War is Hell

[ocnblu]

I just got back in from my morning walk and I'm sick to my stomach. Coming up to a "T" intersection, I waited for a '95-ish Monte Carlo (the new Christine) to come in from the right. Just as it passed about 20 feet in front of me, a squirrel darted out into the street, trying to make it across. I heard a tiny *snap* as the evil MC ran over the little guy's hindquarters and sped off.

He dragged himself as quickly as he could to the near side of the street and collapsed in someone's front yard. I approached him, and stood watching as he convulsed and screamed a little squirrel scream. His eyes closed for about 10 seconds and he stopped moving, then started breathing again in labored little breaths. A wave came over me, I felt a coolness in my sweat and my stomach turned. I couldn't stay, so I turned to leave. He heard me and suddenly sat up on his front legs, wide-eyed, vigilant and so vulnerable.

And I thought of soldiers. How do they find the strength in themselves to go out there, knowing the man next to them, a friend, could be wounded at any split second, mortally, wide-eyed, vigilant and so vulnerable?

[Sixty8panther]

Yes... I think everyday abotu the many men & women overseas who

are dealing with heat, language barriers, old equiptment & missing

their families only to have a tragedy end their life or make them

handicaped. War is col in video games, not real life.

------

People who run over an animal on purpose are scumbags.... Don't

caue a head on collision to avoid a squirel but at the same time

make an attempt to swerve out of the way if it's possible. The

other day I swerved slightly on an empty road to place a Chipmunk

in between the track of the Q45.... he lived to see another day.

[zhawk]

If I can avoid hitting an animal I will try but I won't place myself in danger for it.

As for the soldiers, they draw on their training and each other to hold themselves together. The show "Band of Brothers" wasn't called that for nothing.

I have an incredible amount of respect for those who are on the frontline. They hold each other together so well while out there and then when they get home they are still there for each other while adapting to life back here.

And I know I am not alone in this...

Last year I was crew chief on a medivac mission. I'll tell you something, when we found out what we were doing we all put out a little more for them. The whole crew helped set up the cargo area, medical equipment, and load our passengers. I was right behind our aircraft commander carrying one litter patient onboard and when another patient's medical equipment wouldn't fit where it needed to go we found a way to make it work.

[capriceman]

Adapting back to life is really really hard. It changes your perspective on life alot. Also how you view death. Also one thing thats makes me real mad is people that disrespect war vets. even though your not for the war you still have to respect them.

But i can say the only animal i can rember hitting was a deer but it was at 5 mph so it limped off into the woods and cost me a new headlight.

[76ChevyTrucker]

I have to say that I try my best to avoid hitting animals, but in some cases, I honestly believe that the animal has a death wish, like the pigeon that I hit yesterday.....two pigeons on the street, I come driving out of the neighborhood, one pigeon takes off and flys AWAY from the car, the other takes off, flys straight INTO the car, flips up and over, feathers flying everywhere and lands back in the street. Then proceeds to stand up, walk around dazed for a few minutes and flies straight into a PARKED car.....talk about suicidal birds.

[ehaase]

I do not believe that I have ever hit an animal.

I respect soldiers, but detest the politicans who them into wars. Some men - not me - seem to thrive in the military. A young man in his early twenties worked in my office for three years, but was a mediocre, lazy employee. However, he joined the Marine Reserves and now is going to Officer Candidate School and is doing well.

After recently reading "The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History," I do believe that this country could have avoided most of the wars it's gotten into.

[ShadowDog]

I shrug my shoulders to the concept that a piece of land should be fought for. The same goes for the lack of simple human respect each culture or nation can have that leads to having gun barrels pointed to each other. It's quite stupid, and borderline childish behavior. Why death has to be the ultimate sacrifice to bring an end to conflict is what I question? It's so simple-minded, it can make me ashamed to be human.

A fawn ran into me a few years ago. I rounded a corner and it galloped full-steam into the driver's side fender of the car. I had nothing to do-it-in, so to end the suffering. Cars whizzed by, with nobody even bothering to check if everything was alright; even the witnesses drove past. A passerby finally stopped and he helped with his knife.

The oddest situation was when a bird, about the size of a Robin, flew head-first up in front of my windshield. It didn't hit the car, but when I drove under and looked in the rear-view mirror, it had swooped up with the airflow over the car about twenty feet, then did a divebomb into the pavement. I guess he may have snapped a wing or something, and couldn't hang on. Poor fella.

[Cory Wolfe]

I've only hit a deer and rabbit... the deer... well, I was half asleep anyways and it only knocked its head off my GA's mirror. It lived... just with brain damage. The rabbit was in my Millenia. It darted across the road just as I was going by. It got splattered. Blood and guts all over the road. Eww.

[76ChevyTrucker]

Something else came to me after re-reading this thread. I have a great deal of respect for the soldiers that have fought for this country. My grandfather on my mom's side was a US Army Air Force SP at 7:51am December 7th, 1941, and since he passed away before I entered the world, I never got a chance to talk to him about it, but I did get to read his military records and see his medals, two purple hearts! Even though I didn't know much about him, I still go out to his grave every chance I get and I'll crisply come to attention and salute him in thanks.

My other granddad served in Korea as a USAF ground-based forward air controller. He doesn't talk about his time in Korea, but from what he has said, most of his memories aren't really of the action, but more the people he served with.

I've had numerous teachers and co-workers who are former military and many are Vietnam and Desert Storm vets, and they get the utmost respect from me all the time. As of this writing my cousin, who is an Army M1A2 Abrams loader has spent two tours in Iraq and my brother-in-law is about to go on his first deployment with his brother Marines. I respect my fellow soldiers, my only wish is that I could be there with them.

[DetroitNut90]

The Armed Forces of this country, active duty or not, alive or passed on, will forever have my utmost respect and gratitude for all they do for the US.

On the subject of animals, I haven't hit any, but my a deer ran into my truck while my dad was driving it into work...cost us a new headlight cover, some really strong glue, and a paint touch-up on the area underneath the right headlight.

[Burns]

i have a theory that war and fighting among humans is natural. There's this series on the National Geographic Channel Canada that follows the behaviour of africa's top predators when there is a long drought and food is scarce (with humans that could be being poor and hungry, which often causes crime). What do the predators do? they go to war, literally. They fight with eachother constantly, cubs are killed and the mothers forced to eat them. Hungry lions cant wait to devour their prey after cathing them, and the prey are eaten alive. Its a cruel world, and it all has to do with our competitive instincts and desire to survive.

humans just have an advanced method to war, a far more lethal method.

humanity can never live in peace, if it isnt bush or saddam, its someone else. Fear, hunger and anger drives us to these things, and those feelings are sometimes uncontrollable. Personally, i get mighty cranky when im hungry