[Rhodes22-list] Re: Commitment to war

[Saroj Gilbert]

My hat off to you Philip...

I've heard of amazing stories of people escaping from the Middle East 
horrors you describe.. I'm glad your family made it to safety for the most 
part.

I know I'm an idealist and the reality of human meaness never ceases to 
amaze me... however WE have mustard gas and a lot of other WMD's too... and 
have aided and abetted nastiness in other countries.. particularly in 
central and south America... doesn't justify an invasion by another country 
does it?  and why would Saudi Arabia be exempt except for the very strong 
ties the Bush family has with powerful people there?

As far as Mr. Clinton goes... it is under our current president that the 
instances that I am aware of where career service personnel who were highly 
skilled and had incredible work habits were dismissed out of a signed 
agreement so it isn't exclusive to Clinton...  It is my humble opinion that 
the president's religious beliefs should not override the national agenda...

Nevertheless... I wish you and your family your safe and whole return!  and 
thank you for your and their sacrifice...

Saroj

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Philip Esteban" <3drecon at comcast.net>
To: "'The Rhodes 22 mail list'" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Saturday, May 21, 2005 5:59 PM
Subject: RE: [Rhodes22-list] Re: Commitment to war


>     I, for one, appreciate your (Saroj's) sentiment.  To all you fellows
> who saved our country after the Pearl Harbour attack (in whichever theatre
> you fought), you have my undying gratitude.  It is you from the two World
> Wars, Korea and Vietnam who inspired me to the military service from the
> time I was 10.  Though I am a veteran of the Vietnam era, I was a US 
> Marine
> during that time (1972).  Later, while in college I served in the
> Connecticut Army National Guard (responding to at least two major natural
> disasters) and finally joined the Army active duty list after I was
> commissioned in 1982.  When Mr. Clinton decided we didn't really need a
> military in the mid '90's my career was cut short.  My 2002 Christmas
> present from Uncle Sam were orders to active duty, where I have been ever
> since.
>    Though I did not compleatly agree with the President's decision (I 
> could
> expound on my reasons but it would be way too long an e-mail) to invade
> Iraq, it was my duty to respond (I could have gotten out of it).  In fact,
> Iraq did have weapons of mass destruction.  Mustard agent, VX (Nerve) 
> agent
> and the facilities to manufacture them are WMD.  Iraq had a history of 
> using
> these agents on innocents as well as enemies.  If Iran and North Korea 
> have
> nuclear capability, how long before Saddam obtained them?  Saddam also 
> would
> give any suicide bomber's family $25,000.00.  Iraq as a threat is a threat
> to the world's oil supply.  A threat to the world's oil supply is a threat
> to the US.  Iran is a threat only in as much as it will try to export its
> brand of radical Islam.  Their constitution does not allow for territorial
> expansion and except for disputed drilling rights in the Black Sea they 
> have
> no territorial designs on their neighbours.  Their design is to prevent 
> the
> insideous infiltration into Iran of "western" decadence (that would 
> include
> the introduction of Christianity).  Of course their repudiation of Israel
> (mainly in solidarity with their "Palestinian Brothers") is another 
> matter.
> Africa is a tragedy, but, like Kosovo, it holds nothing in the US interest
> and we should not sacrifice our children over it.
>    A mullah in Saudi Arabia was exhoriating people to go "bomb the
> infidels".  He said it was the duty of every good Muslim to become a 
> suicide
> bomber.  His son took him to heart and joined the terrorists and trained 
> to
> become a bomber.  When his father, the mullah found out, he petitioned the
> Saudi royal family to have him arrested and put into protective custody. 
> It
> seems what's sauce for the goose isn't necessarily sauce for the gander.
>    By the way, I mentioned Palestinians.  60% of Palestinians are Muslim
> (Leaving approximately 40% as Christian); 100% of the Palestinian suicide
> bombers are Muslim.  My family fled the Middle East (they are Christian)
> around the turn of the last century when our Muslim brothers under the
> Ottoman Empire would come to each town in Lebanon and hang 40 Christian 
> men
> (14 to 60 years old).  My mother's family was slaughtered by Muslim
> extemists once around the turn of the 19th to 20th century and again in 
> the
> 1970 and 1980s (those who chose to stay or couldn't leave).
>
>
> PHILIP A. ESTEBAN
> LTC, MI
> USAR (Mobilized)
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
> [mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org]On Behalf Of Saroj Gilbert
> Sent: Saturday, May 21, 2005 4:53 PM
> To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Re: Commitment to war
>
>
> My thanks and appreciation to all of you who served honorably for my sake
> and that of every other citizen of the world.  I'm sorry for the hardships
> that it caused both you and your families.  I wish it hadn't been 
> necessary.
>
> Saroj
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Robert Quinn" <rjquinn at bellsouth.net>
> To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Sent: Saturday, May 21, 2005 3:43 PM
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Re: Commitment to war
>
>
>> Wow!  Jumping on Stan's thread, from the news lately with the Army 
>> missing
>> it "quota," the draft may not be too far away.  I, for one, did not agree
>> when Nixon did away with it.  Too many of our citizens lose out on an
>> opportunity to learn about life by not either serving in the armed forces
>> or a suitable alternative for those so inclined.  With a draft (fairly
>> administered as Stan states) all levels of our citizens serve thus
>> assuring that when a commitment is made to engage, the general public
>> stands by for an accounting.  Today when we lose people like Swartskof,
>> Powell,  Franks and others to retirement, we lose the commitment that 
>> they
>> made to assure that if we ever get involved again, we do no put
>> limitations on winning (as Rummy points out).  These commitments were 
>> made
>> by their experiences in Viet Nam.
>>
>> The frustration of us who served in Viet Nam lingers today.  When we saw
>> opportunites to inflict damage to the enemies capabilities to wage 
>> actions
>> against us and the ARVN, and were not permitted to engage, let me tell 
>> you
>> there were many among us who were wondering if we were looking the wrong
>> way.
>>
>> I spent the last three months of my twenty-nine year career in the Air
>> Force servings with the US Navy on the Command and Control ship (USS
>> LaSalle) in the Arabian Gulf (Persian Gulf, if you want to annoy all the
>> Gulf countries).  Our rules of engagement for Desert Shield (escorting
>> Kuwait tankers to protect them from the Iranian threat at that time) were
>> pretty clear.  If threatened, fire.  Our French, English, and other
>> country counterparts were right there beside us
>>
>> By the way it was a pleasure serving on the J2 Staff on a Navy ship.  I
>> quickly realized that the American public has no idea as to the debt of
>> gratitude that we owe to the young (and not so young) men and women who
>> serve in the United States Navy and the Marines who serve with them.
>> ((Think about four or five of you living on a R22 for three or four 
>> months
>> with limited shore leave, if any.))
>>
>> Bob
>> Lt Col, USAF (ret.)
>> 1959 - 1989
>>
>> now serving in luxury on the "NoKaOi"
>>
>
> __________________________________________________
> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
>
> __________________________________________________
> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list