Pray for War?!?

[gvox]

Here's a snippet from a current Newsweek article (emphasis mine):

"“I want to go to combat,” says Sgt. Mathew Figley of the Second Brigade, Third Infantry Division....

Sergeant Figley, 22, is sorry he missed combat in Afghanistan. “That was a heartbreaker,” he says. He is not worried about dying, he says. Danger “is just part of life. If it’s my time, I die.” Says Figley: “There’s no stress here. It’s a cakewalk. It’s so easy.”

Figley’s manly nonchalance is not unusual among the enlisted men of the Second Brigade. The Third I.D. is a rapid-reaction force, armor and infantry that can be sent anywhere in the world on short notice. During a chaplain’s prayer in the Kuwaiti desert, a GI yells out, “Pray for war!” On the barrel of his tank, one young commander has stenciled ALL THE WAY TO BAGHDAD."


I must be praying to the wrong God.

[nbcrusader]

I doubt all military personnel are as eager as Sgt. Figley - Newsweek found the best soundbite for their magazine.

[sharky]

argh....so much war/peace/etc. in this section. my brain is sort of comprehending it all.

Yeah, that may not be your god or my god but its someone's god. And someone somewhere else thought it was cool to pray to their god and show him their love by running planes in to buildings.

i think we also need to put this in context. this guy has been trained by the military. he can't have fear, he can't be afraid to die. the military has trained this man to prioritize his life to be 1) God and 2) country. he is in a desert with tanks and guns and bombs. he's been training for years for this.

I support the men and women who put their lives on the line for this country. I don't agree with this soldier, I don't agree with this war. but what if you were a soldier?

[gvox]

Originally posted by nbcrusader
I doubt all military personnel are as eager as Sgt. Figley - Newsweek found the best soundbite for their magazine.

actually you are right nbcrusader. Most of the sentiments of this nature were expressed by young fellows who have never seen a minute of fighting.

The veterans didn't sound like they were looking forward to it at all.

Id encourage everyone to read the whole article.

http://www.msnbc.com/news/864458.asp

[gvox]

Originally posted by sharky
And someone somewhere else thought it was cool to pray to their god and show him their love by running planes in to buildings.

A deft deflect, but hardly relevant. But since we're there now, isn't that is what is supposed to separate our brand of faith from theirs? Rabid fundamentalism?

the military has trained this man to prioritize his life to be 1) God and 2) country. he is in a desert with tanks and guns and bombs. he's been training for years for this.

Well if that is the case they've failed miserably. I can't say that an individual who interrupts a prayer to shout out "pray for war" can be said to have God as his number one priority. Also, this fellow enlisted Sept 12, 2001 according to the report so I expect he's trained for a little over a year.

I support the men and women who put their lives on the line for this country. I don't agree with this soldier, I don't agree with this war.

That didn't make sense. Are you saying that you would enlist for a better cause? If you read the article it sounds like he enlisted to protect his country from further terror attacks. Is that why you haven't enlisted, because you can't give the military 100% support?

but what if you were a soldier?

I wouldn't be a soldier because I don't believe in war as a means to peace.

In addition, Bush and his cronies have still not made a credible case for war against Iraq.

[Cow of the Seas]

what a stupid, stupid man.

[sharky]

gabriel -- I think there was alot of hate after Sept. 11 in various places. some people attacked mosques, some joined the army.

I don't have the balls to be in the military. I could never kill anyone. that being said, I also gain the benefits that soldiers have provided us. yeah, we may not agree with THIS attack on Iraq. but if we didn't have soldiers who put their lives on the line on a daily basis for us, what would our country be like? would we all be speaking german at this point? would blacks still be slaves?would we still be controlled by the British monarchy?

thanks for the link, I'm off to read the full story.