I won’t be misquoted. Hence no Fox coverage for me. Here is what I said when asked these two questions. It didn’t make it into the story.

Do I think that the troops feel bad that the senate now doubts the case for war?

My whole quote:

“Soldiers in Iraq are there because they are told to go there, they just want to survive and ensure that the soldiers around them come home too. They really don’t give a crap that they didn’t find WMD’s, that is not the emphasis of the war now. We are doing so much for that country like building schools and enabling clean water to flow into towns.”

Their condensed quote:

“Soldiers on the ground don’t give a crap that we didn’t find WMDs — they just want to survive there,”

How do I feel about the Senate shutting down the other day because of the case for war situation?

My whole quote:

“I think they (politicians) have too much time on their hands. They need to really focus on the things that are important like what the soldiers need. Why is it a politician wakes up and says, ‘We have to figure out why did we go into this war?’ At the end of the day, they’re not fighting it, and their children aren’t fighting it”

Their condensed quote:

“Why is it a politician wakes up and says, ‘We have to figure out why did we go into this war?’ At the end of the day, they’re not fighting it, and their children aren’t fighting it.”

~~

No loss of sleep for not making it into the article but these answers I don’t think would of been compatible with any news agency. Again, MSM’s are scared of me. My answers condensed might seem tamed, but get the entire quote in there and oh shit, stop the press! I will refuse to have my quotes taken out of context. You can clearly see how much of a difference my stance can be miscontrued if you don’t see the whole quote.

Blackfive has this to say.

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General, News from home

A few months ago I wrote about a soldier that I had served with. He was injured by an IED and is now at Walter Reed. It took some work but I was able to get his info and have been corresponding with him since. This is the summary of his story.

XXX - Denotes OPSEC material.

I was the gunner for the lead vehicle in our three vehicle patrol. We had just turned onto route XXX, which is perpendicular to ASR XXX, which slightly resembles XXX back home. About half way down the road we were greeted by two 155mm artillery rounds very well placed by a Hajji on the left side of the road which detonated between 15 and 20 feet from my humvee on the front left side. I received 15 pieces of shrapnel to my right forearm, which severed my median, and ulna nerves, my ulna artery, and mangling many ligaments and tendons. I also caught two pieces of shrapnel in my neck, and I received some pretty hefty lacerations to my face and forehead.

I have no feeling and no use of my right hand. They reconnected the nerves by grafting a section of nerve from my left calf. They tied off the artery at Balad in Iraq. They say I’ll never have full feeling or use of my right hand again. I’m looking at a year or two for a recovery.

We were talking last night and he was telling me that he wants to go to college but doesn’t think he will be very easy because of his injury. His tone sounded like he was giving up that dream. The gears starting moving in my head and thought that this soldier was a perfect candidate for a Project Valour-IT laptop.

I told this soldier that I wanted him to email me his address at Walter Reed and to also list anything he needs. I told him that he is only 18, a war veteran and he should be proud of himself and damn lucky to be alive, so live.

He humbly acknowledged this and told me that he would send me a list of things he may need.

I emailed my contact over at Project Valour-IT and she responded to my request. I asked her if she could consider this soldier for a laptop. We went back and forth with a few detailed emails and in the end have secured a laptop for this young warrior. I believe that Chuck Ziegenfuss is going to be delivering it personally. I’ve asked that it be given to him from a friend. No names, no association to this site, but rather a friend. This soldier does not know that I am ‘American Soldier’.

I went to bed with a smile on my face knowing that I was going to make his dream of going to college a reality. I want you to know that I am very appreciative of Project Valour-IT and all those involved. I have no doubt that this soldier will utilize this computer and be successful with his future school endeavors. I know he has a long road to recovery but recovery begins with the mind.

So let this be a true testament to this program and how it works! Take the time today and support this cause.

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General, News from home

I was interviewed by Fox News yesterday about the closed door sessions that transpired earlier this week. Certain questions asked were:

“Do I think that the troops feel bad that the senate now doubts the case for war?”

“Do I think the probe into the case for war is over due?”

“Do I think it’s owed to the family’s who have lost loved ones to have a probe?”

Well the call lasted for about 45 minutes. I told the reporter a lot of things that have affected me personally about this war, how I feel about it coming from a citizen-soldier. However I kept telling the reporter that really the troops on ground don’t give a flying leap about what the hell the senate is doing. In war, you are there to survive and you care for you brothers in arms. I said to her at one point that no soldier is going to run to the head shrink and cry because the senate can’t make up their mind about the war. Or even if they doubt the war, it doesn’t really affect the outcome of what we (soldiers) do on ground. The senate should focus on giving our military a higher pay raise then the measly 3% hike. They should ensure we have better equipment, no soldier should ever have to buy his/her stuff.

I told her that I think the senate has way too much time on their hands to be bickering about what the case for war was or wasn’t. I said at one point that I’m wondering if the senate is trying to impeach our president because some facts in the case for war were never proven. What the senate should be focusing on is where we are at right now. All the strides, leaps and bounds of where we have brought Iraq to now. Who gives a crap if we didn’t find WMD’s or Yellow Cake? Part of the case for war was the fact that we were going to free Iraqi’s of oppression and you dam well better believe we did that. We have empowered the Iraqi’s to a point where they are writing their own constitution, they are mending their country, they are progressing. We are serving a purpose and that is the important thing. A city councilman wrote to me the other day and in a response about how I feel when a person asks me about why we are in Iraq, he said this. “Why are we in Iraq, they had nothing to do with 9/11″, my reply is: “Why did we fight Hitler in WW2? He had nothing to do with Pearl Harbor.”

I hope the Fox News reporter writes this story in good taste. I emphasize this before I got off the phone. She said she would so we’ll see. The story should post in the next few days.

In closing my feeling about the war is this. We are there now; we will be there for a long time. I am a soldier who is of sane mind and I have volunteered in the past to go fight this war. I wouldn’t put my life on the line for something that I felt was not just. I do it for two reasons. The most important thing is to be there for other soldiers. The other is to be a part of the war that is fighting terrorism. Never do I want to see another 9/11!

Blackfive was also interviewed.

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General, News from home