Staff Sergeant in Afghanistan Responds to Critics

Posted By Blackfive

Below, SSG D responds to his critics from this post.  D and I have been having a discussion of sorts (when he's not on patrol and taking full advantage of his obscene amenities) and I asked him to respond - get a little satisfaction here.  I have been somewhat unsuccessful in keeping his identity private for his own sake (career).  We thought about pseudonyms for him. Anyway, let's keep it at SSG D.

D - I wish you successful hunting, friend.  GO GET SOME!

B5:

Some get it, some don’t, some never will.  I accept that I am a pariah among some of my countrymen, and a quaint anachronism to others.   I will not hold ignorance against them.

And the answer Lefties is “no,” I don’t work for the Heritage Foundation in any sort of cubicle (as was claimed by “Waiting” in the comments section of the post), National Review Online, the Limbaugh Letter, nor am I Ann Coulters’ personal bodyguard (but what a cool job that would be, and if she is looking for someone, I will be available soon), an intern for Scooter Libby, the web master for a conservative website in my mom’s basement, or a GOP Fundraiser.

And having seen comments by “walrus” and “jbk” from the Comments Section and the certain fact that they have zero f’ing clue and they obviously haven’t walked a mile in my boots at 8600 feet up the side of a mountain wearing 65 pounds of body armor and equipment, I assure you two ass-clowns that the 107 millimeter Russian rockets that flew at me a couple of days ago were quite real, as was the outgoing 120 millimeter mortar counter battery fire.  I can also assure you that I am a real staff sergeant and that I am really here in Afghanistan.

If you two oxygen thieves would like to join me over here, feel free.  I’ll be waiting with a stack of sandwiches and a bat.

For Robert from the Comments Section, and this is the last time I will reference it; The Democrats voted for this little “illegal” war in Iraq, if they had big cajones, instead of little “finger in the wind, what does Code Pink think today” cajones, they would have voted their party line and said “no” to the president despite what they already knew about Saddam.  And I seem to remember Teddy “the swimmer” Kennedy calling our little action in Afghanistan a “quagmire” after about 8 months of fighting here.  Oh, and the Taliban don’t own Southern Afghanistan.  They can’t even cop a squat without taking a JDAM to the chest.  Been there, done that.

Before I get really started though, let me say a heartfelt “thanks” to all who are out there supporting me and the other soldiers just like me.  We never really get a chance to say thanks to all of the Americans out there who stand behind us and who put the “home” in homecoming.  Your deeds are worthy of more medals than I will ever earn.  If I ever decide to run for office, or I need bail money, I know that there are those out there who are listening and making their voices heard.

I am just a guy in the Army trying to do a job.  I am not over here to build this nation, and I said as much. I am here to help train the Afghan Army, so they can build their nation by making it safe for the Afghan people to do so.  If the effects of my mission extend to helping make Afghanistan a better place, then what a great side effect that would be.  But war-fighting remains the mission of the armed services, so that is what I expect we will try our best to do.

In my area of operation alone, these are the side effects of our success that you will never see on the evening news or highlighted in a Democrat TV appearance:

o       43 modern schools have been opened
o       5 modern district centers have been opened, with 13 more on track for completion
o       13 cobblestone roads in local bazaars built
o       70 kilometers of improved roads built (that is a big deal here)
o       215 solar street lights installed (Taliban hate the light, like cockroaches)
o       5600 Afghans employed directly or indirectly on projects sponsored by Coalition Forces
o       3 mobile phone companies competing for coverage in our area of operation (yes, even here there are cell phones)

In addition, there has been an 80 percent increase in total commerce since May of 2005 and a 400 percent increase since 2002, when the Taliban were defeated.  All of this is possible because the people will build their own nation, if it is safe for them to do so.

Please notice I didn’t include an enemy body count.

I am just getting so tired of all of the Bullshit that the Old Media passes on as the truth of what we are doing in Afghanistan and in Iraq. I would imagine that many vets of both theaters are feeling the same. I am tired of more attention paid to the terrorists’ actions toward us than what we do to stop them.  Even though the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan are separated by geography, they really are the same war, and the more endless reporting on the daily body count the enemy watch, the more protests in front of Walter Reed Army Hospital that the enemy sees, the more emboldened my enemy becomes, both here and in Iraq, and the more dangerous it is for me and my comrades here in Afghanistan and in Iraq.

When CNN shows tape of snipers shooting at my comrades, I get pissed off.  I know what the content of the video means to the insurgents fighting us.  It gives them hope and the will to hang on just a little longer, make more plans, plot and scheme to kill and destroy more.  They hang on because they know that you won’t hear about the stuff I just told you about my area of operations, but CNN will put a rush to get the “breaking news” of sniper activity on the air...

...And that makes it more dangerous for you, the people at home, because this enemy knows no boundaries.  They showed us that on September 11, 2001.

Each day I do my job here looking for success, and I do it with the knowledge that my allies think we will cut and run because the liberals in the media, the government and in public and in private who are rooting for our defeat say that Americans “overwhelmingly” do not support the war.  I read a lot of news when I can and it sure seems dreary with all of the bad news that makes the headlines at home; all doom and gloom.  I would believe the bad news too; except while I was out hunting bad guys yesterday, I handed out some candy I had in my Humvee to some children that were in the village I was in.  I got this bag of candy from one of the hundreds of packages my unit has received from all kinds of soldier friendly organizations.  So, someone in America must support what I do.  Keep those cards and letters coming.

Oh, and the grandfather of all those children came out and thanked me for coming here to help his country and that we were not at all what he had been told by the Taliban about what Americans were like.

Where is Fox News when I need them?  Because you know CNN wouldn’t air that.

Am I pissed at my leaders?  Yeah, because I think we have lost our focus on what it takes for the grunt on the ground, the guy at the tip of the spear, to win.

Do I want the true might of the U.S. to be turned loose on our enemies?  You bet.  In the long run it saves the lives of our soldiers, which is the whole point.

Do I want the best equipment so I can get the job done?  You bet, because the American people (even Liberals) deserve my best efforts with the best equipment.

Do I want to have less people in positions of power and command looking over my shoulder and questioning the manner in which I execute their orders?  You bet.  Every soldier wants that.

Am I tired of not being able to swing a dead cat and hit a Command Sergeant Major who wants to know where my reflective belt is? What do you think?

Do I want to sow fear and despair in the heart of my enemy so that maybe they will give up?  Without a doubt.

Do I want Code Pink, Daily Kos, Al-Jazzera, CNN, Reuters, the Associated Press, ABC, NBC, CBS, the ACLU, and CAIR to stop emboldening my enemy? Hell yes!

But the thing I am most tired of, out of all the things in this war, is that I am tired of liberal politicians, their liberal double-speak and their constant politicizing of this war. Seems to me that they won’t lift a finger, other than their middle one, to do something about the problems we have over here and then the liberals piss and moan on television at every turn about the problems we face.  It just gets old.  It makes my ass tired.

I want my leaders in the military, when they come before Congressional Committees to stop waffling and wavering when they talk about what is being said about this war.  I want them to use words and phrases like “cowardly,” “selling out or troops and our allies,” and “wrongheaded” when they describe how they feel about ideas like “phased redeployment” and “setting a timetable for withdrawal.”

No matter what the liberals say or do though, they will never change the ground truth that the people here and in Iraq know; that the American Soldier is the only soldier in the only Army in the world that, regardless of where we deploy or whichever foreign country we find ourselves in, people run toward us and not away.

The American Soldier knows the secret of why this is.  Do you Liberals know?  It isn’t because we bring candy for the children.

It is because we bring freedom…..

SSG D

Thanks, D, for the shot in the arm.

I've gotten a lot of email claiming that SSG D is a fake.  If you would like Snopes to investigate, I'd be happy to put them in touch with the good sergeant.  Offer still stands, doubters, but I have yet to hear from you.

---

Mission: To protect and promote the reputation and dignity of America's Warriors.
Join us!

Comments

Staff Sergeant in Afghanistan Responds to Critics

Below, SSG D responds to his critics from this post.  D and I have been having a discussion of sorts (when he's not on patrol and taking full advantage of his obscene amenities) and I asked him to respond - get a little satisfaction here.  I have been somewhat unsuccessful in keeping his identity private for his own sake (career).  We thought about pseudonyms for him. Anyway, let's keep it at SSG D.

D - I wish you successful hunting, friend.  GO GET SOME!

B5:

Some get it, some don’t, some never will.  I accept that I am a pariah among some of my countrymen, and a quaint anachronism to others.   I will not hold ignorance against them.

And the answer Lefties is “no,” I don’t work for the Heritage Foundation in any sort of cubicle (as was claimed by “Waiting” in the comments section of the post), National Review Online, the Limbaugh Letter, nor am I Ann Coulters’ personal bodyguard (but what a cool job that would be, and if she is looking for someone, I will be available soon), an intern for Scooter Libby, the web master for a conservative website in my mom’s basement, or a GOP Fundraiser.

And having seen comments by “walrus” and “jbk” from the Comments Section and the certain fact that they have zero f’ing clue and they obviously haven’t walked a mile in my boots at 8600 feet up the side of a mountain wearing 65 pounds of body armor and equipment, I assure you two ass-clowns that the 107 millimeter Russian rockets that flew at me a couple of days ago were quite real, as was the outgoing 120 millimeter mortar counter battery fire.  I can also assure you that I am a real staff sergeant and that I am really here in Afghanistan.

If you two oxygen thieves would like to join me over here, feel free.  I’ll be waiting with a stack of sandwiches and a bat.

For Robert from the Comments Section, and this is the last time I will reference it; The Democrats voted for this little “illegal” war in Iraq, if they had big cajones, instead of little “finger in the wind, what does Code Pink think today” cajones, they would have voted their party line and said “no” to the president despite what they already knew about Saddam.  And I seem to remember Teddy “the swimmer” Kennedy calling our little action in Afghanistan a “quagmire” after about 8 months of fighting here.  Oh, and the Taliban don’t own Southern Afghanistan.  They can’t even cop a squat without taking a JDAM to the chest.  Been there, done that.

Before I get really started though, let me say a heartfelt “thanks” to all who are out there supporting me and the other soldiers just like me.  We never really get a chance to say thanks to all of the Americans out there who stand behind us and who put the “home” in homecoming.  Your deeds are worthy of more medals than I will ever earn.  If I ever decide to run for office, or I need bail money, I know that there are those out there who are listening and making their voices heard.

I am just a guy in the Army trying to do a job.  I am not over here to build this nation, and I said as much. I am here to help train the Afghan Army, so they can build their nation by making it safe for the Afghan people to do so.  If the effects of my mission extend to helping make Afghanistan a better place, then what a great side effect that would be.  But war-fighting remains the mission of the armed services, so that is what I expect we will try our best to do.

In my area of operation alone, these are the side effects of our success that you will never see on the evening news or highlighted in a Democrat TV appearance:

o       43 modern schools have been opened
o       5 modern district centers have been opened, with 13 more on track for completion
o       13 cobblestone roads in local bazaars built
o       70 kilometers of improved roads built (that is a big deal here)
o       215 solar street lights installed (Taliban hate the light, like cockroaches)
o       5600 Afghans employed directly or indirectly on projects sponsored by Coalition Forces
o       3 mobile phone companies competing for coverage in our area of operation (yes, even here there are cell phones)

In addition, there has been an 80 percent increase in total commerce since May of 2005 and a 400 percent increase since 2002, when the Taliban were defeated.  All of this is possible because the people will build their own nation, if it is safe for them to do so.

Please notice I didn’t include an enemy body count.

I am just getting so tired of all of the Bullshit that the Old Media passes on as the truth of what we are doing in Afghanistan and in Iraq. I would imagine that many vets of both theaters are feeling the same. I am tired of more attention paid to the terrorists’ actions toward us than what we do to stop them.  Even though the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan are separated by geography, they really are the same war, and the more endless reporting on the daily body count the enemy watch, the more protests in front of Walter Reed Army Hospital that the enemy sees, the more emboldened my enemy becomes, both here and in Iraq, and the more dangerous it is for me and my comrades here in Afghanistan and in Iraq.

When CNN shows tape of snipers shooting at my comrades, I get pissed off.  I know what the content of the video means to the insurgents fighting us.  It gives them hope and the will to hang on just a little longer, make more plans, plot and scheme to kill and destroy more.  They hang on because they know that you won’t hear about the stuff I just told you about my area of operations, but CNN will put a rush to get the “breaking news” of sniper activity on the air...

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