Rush Limbaugh Dictates Military Courage?

Picture courtesy of the White House

Let me just begin by saying that any person that has never served in the military of the United States of America has NO place dictating who is in service to our nation or not. I don’t care if you are a freaking whack job Congressional member or even the President of the United States of America. Let me go further and say that radio talk show host’s that never served in our military have NO room to talk about who is a soldier in service and whom is not. Especially, when they have never served in the theatre that is the Iraq, Afghanistan, War on Terror, and KBR and Haliburton balance sheet surplus.

Rush Limbaugh is a phony! He proves it more times than not by being the “Water Boy for the Republican’s”, his words, not mine. How dare he call any of our service members “Phony Troop’s”! Talk about spitting in the faces of the troops? Rush saved himself the trip to the airport or the bus terminal and just broadcast that half of our military personnel are “Phony Troop’s” on his radio program. Those would be publicly owned airwaves regulated by the FCC. I’m told that the Democrat’s in Congress are moving to pass a non binding resolution to denounce Rush Limbaugh.

Let me just offer this advice to the very ignorant Rush Limbaugh and any of his listeners that buy his words as gospel of his EIB broadcast, when the hell that is Iraq or Afghanistan is going down, there is no division among the close knit men fighting for their lives. Bullets and IED’s do not single out just Republican troops. Both side of the political aisle come home in body bags. Rush Limbaugh is a God damn hypocrite and a traitor to all of the United States Military. While your son or daughter would give up their lives to save someone in their unit Rush is calling them a coward and a phony. Screw you Rush!

I highly recommend the read over the past few days at the Gun Toting Liberal.

His anger is frankly more relevant and on topic than any point I could ever make. I’m proud of him and many like him that served our nation and I for one would never question it. Check all the posts at the GTL on this topic. He speaks from the heart on being called a part of what Rush Limbaugh calls the “Phony Troop’s”. Screw Rush Limbaugh and anyone that thinks half the troops are phony! America has one flag and our troops in any service fight the orders they are told. By no means do they have to agree with it but they are in service to their nation. Military service is not about politics, it is about serving and obeying orders from the civilian government. They are not drones! Each man or woman in service has a mind and a right to think what they believe is wrong or right. Being in the military of our nation does not automatically make you a Republican strong base.

My friend Gunny over at the Gun Toting Liberal has this highly emotional topic covered more than I could ever give it justice…

I guess I was one of the (obviously) crack-smoking Rush Limbaugh’s “phony Soldiers”; well — TECHNICALLY; a “phony Airman” since I was appalled by the waste of lives and money I personally saw being poured into the meatgrinder called “Iraq”, up close and PERSONAL in my capacity of being one of those “boots on the ground” in support of what was originally supposed to be our enforcement of U.N Resolution 1441; rapidly accomplished within WEEKS, I might add. Apparently, about half the other troops I served in the “sandbox” with were also “phony Soldiers”, too. Thanks for NOTHING, Rush — you hypocritical PIG. - Gun Toting Liberal

As a Democrat and a Liberal I support ALL of our troops. I do not support why they are there but I support our troops one hundred percent and then some. No political party affiliation is required when the military funeral service is happening and just a bunch of guys and gals from all over America called the Patriot Riders show up in support of the families.

Rush Limbaugh never served in the military, neither did many of the strong supporters of this war. Bill O’Reilly is just another loud mouth that never served. At the least Don Imus did serve and wore the uniform but that is another topic for another day.

In the halls of our Federal Government are many Republican’s that never wore the uniform of our military but are calling the Democrat’s cowards. Vice President Dick Cheney never served and he is one of the loudest voice among most of them. Google search it for yourself.

Many of the Democrat’s including Teddy Kennedy, John Kerry and Al Gore actually wore the uniform. Google search your favorite Republican military record and tell me what you find out? I think you will be surprised by the results.

This war is turning into Vietnam all over again and the division of the people at home has begun to come to a boiling point. Democrat’s want the troops home and Republican’s call us all out to blindly support the war. If our military is a sampling of America then they too are of the same opinion of both political thoughts on this topic. Some support it and some do not. And still they are on the front lines. Some will die, some will rotate out. The ones that rotate out are the lucky ones.

Rush Limbaugh is a piece of crap!!! I support ALL of our kids in MILITARY SERVICE to America, Rush supports just half.

Awesome couple of post Gun Toting Liberal!

Papamoka

Others talking about this issue passionately and must reads!

Political Inteligence with a great piece on those that served and those bragging the most about sending our troops into war! MUST MUST READ!

Please steal this post and forward it to all your friends in the military!

I SUPPORT ALL OF OUR TROOPS!!!!!!!!!! SO DOES THE GTL!!!!!!!

Other Folks talking about this issue...

Vim & Vinegar

The Moderate Voice

Bring It On

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Military Deaths Just Being a Number

Picture courtesy of Patriot Guard Riders

While many of us bloggers bitch and moan about the war in Iraq and our reasons to oppose it or support it our children from both sides of the argument are still dying. That fact alone is nothing to beat your chest over regardless of what point of view you have concerning the war. Burying a child is still the same and your political affiliation does not matter. Undertakers and funeral homes have all the rituals and pomp and circumstance for any service required. Mothers will cry and be broken hearted and fathers will be proud and strong to support the family left behind. Tears of the fathers will be shed when not a soul is looking but the lost child from above.

From my very liberal mind I understand fully the need for a national defense and I fully support all of our troops and members of our military. One of the last things that I want to do is attend a funeral for a fallen soldier friend or family member because I know how much heart ache the parents are going through. It’s so easy to toss stones when you have never served in the military. It’s even easier if you only look at one side of the equation that is the war in Iraq, Afghanistan or wherever our military is sent. Stones are easy to pick up but serving your country is not. That commitment takes guts and it is the children we have and our brothers and sisters that made that commitment that we need to respect.

Serving in our nations military is never about politics. It is about honor and respect for what has been given to you as an individual and your personal choice to give back to America. For some people that is the ultimate price to pay and for others it is the experience of a life time that will never be equaled.

For the families that have to bury a loved one killed in war time, I offer my humblest of condolences and my families prayers. I also offer you thoughts of many grateful Americans that are The Patriot Guard Riders. They and I appreciate your lost family members sacrifice in service to our nation in our United States military. With dignity and respect The Patriot Guard Riders ride for the family and support the fallen soldiers and I am so grateful that there are people like them around to do that. It touches my heart and I think that it means so much to the families to know that absolute strangers will travel thousands of miles to just stand quietly with our nations flag waving in support of the family that is burying a loved one.

No greater loss to a parent is to bury a child. Knowing that many people that belong to The Patriot Guard Riders that care is a gift in a time of great sorrow. It is a memory that will never be lost.

Thank you Patriot Guard Riders for supporting the troops by being there when their families need you the most. If the families do not ever get the chance to thank you then you have a blanket thank you here. Ride hard, ride fast, and ride because you believe you are just in your mission. Thank you!

Hopefully, we can end your missions and our nation and our military will still respect bloggers like me posting to end the war and bring all of our troops home alive and well.

Papamoka

Soldiers Angels New York... is talking about this issue

Memorial Day With A TWIST

Contributed by Michael Linn Jones

About two hours drive north of Paris there is a small village; la Neuviille-Houssett. Not far from this village is a farm, dissected by a small lane. This is old country, originally civilized by the Romans and witness to centuries of the horror of warfare. Across the lane from this farm is a Cross, with a small retaining wall holding a bronze plaque.

The monument, standing about 15 feet high, looks out upon a rising field, facing a hillock where on a cloudy night in 1944, an American bomber crashed at nightfall. The aircraft split in half, and all the crew were ejected. Local men dragged the men away from the flames. They were carried to the farmhouse. Three men survived, and the other four died. One was a young man from West Virginia. He died on a kitchen table, with Last Rites being read by a local priest. Aware of the fact that the dying man was Protestant, this priest did not care; a man of God performed his duty. This particular priest turned out to be the kind of man who did a lot of things not expected of him.

The West Virginian in question was the bomber's tailgunner, a SSgt. Wetzel Kimball. Several years before he had fallen in love with a girl from Jackson, Tennessee named Camille Owen. Camille had to accept the loss of her husband, a common experience in those days.

The village priest, Father Heroux, dedicated himself to bringing closure to the families of the dead airmen. In 1946 Fr. Heroux raised the funds necessary to erect the original Cross, at the same site where it stands today. He travelled to the U.S. after the war and met Camilee and other family members of the crew.

In 1948 Camillle opted to have her husband's remains returned to the United States from his resting place at Epinal in France. He was finally laid to rest in Hollywood Cemetery in Jackson, Tennessee.

In 2001, the local people of la Neuville-Houssett learned the details of the old Cross along the farm lane. Without government involvement or support, a huge amount of money was raised, and the result is what you see in the photograph. It is, if I may say so, as much a testimony to the gratitude and good hearts of good people as it is a remembrance of dead soldiers.

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Near the southern border of the Netherlands is a small town named Margraten. Nearby is an American cemetery from World War II. Please watch this short video; it'll only take a moment of your time. It's important that you do so because within the clip is a short mention of the fact that the people of that area regularly visit the graves of the 8,000 men buried there.

What the video does not show is that following World War II, and also 9/11/2001, a system of "adopting" American graves took place. These people waited their turn to have "their" American to lay flowers upon at every American holiday, such as the 4th of July, Thanksgiving, and so on. They WAITED to have the opportunity to express their thanks to men who died long before many of them were even born.

Camille Kimball never remarried. She died a widow in 2003. After 59 years, she and her husband were finally reunited at the Hollywood Cemetery in Jackson. The love of one person for another can be most powerful, and in this case stretched for decades.
The story of the Kimballs is an interesting and poignant one. But you don't need to dwell upon them. In any city or town in this country there are cemeteries, and in each of them lies some man or woman who served us up gifts that we love but take for granted.

Sad to say, yet I'm proud to say, certain human beings in France and the Netherlands do not take these gifts for granted. It is part of their tradition that whatever frustrations they may feel in trying to figure out Americans, their gratitude is more than just talk. They walk their walk and, as in the case of Margraten, compete to do so.

Perhaps without knowing it, they are simply responding to the request of a dying Captain Miller in "Saving Private Ryan." He said, "Earn this. Earn this day."

If people an ocean away can do this, why cannot we start a similar tradition? On this Memorial Day, before you go off to your well-deserved rest or fun, take a moment to do something you've probably never thought of doing. Pick up some flowers...anywhere, it doesn't matter. Find the grave of a veteran and do no more than say "thanks."

You'll have a whole year to think about what you've done to earn that gift.

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