Todavia mis lagrimas saben a ti

U.S. 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit load a mortar during a pitched battle with Iraqi forces at the port in Umm-Qsar in southern Iraq on Sunday

ordnancemen unload ordnance from an F/A-18 Hornet on the flight deck aboard the USS Harry S. Truman, at an undisclosed location at sea on Saturday

"K-Dog", a bottle nose dolphin belonging to Commander Task Unit trains with Sgt. Andrew Garrett in the Arabian Gulf. These units are working to ensure shipping lanes are clear of mines for humanitarian relief.

Iraqui Republican guards flash victory signs as they leave Baghdad heading to the southern front March 27. Iraq has denied reports from U.S. commanders that it has lost up to 1,000 men in fighting in and around the city of Najaf, which is close to the Euphrates river 90 miles south of Baghdad.

A note :

last night I caught myself watching too much coverage of the war. It was obvious because my thumb was literally the "autoremote" pilot. it knew when to switch to the opther channels because the coverage started repeating itself. That's the first signs of being hooked on it all. o.K., so we knew that in this war it was going to be the first couple of days that was going to set the initial pace of the war. I wanted to see how long our pace would last until it finally slowed down as both sides revealed their cards. Now, it would seem, both sides have shown most of the cards and I'm still - or was - glued to it to see how the troops were deploying their new weapons out in the front lines and all......typical service stuff.

That's when it hit me. Tonight, it hit like a ton of bricks. The media was suckering me in. Just like they want all of us. I don't want to see this with this sort of game boy  "distance" mode. This isn't a made for t.v. event.

I closed my eyes and thought long and hard about when I did things in uniform and how some things we did demanded the most extreme in concentration and quick thinking. Not to mention the physical demands.

Once all that hit me, I looked at the t.v. and I just instantly hated these media-types. Way too much gabbing on the front lines about...well.....anything. Oh surte, the stree of combat is key and all that. No question there - but....maybe I'm just tired right now or maybe it's the way in which these news guys are just eating this up -all for their own motives and self promotion in the media world. I don't know, they just seem to me, to be reporting things in a way that it is really self serving rather than for the reporting itself. I sense that their real motives aren't what you'd think they are. It all just made me want to go up to the first reporter I encounter anywhere and punch them.

...maybe I'm tired. The troops are tired to be sure.....but it seems like these news guys are like a twentyfour hour ever-ready bunny with a never ending stream of shit coming out of their mouths. Way too perky for too long...working too hard to get the story right. At the same time to get that ultimate recognition from their peers. War, death.......oh boy ...a chance of a lifetime to report on all that for the sakes of my professional growth. To hell with everybody and everything.

What about that lone grunt out there who's got to clean the dirt,sand and carbon from his rifle and gear and then himself ? - in that order !! - all the time !! Do these news types ever report on the amount of effort and time it takes to clean all that and yourself before reporting in for the next patrol or order of battle ? All that other shit that just gets in the way of your down time. Discipline,baby...yeah but man....tell it too. ya know ? Do they ever report on all the other crap like the chills you get when the NBC alarm goes off ? or how about when the troops first try to get sleep the first few nights- none ! it's all giddy chatter with the NCO's trying to keep them quiet. Oh sure they shut up or calm it down to a whisper - but sleep ? never. Then amidst the down time and the op time - the sudden slap of fatigue when your brain just slips for a second and your knees give for a bit. You catch yourself by bending your knees ever so slightly so as to change the way the blood rises or goes throughout your body (a trick we all learned from standing at attention for drill way back at boot camp - it prevents from passing out due to locking of the knees when tired). A rush here and down time there. The training is one thing but I can only imagine that all of this intensifies after a short or long firefight. Hell, if you've ever been close enough to mortar or Arty rounds during a CAX exercise, you know what I mean.

The news guys...always talking....maybe they serve a purpose....maybe they're out looking for their own future opportunity with a good war story.....maybe it's all suposed to be this way so as to have a great record of this war so as to further train the next generation........maybe it's supposed to be this way.......maybe certain things just will never go being reported because it's not "newsworthy enough" for ratings.......

......maybe I feel for that Marine......quietly following orders,leading,helping,aiding........doing his job. Watching these news heads flap their gums...

....maybe I'm just flapping mine here.........tired.

The Protesters Yesterday / Los Protestantes Ayer

English / Espanol

Here I am watching all these protesters walk right by me in my neighborhood. All of them with their signs and bitching about the war and how bad it is. O.K. no complaints there. I'm sure that war isn't a good thing and that the servicemen would rather be at home having a Bar-b-q. However, dammit, things in the world happen and if diplomacy doesn't work, then there's war. It's that simple. Does that mean that I'm a war mongering idiot ? No, certainly not. It means that I recognize that diplomacy sometimes doesn't do the trick. It means that sometimes we have to go it alone- especially when other powers that be can't seem to get their head and ass wired straight - namely the United Nations.

So having said that, we find ourselves in the position of taking action. Now, I can't acccount for all the angles of war. I'm certain that someone or some entity will make alot of money on this mess. But then again, that always happens with every war- no matter who's in it.

As I watched the protesters, I thought about my friends from when I was in. I thought about all my friends who came from Spanish Harlem and other areas. All of them who came from low income housing to join the Corps. All of them, who came from well to do families who broke social and economic ranks to earn the title and be counted as one of us. Then I started looking at the faces of the crowd. Yeah........these are the ones who years ago would have been too busy chaining the doors at college campus buildings, burning draft cards and maybe even spitting at the servicemen as they came home.

Am I overgeneralizing? God I hope so, I'd like to think that the protesters of today are smarter than the typical radical who just spouts out conspiracy and just hastily categorizes everybody a la Archie Bunker years ago.

I'm not for war. We gave peace a chance. Things sometimes don't always work out and the final option is always an option that nobody wants - especially for those who have to execute it.

So...I rally for a strong and timely action A fast end to this mess - at all costs. I rally for all men and women in the service. I rally for all the Iraqui who put their weapons down and just walk away from it all. I rally for all my MARINES who - even when they lift their rifle and sight in - pray that the other guy raises his empty hands in peace.

So where's the rally for this bunch ? oh yeah......they're  on ready alert at their bases. They're watching the t.v. to see if they can get a glimpse of their son or daughter in uniform. They're picking up the extra load while their loved on does his or her duty. They're the veterans who have been on the recieveing end of live rounds and ordinace from earlier wars and conflicts. They're on the sidelines quietly watching rallies like these all over the country and  well....really feeling what it's like to be - AMERICAN.

Espanol

Aqui estoy viendo todos los protestantes pasando pro mi vecindario en protesta de la guerra. Pues, yo tambien estoy en contra de la guerra. Se que esa solucion no es una buena solucion. Se que todos en uniforme quisieran estar en sus casas. con sus familias, en un Bar-b-q. Pero, a veces los esfuerzos diplomaticos no rinden resultados deseados. Hay que reconocer que esto, a veces, pasa y la unica solucion es guerra. Eso no es decir que guerra es algo que yo deseo. Yo se que, a veces, paises tienen que actuar solos - si quiera hasta que ciertos cuerpos politicos como la ONU se enderesen sus malditias cabezas !

Ya diciendo esto, nos encontramos en esta situacion. Ahora, yo se que cuando hay guerra siempre habra alguien o alguna organisiacion que ganara dinero en tiempo de guerra. Pues asi es en cada guerra desde el empieso del mundo.

Mientras viendo esa multitud de gente ayer, yo me quede pensando en mis amigos que estuvieron conmigo de servicio militar. Muchos de ellos venian de barrios pobres y unos de situaciones muy estables economicamente y socialmente. Todos rompieron barrieres economicos y sociales para ganarse el titulo de MARINE y representar este pais y todo lo que se define en ser America y Americano. Luego me fije en las caras de la gente que me pasaban. A lo mejor estas son las mismas personas que, anos atras, fueron reaccionistas rebeldes en contra del gobierno y nuestra sociedad. Los que quemaban la bandera,escupian a los soldados cuando regresaban de guerra alla en Vietnam or otros paises. Los que armamban movimientos destructivos en las universidades etc.

Estoy sobre generalizando ? Espero que si. Espero que yo este equivocado y que esta gente son mas inteligentes hoy en sus protestas que como fueron los pasados..

No estoy por guerra. Ya dimos paz una oportunidad. A veces la unica solocion es esta y  nadie les gusta esto - mucho menos a esos que tienen que realizar dicho acto.

Asi que.....soporto el rally para un fin rapido. Soporto todos en nuestro uniformes. Soporto los Iraqui que se paran a la ultima hora y echan sus aramas en favor de paz. Soport todos mis MARINES quienes cuando elevan sus rifles para disparar - rezan que van a ver un enemigo elevar manos desarmados.

Donde esta el rally para esta gente? Ah...ya se.....esta gente estan el las bases en condicion de alerta. Esta gente estan pegados a sus televisores en esperanza para ver si veen un breve imagen de sus hijos. Esta gente estan recogiendo y tomando los puestos de los que se han ido ya para alla. Esta gente son los veteranos que ya conocen la experiencia de haber recibido tiros y bombas en otor conflictos. Esa gente son los que, calladamente estan a los lados mientras pasan los protestantes.....calladamente sintiendo lo que es ser - AMERICANO.

I can only Imagine what this penguin said as he went into the drink:

"That Son of a B...!"

Solo me imagino lo que dijo ese pinguino cuando callo al agua:

"Cono !! Ese hijo de P_t_, lo voy a matar ! "   

...ahem...Careful...soapbox sermon coming on. Run away while you can .

On the recent news of the impending war with Iraq:

Good !!............easy people.......hear me out first.

Good that it's finally coming to an end. Good that this mess will either happen or not. No more "he-said-that-they-said-that-he said crap".Unfortunately sometimes negotiations don't work, world. Enough of this "Oh we're not sure" crap. The "cards have been dealt and shown". OK then. So now it's time for the U.N. to really show it's solidarity and stop the madness - like drastically do some fast maneuvering - which it can - despite what people say. Otherwise, their credibility, what little there is left of it, will be shot.

We all have to remember that the last ones that really want war are the poor servicemen who are there. They don't want to do it but are trained and willing to do so for their country. So, don't hate them......they're in the military for a whole bunch of reasons ( I can think of a lot of people who would rather have a job in the military right now that be unemployed anyway). Trust me, that kid from shitsville,Iowa really would prefer being home.

So if this is what it's going to take to get home. Then so be it. Just remember, every loss of life out there is everyone's fault. Not just the president and the powers that be. We elected them....so like it or not we gotta deal with them. The question is, do we as Americans have the guts enough to stand behind our leaders when times get rough. Hey, war is never a popular thing nowadays. See, it's not a clear good guy bad guy thing anymore. It's all gotten so "gray". it can be easy to confuse or not be sure of anything these days.......starting with the media.

One thing is for sure. no mater what happens. the world will, once again, be pointing their fingers at us for all the good and bad reasons. Catch-22 folks. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. I'll be damned if I get soft while the world gets tough on us. Yeah, call us the Imperialists and so on. We've been hearing that and so much more for so long yet it seems that every country has a story behind them. Usually one where it finishes with eh Americans having to step in and save their asses from whatever is evil at that time. But that's another tirade for another day. let's wrap this soapbox sermon up now,shall we ?

Here's a thought. You guys don't want war ? Great. Me neither. You guys don't want to do squat about this guy and his weapons (who by the way was still dismantling the bombs/weapons he claimed he never had today - source : CNN ) ? Fine by me.

We'll take care of our side of the pond. You take care of your side. As for the U.N. Sure, sit there and flap your gums all you want. Got a problem ? YOU guys deal with it. The American Policy isn't a good one ? Fine, we'll pack it in and see what happens in a year's time or less. Then I guess we'll see you guys at the U.N. pointing fingers at us for something or another about that issue anyway.

One of the things I learned when I was in uniform as that if I was going to present a problem to my superiors, I damn well better offer some kind of solution - not just any solution either. Any crappy solution did two things, it made me look like an idiot incapable of my job and second, it wastes time and slows the decision making process down (poor or no input leaves more room for error when time of decision is of the essence - and believe me time is a luxury no one has when downrange).

So people. we're here. It's St.Patrick's Day. Saddam's luck - after 12 years of shuffling and hiding and building his weapons - just ran out. Don't even tell me that the U.N. wasn't privvy to the intel sources from everybody all these past years. They were indeed. So, screw the Punctious Pilot act and wash your hands someplace else U.N., it's time to put the foot down and that's it. Denying that you guys knew the deal with this maniac is tantamount to treason against the world.

Man,we could really use Woodrow Wilson now. He'd have a blast at the U.N. . I wonder how his "Isolationism" idea would go over today.

Pray for no war...pray that the diplo-suits can come to terms. Pray that they can pull something outta their arses. After all, that's their jobs. But damn it, if there's going to be a war. Let's do it all the way. There are lives at stake here. Iraqi,American and others.

Oh yeah, GW is going to speak tonight. Get ready folks. He's libel to have his cowboy boots on and his favorite western belt buckle on. Bring your poker faces to the T.V. sets "y'all".

The things that make you go "hmmm..."

Hola,

Por que sera que yo pienso en ti demasiado cada viernes. Quieriendo saber lo que tu vas hacer esta noche o este fin de semana. Se que no deberia.

Turn off the t.v.,turn off the phone, turn off the world and relax and reflect with this CD. The music is almost medatative in it's cool, soft tropical sounds. Ry Cooder has taken the mellow from his Buena Vista Social Club and taken it to a higher level. Three words....Tropical chill out.

No se donde estas en estos dias en tu mente o corazon. Pero si te encuentras sola y tu mente se te suelta en reflexcion...si quiera un poco...te lo dedico.