Every Soldier A Rifleman

I'm watching CNN...

A bunch of Soldiers are whining...

Let me say two things here:

1. I lost friends in Iraq, so understand that this is no easy topic for me. I feel for every Soldier that falls. I feel for every family that loses a loved one. But remember, there are no draftees in Iraq.

2. I just listened to a guy talk about how all these commo and artillery pukes are being "dumbed down" to be Infantry troops. Let me give you a brief job description:

An Infantry Soldier must know all of the "Skill Level 1 and 2" Warrior tasks. These are common tasks that every Soldier in the Army is required to know. An Infantry Soldier also has to know how to maintain and operate all communication equipment, vehicles, weapons systems, and just about anything else that could be considered "Mission Essential". Every Soldier, be they admin clerks, medics, or mechanics, should be proficient at basic combat skills. The job of the Army is, after all, to fight wars.

There is no "Dumbing Down" to Infantry level. Be aware, if you are considering enlistment, that all Soldiers have the potential to be assigned to an "Infantry" type mission. That's just how it is.

That being said, I do want to say "Thank You" to all of the non-infantry troops who are out there fighting the fight without whining to the press every chance they get. Thanks to the Airmen and the Squids who are out there, too.

CNN paints a picture of an incapable Army. That's just not true. What makes us incapable is the presence of TV cameras and reporters with an urge to make Soldiers look like assholes. I say again, War is an ugly thing, and as long as civilized people are watching from civilized places with civilized comforts and civilized ideas in their heads, and as long as those same people have influence on the laws and regulations that guide Soldiers in their fight, Soldiers will seem a little less capable, because we are not nation builders. We are destroyers of armies and killers of men.

By the way, I have a couple of friends who seem to think that they are somehow less worthy of citizenship because they never served in the Armed Forces of these United States. Stop that. Being politically involved makes you more than worthy. We all serve our society in our own way. Some of us are just dumb enough to be in the Infantry.