If Things Are So Bad in Iraq.....

The HBM/MSM constantly bombards the media channels with how bad it is in Iraq. If that's the case consider the first person stories I discuss below. I read many of the blogs over here on my left hand side regularly, and I have noticed in the past year, the stories the boots on the ground tell have transisitoned from mostly combat stories to mostly one such as Thunder 6 writes about on Oct 6th about selfless action. The Media of days gone by hangs on every death of our service members, but fials to tell us about how the people in Iraq have seen something special, a thing called democracy, and selfless action of men and women, not only from the pool of American citizen, but those from other nations, who came to the US and enlisted in our Armed Forces, in order to give back to us. The lack of "balance" weighs on me. People on the left have these cute bumper stickers on their cars such as "Commit Random Acts of Kindness" and "Visualize World Peace," yet they are constrained to trumpet their ideas by covering some chrome or tinted high impact plastic, as they drive to their jobs and coffee shops and book store and malls, safe and sound with in the borders of America. The Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen and countless federal agency people live through 130 degree F summers wearing about 70 pounds of armor, water and ammunition, so the people of the Middle East might see there is a path that Martin Luther King, Jr and Ghandi would have mankind pursue. It wears on them. Many have blogged about it, but not as consisely, and deeply transparently as Thunder 6 did just days ago. The California Army National Guard Officer also graces his readership with his response to one of those people I spoke of above, the bumper sticker action campaign type in this post. In that post, you are allowed a window into his motivations for his service, as he refutes the anonymous (read: Cowardly and most likely, I'd guess, never put on a military uniform) writer's supposition that T6 is part of an empire building entity. Quite honestly, I'd think the liberals amoung us would rejoice at this sort of independent thinking, as well as revel in the simple moments of a man who is highly skilled in the art of war, taking time to build a relationship with a few young men half way around the world, and them make sure the shy girl also received a gift, let alone him noticing she gave it to her little brother. But, then that's just me thinking those moments are changing history forever, for the better. A personal testament to the power of these words was posted in the comments on the "Selfless Action" post:

"from a frenchman trying to understanding our complex world. before I was stupidingly thinking that you were all poor soldiers going to be killed in an useless and unjustified war. now I've changed thanks to your blog and realize through your emotions and humanity that all is not so simple. thanks a lot and long life patrick"

Don't just read T6's writings, select a few of the links on the side for the Army and Marines who blog, and get some balance in your view of the world to offset the lack of same in the HBM....