Our Army, Marine Corps and National Guard are in trouble

[BOSSHOG]

General Batiste (Retired) on Ed Schultz show. Worn out equipment, underfunding for the services, worn out troops. Thanks george, donald, sleezy, dick, wolfy, perle (you hiding bastard). And the biggest thanks for the ruination of our military goes to the mindless drones who wave the flags, display the magnets and do absofuckinglutely nothing to support our troops or support our country. bush's base. The number one enemy of our country and our constitution. There can be no doubt.

[tridim]

1. Imagine if we had to fight a real war, or defend ourselves here.

We'd be completely screwed.

Has that been the PNAC/Neocon/Bush plan all along?

[MADem]

2. And don't forget our Navy--the blue to green program is in full swing

They're targeting mid-career types, telling them if they want retirement, they've gotta switch to ARMY. They've reduced the ranks to fill the other groundpounders but they haven't shaved much off the mission. USMC and USA are DIRE, but other branches are feeling the pinch as well (USAF and USN are being dribbled out to do odd jobs in "TAD" type assignments).

No one gets off easy here. Thanks a lot to the Chickenhawks...they've never had to make do with nothing, the bums.

[BOSSHOG]

3. Roger that Teammate

Our shipmates and the flyboys are putting their boots on the ground because our commander in chief is a failure. And how convenient that most chickenhawks have no discernible skills useful to the military (or for Mcdonalds!) Thanks free republic for fucking our country, our military, our constitution. Your support of bush is a treasonous act.

[Monkeyman]

7. Hey Boss we don't even have a combat ready unit at home

And now the replugs refused to give the $3 Billion to the VA until after Nov. Right now 1/2 of the returning troops are being turned away from the VA or outright denied benefits. ITS GETTING HARD Brother to help these kids when the VA is against you.

[w8liftinglady]

17. my son came back from three years in iraq(almost)with a head full of bad

teeth...
when my dad was in the service,dental care was one of those routine things...he even jokingly said that he hoped my kid wasn't afraid of needles.they've taken that away from our soldiers.

[Ilsa]

4. I was arguing with a RW idiot (I guess that makes me one too)

about how the tax cuts remove the sacrifice of the general public, especially the wealthy from the war. I reminded him that we have dead soldiers from insuffiecient eq, and that the generals asked for $25Bil yesterday for new eq since the sand and war wear them out so badly. He still thinks the cuts are a great idea; doesn't seem to think the wealthy should have to participate in the war. This was on a local message board.

[Jacobin]

5. Maybe service people will remember that at the polls

[Democrats_win]

6. 2000 election debate: Bush said military in bad shape.

The military said it wasn't true and proved it by taking over two countries. After spinning in the desert for 3 years, bush accomplished his mission of making the military what he said it was 6 years ago. It's come full circle for AWOL and it only cost a trillion dollars.

[SharonAnn]

10. He made it worse NOW than he said it was THEN

He's the DESTROYER!

[acmejack]

8. I wonder what the life expectancy of our shipmates is.

I suspect it is another scandal to add to the list. How can they possibly be getting away with converting these mid career Petty officers to another branch-how. I bet unprecedented numbers are telling them top stuff it & I don't blame them. They are playing on the "Great Economy" and these people's innate sense of patriotism.

[democrank]

9. I`ll tell you what, BOSSHOG....

Americans can run out and buy a gazillion yellow ribbon magnets for all I care. They can wave their flags and bellow "USA, USA, USA" `til the cows come home. It means absolutely NOTHING if, at the same time, they are turning a blind eye to the Bush administration`s inexcusable mistakes....no, crimes.

While horribly injured soldiers are being stacked up like cordwood at Walter Reed and elsewhere and the dead ones mean so little that we aren`t even allowed to see their caskets, Bush supporters cheer on like jingoistic idiots. They should all be ashamed.

[w8liftinglady]

16. I agree 100%...we owe it to our brothers and sisters to SPEAK OUT

..by writing to our papers,magazines,talk shows,protesting...we are making a difference.I met a soldier's mom who cried when she met me.She told me she was afraid to speak out,because we live in a very red area.She read one of my 50 letters to the editor-one when my son was on his third deployment- to our paper,and it gave her the courage to investigate and join MFSO.You CAN make a difference...People here at DU are so articulate.

[Donna Zen]

11. Big trouble

General Clark has recently said that it may be broken beyond repair. It took years after Vietnam to rebuild the military. Instead of talking about Bill Clinton's socks, maybe the MSM might try saving some time to talk about this.

[chieftain]

12. It's hard to rank the Bush regimes many crimes by magnitude,

but the ruination of our military is on a par with the subversion of the rule of law and the destruction of our nation's reputation abroad..

[knitter4democracy]

13. Not even socks.

I'm still furious that they don't even get enough socks. Doesn't the army march on its feet? Didn't we learn that lesson in, oh, I don't know, WWI?

I got some socks to finish . . . Damn Bush administration, nickle and diming our soldiers and then brazenly using them for photo-ops.

http://www.anysoldier.com

[Canuckistanian]

14. Talk about CLINTON degrading the military...

These assholes wrote the book on "degrading the military".

Pointless war, under-equipped troops, the raping of military support services like tha VA, reduced combat pay....

It's a wonder there are any loyal troops left.

[malmapus]

15. I remember when I was in and we would hear about the Russian military

having problems in Chechnya with their equipment, tanks not even starting. My buddies and I would laugh, just one of those things about being proud of being "the best".

Now, I'm seeing that same military that we laughed at, except it's us.

[w8liftinglady]

18. BOSSHOG-have you read this letter by Murtha?

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/congress/2006_rpt/060913-murtha-obey_army-readiness.htm
It gives a little insight into why 1st AD's tour is being extended...
-snip_
Of particular concern is the readiness rates of the units scheduled to deploy later this year, particularly the 1st Cavalry Division. This division and its 4 brigades will deploy to Iraq in October at the lowest level of readiness because of equipment shortfalls. To meet its needs, this unit – like virtually all other units that have recently deployed or will soon deploy to Iraq – must fall-in on equipment in theater. Operating unfamiliar, battle weary equipment increases the potential for casualties and accidents.

[Captain Hilts]

19. Navy and Air Force have been starved. Navy smallest since pre-WWI. nt

[w8liftinglady]

20. kicking for the afternoon crowd..