gmanpilot

Being ever the cynic, I thought Bush's trip to Iraq was about votes, and it may have been, but I thought y'all might like to read the following email I got today. An Email from a Captain in Iraq We knew there was a dinner planned with Ambassador Bremer and LTG Sanchez. There were 600 seats available and all the units in the division were tasked with filling a few tables. Naturally, the 501st MI battalion got our table. Soldiers were grumbling about having to sit through another dog-and-pony show, so we had to pick soldiers to attend. I chose not to go. But, about 1500 the G2, LTC Devan, came up to me and with a smile, asked me to come to dinner with him, to meet him in his office at 1600 and bring a camera. I didn't really care about getting a picture with Sanchez or Bremer, but when the division's senior intelligence officer asks you to go, you go. we were seated in the chow hall, fully decorated for Thanksgiving when aaaaallllll kinds of secret service guys showed up. That was my first clue, because Bremer's been here before and his personal security detachment is not that big. Then BG Dempsey got up to speak, and he welcomed ambassador Bremer and LTG Sanchez. Bremer thanked us all and pulled out a piece of paper as if to give a speech. He mentioned that the President had given him this thanksgiving speech to give to the troops. He then paused and said that the senior man present should be the one to give it. He then looked at Sanchez, who just smiled. Bremer then said that we should probably get someone more senior to read the speech. Then, from behind the camouflage netting, the President of the United States came around. The mess hall actually erupted with hollering. Troops bounded to their feet with shocked smiles and just began cheering with all their hearts. The building actually shook. It was just unreal. I was absolutely stunned. Not only for the obvious, but also because I was only two tables away from the podium. There he stood, less than thirty feet away from me! The cheering went on and on and on. Soldiers were hollering, cheering, and a lot of them were crying. There was not a dry eye at my table. When he stepped up to the cheering, I could clearly see tears running down his cheeks. It was the most surreal moment I've had in years. Not since my wedding and Aaron being born. Here was this man, our President, came all the way around the world, spending 17 hours on an airplane and landing in the most dangerous airport in the world, where a plane was shot out of the sky not six days before. Just to spend two hours with his troops. Only to get on a plane and spend another 17 hours flying back. It was a great moment, and I will never forget it. He delivered his speech, which we all loved, when he looked right at me and held his eyes on me. Then he stepped down and was just mobbed by the soldiers. He slowly worked his way all the way around the chow hall and shook every last hand extended. Every soldier who wanted a photo with the President got one. I made my way through the line, got dinner, and then wolfed it down as he was still working the room. You could tell he was really enjoying himself. It wasn't just a photo opportunity. This man was actually enjoying himself! He worked his way over the course of about 90 minutes towards my side of the room. Meanwhile, I took the opportunity to shake a few hands. I got a picture with Ambassador Bremer, Talabani (acting Iraqi president) and Achmed Chalabi (another member of the ruling council) and Condaleeza Rice, who was there with him. I felt like I was drunk. He was getting closer to my table so I went back over to my seat. As he passed and posed for photos, he looked me in the eye and "How you doin', captain." I smiled and said "God bless you, sir." To which he responded "I'm proud of what you do, captain." Then moved on. _________________________________________ -There's always free cheese in a mouse trap.

I did not know my limit until my last trip to Eloy. It was so windy, the last load had people backing up under canopy. We were at the runway waiting on the plane. The skyvan came in for a chinaman's landing(onewinglow). It was so windy, the skyvan could not land and had to do a go around, exceeded the crosswind component I guess. I said "That's the sign I was looking for!", and headed back to the dz. Then the dz shut down. So if the plane can't land safely, neither can you! _________________________________________ -There's always free cheese in a mouse trap.

You can make a homemade one out of a good camera flash. Let us know how it goes........hehehehe. _________________________________________ -There's always free cheese in a mouse trap.

1st year-120 2nd year-240 3rd year- at least 620, I stopped logging them at 1,000.....fill out my log book once a year now, that's what the skytronic is for. _________________________________________ -There's always free cheese in a mouse trap.

You Do work for Penthouse! You are so outed. _________________________________________ -There's always free cheese in a mouse trap.

Pomegranates, now there is an exercise in frustration. How the hell do you eat those things. It must be the perfect diet food, cause you burn more calories getting at those stupid fucking pomegranate kernels than you get from eating them. _________________________________________ -There's always free cheese in a mouse trap.

*** I think walking around with no hardware in you is pretty cool. Yep, being able to park in the gimp space at the dz will never get you laid. _________________________________________ -There's always free cheese in a mouse trap.

Look Steve, you were wrong that day, and you got caught. You made the choice to break the law in front of your family, and you made the distinction of having to take a dressing down in front of your family. Maybe the Trooper noticed that your family was present and made an attempt to show them that he wanted to give you a break, but still wanted to impress upon them the importance of taking responsibility for your decisions. Now you are pissed because you got dressed down in front of your family. I was not there, so I don't know if it was the right call or not. The fact that you even consider grabbing the .357 as being an option, says alot to me. While it is entirely your right to do so, the fact that you had a loaded .357 on the seat next to you with children in the car, says a lot to me(I am making the assumption that your family includes a child or an adolescent) You are probably a great parent. One thing my Dad taught me a long time ago is that sometimes you eat the bear and sometimes the bear eats you. Suck it up and move on. Steve, the trooper probably had the grace to recognize that you were just a good guy having a bad day. Perhaps you could afford him the same measure of grace?? _________________________________________ -There's always free cheese in a mouse trap.

The point is that they want to kill us simply because we exist. Not because we support Isreal, or because we defend ourselves. We are the unbelievers. They will not stop until we recognize out own fitness for destruction. Tens of thousands have already read that manual, and are willing to kill you just because you value your liberty. _________________________________________ -There's always free cheese in a mouse trap.

Dude, I am an American and I love the US, but I have spent so much time north of the border, I could almost be a dual citizen. My great, great Grandfather bought a 10 acre island on Georgian Bay in 1898 for $250 US dollars, and my family has been spending our summer vacations there ever since. You missed a few things to be proud of: Beer! - nuf said Fishing - best ever Loons - maybe the coolest birds ever Canadian chicks - lucky for me, they love southern accents...... But before you get to feeling all superior about your anglo/french heritage and taste, check the pic to see who won the 1950 Miss Sans Souci beauty contest. Hint: it's one of my parents. _________________________________________ -There's always free cheese in a mouse trap.

You must be on the editorial staff at Penthouse. _________________________________________ -There's always free cheese in a mouse trap.

Personally I would find out what bar he hangs out at and make sure I was there next time he is and..... Let's just say in the Navy I got to know the MPs by name. I minored in bar brawling. No one was off limits.*** Steve, I would disregard this advice. I know alot of bad motherfuckers in this world, and the baddest all seem to work for the goodguys. Example: I went away for a couple weeks of CQC and edged weapons training last year. I showed up pretty confident in my skills. When I got there, I saw a little guy in the hallway, and I asked a buddy who he was. My buddy said, "Oh him, thats *** ****, he's got the most confirmed knife kills in the world". You may just pick a fight with the wrong guy. If the guy really pissed me off, I would write the letter, however, I would never again expect to be let go with just a warning. Folks don't like it when you mess with thier careers after they have just given you a break. _________________________________________ -There's always free cheese in a mouse trap.

Grant Diamond....yea baby! _________________________________________ -There's always free cheese in a mouse trap.

Yeah, but will you go buy tampons for us in the middle of the night?*** Holy crap, that's a tall order for such a young guy. He would have to spend $100 on other stuff just so he could cover the box up at the register. _________________________________________ -There's always free cheese in a mouse trap.

Or we can stop teaching hatred, and realize that terrorists are terrorists, not arabs.*** I have not read thiw whole thread, so this point may have already been made.The root causes of terrorism are terrorists, period. It sounds simple, but it is not. They are pimps with an agenda, and they have not come to play. Here is a nice selection from the opening page of the Al Qaeda Training Manual: "The confrontation we are calling for with the apostate regimes does not know Socratic debates..., Platonic ideals..., nor Aristotelian diplomacy. But it knows the dialogue of bullets, the ideals of assination, bombing, and destruction, and the diplomacy of the cannon and the machine gun." Violent fanatics who only know fanatical violence. _________________________________________ -There's always free cheese in a mouse trap.

The only time I feel vulnerable is in the plane below 1,000 ft. _________________________________________ -There's always free cheese in a mouse trap.

Stevie Rag Vaughn - Cover of Hendrix's Little Wing *** Totally agree, I have 4 versions of that song. Hendrix, SRV, Sting, and someone else I can't remember. The SRV version is incredible. _________________________________________ -There's always free cheese in a mouse trap.

My motivation for quitting this time was i'm dating someone who doesn't like it.*** Hey y'all, I'm not a big fan of melodrama, but I have some real motivation for you. It goes way beyond kissing and smelling bad. I buried my father six days ago. He was a great guy, and he had lung cancer. It totally destroyed him. Total, complete destruction.....and it took a long time to kill him. It is a horrid thing watching someone you love die like that, and it was completely his fault. He never tried to pass the buck or make the tobacco companies the guilty ones. It was his choice to smoke, and his burden of guilt was enormous. But I gotta tell you, that offered absolutely no solace when I was holding my Dad's hand while he drew his last breath and I felt his pulse fade away. Yep, it sucked. Yep, giving his eulogy sucked. Yep, smoking really does suck. _________________________________________ -There's always free cheese in a mouse trap.

Congratulations dude. I passed the national registry last year as well. _________________________________________ -There's always free cheese in a mouse trap.

Classic: "Leave the gun. Take the cannoli." _________________________________________ -There's always free cheese in a mouse trap.

Well look at you go. Yer busted for geeking the camera tho _________________________________________ -There's always free cheese in a mouse trap.

I'm thinking about the same thing. I recently spent two hours with my brothers kids in a mall. After I left them, I was looking for the nearest drive-through vasectomy store. _________________________________________ -There's always free cheese in a mouse trap.

Oops, sorry. It was kind of a rhetorical thing. _________________________________________ -There's always free cheese in a mouse trap.

Quote"Hmm,......Juicy Fruit" "You don't understand, I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody. Instead of a bum, which is what I am."Quote I cant believe ya'll don't know these. The first is from a 1970's classic, and the second is from what may be the best film ever made. OK, here's one for the non-PC crowd: "I'll bet you're the kind of guy that would fuck a person in the ass and not even have the goddam common courtesy to give him a reach-around! I'll be watching you!" _________________________________________ -There's always free cheese in a mouse trap.

The worst thing about vacations is that we always compare the other stuff to it. Example: Vacation sex always seems better than stay at home sex. Am I right? _________________________________________ -There's always free cheese in a mouse trap.