SueB 09 Dec 03 - 01:19 PM -
"Here we have it, clear evidence that people who voluntarily join the military are credulous, gullible, naive. (I feel so sorry for the ones who were convinced that it's a good "career" opportunity.)"

That sentence of yours speaks volumes about you:

- Mean spirited
- Patronising
- Condescending
- Contemptable
- Despicable
- A fully paid up member of the "Peace at anyone else's expense brigade."

Being one of the latter, you will, in all probability, have never had to write letters home under such circumstances. Amazing some of the things you do put in your letters to lighten things up a bit in order to try and reassure those at home and lessen their burden of worrying about you. Naw, you wouldn't get it at all.

Tell you one thing SueB - if that letter had been bitching about hanging about for a Turkey dinner at 6:00 am in the morning, about what an asshole Bush is, about how f****d-up Iraq was, about how low the moral of the Army is.

I bet then your description, and opinion of her would be different, and the letter, of course, would totally believeable and absolute truth.

Where you describe them by saying, "credulous, gullible, naive". I would say, selfless (in that they have volunteered to serve), honourable (in that they have sworn an oath and are prepared to live up to it), honest, loyal, courageous.

Were I up against it personally in life, and things were running hard against me. Given a choice between the likes of yourself and one of those you so despise, I know damn well who I'd rather have to count on as a friend - it certainly would not be you.