The words to describe how I felt on 9-11 come and go,  they escape me and that is good, because they are words of fear and hesitation.

Those are not words to live by,  they are not encouraging or strong.   And if 9-11 taught us anything, it is that we must be strong,  we must have courage and we must never give up.   Ever.

Head on over to Castle Argghhh! to see what Bill the Rotorhead posted that brightened my day

Bravo Zulu, Bill!!!

What I find to a nauseating degree around me lately is a throng of people who keep up the bit about supporting the troops, but not the war. They mimic Harry Reid with the “The war is lost – the surge has failed” line of utter filth. They complain endlessly about Abu Ghraib and Gitmo. They spew forth sewage copying John Kerry’s line of BS about “going into the homes of Iraqis in the dead of night, terrorizing kids and children.”

That’s not the military I know. That’s 180 degrees from the men and women I know in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Here’s the version of the U.S. Armed Forces I know. The version that does the right thing. The version that laughs at filthy jokes, but hangs out with the kids and loves to see their smiles. There may be a few bad apples in the truckload, but they’re just that – a very small minority. The vast majority are what you see below.

Why Our Military is So Hated Around the World

Not only words, this post. No, there’s plenty of pics in there, too. Pics that make me even more proud than I thought I could be of America’s military men and women.

“Like in so many places, those who wear our uniform are showing the great decency of America . I appreciate your compassion. I appreciate your love for your fellow human beings and thank you for the work you do.”- President George W. Bush

Ok, maybe Ted Turner was referring to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan where al-Qaeda and the Taliban brutalized the populace, and we “stayed the course” there to train native security forces and serve and protect innocent civilians and budding democracies at the expense of American blood and treasure, along with our Coalition partners.

Here are examples of the evil that American soldiers do, terrorizing the “native brown people”:

A U.S. Army Soldier from Charlie Company, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, from Ft. Lewis, Wash., shares a laughs with an Iraqi army soldier at a U.S. and Iraqi Army security checkpoint in Tarmiyah, Iraq, Sept. 25, 2007. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication 2nd Class Summer M. Anderson.

U.S. Army 2nd. Lt. Hunter Wakeland is seen on patrol with local Iraqi police in Abu Tshir, Baghdad on Sep. 10, 2008. You Witness News/U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Joan E. Kretschmer

This photo, which appeared on the front page of this morning’s edition of The New York Times, shows an Iraqi boy taking cover behind a U.S. soldier as civilians fled the sound of gunshots following a suicide bombing yesterday in central Baghdad that killed at least 21 people and wounded 66 others.Photo taken by Khalid Mohammed, AP

U.S. Army Spc. Sam Rogers, with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 48th Brigade Combat Team, receives a hug from a young Iraqi girl who is overjoyed with her new shoes. Rogers helped deliver donated shoes to the Abu Tubar School near An Nasiriyah

I have to confess something – looking at the photo of the U.S. soldier and the Iraqi soldier laughing together part of me was thinking about how great this was and who would’ve thunk it not so long ago. Another part of me was thinking about how much I wish I could have that AK-47!

One of the quotes that really stands out to me is actually from Michael Yon:

The U.S. military is the most respected institution in Iraq, and many Iraqi boys dream of becoming American soldiers. Yes, young Iraqi boys know about “GoArmy.com.” -Michael Yon

I wish I could’ve come up with such great pictures and such a great post. Really, go read the whole thing. Seriously. Look at the pictures. Look at the kids. Look at our men and women.

The times, they are a changin’

One more for *Weasel Zippers*

NAJAF, Iraq — At what’s believed to be the world’s largest cemetery, where Shiite Muslims aspire to be buried and millions already have been, business isn’t good.

The city, with the shrine and graveyard, is considered the third-most important holy site for Shiite Muslims, after Mecca and Medina. It attracts millions of pilgrims each year— and tens of thousands of funeral parties.

The Wadi al Salam cemetery— its name translates as “Valley of Peace”— dates to the 7th century. Its mud-brown jumble of crypts and rectangular and domed brick and marble tombs stretches to the horizon. It’s six miles long, two miles wide and grows by acres every day.

Imam Ali himself is said to have pronounced it the entrance to paradise. And so the Shiites come with their dead.

For the laborers in the Valley of Peace, it was just another workday, one they faced with a matter-of-fact attitude unnerving to those who deal with death less frequently.

“Certainly, when the number of dead increases I feel happy, like all workers in the graveyard,” said Basim Hameed , 30, a body washer. “This happiness comes from the increase in the amount of money we have.”

When the cemetary workers start complaining about the drop in business, it’s good news for the living and the U.S. Go and read the whole article – it’s an interesting take on the downside of victory as some would have us see it.