The Long Road Home - a Doonesbury book

[Rugger]

Check it out - BD, the former football start turned deployed Guardsman gets wounded in Fallujah, and thus the journey begins.

It's a quick read (a perfect mini-mental health vacation), has some great vignettes about being mili-dude (they have a behavioural specialist on staff to help single guys returning from deployment regain appropriate social skills), and the culture of military medicine (especially surgeons and Wally world idiosyncracies).

Even more perfect, the proceeds benefit the Fischer House foundation, which gives DOD patients and their families a place to stay close to the hospital.

Lots of hoo-yah Army/Guard stuff, but still a great read...

Best -
Rugger, learned the hard way that "please pass the f&^-ing salt" is OK on the boat, but not at the family dinner table.

 

[Fly Navy]

Doonesbury is liberal trash. Is this book associated with the comic?

 

[Rugger]

One and the same..

One can despise the military, but still support our warfighters. Especially the ones who were lucky enough to come back, but (literally and figuratively) left parts of themselves in other places.

The author, Trudeau has been critical of military decision since the 60's. In writing this book, he's put his politics aside. I hope you (generically, not specifically) can do the same and read it. It's an amazing storyline.

Rugger

 

[zab1001]

I'm also gonna support Trudeau's effort here. While I don't agree with his politics, the BD storyline has been really well done. Sometimes he p!sses me off, sometimes he makes me laugh, sometimes he makes me think. It's the only comic strip I read daily now that we've lost Calvin and that stupid Mallard Duck thing just isn't entertaining.

The character of BD has been the quintessential Soldier's soldier, since the Vietnam War. If I recall, he "served" in Desert Storm as well.

The recent recruitment plot wasn't too far from the truth either. I spent 7 months with a bunch of 18 yr old fresh-outta-boot Soldiers/Sailors/Marines, and the stories they told me about their recruiters made me cringe.

Plus "Duke" always made me laugh.

 

[ip568]

One can despise the military, but still support our warfighters.

No, they can't.

 

[HueyCobra8151]

One can despise the military, but still support our warfighters.

No, they can't.

Sort of like hating law enforcement, but supporting the Police...

 

[Brett327]

One can despise the military, but still support our warfighters.

No, they can't.

Beat me to the punch. This is the way liberals equivocate so as to keep from looking like the complete A-holes which they actually are on this issue. It's disingenuous lip service that should be exposed at every opportunity.

Brett

 

[eddie]

One can despise the military, but still support our warfighters.

No, they can't.

Can they be against the current war (not all wars) and still support the troops?

 

[gagirl]

no! at least in my opinion. Most people that are in the military support what they are doing and believe in what they do. (meaning there are those that joined to get money for college and surprise you actually have to do what you signed up for. ) If you don't support what they do then you can't support them. I've never seen that as possible. I'm sure someone will shoot me down on this, but like I said it's my opinion.

Kind of like it was said before you can't be against law enforcement, but support the police. Doesn't make sense.

 

[Fly Navy]

Can they be against the current war (not all wars) and still support the troops?

Except that's not the author of Doonesbury's case.

 

[DanMa1156]

Beat me to the punch. This is the way liberals equivocate so as to keep from looking like the complete A-holes which they actually are on this issue. It's disingenuous lip service that should be exposed at every opportunity.

Brett

This sir, is very true.


However, I think people can be against the war and support the troops; especially if their reasons against the war are for the troops, meaning they hate the deaths of the troops, so they want them to come home, thus they are against the war. I also feel that people can be against the reasons of war and thus not like it, yet still support the men and women fighting it. I think this is the current situation. Americans know that soldiers aren't the ones starting the wars, they are just being forced to fight it because the government is making them. Any other opinions?

 

[Fly Navy]

However, I think people can be against the war and support the troops; especially if their reasons against the war are for the troops, meaning they hate the deaths of the troops, so they want them to come home, thus they are against the war. I also feel that people can be against the reasons of war and thus not like it, yet still support the men and women fighting it. I think this is the current situation. Americans know that soldiers aren't the ones starting the wars, they are just being forced to fight it because the government is making them. Any other opinions?

Yeah, it's a spineless, unrealistic position. That's a soldier's/sailor's/Marine's/airman's job, is to go fight a war, kill people, break stuff, and maybe even get killed himself. That's what we do, it's why we ultimately exist. None of us want to see our friends die, or get ourselves killed, but we know it's part of the territory. My mom doesn't want me to get killed, but she knows it's comes with the job. She's not out protesting. The quickest way to end a war is to kill the enemy and defeat them. Not by protesting back home saying "we support the troops, but end this war!". You know what that does? Kills morale. You know what low morale does? It kills troops. America has not shed blood for some time. Not major blood for a long period of time, not since Vietnam. We've lost something like 1000+ in this war... that was lost in a day in other wars. We're doing pretty good. And for those that want to get their panties in a bind, yes, some of those 1000+ I know personally.