will be held accountable if you are a bystander to any kind of a situation and fail to report it. I would quote this line in my reports for every kind of situation. Every day. "Sir, I was in the SQ bar today at 1500 and witnessed a situation in which there was no alcohol. Thought you should know." Looking back at the thread, I missed this. So he won a legal case against the CMSgt for a Facebook ban? That's pretty funny. What ultimately happened to this guy? Did he make it to 20? I thought he either resigned or was booted from active duty over a drone issue. It's probably buried here somewhere, but didn't he post a vid of a sports car that he spent thousands on turning it into a James Bond anti-cop vehicle with electric shock door handles and a fog machine?

Here's something you may not have heard of: International Surrogacy Centers. Or, Underground Ukrainian Baby Factories. Products ship worldwide. Take my money. https://thegrayzone.com/2023/07/28/ukraines-baby-factories-profits-war/

https://twitter.com/CIA/status/1686048802489110528?s=20

I pulled a chair up to the window here in Crystal City, and I can see part of the puzzle palace, the monument, and the Dome. I'm not as impressed as I once was. Believe it or not, I'm constantly challenging my own thoughts more than anyone else and I don't like the feeling of, or giving the perception of, shytting on my country. But just when I convince myself that my concerns are overwrought, they get reinforced. Like this article from Gallup. https://news.gallup.com/poll/509189/confidence-military-lowest-two-decades.aspx My career in service was a pretty big chapter in my life so I have an interest in whether my investment was a wise one. Yesterday, I saw a video of a 100 year old Marine Vet crying over America and how it isn't what he fought for. Pretty sad. I don't want to be that guy. But why is it average Americans have such a dim view of the military during one of the most dangerous times in recent memory?

Good graphic summarizing the current situation around Taiwan.

Hunter Biden, the "Private Citizen" arrives in Court to resolve his "Personal Matter". https://twitter.com/TheChiefNerd/status/1684963303611670536?s=20

This man is inspiring. Watch till the end. https://twitter.com/WesleyHuntTX/status/1684637952368848897?s=20