A tally kept by CNN reported that 66 American soldiers have died this August, making it the deadliest month for troops since the beginning of the war almost a decade ago.
August also brought on the deadliest attack of the war, when 30 soldiers were killed when insurgents shot down their Chinook transport helicopter on Aug. 6 in the eastern central province of Wardak, Afghanistan.
Whether you support the war or not, you have to give thanks for the men and women who risk their lives every day to make sure we can continue to live ours in any way that we choose.
The average age of a first-time army recruit for the past 10 years has ranged from 20 to 22, according to the Army’s website.
That means when many of us were entering our junior year at UH, these men and women were enlisting and going overseas — and their sacrifices don’t end there.
According to an article written by the Associated Press, one in eight soldiers returns to the US with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
This often means they relive their experiences in Iraq or Afghanistan over and over again and have a hard time reintegrating into normal life.
The return to school has ushered in a myriad of complaints from the student body, but how well would we cope with the conditions in the military?
We complain about waking up early for class, when they’ve been on the battlefield all night.
We complain about traffic and construction while we drive in our air-conditioned cars and listen to the radio.
We are doing this when, at the same time, young soldiers are trekking across the Middle East listening to gunfire.
We complain about homework, Peoplesoft, the administration and tuition; while men and women our age, some even younger, are putting their lives on the line knowing full well that they may never be properly thanked for it.
Kind of puts the whole parking situation into perspective, eh?
i know quite a few military people and none of them joined out of love for this country, though patriotism is certainly a perk – i.e. they most certainly know they will be properly thanked for it with tons of welfare programs like the GI bill and being loved by the 99.9% of people who 'support our troops.'
wtf do my comments keep getting removed? this is insane
When private employers offer tuition reimbursement we call it an employer benefit. When veterans who were paid far less and nearly always risked and put up with far more even in peacetime than any civilian employee ever does, our "military expert" Brian Jansen "educates us" that it is welfare veterans receive when their former employer, the federal government, gives them the G.I. Bill to reimburse them for their educational expenses.
As for knowing "quite a few military people and none of them joined out of love for this country" you have obviously not met me or the many veterans I know who volunteered, many served in combat for several tours, and more than one war, many of whom did not get much in the way of benefits, (read Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, Desert Storm, Somalia, and many of the veterans who fought early in the current conflict before the law was changed to increase benefits, don't even get me started on what our Vietnam veterans went through), Some wrongs were only finally righted this time with the post 9/11 G.I. Bill that was finally passed just a couple of years ago.
Enjoy the First Amendment however, people like me and my veteran friends who did join for love of our county have helped you keep it. We also had to live under the laws of the Uniform Code of Military Justice while we were in. This means that we did not get to enjoy all of the freedoms that we were paying for while we served. You have never lost the enjoyment of any of them thanks to me and other veterans.
You were probably on financial aid for your education when you wrote your comment. I think there is a much better argument that Federal Financial aid is welfare more than the G.I. Bill or other veterans benefits that are only earned after several years of service. However an eighteen year old who has never worked a day in their life my stretch out their hand and get the Pell Grant and student loans. Or their parents can get tax subsidies to pay for their adult "children's" education. Oh by the way I work a full time job, take care of a family and go to graduate school at night and am paying cash that I earned for my education unlike you.
4 year U.S. Army Veteran who thinks Brian Jansen must be in that mythical only .1% "of people who don't "'support the troops'".