The Middle East

[Sotiris]

The Green Beret means so much to a lot of people. To earn it we are willing to sacrifice a lot. To endure a lot. All because we believe it will give something so much more valuable back to us. I believe this. I believe being a soldier is the most important job in the world and the Royal Marine Commandos are some of the best soldiers in the world.

But does anyone ever have doubts about what we're fighting for in the Middle East? Does anyone ever think that the cause there is not worth losing life or limb for?

Just some food for thought.

 

[smallzy]

sometimes you need to break a few eggs to make an omlette

i like to think that we're improving the lives of afghani people while reducing the threat of terrorism in the UK and elsewhere.

That country is *text deleted**text deleted*ed up, some good ol democracy will do them good. And Islam extremists are *text deleted**text deleted*ed in the head and still living in the middle ages, they need to be exterminated.

 

[BradfordBulls]

I always wonder why we're there.. 8 months of determination for one little taliban to kill you in an instant. Seems pointless.

 

[Paul-M]

Make sure you kill him first then !


Nah, being serious though, yeah I wonder what's the point all the time..

 

[TheBaker]

I always wonder why we're there.. 8 months of determination for one little taliban to kill you in an instant. Seems pointless.

Yes...you could get shot, that's a risk of the job, what's the deal?

One little taliban??

I don't really belive in our presence over there or atleast I didn't before but after looking into it more I can see that we're helping or atleast trying to.. Iraq on the other hand..

 

[CommandoJ]

i to wonder why we are there but.......

i am joining as i want the camaraderie, and to feel proud and the stuff you feel once you have earnt it.

i don't think anyone can explain, although people come close,

i think we all agree that this ''feeling'' why we want to join can never be explained.

cj

 

[Robbie Spice]

Well I'm signing up for all the reasons stated earlier but I'm mainly signing up because I want to be on the frontline and fight. I don't care where, whether it be in the middle east, africa, europe, south America or where ever. I like the idea of being extremely hardcore. I know some people might say well join the legion, but it's not the same. I'll be fighting for queen and country and taking on anyone. Doing my little bit i guess to hopefully help the world etc. I really need the buzz though... There's a something that needs to be fulfilled.

 

[BradfordBulls]

umm

Yes...you could get shot, that's a risk of the job, what's the deal?

One little taliban??

I don't really belive in our presence over there or atleast I didn't before but after looking into it more I can see that we're helping or atleast trying to.. Iraq on the other hand..

All I was saying was it seems pointless to die for a cause that so many people don't see when you've put so much effort and determination into being there.

 

[Matt2085]

I can see the point in Afgan, but not Iraq.

Afganistan seems to be helping the people against the Taliban to give them a better life - just as I hope someone would help the UK if it ever happened here.

Iraq seems to be about oil...

Though I havent researched thoroughly, just what I've read while browsing - please feel free to correct me *text deleted*

 

[TheYeti]

i think we all agree that this ''feeling'' why we want to join can never be explained.

I can explain it.

Good PR.

 

[Boataimer]

im reading a book called the kite runner at the mo, and whilst it is just a story theres a hell of a lot truth in it about the way the taliban treat people.

should i pass out and earn that green beret i have no problem with going out and killing them *text deleted**text deleted*ers, because at the back of my mind for every 10 people that wana kill me, i know theres 50 people that im helping and that are glad we are there.

*text deleted**text deleted* politics, i just wana wipe out bad guys and let good people get on with their lives.

everyones different though, thats just how i feel.

 

[TheBaker]

All I was saying was it seems pointless to die for a cause that so many people don't see when you've put so much effort and determination into being there.

I think I see what you mean, like you'd rather die fighting defending your country rather than in some other country that you didn't really need to be in.

im reading a book called the kite runner at the mo, and whilst it is just a story theres a hell of a lot truth in it about the way the taliban treat people.

should i pass out and earn that green beret i have no problem with going out and killing them *text deleted**text deleted*ers, because at the back of my mind for every 10 people that wana kill me, i know theres 50 people that im helping and that are glad we are there.

*text deleted**text deleted* politics, i just wana wipe out bad guys and let good people get on with their lives.

everyones different though, thats just how i feel.

I'm 100% with you there.

 

[Blanio]

There's something wrong with you if these doubts etc don't pass through your mind.

I went through a big stage of thinking but came to a conclusion:

I don't want to go through my life thinking - what if I joined the Royal Marines. I don't want to grow old with no real stories to tell my Grand-children.

My reason for being there would be to seek revenge for all the fallen and injured soldiers that have already been there and for the victims of the 9/11 and 7/7 incidents - regardless of where they happened, the people killed were innocent human beings.

Hope this helps.

 

[Robbie Spice]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r0KpWMNxnM

Just been listening to this song its kinda fitting for this thread. It's about vietnam though.

But it has the lyrics to read andit's pretty cool.

 

[smallzy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r0KpWMNxnM

Just been listening to this song its kinda fitting for this thread. It's about vietnam though.

But it has the lyrics to read andit's pretty cool.

*text deleted*

this is one of my favourite songs, it's sort of a parody song on american patriotism and country music but it's still fitting for us Brits *text deleted*.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd8MG0NplF0&feature=related

 

[Sotiris]

There's something wrong with you if these doubts etc don't pass through your mind.

I went through a big stage of thinking but came to a conclusion:

I don't want to go through my life thinking - what if I joined the Royal Marines. I don't want to grow old with no real stories to tell my Grand-children.

My reason for being there would be to seek revenge for all the fallen and injured soldiers that have already been there and for the victims of the 9/11 and 7/7 incidents - regardless of where they happened, the people killed were innocent human beings.

Hope this helps.

Brilliant post Blanio...that's more or less what I told my dad last night.

I'd hate to think "what if" in 20 years time.

Another reason I justify it to myself is, I want to be a soldier. I want to be one of the best soldiers..a Commando. Unfortunately being a Commando at this point in time means doing a job that I don't totally agree with, unlike the Falklands war. However, it would be totally hypocritical and cowardly of me to pick and choose the timing of my service to best suite my safety. The time is here, the time is now!

And at the end of the day, the Taliban are d!ck heads so the world wouldn't be a worse place without them, cue the Commandos!

 

[AdmiralAwesome]

I believe in what we're doing in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Saddam Hussein wasn't the threat he was made out to be at the time, but 10-15 years from now? I believe he'd have had the power to throw the entire Middle East into chaos. With hindsight, when would you have taken on Hitler, 1935, or waited untill 1939? Ideally, we should have taken out Saddam in 1991, with the Iraqi army already smashed, the population discontented and mutinous and the Kurds in open revolt (shamefully, we're the ones who talked them into revolting against Saddam, changed our plan and left them to die.) I hate the fact we were lied to, and I hate the handling of the war and the occupation (the Americans shouldn't have bombed everything in sight and let the Iraqis riot and loot), but I think Iraq was a war we were going to have to fight eventually, why not do it when Saddam is weak, rather than wait untill he's built up his forces?

 

[Tb1]

I agree with AdmiralAwesome we should have sorted Iraq out in the first Gulf war. President Bush senior encouraged the Iraqis to rise up against Saddam however did not back this up, and people wonder why they don't trust Westerners and we have the problems we have today.

 

[Aspiring87]

The way i see it, more with Afghan, we should tell all the civillians who want the taliban to diseapear to leave the country via certain border controls...if any known taliban leaders try and sneak there way out then we'd take them down, then once all the civvies are out who's ever left would get whats been coming to them...a couple of nukes dropped on there nonce....then let everyone back in and build the country from scratch....if only it was easy as that.... :blink1:

 

[Aspiring87]

I never said it was the finished article! *text deleted* few minor issues may need to be ironed out...:wink: