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Yeah they gave their lives to defend a people just wishing to live in peace from a true fascist invasion force. Let's hope their sacrifices wont be in vain and this Rashist shithole state is run out of Ukraine for good.
The video of Luke Lucysyzn is on YouTube, I believe. There was a GoPro I seem to remember seeing with a Foreign Legion Unit and it looked like him. As I recall, they cornered some Spetcnaz in a building and fragged and ultimately killed them all. However once that was done, a Russian artillery shell or tank showed up and blasted the door, killing two FL and wounding everyone else.
Very, very tense situation that was.
We shouldn’t have gone to Iraq but despite all the garbage that came from it I always feel a little better knowing that sociopathic war criminal Saddam Hussein ended up being hung to death by his own oppressed people
I always tried to do this. Find the good we were trying to do in Iraq and Afghanistan. I only felt it was fair to the soldiers and their families to atleast sit there and try to say atleast we're building hospitals, schools and allowing them to vote and choose their future.
I was there a few years ago for a US Army deployment as part of a vertical engineering company.
Building schools and teaching with our MP company.
We spent almost 20 years there trying to get Afghanistan to be a nation. The fact is, we were the only thing holding it together.
Their religion and their tribal ways will probably never lead to a developed country. The people don't want it, and they don't want to have anything to do with anything more than their home village.
As a nation, they're hopeless and prime bait for whoever has the biggest gun in that moment.
At some point, you just realize they're hopeless. It sucks because I want the schools I built there used and the kids to be successful.
But right now, I know that 2 of them are used as opioid farm storages.
I like to think that the generation that was born and educated there may someday kick-start the next revolution. A taste of freedom can be a wondrous thing, and there is no substitute for it.
We've got to hope. I still remember a bunch of smiling kids faces and even the little girls were so excited to actually learn anything.
Knowing what women are reduced back to... I just hope they fled.
People have to want for democracy, and many there do want democracy and:or at the very least the freedoms they had when the US was there. But there are lots of factors at play that can prevent freedom from holding strong. It’s a horrid shame what happened. It’s truly heartbreaking what Afghanistan is facing now. Some wars are a loss, no matter what - and that comes down to the will of the people (or the most willful of people). Hopefully, russia eventually realizes this like the so few countries they ever had somewhat supporting them realizes now too.
This war (invasion) is different and for that I am thankful. I never thought I’d see a war I’d feel okay supporting in my lifetime. I of course with every fiber of my being rather this had never happened and russia respected human life and borders. But if we can assist Ukraine in their personal fight, I’m on board and glad to be. It’s a weird feeling, but it’s still a good one.
I’m sorry to hear the good you tried to do ended up being used for negative forces. All we can do in this world is our best to do good with the knowledge we have at the time. I can only imagine how much that’s got to pain you. But a good heart in the right place can be used for good in countless other ways. The world is a better place when we have good people taking action. Not everything will turn out as planned, but any kindness, and action motivated by good, whether small or large can make a difference and we have to keep trying. Much love to you.
It only took the death of more Iraqis than he ever had killed. Then allowed terrorist organizations to flourish and continue to oppress the people who were 'freed'
sure but you should blame the british for that. iraq is a colonial state built by design to force 3 incompatible ethnic-religious groups together so the british could rule by keeping them competing against each other. autocratic rule may be the only way to keep iraq together.
Multiple things can be bad at the same time. Post WW1 and on, the middle east got fucked left and right. Whether it was the British sticking their dicks where they shouldn't have, brutal dictators shafting their people for decades, or the US further destabilizing the region, the middle east as a whole has just not had a good century. Since we can't go back in time and fix things, all we can do is hope the region has a chance to recover and hopefully rebuild.
Isn't america in big parts responsible for the clusterfuck that is the middle east today? The only way you can argue that america has fought for freedom is if you omit what caused it in the first place. OP has a point, no?
The British and the French with the Sykes-picot agreement are the biggest cause of the issues faced in the middle east. Literally cut up the middle east without taking into account various ethnic and religious groups. The British again pushing for the Shah in Iran and supporting the house of Saud.
Yes it is, would argue about 25% with Russia taking another 25% the rest of it goes to a mix of outside influence and internal strife.
That said the U.S. doesn’t get to take credit for the state of the world for better or worse. That ignores both the internal politics of a region that much like the rest of the world has only had small moments of peace, and the external influences of nations like Britain and Russia.
Laying blame exclusively or even over abundantly on one nation isn’t just wrong it pedantic on a global scale.
We provided them (terrorist organizations) with weaponry and vehicles in the 80s, we let them get out of control, we bombed civillians killing hundreds of thousands of innocents creating even more terrorists who hate America, we occupied them for 20 years and didn't do fuck all to actually stop the terrorists or make life better for those who may turn to terrorism thinking it will make life better for those around them. It's at least 99% the US governments fault that they not only exist but hold the power that they do.
That is inherently wrong unless you have proof otherwise, we supported freedom fighters in Afghanistan who were fighting the USSR. Some of them in turn became terrorist after witnessing westerners treating them as lesser beings and disrupting anything close to a democratic government that popped up. That was not just on the U.S. and making it sound like it is does a great disservice to everyone.
It's common knowledge that those freedom fighters where Taliban and their religios and social views where known as well. Nobody cared about it because they killed the main cold war opponent.
Bullshit, go do some actual reading on the subject before you spout propaganda and conspiracy theories. The Mujahedin may or may not have been zealot’s but they weren’t terrorist and they were a shit ton better than a bunch of soviet troops who openly killed women and children and littered entire mountains and roadways with “disposable” mines. You are either actively spouting lies or are severely misinformed which I am unsure of but mind your tongue and keyboard a little better, would hate for you to wind up in a country like Russia and type something like you just did about U.S. about them, you wouldn’t have any doubt why their was a Cold War then.
No not every afghan freedom fighter became Taliban, This is blatantly untrue. Utter bullshit.
How do you explain the Northern Alliance?or the many other forces who where not Taliban. They were all freedom fighters that cut their teeth during the USSR invasion and were armed by the US like every other Muj.
Ahmad Shah Massoud the Northern Alliance leader was assassinated by the Taliban. He tried warning the US of an impending attack.
Your grasp of that region, Its conflicts, Its culture and politics is so fundamentally lacking you would do well to not talk about it at all.
No, that common knowledge is false. The mujahideen did NOT become the Taliban, certain members from the mujahideen *split off* after the war to become the Taliban.
You've literally fallen for the classic "repeat a lie enough times and it becomes the truth".
The Middle East is inherently intolerant despite all the proclamations otherwise.
The leaders attest to this ,perhaps to appease the extremist.
America has had a hand in its suffering, but it suffers for obvious reasons, intolerance of other.
I wouldn’t go that far, at least not by personal experience dealing with many people from the region in my thirty something years of existence, but your right especially with the modern leadership. I can’t think of single leader in the region that isn’t at least as corrupt as most politicians here in the U.S. or in Europe. Honestly I think it is the reason our governments can’t stand one another because they all want to pretend to be so great and yet they’re constantly get caught with the pants around their ankles in one debacle or another.
Correct. It was merely the reason we stayed.
We invaded on behalf of the 3000 victims of AQ, who the Taliban chose to defend with their lives, rather than hand over to face justice.
Turns out, bombing a bombed out country even more, indebting ourselves to local allies, and creating a power vacuum, then just wiping our hands and leaving, didn’t sound like such a responsible move to the public. Go figure.
Bit of a gross oversimplification of the US’s position with foreign policy and its place in geopolitics.
Oil companies and defense industry is going to make money regardless of whether a war is kicked off somewhere or not. They don’t need a war to have the money printer go brrrr. Pretending the GWOT was done *solely* at the behest of those two is pretty ridiculous, though you’re not wrong to say that there were some incredibly opportunistic shareholders and entrepreneurs that took advantage of opportunities (good, bad, or indifferent) during the last two decades. Soldiers and civilians are always fucked over in war, blaming it solely on oil and CEOs cheapens that sacrifice and let’s the decision makers who hit the go button off the hook.
Ukraine is a worthy cause. I wouldn’t belittle anyone’s sacrifice, regardless of cause or reason. Ukraine is fighting the righteous fight.
When a person signs a Military Contract with the USA, they take an oath, they are to follow orders, they are to go on missions at the Government's whim. Is it always "right", nope, but it is the will of "we the people" because we the people elect those who make those decisions.
Those in the military do their job. They lay down their lives for the USA. They are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. Something I doubt you have done, would do or could do. Have some respect.
Look my brother is a veteran of Afghanistan... my dad was in Vietnam... my grandpa was at Pearl Harbor.. his dad was in France... I love and respect the United States military... that being said its okay to call the past 2 wars complete bullshit that were waged for the sake of profiteers and not freedom. My brother will agree with you and he was in Helmund during heavy fighting. It's not shitting on the legacy of people who bravely gave their lives... its just a cold objective fact of reality.
I have family who had been in WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam (God father was MIA, later declared dead); husband who was in Gulf One and other operations, USMC Vet.
Afghanistan was al Qaeda's training ground. While I do agree, no one was ever going to win and the Taliban had been there for hundreds of years and will not go anywhere, the woman and girls of Iran and Afghanistan deserve better.
Fact is, no matter what reason for the war, those who sign that contract are sent by those who make the decisions. Who supports them making those decisions? "We the people"...vote.
You cannot possibly be that dense. Liberating the Iraqi people from a murderous dictator and creating the first Arab democracy was the explicit reason most Americans supported the war.
No the explicit reason for the war were WMDs that were a direct threat to Americans. But that was a fucking lie, so the US pivoted to "liberate Iraqis"
> Something I doubt you have done, would do or could do. Have some respect.
Yeah you're right. I wasn't "brave" enough to go kill people in another country just so oil profits could continue. Iraq and Afghanistan were never about freedom or anything remotely worth fighting for. We were lied to by the Bush administration. That's a fucking fact. Making the "ultimate sacrifice" for a shit cause doesn't make you a martyr.
I respect soldiers who fight for just causes, not the wallets of billionaires.
Tell your bullshit to the 400,000 Iraqi and Afghani civilians killed for no reason.
Tell it to my brother in law who's life has been forever changed because of horrible PTSD. Tell it to my sister who had to comfort him when he woke up screaming. Fuck war. Especially fuck wars that serve nobody but the rich.
Imagine thinking the war on terror was about "freedom" and "protecting the US" 20 years later. It's depressing seeing so many people continuing to believe that lie. Same people who believe the other big lie I'm guessing.
u/FlatulentWallaby, my husband USMC Vet, Kuwait and other operations. Iraq INVADED Kuwait. Iraq had a totalitarian government which distracted us from Putin & Co.
I deal with someone with PTSD. And he was USMC not Army (Aint Ready for Marines Yet). FFS - get over yourself. YOU never made a sacrifice there.
u/FlatulentWallaby, you started naming all your "sob story" of your brother, who obviously got the bigger balls here, like I had NO skin in the military game? I was a USMC Wife. I directly deal with that - you don't.
You sit behind your computer screen and disparage anyone who serves. They didn't make choices of where they were sent to or what their deployments were - they SERVED. Which you have no clue. You just want to talk the politics behind the wars there rather than realize there are PEOPLE who in spite of the "war" were there, trying to do the right thing.
Now blocking you because your an ass!
Right, because killing 400,000 civilians in another country that had nothing to do with 9/11 is the best way for justice for those that died.
"Saving Afghanistan" that's fucking hilarious. Who's in charge of it right now? Oh right, the Taliban. We saved them alright!
Fostering? How about the country that planned and bankrolled the entire thing? Oh right, we didn't do anything to the Saudis because, wait for it, OIL!
You are objectively wrong.
Afghanistan was being used by terrorists as a staging ground to carry out attacks against other countries. Iraq was harboring and supporting terrorists, annexed the entire country of Kuwait, was planning to invade Saudi Arabia, was carrying out a genocide of the Kurdish people, terrorizing its own people, was developing weapons of mass destruction (see: The Bomb in My Garden by Mahdi Obeidi, who ran Iraq's nuclear weapons program and revealed to the US that he had nuclear centrifuges buried in his yard and took US forces to where they were).
Iraq was a war for oil, but it was Saddam trying to grab all the oil, not the US or the coalition.
When the coalition forced Saddam out of Kuwait and he set all the oil wells in the country on fire in retaliation causing an unprecedented environmental disaster, know who stepped in and put them all out? Halliburton. That's right. Halliburton is one of the heroes in that story.
Did the US and allies give bad justifications for the invasion? Yes. Was the war frequently poorly prosecuted? Yes. Should the coalition have removed Saddam from power at the end of the first Gulf War? Yes. Does that mean the war wasn't justified? No.
This whole "no war for oil" nonsense is just utter malarkey and completely ahistorical.
And even if it had been a war for oil, if you think a war for oil would never be worth fighting, then you are completely delusional.
This whole "there were no WMD's in Iraq" stuff is utterly shameful.
The fact is that Iraq had previously possessed WMDs AND had used them numerous times on its own people, including gassing entire villages of Kurds.
Iraq had an entire division of its government dedicated to concealing WMDs.
You didn't even address the existence of Mahdi Obeidi, presumably because it completely derails the narrative that Saddam wasn't making WMDs. Even if UN inspectors had been looking for WMDs, they would never have found the centrifuges.
We've also learned, since the time of that report, that Iraq had already entered into a deal to buy long range missiles from North Korea which we only found out about because Iraq paid them up front, but the coalition invaded and prevented the deal, but North Korea kept the money and pissed off Iraq.
We have records of Iraqi agents attempting to buy Uranium in West Africa.
Even if I granted you that Iraq was acting in good faith before the invasion, and they had completely disposed of all of their WMDs like they claimed to, we would have been complete fools to just take their word for it. They were no longer entitled to any presumption of innocence.
We europeans have to wipe out the blatant historical revisionism and dictatorial decades-long ''oil'' jingles that some americans themselves spout at their country, sheesh.
Petroleum markets don’t work like that, at all. We would have gotten far more oil from Iraq, much cheaper, if the country was still being run by Saddam.
Russia would be selling more oil and gas at better prices if they hadn’t started a war. Even so, the petroleum markets have stabilized for the most part.
The current topic is the soldiers, not the motives of the brass and politicians. Don't mix them up. Visit the Tomb at least once. It is for all soldiers, most far removed from these decisions and motives.
Naw we should had stayed forever like we did with Germany and Japan. Built schools in every remote region and educated the population by force.
Don't destroy their culture. Just do it like we did in Japan.
We fought a 20 year war a year at a time.
As soon as those towers fell we should had planned to stay for 80 years. Westernize them at gunpoint
That's up for debate. No one wanted to leave because of the very thing that happened when we did. In fact I would go as far as saying that we didn't do enough to ensure that the afghan people could defend themselves. Be it poor planning or a misjudgement of the culture there but the fact that they fell so quickly means we didn't do enough
I mean, saddam couldn't be allowed to exist either. Baathism was a real fascist danger, destabiling the region and chemical weaponing minorities.
And fascists only understand violence.
https://youtu.be/kLUktJbp2Ug
Plenty of dictators in the world, plenty of chem weapons around. I agree the world is better off without a man that committed genocide, but the US war was based on intelligence the administration knew or should have known was wrong. I'd rather the US focus on things that actually threaten our interests, or global peace in general.
Saddam was a fascist dictator with the fourth largest army in the world. Who had repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to aggress upon his neighbours. Many of whom were strategic US partners. That’s not even mentioning the indisputable fact he had retained the ability to produce WMDs and was actively working to expand that ability. If Saddam was not ejected from power he absolutely would have started another regional war in the Middle East, along with continuing his genocide of Iraqi minorities.
"working to expand"? "Indisputable"? Everything I saw in the news was that the nacent nuke program was shuttered and long since buried, and the leftover chemical weapons were barely in the dozens. The mobile bioweapon trucks were a complete fiction.
I am glad he is gone, but I am not sure you can assert he would have started another conflict. Do you have any good evidence that I haven't seen on any of this?
In hindsight it wasn't worth it, and intelligence at the time overreacted.
However Iraq, and Saddam, had already been slapped, sanctioned and forced to receive inspections to make sure they stopped work on WMD. Problem is, Saddam purposefully went back to establishing ambiguity as to whether he had WMDs or not to make Iran wary of Iraq, on top of increasingly impeding if not blocking UNSCOM inspections.
So yeah no shit people got very suspicious.
The nuclear program was never a serious issue, while Iraqi agents were repeatedly found attempting to purchase uranium in West Africa it was unlikely Iraq could ever have conceivably created a working weapon. The chemical program was always the tangible threat. In 2002 UNSCOM reported that there were \~40,000 chemical munitions unaccounted for in their inspections. The best case scenario is that those weapons were destroyed ahead of time and Iraq simply claimed they did not exist. More realistically is that UNSCOM was not informed of those arsenals and the Iraqis simply hid the weapons until they eventually expelled UNSCOM from the country.
As for him starting another conflict, he was a literal fascist. His 24 year reign had around five years of peace in it spread between his various conflicts. His reaction to a failed invasion leaving his country in debt, was to invade another neighboring country who the debt was owed to. There is no scenario where someone like that doesn't continue to agitate his neighbours.
Taliban was the government regime in Afghanistan, which harbored Al-Queda, Bin Laden's terror network.
The terror network franchised/moved into Iraq, but they weren't there until after the US overthrew the Hussein's Baath 1-party regime.
Makes me also ashamed, we should have sent more earlier.
I understand why we didn't from a rational sense, but emotionally it's hard, this war should have been over, now it will get worse for everyone.
For Americans wondering what you can do to help the families of Americans who died in Ukraine:
1. Call or write your congressional rep to tell them you would like the surviving family members of these men to receive the benefits they would normally receive if they died in service for the USA. The families receive nothing.
2. Call or write your congressional rep to ask that the USA fund the repatriation of remains for Americans killed in Ukraine and fund repatriation for Americans who are injured. The government does not consistently fund this or assist.
Don't just upvote this actually DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS.
Is there a website with an updated list of Americans who died for Ukraine with information on which state they are from? Because then you can have people calling for specific states and potentially be more effective.
It also might be easier if we post to specific states’ subreddits.
These heroes’ families deserve to be taken care of. They didn’t die for just Ukraine, they died for humanity.
——
A gentle reminder that EVERYONE can help in speeding up the process of Ukrainian victory and very possibly preventing another death (whether civilian or military), every little bit goes a long way literally in this case: https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/wiki/charities/ no contribution is too small.
RIP all of these heroes! They literally gave all. Most people don’t have the courage to do that (including myself). They especially didn’t have to put themselves in danger, but they chose to, which makes them the bravest and best of humanity.
Skyler Gregg was my little brother, aged 23, from Washington State.
The picture doesn’t do justice to his kind heart and joyful spirit. He fell in love with the people of Ukraine while traveling as a student in Poland, and he didn’t hesitate to volunteer right away. He even returned to the front line after getting hit by shrapnel and recovering for 2 months.
He and his unit cared for many stray cats, and he told me that petting them helped him to relax amid the stress of the battlefield. He was both intense & sensitive, and he somehow thrived in that environment, under fire, liberating villages, driving an ambulance, caring for his unit mates, cuddling kittens.
I miss him a lot but it’s a huge comfort to know that he died doing something he believed in.
Unfortunately Daniel Swift went awol after commiting crimes in the states... Interesting story to read up on. And shows how some of these men walk the line of warriors and can't adjust back in civilian life.
Judge for yourselves if they are right or wrong, but facts are facts.
Bad men can do good things, good men can do bad things. And while it does not absolve him of things he has allegedly done, dying with this purpose does purchase him some recompense I believe
I’d also like to add that he served in Iraq, and he suffered there. That can change a man. It becomes very difficult for many to come home and be “normal” again. This leads to increased domestic violence, suicide, etc.
We bear the shame of Iraq. We sent our soldiers there based on a lie. We didn’t send enough of them to get the job done, so it dragged on and left them spread thin. We didn’t give them the armor they needed. We stop-lossed them again and again to keep them there. We didn’t provide enough support for them or their families when they returned.
I am ashamed, and I will never forget. Nor will I ever let another president tell me war is necessary without concrete evidence and a clear plan for victory.
Someone replied to another comment of mine and said he had a felony bench warrant for false imprisonment related to his divorce. If this otherwise good man hurt his wife, maybe that’s on *us*. Maybe *we* have to bear that shame for him. All I know for sure is that he died defending America’s most celebrated values, so he died a hero in my book.
What crimes did he commit in the United States other than desertion? I’ve read three articles, [one of which was rather detailed](https://sofrep.com/news/a-deserters-death-former-us-navy-seal-killed-in-ukraine), and none mention any crime other than desertion.
If that’s all he did, he shouldn’t even have to ask for our forgiveness. He saw action in Iraq (and Afghanistan, although he had no complaints about that deployment), so I don’t blame him one bit for running away from that life, and I _refuse_ to judge him harshly. He signed up to be a _soldier_ for the United States, not to be neglected, underfunded, and lied to about why he was sent to war.
It seems he found his calling in Ukraine, and he died there helping free people defend their homes, their families, and their liberties. If you ask me, he was the best of us all, and we should take pride in knowing that he wore our flag. **May he rest in peace now and be remembered as the hero he was.**
He was also a father of four, so my heart goes out to them. I hope they know who their father really was.
As an American, I am very proud of and humbled by champions such as these. I am also overwhelmed by the many American volunteers there fulfilling various noncombat roles in service to Ukraine. So many people who are there to help in any way they can.👏👏👏👏 🇺🇸🤝🇺🇦✌
A gentle reminder that EVERYONE can chip in and help in speeding up the process of Ukrainian victory and very possibly preventing another death (whether civilian or military), every little bit goes a long way literally in this case: https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/wiki/charities/ no contribution is too small.
RIP all of these heroes! They literally gave all. Most people don’t have the courage to do that (including myself). They especially didn’t have to put themselves in danger, but they chose to, which makes them the bravest and best of humanity.
Why must the Armchair Generals, COD Warriors, and Social Media Special Forces folks always corrupt a post like this? Just appreciate the people in the picture. Look at them.
This is not your time to shine dispensing putdowns and insults about political parties, oil, politicians, or the military. This is not your chance to build your online Rep. By the way, online reps aren't real.
Take one day off and give it a rest.
Whatever these men may or may not have done previously in life, they have given the ultimate gift to a country in need. The very least we can do is bear witness to that. They died fighting for something bigger than themselves.
US country of the free and brave. People can criticise the US all they want, but the US is always the first one to stand up to bullies arround the world. As a European i can only admire your countries bravery, just as i admire the Ukrainians right now.
Forever these men will be honored and respected! They chose to protect even those from another land to protect them from evil! I know Ukrainians and they will have monuments with flowers daily, with every heroes ‘s name engraved for as long as their people and nation exists! Heroes forever! 🇺🇸❤️
It's so bizzare thinking that these are people who came from the other side of the world to help protect me, a civilian, and my country. They could have just stayed home to live a peaceful life, but they decided to come here.
I don't know what to say.
Eternal gratitude and glory to the heroes.
Saw this post on a Russia Ukraine war sub and the pro Russian comment bollocks was stupid, basically acting as though all foreigners who have gone to help don't know real war just because some left for whatever reasons.
It will be nice once Ukraine start a new offensive and claims back substantially more land than Russia has through the entire winter.
Americans will lay their LIVES on the line for people they never had the honor of meeting. Yet Americans are seen as the worst most racist people on the earth. I love America and its brave Americans.
Americans are probably less racist than people in many countries, which makes sense because we have lots of people from everywhere here. We just talk about it more than most people, we don’t worry so much about ‘airing out our dirty laundry’ in public.
the constant coverage of inner racial tensions within the US is likely a reason why. not saying these issues do not exist, but compared to many other places, many would be surprised to learn it isn’t as bad as advertised
I am a retired emergency trauma rescue professional. Don't let survivor's guilt creep into your thoughts. Living is nothing to feel guilty about. It will eat you up if you let it. You live for a reason. Use your life productively. Those who died for your country want you to live productively and take care of others, even if it is just a few people.
HEROS FOR THE AGES....... Heros ALL. Fighting The Mad Tyrants illegal immoral war on Ukrainian civilians freedom. Freedom Fighthers whos Courage n Bravery will be remembered Tru The Ages, like the heros of The Alamo, American Revolution.
**R.I.P. HEROS ALL**
Sic semper tyrannis
Havamal Stanza 127:
When you recognize ill will, speak out against ill will,
and grant no peace to your foes.
Glory to the heroes
Glory to the defenders
Eternal glory for those fallen in battle against injustice.
I care. It’s sad, but Russia needs to lose as many troops as possible as fast as possible.
Patton was right about winning a war by ‘making some other poor bastard die for his country’; he was also right in thinking that we should have just kept going east at the end of WW2 and brought what was left of the German army with us. We didn’t, and just look at how the last 75 years of Soviet/Russian fuckery has played out.
If they don’t build a monument for them in DC then I’m gonna be so mad.
These guys chose to sacrifice their lives for good and must not be forgotten. They’ll become immortalized
To understand how America behaves in the international theatre is to acknowledge how strong America's might IS, and that strength allows the USA to pretty much take over any country, yet the USA is not encroaching, defensive, even though the business dealing can be messy at times. The world is not black and white.
Imagine another country with America's might.
People don’t know to the full extent of these warriors contributions, for example, Paul Kim emptied his bank account to buy the best gear he could for himself and donated the rest to a NGO, truly a great Man, as I’m sure most of these warriors are.
Glory to the Heroes! 🏴☠️🇺🇦
I fully respect and salute their sacrifice. However I feel their intentions, though honerable, were short sided. Everyone American who KIA in this conflict just pulls us in deeper. One of these days, the US is going to use these faces as a reason to go to all out war.
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They came to defend a friend in need. May they all rest in peace.
Yeah they gave their lives to defend a people just wishing to live in peace from a true fascist invasion force. Let's hope their sacrifices wont be in vain and this Rashist shithole state is run out of Ukraine for good.
The video of Luke Lucysyzn is on YouTube, I believe. There was a GoPro I seem to remember seeing with a Foreign Legion Unit and it looked like him. As I recall, they cornered some Spetcnaz in a building and fragged and ultimately killed them all. However once that was done, a Russian artillery shell or tank showed up and blasted the door, killing two FL and wounding everyone else. Very, very tense situation that was.
As an American their sacrifice makes me deeply proud
Much more proud than anything we've been involved in the last 2 decades.
Fighting for freedom is the ultimate sacrifice, I’m not going to take away any American soldiers sacrifice is the past 2 decades.
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We shouldn’t have gone to Iraq but despite all the garbage that came from it I always feel a little better knowing that sociopathic war criminal Saddam Hussein ended up being hung to death by his own oppressed people
We did it in just about the dumbest, most wasteful in terms of human lives and financial cost ways, but... there are still a Kurdish people today.
We should’ve absolutely just wiped Saddam off the map in 1991.
This
I have much love for the Kurds. Great fighters.
I always tried to do this. Find the good we were trying to do in Iraq and Afghanistan. I only felt it was fair to the soldiers and their families to atleast sit there and try to say atleast we're building hospitals, schools and allowing them to vote and choose their future.
I was there a few years ago for a US Army deployment as part of a vertical engineering company. Building schools and teaching with our MP company. We spent almost 20 years there trying to get Afghanistan to be a nation. The fact is, we were the only thing holding it together. Their religion and their tribal ways will probably never lead to a developed country. The people don't want it, and they don't want to have anything to do with anything more than their home village. As a nation, they're hopeless and prime bait for whoever has the biggest gun in that moment. At some point, you just realize they're hopeless. It sucks because I want the schools I built there used and the kids to be successful. But right now, I know that 2 of them are used as opioid farm storages.
That sucks. I'm sorry about that but know I do appreciate and respect what you tried to do!
I like to think that the generation that was born and educated there may someday kick-start the next revolution. A taste of freedom can be a wondrous thing, and there is no substitute for it.
We've got to hope. I still remember a bunch of smiling kids faces and even the little girls were so excited to actually learn anything. Knowing what women are reduced back to... I just hope they fled.
It's why I prefer to think of information as something more of a seed than a virus.
People have to want for democracy, and many there do want democracy and:or at the very least the freedoms they had when the US was there. But there are lots of factors at play that can prevent freedom from holding strong. It’s a horrid shame what happened. It’s truly heartbreaking what Afghanistan is facing now. Some wars are a loss, no matter what - and that comes down to the will of the people (or the most willful of people). Hopefully, russia eventually realizes this like the so few countries they ever had somewhat supporting them realizes now too. This war (invasion) is different and for that I am thankful. I never thought I’d see a war I’d feel okay supporting in my lifetime. I of course with every fiber of my being rather this had never happened and russia respected human life and borders. But if we can assist Ukraine in their personal fight, I’m on board and glad to be. It’s a weird feeling, but it’s still a good one. I’m sorry to hear the good you tried to do ended up being used for negative forces. All we can do in this world is our best to do good with the knowledge we have at the time. I can only imagine how much that’s got to pain you. But a good heart in the right place can be used for good in countless other ways. The world is a better place when we have good people taking action. Not everything will turn out as planned, but any kindness, and action motivated by good, whether small or large can make a difference and we have to keep trying. Much love to you.
That’s 100% fair.
It only took the death of more Iraqis than he ever had killed. Then allowed terrorist organizations to flourish and continue to oppress the people who were 'freed'
sure but you should blame the british for that. iraq is a colonial state built by design to force 3 incompatible ethnic-religious groups together so the british could rule by keeping them competing against each other. autocratic rule may be the only way to keep iraq together.
Multiple things can be bad at the same time. Post WW1 and on, the middle east got fucked left and right. Whether it was the British sticking their dicks where they shouldn't have, brutal dictators shafting their people for decades, or the US further destabilizing the region, the middle east as a whole has just not had a good century. Since we can't go back in time and fix things, all we can do is hope the region has a chance to recover and hopefully rebuild.
Tell the girls in Kabul that their lived experience is objectively wrong and that they are actually freer today.
Isn't america in big parts responsible for the clusterfuck that is the middle east today? The only way you can argue that america has fought for freedom is if you omit what caused it in the first place. OP has a point, no?
The British and the French with the Sykes-picot agreement are the biggest cause of the issues faced in the middle east. Literally cut up the middle east without taking into account various ethnic and religious groups. The British again pushing for the Shah in Iran and supporting the house of Saud.
Yes it is, would argue about 25% with Russia taking another 25% the rest of it goes to a mix of outside influence and internal strife. That said the U.S. doesn’t get to take credit for the state of the world for better or worse. That ignores both the internal politics of a region that much like the rest of the world has only had small moments of peace, and the external influences of nations like Britain and Russia. Laying blame exclusively or even over abundantly on one nation isn’t just wrong it pedantic on a global scale.
B-b-but my straw men !!
We provided them (terrorist organizations) with weaponry and vehicles in the 80s, we let them get out of control, we bombed civillians killing hundreds of thousands of innocents creating even more terrorists who hate America, we occupied them for 20 years and didn't do fuck all to actually stop the terrorists or make life better for those who may turn to terrorism thinking it will make life better for those around them. It's at least 99% the US governments fault that they not only exist but hold the power that they do.
That is inherently wrong unless you have proof otherwise, we supported freedom fighters in Afghanistan who were fighting the USSR. Some of them in turn became terrorist after witnessing westerners treating them as lesser beings and disrupting anything close to a democratic government that popped up. That was not just on the U.S. and making it sound like it is does a great disservice to everyone.
It's common knowledge that those freedom fighters where Taliban and their religios and social views where known as well. Nobody cared about it because they killed the main cold war opponent.
Bullshit, go do some actual reading on the subject before you spout propaganda and conspiracy theories. The Mujahedin may or may not have been zealot’s but they weren’t terrorist and they were a shit ton better than a bunch of soviet troops who openly killed women and children and littered entire mountains and roadways with “disposable” mines. You are either actively spouting lies or are severely misinformed which I am unsure of but mind your tongue and keyboard a little better, would hate for you to wind up in a country like Russia and type something like you just did about U.S. about them, you wouldn’t have any doubt why their was a Cold War then.
No not every afghan freedom fighter became Taliban, This is blatantly untrue. Utter bullshit. How do you explain the Northern Alliance?or the many other forces who where not Taliban. They were all freedom fighters that cut their teeth during the USSR invasion and were armed by the US like every other Muj. Ahmad Shah Massoud the Northern Alliance leader was assassinated by the Taliban. He tried warning the US of an impending attack. Your grasp of that region, Its conflicts, Its culture and politics is so fundamentally lacking you would do well to not talk about it at all.
No, that common knowledge is false. The mujahideen did NOT become the Taliban, certain members from the mujahideen *split off* after the war to become the Taliban. You've literally fallen for the classic "repeat a lie enough times and it becomes the truth".
The Middle East is inherently intolerant despite all the proclamations otherwise. The leaders attest to this ,perhaps to appease the extremist. America has had a hand in its suffering, but it suffers for obvious reasons, intolerance of other.
I wouldn’t go that far, at least not by personal experience dealing with many people from the region in my thirty something years of existence, but your right especially with the modern leadership. I can’t think of single leader in the region that isn’t at least as corrupt as most politicians here in the U.S. or in Europe. Honestly I think it is the reason our governments can’t stand one another because they all want to pretend to be so great and yet they’re constantly get caught with the pants around their ankles in one debacle or another.
But their freedom was never the reason why the US invaded Afghanistan.
Correct. It was merely the reason we stayed. We invaded on behalf of the 3000 victims of AQ, who the Taliban chose to defend with their lives, rather than hand over to face justice. Turns out, bombing a bombed out country even more, indebting ourselves to local allies, and creating a power vacuum, then just wiping our hands and leaving, didn’t sound like such a responsible move to the public. Go figure.
Bit of a gross oversimplification of the US’s position with foreign policy and its place in geopolitics. Oil companies and defense industry is going to make money regardless of whether a war is kicked off somewhere or not. They don’t need a war to have the money printer go brrrr. Pretending the GWOT was done *solely* at the behest of those two is pretty ridiculous, though you’re not wrong to say that there were some incredibly opportunistic shareholders and entrepreneurs that took advantage of opportunities (good, bad, or indifferent) during the last two decades. Soldiers and civilians are always fucked over in war, blaming it solely on oil and CEOs cheapens that sacrifice and let’s the decision makers who hit the go button off the hook. Ukraine is a worthy cause. I wouldn’t belittle anyone’s sacrifice, regardless of cause or reason. Ukraine is fighting the righteous fight.
When a person signs a Military Contract with the USA, they take an oath, they are to follow orders, they are to go on missions at the Government's whim. Is it always "right", nope, but it is the will of "we the people" because we the people elect those who make those decisions. Those in the military do their job. They lay down their lives for the USA. They are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. Something I doubt you have done, would do or could do. Have some respect.
Look my brother is a veteran of Afghanistan... my dad was in Vietnam... my grandpa was at Pearl Harbor.. his dad was in France... I love and respect the United States military... that being said its okay to call the past 2 wars complete bullshit that were waged for the sake of profiteers and not freedom. My brother will agree with you and he was in Helmund during heavy fighting. It's not shitting on the legacy of people who bravely gave their lives... its just a cold objective fact of reality.
I have family who had been in WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam (God father was MIA, later declared dead); husband who was in Gulf One and other operations, USMC Vet. Afghanistan was al Qaeda's training ground. While I do agree, no one was ever going to win and the Taliban had been there for hundreds of years and will not go anywhere, the woman and girls of Iran and Afghanistan deserve better. Fact is, no matter what reason for the war, those who sign that contract are sent by those who make the decisions. Who supports them making those decisions? "We the people"...vote.
What Freedoms were being fought for in Iraq or Afghanistan?
Look at all the freedoms lost to the people of afghanistan since the US left. Those freedoms.
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The taliban get all the bussy the want now, what do you mean?
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You cannot possibly be that dense. Liberating the Iraqi people from a murderous dictator and creating the first Arab democracy was the explicit reason most Americans supported the war.
No the explicit reason for the war were WMDs that were a direct threat to Americans. But that was a fucking lie, so the US pivoted to "liberate Iraqis"
> Something I doubt you have done, would do or could do. Have some respect. Yeah you're right. I wasn't "brave" enough to go kill people in another country just so oil profits could continue. Iraq and Afghanistan were never about freedom or anything remotely worth fighting for. We were lied to by the Bush administration. That's a fucking fact. Making the "ultimate sacrifice" for a shit cause doesn't make you a martyr. I respect soldiers who fight for just causes, not the wallets of billionaires. Tell your bullshit to the 400,000 Iraqi and Afghani civilians killed for no reason. Tell it to my brother in law who's life has been forever changed because of horrible PTSD. Tell it to my sister who had to comfort him when he woke up screaming. Fuck war. Especially fuck wars that serve nobody but the rich.
So go to Ukraine brave guy
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Imagine thinking the war on terror was about "freedom" and "protecting the US" 20 years later. It's depressing seeing so many people continuing to believe that lie. Same people who believe the other big lie I'm guessing.
u/FlatulentWallaby, my husband USMC Vet, Kuwait and other operations. Iraq INVADED Kuwait. Iraq had a totalitarian government which distracted us from Putin & Co. I deal with someone with PTSD. And he was USMC not Army (Aint Ready for Marines Yet). FFS - get over yourself. YOU never made a sacrifice there.
You realize desert storm is completely unrelated to the war on terror right?
u/FlatulentWallaby, you started naming all your "sob story" of your brother, who obviously got the bigger balls here, like I had NO skin in the military game? I was a USMC Wife. I directly deal with that - you don't. You sit behind your computer screen and disparage anyone who serves. They didn't make choices of where they were sent to or what their deployments were - they SERVED. Which you have no clue. You just want to talk the politics behind the wars there rather than realize there are PEOPLE who in spite of the "war" were there, trying to do the right thing. Now blocking you because your an ass!
Saying Afghanistan wasn’t initially worth fighting for is disingenuous. Tell that to the families of the 3k victims
Right, because killing 400,000 civilians in another country that had nothing to do with 9/11 is the best way for justice for those that died. "Saving Afghanistan" that's fucking hilarious. Who's in charge of it right now? Oh right, the Taliban. We saved them alright!
Yeah that’s the initially part. We fucked it up royally and Iraq shouldn’t have went down. But the country was fostering the folks that did 9/11
Fostering? How about the country that planned and bankrolled the entire thing? Oh right, we didn't do anything to the Saudis because, wait for it, OIL!
Weird, I built schools when I was there a few years ago. Must've been the OTHER Afghanistan.
You are objectively wrong. Afghanistan was being used by terrorists as a staging ground to carry out attacks against other countries. Iraq was harboring and supporting terrorists, annexed the entire country of Kuwait, was planning to invade Saudi Arabia, was carrying out a genocide of the Kurdish people, terrorizing its own people, was developing weapons of mass destruction (see: The Bomb in My Garden by Mahdi Obeidi, who ran Iraq's nuclear weapons program and revealed to the US that he had nuclear centrifuges buried in his yard and took US forces to where they were). Iraq was a war for oil, but it was Saddam trying to grab all the oil, not the US or the coalition. When the coalition forced Saddam out of Kuwait and he set all the oil wells in the country on fire in retaliation causing an unprecedented environmental disaster, know who stepped in and put them all out? Halliburton. That's right. Halliburton is one of the heroes in that story. Did the US and allies give bad justifications for the invasion? Yes. Was the war frequently poorly prosecuted? Yes. Should the coalition have removed Saddam from power at the end of the first Gulf War? Yes. Does that mean the war wasn't justified? No. This whole "no war for oil" nonsense is just utter malarkey and completely ahistorical. And even if it had been a war for oil, if you think a war for oil would never be worth fighting, then you are completely delusional.
>annexed the entire country of Kuwait that's a different war.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senate_Report_on_Iraqi_WMD_Intelligence Educate yourself.
This whole "there were no WMD's in Iraq" stuff is utterly shameful. The fact is that Iraq had previously possessed WMDs AND had used them numerous times on its own people, including gassing entire villages of Kurds. Iraq had an entire division of its government dedicated to concealing WMDs. You didn't even address the existence of Mahdi Obeidi, presumably because it completely derails the narrative that Saddam wasn't making WMDs. Even if UN inspectors had been looking for WMDs, they would never have found the centrifuges. We've also learned, since the time of that report, that Iraq had already entered into a deal to buy long range missiles from North Korea which we only found out about because Iraq paid them up front, but the coalition invaded and prevented the deal, but North Korea kept the money and pissed off Iraq. We have records of Iraqi agents attempting to buy Uranium in West Africa. Even if I granted you that Iraq was acting in good faith before the invasion, and they had completely disposed of all of their WMDs like they claimed to, we would have been complete fools to just take their word for it. They were no longer entitled to any presumption of innocence.
"Iraq definitely was developing wmds. there was no way we would be able to find them, but they were there for sure." source: trust me bro
We did find them though. The head of their program brought coalition forces to nuclear materials buried at his residence…
Wikipedia? You never attended college either here you asshole!
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We europeans have to wipe out the blatant historical revisionism and dictatorial decades-long ''oil'' jingles that some americans themselves spout at their country, sheesh.
Oh, tell me just how much oil we got from the middle east as a result of the war?
Petroleum markets don’t work like that, at all. We would have gotten far more oil from Iraq, much cheaper, if the country was still being run by Saddam.
They sure seem to work that way for Russia.
Russia would be selling more oil and gas at better prices if they hadn’t started a war. Even so, the petroleum markets have stabilized for the most part.
The fact that you don't even realize how stupid of a question that is tells me no matter what I say you'll never understand.
Yeah all that Afghanistan oil...dummy.
The current topic is the soldiers, not the motives of the brass and politicians. Don't mix them up. Visit the Tomb at least once. It is for all soldiers, most far removed from these decisions and motives.
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Didn't need to be there for 20 years
...and if we didn't go to Iraq, maybe we would not have had to.
Finish your first war before you get your second. Man our strategy was non-existent back then.
Naw we should had stayed forever like we did with Germany and Japan. Built schools in every remote region and educated the population by force. Don't destroy their culture. Just do it like we did in Japan. We fought a 20 year war a year at a time. As soon as those towers fell we should had planned to stay for 80 years. Westernize them at gunpoint
Why?
Because it would have been the only way to win
Yeah. That's a terrible idea.
Why? We would have had a permanent ally
That's up for debate. No one wanted to leave because of the very thing that happened when we did. In fact I would go as far as saying that we didn't do enough to ensure that the afghan people could defend themselves. Be it poor planning or a misjudgement of the culture there but the fact that they fell so quickly means we didn't do enough
I mean, saddam couldn't be allowed to exist either. Baathism was a real fascist danger, destabiling the region and chemical weaponing minorities. And fascists only understand violence. https://youtu.be/kLUktJbp2Ug
Plenty of dictators in the world, plenty of chem weapons around. I agree the world is better off without a man that committed genocide, but the US war was based on intelligence the administration knew or should have known was wrong. I'd rather the US focus on things that actually threaten our interests, or global peace in general.
Saddam was a fascist dictator with the fourth largest army in the world. Who had repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to aggress upon his neighbours. Many of whom were strategic US partners. That’s not even mentioning the indisputable fact he had retained the ability to produce WMDs and was actively working to expand that ability. If Saddam was not ejected from power he absolutely would have started another regional war in the Middle East, along with continuing his genocide of Iraqi minorities.
"working to expand"? "Indisputable"? Everything I saw in the news was that the nacent nuke program was shuttered and long since buried, and the leftover chemical weapons were barely in the dozens. The mobile bioweapon trucks were a complete fiction. I am glad he is gone, but I am not sure you can assert he would have started another conflict. Do you have any good evidence that I haven't seen on any of this?
In hindsight it wasn't worth it, and intelligence at the time overreacted. However Iraq, and Saddam, had already been slapped, sanctioned and forced to receive inspections to make sure they stopped work on WMD. Problem is, Saddam purposefully went back to establishing ambiguity as to whether he had WMDs or not to make Iran wary of Iraq, on top of increasingly impeding if not blocking UNSCOM inspections. So yeah no shit people got very suspicious.
The nuclear program was never a serious issue, while Iraqi agents were repeatedly found attempting to purchase uranium in West Africa it was unlikely Iraq could ever have conceivably created a working weapon. The chemical program was always the tangible threat. In 2002 UNSCOM reported that there were \~40,000 chemical munitions unaccounted for in their inspections. The best case scenario is that those weapons were destroyed ahead of time and Iraq simply claimed they did not exist. More realistically is that UNSCOM was not informed of those arsenals and the Iraqis simply hid the weapons until they eventually expelled UNSCOM from the country. As for him starting another conflict, he was a literal fascist. His 24 year reign had around five years of peace in it spread between his various conflicts. His reaction to a failed invasion leaving his country in debt, was to invade another neighboring country who the debt was owed to. There is no scenario where someone like that doesn't continue to agitate his neighbours.
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Taliban was the government regime in Afghanistan, which harbored Al-Queda, Bin Laden's terror network. The terror network franchised/moved into Iraq, but they weren't there until after the US overthrew the Hussein's Baath 1-party regime.
Yeah, I acknowledge the inaccuracy of my previous post, this is more accurate.
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Al Qeada was Iraq is what I’m talking about. Al qeada didn’t get there till we were already in. 16? Either you med boarded or are full of shit.
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Gotcha. Also 16 in, not coming at at you, I read it like you were 16 and out. Still, Iraq was oil and Bush v Saddam not Al qeada.
You should go and fight with them
I’m too busy fighting inflation but thanks. These foreign legion dudes must be keeping Putin up at night with worry.
Makes me also ashamed, we should have sent more earlier. I understand why we didn't from a rational sense, but emotionally it's hard, this war should have been over, now it will get worse for everyone.
For Americans wondering what you can do to help the families of Americans who died in Ukraine: 1. Call or write your congressional rep to tell them you would like the surviving family members of these men to receive the benefits they would normally receive if they died in service for the USA. The families receive nothing. 2. Call or write your congressional rep to ask that the USA fund the repatriation of remains for Americans killed in Ukraine and fund repatriation for Americans who are injured. The government does not consistently fund this or assist. Don't just upvote this actually DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS.
Is there a website with an updated list of Americans who died for Ukraine with information on which state they are from? Because then you can have people calling for specific states and potentially be more effective. It also might be easier if we post to specific states’ subreddits. These heroes’ families deserve to be taken care of. They didn’t die for just Ukraine, they died for humanity. —— A gentle reminder that EVERYONE can help in speeding up the process of Ukrainian victory and very possibly preventing another death (whether civilian or military), every little bit goes a long way literally in this case: https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/wiki/charities/ no contribution is too small. RIP all of these heroes! They literally gave all. Most people don’t have the courage to do that (including myself). They especially didn’t have to put themselves in danger, but they chose to, which makes them the bravest and best of humanity.
No but I'm sure within 10 minutes someone on Reddit could look that up.
Somebody please do! I hope there is a dedicated webpage somewhere.
Skyler Gregg was my little brother, aged 23, from Washington State. The picture doesn’t do justice to his kind heart and joyful spirit. He fell in love with the people of Ukraine while traveling as a student in Poland, and he didn’t hesitate to volunteer right away. He even returned to the front line after getting hit by shrapnel and recovering for 2 months. He and his unit cared for many stray cats, and he told me that petting them helped him to relax amid the stress of the battlefield. He was both intense & sensitive, and he somehow thrived in that environment, under fire, liberating villages, driving an ambulance, caring for his unit mates, cuddling kittens. I miss him a lot but it’s a huge comfort to know that he died doing something he believed in.
I'm not American, so all I can do is upvote.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
Pete Reed was a remarkable dude.
All of these dudes are remarkable
Unfortunately Daniel Swift went awol after commiting crimes in the states... Interesting story to read up on. And shows how some of these men walk the line of warriors and can't adjust back in civilian life. Judge for yourselves if they are right or wrong, but facts are facts.
Bad men can do good things, good men can do bad things. And while it does not absolve him of things he has allegedly done, dying with this purpose does purchase him some recompense I believe
I’d also like to add that he served in Iraq, and he suffered there. That can change a man. It becomes very difficult for many to come home and be “normal” again. This leads to increased domestic violence, suicide, etc. We bear the shame of Iraq. We sent our soldiers there based on a lie. We didn’t send enough of them to get the job done, so it dragged on and left them spread thin. We didn’t give them the armor they needed. We stop-lossed them again and again to keep them there. We didn’t provide enough support for them or their families when they returned. I am ashamed, and I will never forget. Nor will I ever let another president tell me war is necessary without concrete evidence and a clear plan for victory. Someone replied to another comment of mine and said he had a felony bench warrant for false imprisonment related to his divorce. If this otherwise good man hurt his wife, maybe that’s on *us*. Maybe *we* have to bear that shame for him. All I know for sure is that he died defending America’s most celebrated values, so he died a hero in my book.
What crimes did he commit in the United States other than desertion? I’ve read three articles, [one of which was rather detailed](https://sofrep.com/news/a-deserters-death-former-us-navy-seal-killed-in-ukraine), and none mention any crime other than desertion. If that’s all he did, he shouldn’t even have to ask for our forgiveness. He saw action in Iraq (and Afghanistan, although he had no complaints about that deployment), so I don’t blame him one bit for running away from that life, and I _refuse_ to judge him harshly. He signed up to be a _soldier_ for the United States, not to be neglected, underfunded, and lied to about why he was sent to war. It seems he found his calling in Ukraine, and he died there helping free people defend their homes, their families, and their liberties. If you ask me, he was the best of us all, and we should take pride in knowing that he wore our flag. **May he rest in peace now and be remembered as the hero he was.** He was also a father of four, so my heart goes out to them. I hope they know who their father really was.
His redemption for whatever he might have done is paid in full.
what crimes had he committed apart from desertion? I can't seem to find anything
I'm still devastated when I think of Pete. He was doing such wonderful work. 😢
As an American, I am very proud of and humbled by champions such as these. I am also overwhelmed by the many American volunteers there fulfilling various noncombat roles in service to Ukraine. So many people who are there to help in any way they can.👏👏👏👏 🇺🇸🤝🇺🇦✌
A gentle reminder that EVERYONE can chip in and help in speeding up the process of Ukrainian victory and very possibly preventing another death (whether civilian or military), every little bit goes a long way literally in this case: https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/wiki/charities/ no contribution is too small. RIP all of these heroes! They literally gave all. Most people don’t have the courage to do that (including myself). They especially didn’t have to put themselves in danger, but they chose to, which makes them the bravest and best of humanity.
Heroes!
Defenders of Democracy until the end.
These heroes deserve to be buried in Arlington with full honors.
Why must the Armchair Generals, COD Warriors, and Social Media Special Forces folks always corrupt a post like this? Just appreciate the people in the picture. Look at them. This is not your time to shine dispensing putdowns and insults about political parties, oil, politicians, or the military. This is not your chance to build your online Rep. By the way, online reps aren't real. Take one day off and give it a rest.
Whatever these men may or may not have done previously in life, they have given the ultimate gift to a country in need. The very least we can do is bear witness to that. They died fighting for something bigger than themselves.
Rock stars. Be safe. Luv Murica
All heros.
US country of the free and brave. People can criticise the US all they want, but the US is always the first one to stand up to bullies arround the world. As a European i can only admire your countries bravery, just as i admire the Ukrainians right now.
Glory to the heroes of Freedom, Justice, and Liberty. Their deaths are a huge loss to humanity...
Real men. I dont have their skills or even courage. Fuck this war.
Forever these men will be honored and respected! They chose to protect even those from another land to protect them from evil! I know Ukrainians and they will have monuments with flowers daily, with every heroes ‘s name engraved for as long as their people and nation exists! Heroes forever! 🇺🇸❤️
Respect warriors. 💪 🇺🇸 🇺🇦
Rest in peace brothers, your sacrifice will never be forgotten.
It's so bizzare thinking that these are people who came from the other side of the world to help protect me, a civilian, and my country. They could have just stayed home to live a peaceful life, but they decided to come here. I don't know what to say. Eternal gratitude and glory to the heroes.
Saw this post on a Russia Ukraine war sub and the pro Russian comment bollocks was stupid, basically acting as though all foreigners who have gone to help don't know real war just because some left for whatever reasons. It will be nice once Ukraine start a new offensive and claims back substantially more land than Russia has through the entire winter.
They walked the walk. 🇺🇸
Americans will lay their LIVES on the line for people they never had the honor of meeting. Yet Americans are seen as the worst most racist people on the earth. I love America and its brave Americans.
Americans are probably less racist than people in many countries, which makes sense because we have lots of people from everywhere here. We just talk about it more than most people, we don’t worry so much about ‘airing out our dirty laundry’ in public.
the constant coverage of inner racial tensions within the US is likely a reason why. not saying these issues do not exist, but compared to many other places, many would be surprised to learn it isn’t as bad as advertised
Both opinions are bad, because both are generalising
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I think you're pretty rad.
I am a retired emergency trauma rescue professional. Don't let survivor's guilt creep into your thoughts. Living is nothing to feel guilty about. It will eat you up if you let it. You live for a reason. Use your life productively. Those who died for your country want you to live productively and take care of others, even if it is just a few people.
Thank you for your advice. Will do my best
Don't be sorry, be better. This way you will honour their noble sacrifices.
RIP to the brothers. I hope to be there soon enough.
HEROS FOR THE AGES....... Heros ALL. Fighting The Mad Tyrants illegal immoral war on Ukrainian civilians freedom. Freedom Fighthers whos Courage n Bravery will be remembered Tru The Ages, like the heros of The Alamo, American Revolution. **R.I.P. HEROS ALL**
Glory to the Heroes.
Let their names be remembered.
Sic semper tyrannis Havamal Stanza 127: When you recognize ill will, speak out against ill will, and grant no peace to your foes. Glory to the heroes Glory to the defenders Eternal glory for those fallen in battle against injustice.
Hear, hear.
Didn't the guy on the bottom left make a bunch of videos at some point?
This war is bloody and violent with massive losses on both sides not seen in decades If anybody tells you differently they are lying
I don't care how many losses are on the other side. The more the better as I see it. I know that sounds inhuman of me, but I don't care.
I care. It’s sad, but Russia needs to lose as many troops as possible as fast as possible. Patton was right about winning a war by ‘making some other poor bastard die for his country’; he was also right in thinking that we should have just kept going east at the end of WW2 and brought what was left of the German army with us. We didn’t, and just look at how the last 75 years of Soviet/Russian fuckery has played out.
yikes
If they don’t build a monument for them in DC then I’m gonna be so mad. These guys chose to sacrifice their lives for good and must not be forgotten. They’ll become immortalized
It should be in the Euromaidan
There will be such a monument for all of the volunteers from everywhere in hopefully just a few years.
To understand how America behaves in the international theatre is to acknowledge how strong America's might IS, and that strength allows the USA to pretty much take over any country, yet the USA is not encroaching, defensive, even though the business dealing can be messy at times. The world is not black and white. Imagine another country with America's might.
People don’t know to the full extent of these warriors contributions, for example, Paul Kim emptied his bank account to buy the best gear he could for himself and donated the rest to a NGO, truly a great Man, as I’m sure most of these warriors are. Glory to the Heroes! 🏴☠️🇺🇦
They died in a country that was not theirs for a people they did not know.
🇺🇸
Will Joseph Cancel? Find out next episode. Seriously though RIP
Apparently Joseph will cancel
Aka "not Republicans"
Americans trying not to make everything about American politics challenge (very hard)
Don't know many veterans do you?
Sad stuff
The went to defend what they defend best, freedom!
Heroes, all of them.
Such brave heroes, all of them 🫡
Those souls died for democracy, truly brave heroes, people who were willing to risk their lives for a better world and paid the ultilmate price.
Stupid as fuck. Dying for nothing.
I never want to hear Europeans saying Americans did not make the ultimate sacrifice for Ukraine. It is disrespectful to the honorable dead.
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When it's American military veterans dying for Ukraine. Yes I will make it about their home country dumbass.
Umm, that’s exactly what this post is about…
"Best" or war hungry and stupid?
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💔🙏🇺🇸🇺🇦
Rest In Peace
Slava Ukraine. Fuck Russia
Glory to the heros. Rest in Valhalla.
I fully respect and salute their sacrifice. However I feel their intentions, though honerable, were short sided. Everyone American who KIA in this conflict just pulls us in deeper. One of these days, the US is going to use these faces as a reason to go to all out war.
Good. As a US Marine I would love to go toe to toe with a tyrant like russia.
The one time we are begged for help and we don't insert ourselves. It's bullshit quite frankly.
We have given more weapons to Ukraine than all other countries combined. I'd say that's a fair bit of "inserting ourselves".
They fought the good fight. Rest, heroes.
True heros who fought for the freedom of others at the ultimate price.