What I Learned at the War

[The Finman]

<h2><font color=#003399>What I Learned at the War</font></h2>
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- I've got the best job in broadcasting.

My "day job" is to host "War Stories" for Fox News Channel.

My "additional duty" is to cover young Americans in places like Afghanistan and Iraq.

In short, I get to hang around with heroes.

No sane person who has ever been to a war wants to go to another.

I first saw the carnage of combat as a rifle platoon commander in Vietnam.

And I've been an eyewitness to the bravery and horror of war in Lebanon, Central America, Iran, Afghanistan, Israel and now Iraq.

I went with the preconceived notion that I'd already seen the "best of the best" in uniform -- those with whom I had served in combat.

Having lived with them for the entire war, it is clear: There have never been brighter, better trained, better equipped soldiers, sailors, airmen, guardsmen and Marines than those now serving.

In the combat arms -- infantry, artillery, armor, airborne, Special Ops -- they are all male, since current law forbids putting women into these units.

But that doesn't mean that young women who serve in combat support units, like Jessica Lynch, can't easily find themselves in harm's way.

On average, he's 19.6 years old -- about six months older than his grandfather who served in World War II or Korea.

He isn't old enough to buy a beer, and if he were home we would call him a "boy."

He was a high school athlete who also worked part-time and, unlike many of his peers, he's never drawn an unemployment check and never wants to.

A few times a week, he writes to his sweetheart back home and hopes that when the mailbag arrives he'll get a letter from her -- and his mom -- though he'd never admit to the latter.

If he gets a care package from home with disposable razors, shaving cream, toothpaste, beef jerky, toilet paper and baby wipes, he'll share them with his squad and be a hero for a day.

He has a short haircut and tight muscles, wears a 3 pound Kevlar helmet and an 18 pound flak jacket to work, and can march all day in 100-degree heat with a 50 pound pack on his back.

He knows how to use every weapon in his unit and can fieldstrip and re-assemble his personal weapon in less than a minute -- in the dark.

He's gone weeks without bathing but cleans his weapon before he sleeps.

He's already had more responsibility and seen more suffering and death than his civilian contemporaries will see in their lifetimes.

He knows grown men don't cry, but he has wept unashamed in public over a fallen friend because he knows heroes aren't defined just by the way they die -- but how they live.

He's proud to be serving his country, reveres his commander in chief -- and knows that he is respected in return.

While he is modest about his own courage and military prowess, he's absolutely certain that his is the toughest unit in the U.S. Armed Forces.

When he gets home, he won't talk much about the horror of war, but he will want more fresh milk, salads and homemade cookies than you ever thought possible.


Full Article <font color="red"><u>Here</u></font>

[Jessie]

Originally posted by The Finman:
A few times a week, he writes to his sweetheart back home and hopes that when the mailbag arrives he'll get a letter from her -- and his mom -- though he'd never admit to the latter.

Never!!!

Another great read! God Bless Ollie and those who support our young military. [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

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