Fallen Soldier

Very touching, may God grant him peace and his family and friends comfort. May God Bless all the troops and keep them safe. Humiliating for me actually, as it is not like that where I'm from. People could learn a few things by watching this. May he RIP.

Thank you for sharing... Very moving.

God Bless John C. Beale and all fallen and their families... Thank you for posting that link. That part of Georgia looks like a great place to live...

I think we as a Nation have finally started to understand it is not the soldier we should hate, it is the war.

Outpourings of thanks like this have played out in cities across our nation during the last 5 years.

As of July 5, 5,014 American soldiers have died in the War on Terror.

The Washington Post has been running a website called Faces of the Fallen since the start of the War. Link here:

http://projects.washingtonpost.com/fallen/

Larry

Anyone moved by that video should see the movie "Taking Chance". Kevin Bacon plays a Marine officer that volunteers to be the escort for a Marine's body that is returning home. It is based on a true story, has no politics or battle scenes, and shows the respect that was given to Chance, the 19 year old Private, by people who never knew him, but felt a debt for his service.

I will admit I had never given much thought to the soldiers that died other than how awful it was that there were so many. That is to say, I never thought about a single soldier as a person, or thought about the debt that I owe each individual. It is easy to think of them as a huge group, thereby dehumanizing the war. I suppose that is necessary at times, because if you took the sadness and gratitude I felt for Chance, and multiplied it by 5,000 soldiers, it would be unbearable.

I think it is an original HBO or Showtime movie that only came out a few months ago, but it is worth tracking down.

- Robert

" I never thought about a single soldier as a person, or thought about the debt that I owe each individual."

Robert thanks for the video and how brave for you to admit that. I for one had a father in Korea, 3 uncles one in the gun of a battle ship the other 2 on the islands of Iwo Jima and Sia Pan, and another uncle die in Vietnam ... of which I heard stories ..and these came most of the time at a time when all or a few of us were alone and probably drinking too much .. the stories were horific and all of them were scared shit less .. my dad was honored with 2 Purple Hearts and on bronze star .. of which decorations for battles.

With that said I can only say I have ONLY thought of single soldiers as persons. The war and the reason really means nothing to me ..its so remote I really couldnt ever dream of how scared these guys were being 18, 19 & 20. This is why my experience has always been to support the USA because with out the single soldier / person ...we are nothing.

Ron

quote:

I think we as a Nation have finally started to understand it is not the soldier we should hate

You gave me some advice in another post about "keeping your mouth shut and being thought the fool rather than commenting and removing all dought"... Well you just missed another chance in a big way... Jeez man, "Hate soldiers"... Uncalled for, only a selfish, short sighted, immature dumb a$$, who wants mke themselves feel smart would feel that way... Even if you "hate" a doctor the doc will still help you, according to the docs oath... Doctor/Soldier is just an easy target for a coward....

quote:

Originally posted by accobra:
Robert thanks for the video and how brave for you to admit that.

I have always been grateful, and saddened, but never had a human face to attach those feelings to. I have never known anyone in the service, and the TV news seems so vague. The war seems so removed from my busy, daily routine. Surprisingly, it is easy to forget what is going on over there.

I am too young to have any exposure to how the media handled Vietnam, but history seems to suggest that people were interested, or that thoughts of the war were a part of their daily lives. Maybe it is because so many more lives were lost? I suppose my generation had the luxury of taking our soldiers for granted because we were raised without exposure to a major war. Regardless, I don't take them for granted any more.

- Robert

quote:

The war and the reason really means nothing to me ..its so remote I really couldnt ever dream of how scared these guys were

War really is difficult to really grasp even with stories ... The thing that bring tears to my eyes is as a small boy remembering the protesting against the Soldiers and the bad way they were treated when they came home from Vietnam ... your posted video is refreshing, encouraging and rewarding for the soldiers.

Ron

This thread needs to be forwarded to Glenn Beck or Bill O'Reilly for all of America to see and appreciate. I don't have the skill (computer skills) to do it, so can a fellow Pantera owner do it for all of us ? ? ?
Thanks in advance.