I have never posted here before. In fact, this is my first time on this site. My son was killed during a building clearing in Iraq in 2005. Presumably his photo is included above. I have to say that it bothers me. His mother and I supported his desire to enlist as an infantryman. It is what he wanted to do. I was an infantryman and I knew what he would be facing. He enlisted after the war began and he went in with his eyes wide open. He spoke often of his pride when he completed Jump School and became Airborne qualified. He was proud to serve his country in combat. We are proud of him. I will miss my son forever. In fact, my hands are trembling as I type. Listen and understand. For his mother and me our son’s sacrifice is almost a sacred thing and it has nothing to do with politics. He knew the risks and did what he thought was right. We respect that. What is ironic is that if my son had died skydiving or scuba diving you would probably say something like “well, he died doing what he wanted to do an loved.” My son loved being a soldier and he believed what he was doing was worthwhile. If he could see that collage, he would be offended. So am I.

I find it very offensive that the huffington post would misuse the pictures of our soldiers without their permission. These are heroes who have given their lives for our country, many of whom believed very strongly in the war. I find it to be in very poor taste to use our deceased soldiers to further a political agenda.

I think it’s bad taste to use the faces of dead soldiers to make a political point

It would seem that this thread is overloaded with the sanctimonious drivel of individuals who feel that disagreement with the administration is a reasonable excuse to generate a piece of inflammatory crap and call it art.

Now the bile from the swamp:

If you find an anti-war collage to be offensive, what choice is left for us but to assume you support the war?

Their needless deaths come from the right, the use of their picture for a political purpose comes from the left, and it’s the LEFT you have a problem with. What does that say about you?

Remember when the fanatical Muslims got all crazy over a stupid picture in a Dutch newspaper? That’s exactly what you’re doing. Only its worse because you get to vote for my representatives and they don’t.

I guess I’m just hoping to once, just once, hear you give us a tiny hint that you think it was just a wee bit “callous, thoughtless and selfish” to send these kids to die for oil in the first place. Until you can muster a little bit of indignation over that, it’s hard to take this “spitting on our troops” crap of yours with any seriousness. And if you think showing the image of our fallen soldiers is the same as spitting in their faces, then I’m afraid your prejudice against all things liberal is beyond any hope or logic.

As Dick says “So?” seriously, if Repukes win and continue to delude dumb AmeriKKKa, then the idiots deserve to get their kids blown up and go bankrupt. I could care less any more!

They remind me of a couple of ghouls!!!!! Getting their jollies over someone else’s terror!

think they thought it out quite well. their plan to destroy a foreign country and the u.s. economy in order to gain wealth for the merchants of death from the backs of dead americans and iraqis is working perfectly. it’s a mistake to assume that any of this was carried out for any other reason. doing good for anyone other than the politically connected, parasitic, ruling class was never anything more than a sick joke.

None of us like the manner in which this administration has used our loves one in the military. Complaining about a picture while ignoring an invasion and occupation predicated upon lies and yet staying silent on THAT point is disingenuous. As a Veteran, a photo mosiac finally gets you riled but not war for oil?

Contractors? You mean mercenaries, don’t you? People that are hired to just go and kill as many people as possible. Manueltransmission and others of their persuasion stand with solemn faces and words of honor for people they sent to die “for their country”. Then they are offended by a picture of two non-humans who don’t even give a shit about the dead. I don’t think you’re an honorable person, manuel. And anditico? Contractors aren’t honorable, either. They’re just killers.

The picture is a stunning indictment of these neocon man-pigs. It should be reproduced and posted around this country since there are still 30% of Americans who think the president is doing a good job. Four more years with McBush is a danger and a risk that this country will not survive.

A picture of Bush made up of the faces of dead soldiers, yet YOU make the choice that “it’s not about Bush it’s about those kids”. It’s ALL about Bush, otherwise it would just be a picture of 4000 dead and no one would be talking about it. How is reminding everyone of the liar who sent them to their deaths “spitting on them”? Typical right wing reaction- don’t blame the neocons for getting them killed, blame the liberals for using their faces to make a point. Never mind that the point is STOP THE KILLING OF THESE AMERICANS.

What I don’t understand is why a vet would even care what the hell a civy thinks? I would also think that you might be used to being used as a political tool, afterall that was your job!

So here is a reworking of the image. It’s not brilliant, but the thought is there.

uptight on March 25, 2008 at 3:51 PM

Brilliant enough. Bravo, “uptight”.

I’m very sorry for your loss. It sounds as though Brian was a great man and embodied the very best of what it means to be an American and a soldier.Your description encapsulates my experience and understanding of what being in the military and to serve. One may not agree with decisions that are made on high but you grab the bull by the horns and due your best to execute them to the best of your duty and with honor. It sounds like Brian did just that. I pray for his family and his 2 daughters.

Hawkins, I’m sure you’ve seen this but here is a short bio of your cousin.

http://www.militarycity.com/valor/2503586.html

moxie_neanderthal on March 25, 2008 at 10:48 AM

Thank you for the link. It’s so heartening to know that there are still rememberances of our fallen soldiers to be found. In a perfect world, the stories of each and every one of them would be run daily in the news, on the FRONT page.

Thank you so much, and God bless.

That picture dishonoured the deceased military personnel by using them in a propaganda attack. If HuffPo’s artist had a shred of respect for these brave men and women, he would have remembered the good they brought to Iraq and the evil they rid the country of.

So here is a reworking of the image. It’s not brilliant, but the thought is there.

God Help these individuals who slander and profit off the dead Soldier and Marines. Those who slander the dead should be thrown to the wolves in nothing less then their closets full of skeletons.

mjk on March 25, 2008 at 11:07 AM

It is astonishing that folks on the left continue to judge a war by its length, not its intensity. To my mind this demonstrates a basic lack of understanding of history and of warfare.

I continue to be astonished that we’d only lost around 3,500 to combat operations. This is pretty remarkable stuff and for which we should all be thankful.

Am I a total dick for thinking that 4000 dead American soldiers in five years of war is a miracle? Each death was a tragedy, but comapre the number to the American losses in the Battle of Gettysberg for comparison.

I think that too. So no. Look at the Battle of the Bulge. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers died on both sides of that battle.

A friend of mine once said, “well WWII only lasted from 1939 to 1945.” To which I responded, “72 MILLION people died during that war. You really want to make that comparison?”

Hawkins1701 on March 25, 2008

I’m very sorry for your loss. It sounds as though Brian was a great man and embodied the very best of what it means to be an American and a soldier.Your description encapsulates my experience and understanding of what being in the military and to serve. One may not agree with decisions that are made on high but you grab the bull by the horns and due your best to execute them to the best of your duty and with honor. It sounds like Brian did just that. I pray for his family and his 2 daughters.

Hawkins, I’m sure you’ve seen this but here is a short bio of your cousin.

http://www.militarycity.com/valor/2503586.html

Also, I think the coalition forces have killed something like 10 to 20 thousand al Qaeda. How many of those killed might have been plotting or planning to participate in the next 9/11? How many of those who have not been killed think they can defeat the U.S. now? Not many, I would wager.

Future generations of Americans and people all over the world will be safer because George W. Bush finally stood up to these thugs and said, this time we will not run and hide, we will not just offer more U.N. resolutions and ’sanctions’ that we know you can easily evade. We are coming to get you and we are going to crush you so you do not get the idea that you can keep doing this shit to us.

I have a 14-year-old son, and I know very well that the young men and women who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan are helping to prevent my son from having to fight and die ten years from now. I pray for them every day and I thank God that they lived and died so that my son may not have to.

-The class war
-The gender war
-The culture war

Also: Lack of perspective much?

However, over at Huffington, it is pretty clear that the overwhelming majority of folks could reasonably be put in the “never served” catagory.
moxie_neanderthal on March 25, 2008 at 12:49 AM

I think you’ve got something there. Not just that they “never served” in the military, but that they would never serve anyone period. I suppose most conservatives would agree in the basic principle that people should be accountable for their decisions and worthy of whatever they’re willing to bend their back to earn. Liberals seem to be more interested in a society that is based on balancing the scales by redistributing wealth to poor people via government programs – a concept that isn’t generally shared by people that are middle class and work hard for everything they have. Just an observation. Fortunately, HuffPo’s right to be generally insulting is defended by people that probably came from much less money, but have a wealth of courage.

http://www.modelmayhem.com/member.php?id=11097

Killed in Iraq on January 20, 2007

Brian was a Civil Affairs Officer who worked tirelessly to improve the lives of all the Iraqis in Karbala, Iraq.

He spent months working to arrange passage for an Iraqi child to the U.S., so the child could receive a badly needed heart transplant.

This effort bore fruit after his death.

Captain Freeman did not agree with the war, and did not think it was being waged effectively. He didn’t refuse to serve. He didn’t cry “stop-loss”. He didn’t make himself a media darling of the left. He didn’t run from his post. He served honorably, performed his duty, and made Karbala a better place.

Brian, my cousin, was a far better man than any of these people who dare to invoke his name. These despiccable, morally bankrupt cowards. He was far better, and did far more good in this world, than they shall ever be or do.

I think that there are more people killed in air training accidents than there are killed in air combat.

Disgusting.

Month Hostile Non Hostile Total
Total 3501 807 4308

This is a very good site for keeping track of a broad number of related issues.

http://icasualties.org/oif/default.aspx