This is only the beginning...
CNN has shown the poster boys of U.S. military might at their proudest. Man, say what you want to about those Marines, but not only are they always in the thick of things at battle, they are also johnny-on-the-spot for the Life Magazine shot. I mean, we all knew that it was a matter of time, albeit indeterminable, when Baghdad fell and celebrations would start, but I had never considered what the pictures would be like. Just seeing the Mike 88 pulling the statue of Saddam down seemed to be a picture that will be shown over and over again for decades to come. Hell, the Marines already had the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima and now this. But, you know what? They deserve it. As a matter of fact they all deserve it. Think of the picture of the Navy Sailor who grabbed the woman out of the crowd in New York and laid the kiss of the century on her. Do you all remember seeing that photo? That one was a classic. There are just photos that seem to encapsulate the entire theme of an era in a single frame. Think about Vietnam, the girl running down the road naked after Napalm had been dropped on her village? How about the Viet Cong soldier being executed by the South Vietnames Army Major. Those pictures are forever engrained in our minds, and thus Vietnam is always the "dark" memory.
But, for the moment the images that have emerged form Operation Iraqi Freedom seem to show it as a valiant joint effort between Us, the Aussies and the Brits. I see that perhaps there is a new restructuring of the Western World. A new world order if you wil. [I am careful not to capitalize that phrase for fear of paranoid people]. It would seem that though our relations were good before, that us and the Brits have been soldered together by soldiering together. We shall see how the western world accepts this new partnership. The statue of Hussein has been toppled in Baghdad, but where will the next villain emerge? I am not being snide or facetious, I am facing the facts. There will always be a Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Khadafy, Mugabe, Pol Pot, or Kim Jong II to deal with. It is just the way that we deal with him that will dictate our legacy. I pray for peace in Iraq, I pray for peace in Israel, and I pray for a state of Palestine. I do hope for peace in the Middle East and the end to terror. Most of all my prayers are for those who think so little of themselves that they would go where they are needed when called to do what is sometimes popular, and sometimes unpopular. Over Hill, Over Dale from the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli. God Bless each and every one of you......and above all else, please be careful and come home safe.
CNN has shown the poster boys of U.S. military might at their proudest. Man, say what you want to about those Marines, but not only are they always in the thick of things at battle, they are also johnny-on-the-spot for the Life Magazine shot. I mean, we all knew that it was a matter of time, albeit indeterminable, when Baghdad fell and celebrations would start, but I had never considered what the pictures would be like. Just seeing the Mike 88 pulling the statue of Saddam down seemed to be a picture that will be shown over and over again for decades to come. Hell, the Marines already had the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima and now this. But, you know what? They deserve it. As a matter of fact they all deserve it. Think of the picture of the Navy Sailor who grabbed the woman out of the crowd in New York and laid the kiss of the century on her. Do you all remember seeing that photo? That one was a classic. There are just photos that seem to encapsulate the entire theme of an era in a single frame. Think about Vietnam, the girl running down the road naked after Napalm had been dropped on her village? How about the Viet Cong soldier being executed by the South Vietnames Army Major. Those pictures are forever engrained in our minds, and thus Vietnam is always the "dark" memory.
But, for the moment the images that have emerged form Operation Iraqi Freedom seem to show it as a valiant joint effort between Us, the Aussies and the Brits. I see that perhaps there is a new restructuring of the Western World. A new world order if you wil. [I am careful not to capitalize that phrase for fear of paranoid people]. It would seem that though our relations were good before, that us and the Brits have been soldered together by soldiering together. We shall see how the western world accepts this new partnership. The statue of Hussein has been toppled in Baghdad, but where will the next villain emerge? I am not being snide or facetious, I am facing the facts. There will always be a Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Khadafy, Mugabe, Pol Pot, or Kim Jong II to deal with. It is just the way that we deal with him that will dictate our legacy. I pray for peace in Iraq, I pray for peace in Israel, and I pray for a state of Palestine. I do hope for peace in the Middle East and the end to terror. Most of all my prayers are for those who think so little of themselves that they would go where they are needed when called to do what is sometimes popular, and sometimes unpopular. Over Hill, Over Dale from the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli. God Bless each and every one of you......and above all else, please be careful and come home safe.
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