June 02, 2004

• Mixed from the sources I have. It all depends on where the person is deployed, which branch they are in, and a number of other factors. Overall, I'd say it's about 60-65% positive. Now, if you temper that with the philosphy that the only time you have to worry about a soldier is when he stops complaining, and the morale situation doesn't appear to be as bad as a lot of my liberal friends seem to think.
• To be fair, a more pessimistic view.
• From the military newspaper Stars and Stripes. "Ground Truth: Conditions, Contrasts and Morale." it won several awards for the series. (full disclosure, my sweetie just left a job there on the news staff.) Between June and September, 2003, Stars and Stripes printed 200 letters from troops in the deserts of Iraq and Kuwait and other remote outposts that have led the fight against terrorism. Roughly 60 percent complained about various things, ranging from living conditions and problems with mail to redeployment dates back home. The remaining 40 percent urged the others to get on with their duty. With so many voices clamoring for attention, Stripes decided to try to find out what the ground truth was in Iraq. Three teams of reporters were dispatched there to see for themselves what it was like
• My brother wants to come home, but he's not pissed off/sad/angry/disheartened/discouraged about being in Iraq. At the moment the biggest thing is that combat, when it comes, isn't really sustained, but comes in bursts. This tends to up the adrenaline rapidly in everyone's systems, but leaves just as quickly, which makes everyone tired. On the whole, though, he says people are doing well.
• While not a direct answer to your question, I have a related anecdote. I have a very close relative who is in Delta Force. When his tour was up in October of 2003, he was offered a 6 figure cash bonus to re-up, which he did. He spends most of the year abroad (280 days last year) and is often in deep cover and not even his wife (who is CIA) knows where he is. We have found out some of the more sensational details of his adventures after the fact (i.e. capturing "evildoers"). He was very pro-Bush and pro-war, when we last spoke in January. I don't know his take on the current situation. But his is not a typical serviceman's story. (My family scares me).
• You gotta feel bad for them. I don't care what your feelings are about the war, pro or con -- if you've served your time and are ready to go home to your family, I can't imagine receiving worse news than that you'll have to stay in harm's way for a few more months. My father decided to drop out of OCS when he was drafted for Vietnam so he could get home to my mom that much sooner. And though he was anti-dying, he wasn't particularly anti-war at that point. Here's hoping they all get home safe. Naive, maybe, but a boy can hope.
• "the only time you have to worry about a soldier is when he stops complaining,..." That hits the nail on it's head. I still keep in touch with my ex who serves on a carrier. Her biggest issue is boredom, followed by irritation that her preferred feminie hygiene product has run out. And the food. And annoyance of having to see the same annoying people day in/day out. And the watches. And how expensive it is to call from the ship. And watching the same movies with the same annoying people. And eating the food at the same time everyday with the same annoying people who talk about the same annoying movie. So yeah, the only time you have to worry about a [sailor] is when [s]he stops complaining. As a personal testament, a small care package can do absolute wonders for morale.
• b-Rot; How could a private citizen with zero ties to the military send a care package to a soldier or sailor? What are the regulations? Do you or do any monkeys out there know?
• One of my best friends from home has been to Iraq once and Afghanistan several times (he's a technician with a specialized Air Force unit that repairs helicopters in the field, and so they tend to go overseas more frequently, but for shorter stays). He was on leave about two weeks ago and was in great spirits. I know he has no qualms about going back, and this is a guy who has had RPG and machine gun fire come his way more than a few times. My brother may be sent to Iraq with the Marines in another six months or so. I know for a fact he has no qualms about it, otherwise he wouldn't have signed up. Then again, he may be going to officer school, so it may not matter. Other than that, I've got a few other friends in the Marines, some who have been to Iraq and others who haven't...but two of them are in San Diego right now and one is in New Jersey, so I'm not quite sure the morale question applies to them unless they get deployed again. Either way, I haven't heard much complaining from any of them, except for "It's fucking hot over there," which is to be expected. These guys sign up knowing what they're getting into.
• How could a private citizen with zero ties to the military send a care package to a soldier or sailor? What are the regulations? Do you or do any monkeys out there know? Sure, you can send stuff. Send a salami to your boy in the Army!
• Dizzy care-package resources: here, here, here, or here re: salami... see 1.b(2)e
• Speaking as a stateside person, I'd say that the overwhelming majority of my military peers are doing fine. Morale is higher (in the Air Force, at least) than at any time I can recall in my 16+ years of service. I suspect a large portion of that feeling is the knowledge that the military is actually doing what it is trained & ready to do -- not "peacekeeping" or mucking about with humanitarian missions (which are fine, but get weary after a while). The United States military is truly, actually, definitely making a positive difference in the world, and most of my fellow service men & women understand that. Of my co-workers that have been deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and other sandy places, my overall impression is that they are doing fine. Naturally, they all miss family and "creature comforts," but again, in my experience, they all -- without exception -- have accepted their mission willingly and with positive attitudes. Grumbling about heat, sand, food, etc, is to be expected, but without exception they have embarked and returned with smiles & determination. Of course, they very much appreciate the homecoming when they return, which we do our best to make a true outpouring of gratitude. The hardest part of deployment, of course, falls to the spouses and children. Having said that -- they too seem to hold up remarkably well. One of my neighbors, a Special Forces guy, just returned from 10 months "Over There." While he was gone, his wife & daughter (my kids' best friend) did great. They kept up their normal routine -- work, school, dance class, etc. My two cents.
• RXR, from your last link: e. Pork or pork by-products are prohibited. f. Any matter containing religious materials contrary to Islamic faith or depicting nude or seminude persons, pornographic or sexual items, or nonauthorized political materials is prohibited. g. All alcoholic beverages, including those mailable under DMM C021, are prohibited. So no pork, porn, or booze. War is indeed hell.
• Isn't pr0n a pork by-product?
• No. it's the reverse. Pork is a pr0n byproduct.
• It's also a booze by-product. Thus we find the connection. It's the Circle of Life!
• Dang, the Army and Islam had it right all along!
• The Army's new stop-loss policy doesn't seem to be working well.