E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSThe highest number of U.S. Marines will exit Afghanistan in August compared to any other month in 2012 as a large exodus of American troops continues, U.S. Marine Corps Maj. General David Berger said today in a phone interview from Afghanistan.
In the country's southern Helmand province — a swath once so volatile that an additional 10,000 Marines were massed there three years ago — the Marine contingent will continue to shrink drastically over the next three weeks, said Berger, commanding general of the 1st Marine Division (Forward).
"We’re not going to give out detailed numbers on where we’ll end up, but it’s a cut of about two-thirds of the size of strength here (compared to) a year ago, and it will be somewhere between 7,000 and 10,000 Marines when we finish up," Berger said.
"There will be more Marines and soldiers and equipment moving in August than any other month. All the ones that are deploying from Afghanistan on the Marine Corps side, they’re going back to their home bases on the East Coast, on the West Coast."
Adek Berry / AFP - Getty Images
US Marines from Kilo Company of the 3rd Battalion 8th Marines Regiment patrol in Garmser, Helmand Province on June 29.
The pullout of U.S. forces this year is expected to reach 23,000 total troops. The NATO coalition's combat mission in Afghanistan is scheduled to finish at the end of 2014. Last year, President Obama ordered 10,000 U.S. troops out of Afghanistan.
While shifting more control to Afghan security forces and Afghan police, Berger said he has seen "amazing progress last year into this year," first, in terms of the Afghans' military development and, second, in their available fighting equipment and ability to man those tools.
"The third part is confidence — confidence in themselves and the people’s confidence in them," Berger said, "Each week, they’re more confident in what they can do in the field. The police are more confident. The people can begin to trust them in a way that was really challenging a year and a half ago.
"Now, I think the people (here) see the Afghan security forces as ... really the public face of their government. So the more they see of this, the more confidence people have that the Afghan government can protect them, can take care of them. So from where we sit, it’s absolutely going in the right direction."
However, Berger acknowledged that the massive swarm of Marines headed home — particularly those who will be retiring from the military and trying to enroll in college or land civilian jobs — will only begin that long transitionary phase after they return to the United States.
"It happens after they leave country for the most part," Berger said. "While they’re over here, they’re pretty much occupied by the reason they were sent here.
"But those who make the decision to move on into their civilian life, when they get back they’ll go into a formal program that first will lay out all the benefits coming to them. There’s a second part that helps them prepare for everything from doing a resume to doing an interview, to narrowing a field of choice, to getting an education.
"If you had gone through that process of separating from the service to entering the civilian world four or five years ago, you would be very much surprised by the program that’s in place right now — in a good way," Berger said.
Related: Obama announces 'reverse bootcamp' for veterans
Still, with tens of thousands of service members headed home, that influx will only further tax a huge backlog of disability claims already clogging the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and it could potentially exacerbate a high college drop-out rate and sluggish job hiring now plaguing many veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Ahmad Jamshid / AP
More than ten years after the beginning of the war, Afghanistan faces external pressure to reform as well as ongoing internal conflicts.
Retired sergeant Thomas Maretich, who in June earned a medical retirement from the Army, said he knows of many service members still in Afghanistan — and some still in Iraq - who "are not letting go those jobs" because they worry that what awaits them in America is simply the unemployment line.
"They’re afraid. This is the worst possible time for anybody to look for work let alone anybody who has been wounded and has the cards stacked up against them," said Maretich, who was wounded by a car bomb in Iraq in 2009 and has had trouble finding work in his current city, Colorado Springs. "They could retire (from the military) at 20 ... They just don't see a job in the civilian world that is safe and pays the same."
What's more, "they don't have enough mental health (help available) now at the VA. Many soldiers will need medical care for problems with their neck, back, or knees and the system that is already trying to catch up will be paralyzed again," he said. "Mix in budget cuts and what a mess we will have."
More content from NBCNews.com:
Leave a Comment:
ABSOLUTELY wonderful.......Bring the Men and Women home.. Forget the POLITICS...KIds get to have their parents home and wives and husbands and mothers and fathers have their LOVED ones HOME...THAT IS WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT..its LONG overdue...Job well done Soldiers...Thank YOU President Obama.....You Kept your PROMISE...Despite many who did EVERYTHING possible to make you APPEAR a Failure......OBAMA/BIDEN 2012.
Not many people believed that President Obama's strategy of short term troop surge in 2010 and then phased withdrawl over three year period would work and accomplish our goal of somewhat stablizing the nation of Afghanistan. Although not perfect, the country at least has peace and we can hand over the defense of their country to them.
On the contrary, McCain and his Senate buddies didn't want to set any time line for exit and stay in Afghanistan for ever. Look who turned out to be right. Plus the Republican started the un-needed wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan and it was left to Obama to bring them to safe conclusion.
Job Well Done, Obama and his security team!!
I geuss you could say Obama copied Bush's troop surge in Iraq. Now let's get a President who will work on surging the GDP instead of the Welfare rolls to get these fine men back to work! Thanks Troops ROMNEY 2012
Tea Sucks: No where in your head does it make sense that the Taliban/Al Queida is simply laying low and making it seem that the US was successful, SINCE they know the dates of the final pullout? If I was a military leader of Al Queida that is exactly what I would do, have some troops put up progressively smaller attacks until the US goes home, they think they were successful and then launch an all-out attack once they are gone.
As for Obama controlling Iraq, all he did was allow an agreement that Bush signed happen. He was essentially neutral. Didn't end it any sooner or later than the previously signed agreement would have ended it.
You really need to read things on your own and think about things rather than just spouting off ideas you pick up from whatever fringe website you visit.
Glad they're coming home, but i still want nobama/biden out of the whitehouse, damn socialist...
Happy that many soldiers will be reunited with their families. Sad that their coming home to NO JOBS and a much divided country. Romney is the man to get people back to work as Obama has not been able to accomplish this and it will be a heavy burden for these soldiers to NOT find work to take care of their families.
@IsntTHATspecial
Ironic how you wrote "Forget the POLITICS" only to end your post with a polticial slogan.
Good...Osama is dead and we've done enough "nation building" over there. Perhaps we can try some nation building here in America.
It sad to say that those that are celebrating ignore the facts. Iraq is an example of the Afghan future. I guess it is okay for some Americans to ignore the fact of the continueing deaths in all these countries. As long as we can sleep nice and warm at night, spend political clot on boy scouts, chikFilA, and other things while people are suffering. We have become isolated again. We continue to turn our backs on the world. This is the new political direction. As long as we all can have our ipods and cheeseburgers.
@Whos money is it Anyways
Typical neocon, always wanting to stick his nose in other countries' affairs. Forget the fact that our interventionalist foreign policy has led to countless deaths, the world is no more stable or safe anyway. Not to mention, WE CAN'T AFFORD IT!
Yep a vote for Willard is a vote for war with Iran. A vote for Willard is a vote for across the board Federal Budget reductions of 49% (except for defense which gets 2 Trillion in increases). A vote for Willard is a vote for the same neo-conservatives who's foreign policy got us into Iraq. A vote for Willare is a vote for the same neo-conservatives who's financial policy got us into the 2007 crash...no thanks!
"August is heaviest homecoming month for Marines in Afghanistan"
Yeah, and it's all Obama's fault!
Let's band together and take our country ... oh, wait... This is a good thing.
Never mind.
Sincerely,
The
RightWrong Wing.UAW, it's getting real tired. Obama puts more troops in---he's wrong. Obama pulls troops out--- he's wrong. Obama says the earth revolves around the Sun --- he's wrong. Wa Wa Wa Wa Wa Wa.
FlatIron72
@Whos money is it Anyways
Typical neocon, always wanting to stick his nose in other countries' affairs. Forget the fact that our interventionalist foreign policy has led to countless deaths, the world is no more stable or safe anyway. Not to mention, WE CAN'T AFFORD IT!
I am ashamed to say we can afford a lot. I have seen suffering and we don't. Call me a neocon. I don't see things the way you do. I see all people deserving of support. You are stuck with geographical boundries. The planet is small, enjoy your cheeseburger.
I wonder how many of you posters actually served in the military.
It is great our men and women are coming home......however, the escalation of withdrawal means only one thing......an escalation of the vacuum which the Taliban will immediately insert themselves.
Yep, it is Obama's fault......(the Devil made me do it)
Interestingly,"
writes Jason Ditz at Anti-war.com,
"with the ink now drying on the document and the US officially committed
to the occupation of Afghanistan for another decade, officials are continuing
to tout 2014 as the “end” of the war. This speaks to how the 2024 date, though
openly discussed by the Karzai government in Afghanistan and privately
acknowledged as part of the secret pact, has not been publicly presented to the
American public. www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/05/02-6
Devil's Son...
Please explain to me what our troops have accomplished in Afghanistan since President Obama has taken office. It must be quite a bit considering there have been 1450 US military deaths since then. Do you know how many US military deaths there have been in Afghanistan since the beginning? I'll save you the time and search: 2,997 as of 5 Aug 2012.
So please, explain to me what President Obama has accomplished in Afghanistan, when he has presided over 48%+ of our combat deaths in 3 1/2 years of an 11 year war.
And while you're looking at some pretty dismal search results, please remember Obama upped this particular ante against sound advice...
Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Our latest group of elected representatives and their predecesors for the last 20 years didn't learn a thing from the mistakes we made in Nam. And I should vote for either of them, why?!?!?!? K.M.A.
Great news! Thank you, President Obama.
Vote for Romney if you want yet another unfunded, pointless, never-ending war in the Middle East.
Obama/Biden 2012
This is the best news coming out of that rat hole in months. Enough blood and treasure has been wasted trying to civilize these barbarians.
The sad truth is, that all the American blood spilled in this God forsaken place will have been in vain because after we're gone the country will revert to it's stone age ways in a matter months. The Russians learned this the hard way now the entire civilized world has to learn the same lesson and that lesson is; as long as Islam has a strangle hold on Afghanistan the violent culture there will never change...... Period.
BigAlLas Vegas
Couldn't agree more...What started in Oct. 2001 has become the longest war in American history, and for what? "Operation Enduring Freedom" was supposed to remove the Taliban Regime from Power and dismantle al-Qaeda and perhaps find osama bin Laden after the attack on our country on Sept 11th. All it did was cost American lives, drive the Taliban temporarily into Pakistan, take the lives of innocent civilians, and practically bankrupt our country.
Does anybody ever wonder what would have really happened if when George Bush addressed the nation and Congress on Sept.20, 2001 demanding that the Taliban deliver bin laden and destroy the bases of al-Qaeda, if when the Taliban responded on Oct. 5th, by saying they would cooperate with the United States and offered to try bin Laden in an Afghan court as long as the U.S. provided the "evidence" of his guilt. What if we had worked with the Taliban at that time? Instead the Bush administration refused to provide the evidence and had no further communication with the Taliban Regime. 2 days later on Oct.7th, CNN provided live broadcast coverage of the footage of Kabul being bombed.
Atleast once Obama became President, he listened to commanders in the field, increased troop size, set timelines for withdrawal, worked with president Karzi and has kept his promise to get our troops out of one unnecessary war in Iraq and now will get our troops out of Afghanistan. Not to mention, actually launched a coordinated effort to get bin Lauden. The Taliban Regime will have a place in Karzi's government, the Afghanistan culture will return to exactly what it always has been. Our brave miliary troops have been deployed and redeployed over and over again enough through two wars the last 11 years. ENOUGH.....Bring them all home and let President Karzi figure out how to run his own country, he has already worked deals with the old Taliban Regime. And lets focus on our troops getting them the medical, mental, and social support they need to get their lives back.
Arrogant Americans ignored their own darn history (late 1970s anyone?) and thought they could "re-build" Afghanistan. Turned into a quagmire and we're finally retreating. Notice how the goalposts for "victory" have moved so much? LOL
Afghanistan was un-needed, dishonorable and a waste of lives and money. The sooner it is behind us the better. Wars of choice like Afghanistan and Iraq need to be held up as the failures they are so we'll be more rational when some BSer tells us we need to kill people in another country...
Barbarians? Interesting choice of words...I am pretty sure that Afghanistan Soldiers didn't invade our country under the rues of trying to end terrorism and kill a bunch of our civilians and before you even think to utter the words 9/11 to me...think twice because the loss of 2977 lives on American soil does not justify the hundreds of thousands Iraqi and Afghani civilian casualties in this joke of a military campaign.. Americans went there looking for a fight and they lost. I am glad that soldiers are coming home to their families, but the lives lost are a good lesson for Americans that we have no right to try to force democracy on countries that don't want it. If Iraq and Afghanistan what their freedom let them fight it out. The ignorance of our government never ceases to amaze me.
LorraineH: Are you forgetting 9/11? The US had to defend itself and show the world that we had the strength to never allow this to happen again. 3000+ people died more than Pearl Harbor.
But the NATO forces did not kill hundreds of thousands of anybody; they're own countryman and foreign fighters did that. We just took down the government that was keeping their own crazed people in check. It's like saying that the police in Colorado shot a movie theater up. The police didn't actually shoot it up, some guy did. Sure, it would've been better if they had realized what was going on and caught the guy before he did what he did, but you can't honestly say that the police shot the theater up. You have to say that the guy did it.
Interestingly,"
writes Jason Ditz at Anti-war.com,
"with the ink now drying on the document and the US officially committed
to the occupation of Afghanistan for another decade, officials are continuing
to tout 2014 as the “end” of the war. This speaks to how the 2024 date, though
openly discussed by the Karzai government in Afghanistan and privately
acknowledged as part of the secret pact, has not been publicly presented to the
American public. www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/05/02-6
Believe'nAmerica
No....I'm not forgetting 9/11, you obviously did not comprehend my post. I stated quite fluently why the United States attacked Afghanistan. The operation was not called "Remember 9/11 so now we're going to let you have it" which would have been fine with me since my son was sent there twice and also to Iraq. The operation was termed "Operation Enduring Freedom". It was to target the Taliban regime, find al-Qaeda bases establish a democratic election cycle for the Afghan people without the tyrantal rule of the Taliban and ulimtatley find and kill osama bin Laden. It was not a show of strength from the United States in a retaliatory measure after being attacked, if it was, Bush's Administration would have followed the recommendations of the Joint Chief of Staff's and sent the appropriate amount of troops in the first place to get the mission accomplished. We have accomplished absolutely nothing. The Taliban ran and hid in Pakistan, President Karzi was elected through a "democratic style" election, but now makes side deals with the same Taliban Regime to take controls of certain aspects of government after the Americans leave and the only good thing that came out of it was that under President Obama, bin Laden was found hiding in Pakistan, where the government thought he was probably seeking refuse in the first place and killed him and toppled most of the higher archy of the al-Qaeda organization. That could have been accomplished by mass bombing along the Pakistan border and the Mts ranges around Tora Bora that President Clinton once opened fire on. We did not need to spend 11 years to do that at the cost of human life to our brave troops, innocent civilians, and billions of dollars from our economy.
We did not show the world a thing. Except Russia maybe...we showed them that we failed the same way they did in Afghanistan. I'm sure they have been shaking their heads wondering when we would finally remember their efforts and in the end....the U.S. is leaving behind exactly what was there when we started bombing the capitol of Kabul.
@ LorraineH
It's trilions, not billions.
At the end, the Chinese companies got contract on oil and what do we have to show?
Are you forgetting 9/11?
You do realize that Iraq was NOT responsible for 9/11... Don't you?
A good many of you seams to have lost track of the goal or even why we went there in the first place. I'll leave you to answer to yourselves on that. As for Bush going to Afghanistan that was the only rightious thing he did as President on one hand on the other he did not have an exit plan. In fact he didn't even have a battle plan to begin with it was just, "Let's just blow the crap out of Al Qaeda and chase what's left of them. I'm willing to bet that they didn't give much of a thought about the Taliban, thinking that they would run away and not come back. That backfired, didn't it Georgie? I will give you credit here, you did join the Guards for a couple of years and was a Lt. Although I do question your dedication to duty, and would like to see your DD 214. You did some questionable things back than.
Yes, I'm glad we are leaving Afghanistan and I truly hope the they will not fall into the same situation they were in when we got there. It's hard to figure out what will happen in the near future there. I do feel that the Aghanistans are people that want to be a part of the world. I don't let groupes like the Taliban suppressing people lead me the believe the people of the country are anything like them.
Bring everybody home NOW! We have wasted enough money and lives in Afghanistan and Iraq!
Welcome home, thank you!
Obama 2012
Ditto!
Though I still have plenty of family over there and have so far lost one cousin in Iraq. It's not over until they are ALL home. And that won't happen until we no longer need middle eastern oil.
Romney 2012, last hope to save America from socialist, perverts, and illegals.
There is no oil in Afghanistan and we are still sending troops over there!
For the troops coming home.............. Thank you for your service! Welcome Home!
Semper Fi. welcome home! in spite of obamaloney,obamanation. go tea party!
major dicke
Maybe you should just say welcome home!
It was not President Obama who sent troops into not one but two wars, but it was the Obama administration whether it kills you to admit it or not that got our troops out of Iraq, got osama bin Laden, and FINALLY listened to the comanders on the ground in Afghanistan regarding troop levels for stabilization and ultimately a drawdown of troops. Regardless of Party lines, these are facts....I didn't vote for the man, but he got this right. It's the kindergarden name calling and rhetoric that turn most people "off" when it comes to the Tea party Movement ideals.
With all due respect, Dick, get your facts straight. The tea party has nothing to do with our men and women coming home.
Semper FI -0311, military people are aware of how FU Obama is and you'll find many voting for Romney and the Right!
major dicke
It must really irk you tea party types that you have contributed nothing but hatred to American politics. President Obama is actually bringing our troops home from Bush's wars; and of course you tea-baggers always conveniently forget that President Obama rid the world of Bin Laden too. America already has a real President; besides hot air what do you people have to offer our country?
Thank you BigAl!
I voted in my first presidential election when I was 18 years old. Had a college professor in Political Science who made registering to vote mandatory in his class. He was quite a Liberal...in those days of VietNam protests and riots at conventions in Chicago, I never thought politics could take such an UGLY turn. People stood for a party principal. As I got older, I realized people are not all liberal or all conservative, but most people are somewhere in between. Liberal on some ideals and conservative on others. I can't quite understand the Tea Party movement. I'm educated, mature, informed, and what they say seems like nonsense. Their big poster child - Michelle Bachman, speaks of smaller goverment and government staying out of the lives of the people, yet her husbands medical clinic accepts 48% of their payments from government run payment programs, money that pays their mortgage and buys food and clothing for their kids. I have not met one Tea Party "believer" who makes sense on any subject and their main theme is "Obama is a socialist", how do they figure that. Was it on a sign somewhere and they all read it. If you want to really understand socialism, you'd understand that Obama has nothing to do with socialism, just like blaming him for the economy and 2 wars. It wasn't on his watch folks.....he just has to pick up the broken pieces that were left behind by the previous owner.
Dear delusional
ultra left wing libtards, George Soros's boy is going to be a one term wonder,now it will take some time to get his foul stench out of the whitehouse and restore America to it's rightful place as leader of the free world, but one thing America is "HOME OF THE FREE LAND OF THE BRAVE" America is not" HOME OF THE WHINEY, WERES MY WELFARE BECAUSE THEY OWE MY FOR SUCKING UP AIR AND TAKING UP SPACE"and all those WMD'S were sent to Syria by Sad one Insane (Saddam Hussain)
rest up brothers cause if the tax dodger gets elected president,he'll have us in another war withen a year.
well, this cheat'n, dawg of a president who refuse's to show his college transcript , because he registered as a foreign student, has done enough damage to the military and this country with his liberal views, failed policies.
pretty funny seeing as how he inherited bush and cheneys war, my son did two tours in irag and afghanistan,how about your son?
Don't worry guys...we'll be back in the sand before you know it, unfortunetly this is just a campaign ploy...Tricky Dick did same same in 72'...I have a son in marines training right now for deployment to afghanistan....this is just a rotation of troops...
Welcome home weekend warriors, sorry, no jobs are available.
no Marine is a weekend warrior ahole.
Actually joe I know many Marine reservists who have been deployed and come home to find their jobs cut. Also know Marines and soldiers who ETS (time served and got out) who have trouble finding jobs when their enlistment ended. I know, once a Marine always a Marine, but that doesn't put food on the table.
Richard if your intent was to dishonor Marines you need to apologize, however I think I get your point.
I served with all branches except coast guard on multiple deployments. I was National Guard- weekend warrior. No one talked smack when I rolled up with my route clearance team. We always covered each others six when we crossed paths or pulled missions together.
richard...I dare you to walk up to any marine returning to the world from the hell he's been in and call him a weekend warrior....
coyotehunter, can i watch. to err is human, to forgive divine, neither of which is Marine Corps Policy,.
bring em home
help with training and transition and help with increase VA health care resources for the long haul
We've ground them up for a decade+ now -- help in the healing and transition to other jobs
Let's shift some spending to our infrastructure and other at home long haul things -- even some green energy stuff
I retired from service after 22+ years just a few years ago and watch alot of folks get chewed up over this last decade
even saying this I still think in the long haul DOD spending need to be reduced as does other spending and even still to get to a balance on things we all want and a fair number of the us want we will have to raise more revenue long time to get GDP and debt in a sustainable balance
but we should not skimp on the VA and those that really need it. and no I'm a consuming of disability like my fellows that truly have been chewed up in their service
I agree they should be helped with training and transition, however, since millions of people are STILL unemployed and NOT paying taxes, whose going to foot the bill for this training. Maybe we can turn to China for more loans.
Interestingly,"
writes Jason Ditz at Anti-war.com,
"with the ink now drying on the document and the US officially committed
to the occupation of Afghanistan for another decade, officials are continuing
to tout 2014 as the “end” of the war. This speaks to how the 2024 date, though
openly discussed by the Karzai government in Afghanistan and privately
acknowledged as part of the secret pact, has not been publicly presented to the
American public. www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/05/02-6
that's all nice but with the cuts Obama is asking for alot of people are going to be left hanging.
The Skunk don't care about hangin people out to dry, he's just concerned of getting back in whitehouse, so him and michelle can live off the taxpayers for another 4...then after he really fuc%'s up the country he'll leave with his lifetime pension and go back to the chicago projects....
I have an idea: Let's bring every single marine home from Afghanistan, and put them to work rebuilding our nation's electric grid. Instead of tax dollars for bullets and tanks, let's build more wind turbines and solar panels.
The United States has spent enough money in illegal wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to rebuild our nations entire electric grid, with funds left over to build enough commercial-scale wind and solar electric generating stations to power every single home and business in America...twice.
And this doesn't even count the good men and women who have lost their lives in that hellhole, or those who have lost limbs and pieces of themselves.
Here is the math:
$1 billion to build ca. 400 megawatts of renewable power.
400 megawatts is enough to power approximately 100,000 homes.
There are ca. 100,000,000 homes in the United States.
Therefore, we would need to build 400,000 megawatts of renewable energy.
Or...$1 billion x 1,000.
Or...$1 trillion.
We have spent $200 billion a year for the last ten years on these wars. This equals $2 trillion.
This $2 trillion over the past 10 years does not even count the additional $6 trillion gone to the Pentagon Budget.
Isn't it about time we do some "Nation Building" here at home?!
Here's an idea, how about getting "generation useless" of the couch and put them to work period (that way Mom can clean up their mess). By the way the figure is over 4 trillion already spent, drill, drill, drill! green energy so far, is a waste of money, tree huggers who twitter,drive automobiles and use computers are the worst kind of hypocrites.
Get them to work where? your republican party has sent all jobs overseas and they call it free capitalism. Now they blocked a bill that insures all companies that bring jobs from overseas to America will get tax breaks.
Ok give us the links to where you get 4 trillion dollars spent on green energy?? If that was the case we would have been off oil years ago.
Hey the Democratic Party( Socialist Party) has given illegal immigrants the jobs 3.2 work permits ,with 15% unemployment, 1.5 GNP, 2 blown Stimulus, 17 trillion in debt. whats left that Obama hasn't FKUP?
Athiest, the eastern shores are one of the best places in all of America that wind power generation will work. Imagine you spend that trillion dollars fixing the energy gird to make sure all of that captured energy in the Atlantic makes it to all of the homes nearby. It will create hundred of thousands of jobs and will require skilled workers. But instead we are fighting all these wars for oil and our gas prices are through the roof.
Eeek, the socialists are coming!, the socialists are coming!...wait a minute, egads their already here! and now they want 4 more years to hopelessly change us into good little comrades....Now we'll have a red IN every bed instead of hiding under it....Do you libs ever take a good look at how fu$%ed up the other socialist countries on this planet are....?
Athiest...you'd have a better chance of converting the pope to atheism than getting this country on wind power, it just won't work for large scale power grids....
At Reg, Your still breathing. And that's a prime example for birth control.
alex cali, consider yourself fortunate that i even respond to a left coast LIBTARD, ever heard of American innovation? Edison,Ford and many others developed ,manufactured their products WITHOUT government handouts, they perfected their inventions on their own dime. Handouts = big government and oppression and suppression of ideas and innovation ,so folks like your couch sitting, Cheetos eating libtard selves would not understand that hard work, discipline,desire are in fact the hallmarks of AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM. My point =delelope something that works with a good sound business plan and you will make a fortune without Uncle Sugar up your hoop sideways. $4 trillion PLUS is what was spent on the war in IRAQ and AFGANGSTER STAN......read before you respond.
May they all come home safely.
Amen, John Amen.
The faster the better. Never should have been there to begin with. What a terrible waste of young Americans.
Totally agree. What have we accomplished? Think Iraq is going to be a republic, a democracy...we can already see how inefficient their security forces are and Iran is just drooling, chaffing at the bit to move in there. Afghanastan and Pakistan have once more proven what the Brits and Russia learned, trying to establish a free, secure state is hog wash and very, very costly. As soon as Assad is out of power, all of the middle east will be open to the muslim brother hood for take over and Shariah law will be the constitution. Saudi Arabia will be begging for our military protection, after all, those shieks have to have their silver cars...but there is no democracy there either. So what have we accomplished? Not a damn thing except loss of life and waste of money. We honestly can't believe AlQueda and Taliban are defeated, they are just waiting for the right time.
not to mention money better spent elsewhere.
Oh we had every right to go in there! Staying was stupid!
@Airborn, Iraq? Naw, That was GWBs properganda. A dictator like Saddam would not let a loose cannon like Bin Laden anywhere near him. Dictators din't like anything that is the smallest threat to them anywheres around them.
Finally some help is coming when a hurrican hits our area.
If a hurricane is a coming you best start a running. When you stay you put other peoples lives in danger.
And the faster the better. Someone however in Washington D.C. will now probably want to send our soldiers to Syria, or Yemen, or the Phillipines. If they should send our soldiers anywhere there is the genuine need to station them all on our border with Mexico but this obviously makes to much common sense so all or most of our 535 elected representatives won't give this matter the consideration it obviously deserves.
Welcome home, Marines!! May the rest of your comrades come home safely also. let's hope America is ready to give you any assistance you need to reenter life here at home.
What a blessed day it will be when all of our young men and women are out of that place.
This is really excellent news! The sooner we cut our losses in the powerkeg that is the Muslim world the better!
These nations will never advance until they do so on their own. They will have an extremely bloody period until the whole religion/politics things subsides. It was like that when Europe went through it, and I see no reason to think it will go any better over there.
If we aren't funding it, they will get sick of the constant warfare pretty quickly I think and then more rational minds might prevail.
Looking through the comments, it's encouraging to see that there is this one thing that Democrats and Republicans agree about. Now we just have to hold our leaders to it!
It's about Damned Time. Get us out of that Damned Rat Hole. What a Tragic waste of our soldiers lives for Absolutely Nothing, and the Billions of our Dollars down the toilet.
He is bringing home 10,000 Marines and promised to stay in Afghan till 2024. www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/05/02-6
He is bringing home 10,000 Marines and promised to stay in Afghan till 2024. www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/05/02-6
we waste billions on illegal immigrants also, I don't see no big out cry .
We are still sending troops over to Afghanistan! My daughter in law is a Capt and left last week.
Tarzan7: It was not a waste to those who serve our country and let's hope we don't have another 9/11.
While shifting more control to Afghan security forces and Afghan police, Berger said he has seen "amazing progress last year into this year," first, in terms of the Afghans' military development and, second, in their available fighting equipment and ability to man those tools.
"The third part is confidence — confidence in themselves and the people’s confidence in them," Berger said, "Each week, they’re more confident in what they can do in the field. The police are more confident. The people can begin to trust them in a way that was really challenging a year and a half ago.
Berger's statement is reminiscent of General Westmoreland's and Clayton's lies about the successful 'Vietnamization Program' during the early '70s. Vietnamization of the war was an excuse for the US forces to abandon the 10 year war claiming the South Vietnam Army has the capability to take over all military operations.
"Now, I think the people (here) see the Afghan security forces as ... really the public face of their government. So the more they see of this, the more confidence people have that the Afghan government can protect them, can take care of them. So from where we sit, it’s absolutely going in the right direction."
The US government and military basically said the same thing about the relationship between the Saigon government and its people. After the US ran from South Vietnam under Nixon's "Peace with Honor" strategy, the South Vietnam military forces collapsed and the Saigon government disappeared. (President Ky and Thieu found their luxury homes in Huntington Beach, California, an affluent Southern California suburb, courtesy of the American taxpayers.) To the consternation of leaders in DC, the south Vietnamese people cheered when Saigon became Ho Chi Minh City. So much for protection and confidence of the people.
Like in the Vietnam War, the American people were duped by the war mongers, war lovers, and Military Industrial Complex into sacrificing their precious sons and daughters for nothing. Nothing. After nearly 11 years of war and tens of thousands of dead and wounded American soldiers, the security of America isn't any better off than in 2001. As for the hundreds of thousands of dead Afghani and Pakistani civilians and guerilla fighters, they serve as reminders to the Afghan people the evils of American military that invaded their nations. Today, there are more Anti-America jihadists recruits than before 911.
The American government fabricated the 'Dominoe Theory' and lied about the occurence of the Gulf of Tonkin Incident in order to enmass 500,000 troops in South Vietnam and station the 7th Fleet off the coast of Haiphong and Hanoi. As justification for the Iraqi War, the American government lied about the existence of WMD. In the Yemen and Pakistan Wars, the lies were about Al Queda and terrorist groups planning and plotting the destruction of America. In Afghanistan, the lie was about the Taliban being the host of Osama bin Laden. Last year, the US government claimed its Navy Seal assassinated Osama in Pakistan where he resided during many of the 10 years war.
Despite all the American propaganda, trillions of dollars wasted, and lost of untold lives and limb, Kabul will be renamed Taliban City just as Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City.
He is bringing home 10,000 Marines and promised to stay in Afghan till 2024. www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/05/02-6
War is a fact of life , and all we can do is be ready when happens.
War is a fact of life when someone slaps you in the face like WWII, there is no need for these types of wars / occupation anymore, not at the expense of the USA. We can stay prepared by manning our boarders with troops and work on other issues there. Bring them home, spend the money to keep them in active status and have them patrol our borders and take this country away from the drug runners.
We should not go to war unless we intend to do what it takes to win. We don't do that anymore and it results in the death of so many of our young men and women. n
@whose money, Commonground, qoutes ANTI-WAR.com, and that other Peace Symbol hugging Hippie site. All they do hear a moot rumer and blow it up as the truth, the unblemished truth. They will blow the numbers way out of proportion. Since all you do is smoke your weed and peck at the computer you will believe anything. "After all, it's on the internet it has to be true, right?"
Sure there will be some advisors rotating around but not in the numbers that they say. I estamate bout 500 and that's being generous. Afghan police and military still have a lot to learn about survival, disaplin, confidense, trust your buddy, and working as a team towards a common goal. Even in our own forces these skills are not learned over night, it takes a lot of time for these things to work. In combat you HAVE to know you can trust the guy next to you to do his job and he has to do the same thing towards you. I spent a lot of years in the military and the word impossible only exist in people vocabulary who are undisaplined. There is no obstacle that I can't overcome, either with someone beside me or alone. If you keep letting yourself be led around by the nose by these people you will have a go no where and do nothing life. Is there something you want to do or someplace up the ladder of life you want to be? Keep letting these writers lead you around and in 30 years you'll still be right where you are today. Nowhere.
Now that we will not be throwing our money away in Iraq and Afghanistan, perhaps we can start spending some of our military dollars on veterans' services. Of course, this will be easier if Congress stops funding things like the Abrams tank that the generals clearly said they did not want or need. Do you suppose Congress is in cahoots with the military contractor that supplies those tanks? No, Congress could not possibly be that venal and corrupt, could they? It is the Republican version of borrow and spend, borrow and spend and then complain about food stamps. People need food stamps more than they need tanks. Do you know why Republicans oppose food stamps? It's because no one in the food stamp program is paying them off. It takes a 1% to bribe a Congressman.
The Republicans want to cut spending for veterans' benefits, but they are willing to increase spending for military hardware. Guess who represents the military contractors? Guess who represents the vets? Republicans are more than willing to spend money on products made by the 1%, but they are unwilling to spend the money to take care of the vets who put their lives on the line for our country. Can you say "war profiteering"?
Yes they have taken a lot of donations from the likes of GD and others and now they are lobbying to keep the Abrams tank going, we have about 7000 of them, only 2700 are in service, over 4000 are parked, They need to cut this program way back.
It's about time we left that hell hole where so many of our best have died and for no reason what so ever. We fought a war for the military industrial complex and paid for it in blood. I hope those like Bush and Cheney never get a good night's sleep but being good sociopath's that will never happen.
What I find really frightening is that Romney is chomping at the bit to get into yet another ground war in the Middle East. He was over there promising Israel that we would "back" any attack on Iran. So let's send the vets into Iran. One more unfunded war. One more opportunity for the war profiteers. One more decade of lost American lives. This is the future we get with the Republicans. It's time to build America. It's time to recreate our infrastructure. It's time to bring our soldiers home and put them to work in America. It's time to bring our jobs home and rebuild our economy. No more money for war. Put the money to work right here in American. Make the 1% pay their fair share of taxes on all the money they made in war profiteering.
It's scares me that people would vote for Obama that has gotten this country involved in Libya, Egypt,Syria, Yemen, and added 2 years in Afgahn., this country cannot take another 4 years of this socialist, who has done nothing but spend ,blame, and make excuse's for his failed agenda he can't even run on.
But Arab Spring was a Bush concept.
underemployed....your a dreamer, wake up!....
@reg, we are not involved with any of the countries in any other way than being part of the UN and using our Ambassador. You must be a toddler, Lybia led Khadafi has been a thorn in our side since the early 1980s. Do a little history here, terrorist started out robbing banks here in the US and graduated to airline hijacking and hid in Lybia protected by old Wacky Khadafi Himself. Egypt and Syria we never walked nor flew across their borders. Just sympathised with the UN and try to get Russia and China to go along. Yemen is just about the same situation as with Khadafi. I wonder about you, believing in the BS Proporganda that is flying around. I don't know where it is coming from nor do I give a hoot, but what bothers me is the number of people that don't research into anything and believ half truths and lies that are put before them.
If your interested in the history of terrorism, see if you can find anything on a group call HYDRA. I lived through those days and it is a good point to start researching. After all I feel you need to do somethings on your own. Us older are in a sence a walking history book that you younger generation don't want to tap for some reason. You may not realize it but you to are becoming a history book and nice to have your facts straight.
God Bless Our US Military
and Thank You God for Democrats
Sorry Judge Bill,
The article only says he pulling some out. He made a promise already to the Afghan peole to stay until 2024. He ask NATO to help pay, but they told he no!
Interestingly,"
writes Jason Ditz at Anti-war.com,
"with the ink now drying on the document and the US officially committed
to the occupation of Afghanistan for another decade, officials are continuing
to tout 2014 as the “end” of the war. This speaks to how the 2024 date, though
openly discussed by the Karzai government in Afghanistan and privately
acknowledged as part of the secret pact, has not been publicly presented to the
American public. www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/05/02-6
God doesn't like Democrats, a party that denounces his word (same sex marriage), stands for abortion, attacks the church, a Socialist Party.
I hope and pray our US Military, remember who starts wars
and support our Democrats
He is bringing home 10,000 Marines and promised to stay in Afghan till 2024. www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/05/02-6
Majority of all major wars started by Democrats, JFK was the last big body count. So remember to read a longer history book and vote with those responsible for helping America grow which ever party you like. Both are the same to me.
I think the Democrats have started or where involved in more wars than Republicans.
The military except for gay's and extreme liberals, aren't voting for four more years of Obama , that realize peace comes from power and with cuts to the military this country is at risk.
Judge Bill has issues!
On Jan 1st 2015, all hell will break lose in Afghanistan.
And who really cares...
"August is heaviest homecoming month for Marines in Afghanistan"
Yeah, and it's all Obama's fault!
Let's band together and take our country ... oh, wait... This is a good thing.
Never mind.
Sincerely,
The
RightWrong Wing.Interestingly,"
writes Jason Ditz at Anti-war.com,
"with the ink now drying on the document and the US officially committed
to the occupation of Afghanistan for another decade, officials are continuing
to tout 2014 as the “end” of the war. This speaks to how the 2024 date, though
openly discussed by the Karzai government in Afghanistan and privately
acknowledged as part of the secret pact, has not been publicly presented to the
American public. www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/05/02-6