I guess by now you will have heard about the 2 Joes who were killed. Unlike the 2 who were killed early, I happen to know these 2 guys personally.

One was in my platoon. The other was a Sgt. and we slept in the same tent together at Ft. Bragg. In fact he was just one cot away from me.

The 2 Joes were very likable and nice guys.

The Sgt. was from Brooklyn but he originally came from the Islands. I know he had a daughter who is with the 82nd Airborne and he was expecting a grandchild. He loved to bike and I let him use my PC to find pics of him in is Brooklyn bike club's web site. Most if not all of us love the Sgt.. Great guy.

The specialist from upstate had a daughter. We liked him a lot. He always had chewing tobacco; in fact he filled a duffle bag filled with chewing dip. He claimed he had been doing it since he was 12. One of the unit's best shots. Another guy we all will miss. Please say a prayer for their families.

I wont go into the details about how they died. Will respect their privacy, but to say I am very angry and biter is an understatement. I knew when I would be deployed that death of friends would happen. I understood it. It is war and people die. But what happened here is not right. To paraphrase Shakespeare in Henry V "I was not angry since I came to Afghanistan... until this instant"

So out of respect for my guys. Just say a prayer.

But their deaths got me thinking. About war and some people attitudes about it. War to put it bluntly...IS NOT A FUCKING GAME!

Going to warn you I am VERY angry so this email will be very rough

But people don't get that. War isn't a game. They scream RAH-RAH for the USA and then move causally on with their lives. They vote for candidates who are warmongers and place yellow ribbons on their cars. Talk about supporting the troops but when the shit hits the fan? NOTHING! Maybe they go to a Memorial Day parade if they can squeeze it between shopping and going to the beach

But in war REAL people die. Real people's children are killed. Real people's children are orphaned. Real people are widowed. Real Joes get images in their heads they cant forget! That's REAL... this isn't Call of Duty 4 were on X-box were you can hit reset. My Sgt and buddy are not coming back!

I know its weird hearing a soldier who is literally fighting in a war talk about the bloodlust many Americans have and some who lets be honest are chicken hawks. But yeah, I'm a Joe who isn't crazy about war, I'm a Joe who Gen. Douglas Macarthur said in his final address to West Point: "the soldier above all other people prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war."


So you people out there with this taste for blood that want to see us invade all countries like Iran: THINK LONG AND HARD about that. Think about the consequences of that blood lust. You don't get to see and do what we do in war. You stay safe at home watching American Idol, Gymnastics and Dancing with the stars. While REAL people do the dirty work you don't want to do. Is that right? You so crave war that you wont fight in it? Please explain to me that.

I know war sometimes is inevitable: WW II, the Civil War, the American Revolution, Afghanistan, and several others. These are wars, that we had no choice in the matter. We were attacked or were fighting for our freedom. I get that.

But its these wars of choice, this new "Pre-emptive" wars that we seem to be fighting and are seeking to fight that I'm trying to school you on. There is always a better way then war.

Talking with your enemy is not a sign of weakness. Kennedy spoke with Khrushchev, Nixon went to China, and Reagan talked to Gorbachev. Talking doesn't hurt. And trust me your enemy may be far more willing to listen then you can imagine. The Iranians whether you believe it or not LOVE THEIR CHILDREN TO! They don't want to see death in the streets as much you do.

You can still talk with your foe and have one hand on the pistol.

And that brings me to my other point - Über Patriots. These Fox Mews watching Rush Limbaugh listening Right wing radio war pigs, which talk tough about war and supporting the troops. You people need to grow the fuck up. You people need to start listening to people when they try to educate you about candidates. You people need to start questioning the motives of media personalities who talk tough about war and question other people's patriotism. Cause it's those clowns who spoon-feed you lies. Why? Is it love of nation? Fuck no! It's money. They push these buttons so suckers like you can say "Amen" and keep listening and watching their shows. You fatten wither wallets while swallowing up their jive. Then, and this is the sad part, you vote based on there hogwash and the cats you vote for are responsible for putting us in the shit we are in now. Two wars and NEITHER under control.

Cause and affect people. You think your vote means nothing but it does. The people you elect run the Gov't and when the vote us into a war based on lies. That has consequences! You can see the evidence to that with the rising body count in Afghanistan. You can see that with the continued instability of Iraq. Remember that vote for Bush in 2004 that you laughed about when he won? Well, it's 3000 deaths later. Laugh about that.

You know what's funny, and I said this before, the biggest support I gotten since I been here have come from my friends who are very much left of center. People who cant stand the president. People who spoke out about the war in Iraq and in some cases protested with or without me against the war.

But my warring friends? Bush lovers and voters? An occasional email, that's about it. Not saying that bad or good to each his own. Doesn't make me think any less of them but I am struck by the irony that people who have had their patriotism questioned have support my guys here more then the umber patriots I know.

But my war loving friends, I want to talk to. You who don't get the ramifications of war, you cab tell me a hundred times "OH WE KNOW WAR IS BAD"... no, no you don't! You don't have the image of your buddy in your head all the time. You don't have to find his body. You don't stay at night in the middle of a firefight pulling security worrying about you other friends as they go searching the woods. No. YOU don't get that. THATS WAR! And to be honest I'm sugar coating it BIG TIME!!!!

As I said before, I support and believe in this war in Afghanistan. I believe I am protecting America. Sometimes wars have to happen and this is one of them. But sometimes wars DO NOT have to happen. And that war in Iraq is one of them and it's that war in Iraq that is putting my buddies in MORE danger!!! Just recently I read the death rate in Afghanistan was at its all time high for the month of June and we still had 3 more days left! But that's nothing knew, the death rate here has been rising steadily since a little thing called "The Surge" happened. You see when you take away troops who should be in Afghanistan to quell violence in Iraq, well that makes life here worse.

I don't know if we weren't at war in Iraq would my guys be alive. Probably not but what I do know I wish we had all those assets in Iraq here. Cause if we did we'd be home by X-Mas 2009.

So while some of you may have come to Jesus about the war in Iraq and realized you got punked by Bush and have admitted making a mistake, it still doesn't absolved you from the fact that mistake continues to pay dividends.

While you may not like hearing me scream about civic responsibility, there is a reason behind it. It's not about "Oh Chuck you just like talking politics and I'm glad you do" Fuck you for patronizing me. It's about you having a responsibility to watch your Govt. I know it isn't sexy and I know it isn't fun. BUT TOUGH!  If you have time to talk about sex you can talk about the Govt. If you have time to talk about sports you cant talk about the govt. If you have time to talk about "24" or American Idol, you can make some goddamn time to talk about Gov't! I don't care if you do it with me, but damn discuss it! It's your fucking country!

And if your answer is "I'm not voting this year cause I don't like the candidates" then thank you for pissing on the memory of every single American who died for you to have that right to vote.

Not voting isn't an answer. You just become more of the problem. You don't get to say, "Well I didn't vote so it's not my fault." Not it's still your fault. Apathy is just as bad as ignorance.

Anyway, I'm out. Getting off my soapbox.  Just think and take responsibility for our nation. Damn, that's not asking for much...Just love your nation and care.