Mark Daily a soldiers story

[Miss Shark]

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2007/11/hitchens200711?currentPage=2

It's a fairly long article that I could not do jutice with any certain quip.

He is Marks myspace where he talks about why he joined.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=46348938

[the duke]

interesting. I read the article, and looked at his myspace page...

I'll never understand, and I can't even begin to try. I'll bet each soldier has their own recollection of what is going on, what they've seen, their opinion of what they've seen or done. I read a book called "love my rifle more than you" the story of a girl who'd just come 'home' from iraq. She was an arabic translator, and told the war from a female's point of view, and what life is like in Iraq for women. And her outlook on why she joined was totally different to Mark Daily's.

I maintain my opinion as war is wrong, and the reasons why I think the war began are still the same. But I am but one in a massive world of people it's good to see a different side once in a while...

[Miss Shark]

I agree Duke, not only is it nice to read about the other side, I think it's important. The other thing that struck me about it is how people can unwittingly affect others lives, especially in this day and age of instant information.

[sway2sway]

I only read the myspace explanation, but this was what summed it up for me.

"Often times it is less about how clean your actions are and more about how pure your intentions are. So that is why I joined."

I would bet most have good intentions, whether we agree with what they intend or not. No need to quip about that famous path to hell. I was also thinking though, that no matter what the intentions, ultimately they are the pawns in a fat ass game of chess, in which they aren't privvy to the ultimate motives & strategy. But then I thought, we're all pawns in something, we just may not have a clue who is playing the game, or we could be pawns in multiple simultaneous games (these be thoughts with no conclusion, just what's floating through my brain). Then I thought of the book Fierce Invalids from Hot Climates by Tom Robbins in which the main character is a CIA agent, but not a run of the mill operative, one with a realization that you have to be on the inside to change things. A strategy which you hear about in other areas as well, gotta jump into the fire to put out the flame. I'm not so sure that's wrong, but it's sure not something I could ascribe to at this point, with my fluffy cocooned moral sanctum.
thanks for the thinks with my coffee, shark

[Miss Shark]

I would recommend reading the article as well.

Having volunteered for Iraq, Mark Daily was killed in January by an I.E.D. Dismayed to learn that his pro-war articles helped persuade Daily to enlist, the author measures his words against a family's grief and a young man's sacrifice.

Yeah I thought it was thought provoking too. I've yet to start my beans agrinding....

[Miss Shark]

May I just add that I did exactly the same thing sway, I read the myspace first. I thought yeah yeah, the person got it from is a Bush supporter and has said much of the same things that young Mr. Daily cited as reasons for enlisting. I almost said something about reading both, but I figured if the article was given even a cursory glance it might be read.

[sway2sway]

that is a very good piece. Where the myspace thing reminded me we are all in different shoes and intentions can't be blanketly assigned by actions, the vanity fair article just made me angry (probably due in part to it being well written and thus engaging my emotional inflammatory response, which can be a lil' trigger happy).
The article further humanizes Mr. Daily, a person not unlike myself with idealistic notions, a person that felt he had to do something about the suffering in the world. It just seems to intensify the betrayal by the US govt, sending these bright souls over there, taking advantage of their idealism and humanitarianism, to benefit their own ends- ends which do not hold either of these things as priorities, so it seems to me. And perhaps, soldiers like him are aware of this difference going in, but it just doesn't sit right with me. It's like the dad in the wrong way song by sublime (sort of in a broad way)- sacrificing children to further their selfish ways.

[the duke]

what is an IED? I assume some exploding device, but not sure...

[angischy]

what is an IED? I assume some exploding device, but not sure...

It's a bomb. IED = Improvised Explosive Device, which usually means it was homemade as opposed to be made specifically for or by military operations.
One of the jobs I've considered doing in the NAVY is being an EOD tech (http://www.navy.com/about/navylife/onduty/eod/trainingandpay/), someone who clears these in order to prevent harm from others.
It's Explosive Ordinance Disposal, and the job function itself kind of scares me, but at the same time, it's something I think I'd really enjoy and be proud to do...once I was very well trained.

[CaraD.]

I wonder if Mark and I were related. I'm sure we are. Not alot of people spell our last name the same exact way. Thanks for the story Shark.