Are soldier surprises staged?

by **InTenSity** 2014-05-20, 09:14

Did the US armed forces learn from Vietnam to make sure to only try to show the good parts of war? The news is very vacant about injuries and showing casualties from any of our current wars. I remember talking to an uncle or someone who was part of Vietnam, and how hard it was coming back to the US. How our soldiers were treated like crap, but at the same time a lot of the news showed the grittier parts of war. Dead soldiers and body parts laying around in area's that were fighting. Today's news cycle seems to have at least once a week, a story of a soldier who comes home early and surprises their kids, mostly fathers that are returning to their daughters, tugs at your heart strings. I'm not sure how many soldiers we have fighting over seas right now, but have to imagine it is in the millions. Why do only a select few get to go to baseball games, or have a news crew ready to film the surprise. Maybe I'm just too cynical now. I think its great that soldiers aren't treated like they were during different times in our countries, but hearing about this happening every week, from all parts of the country seems to me like a propaganda/guerrilla marketing scheme.

Maybe this was better put in the random thoughts thread.

by **Robert J Sakimano** 2014-05-20, 10:03

I agree - it seems like the pendulum has swung all the way back to where if you even dare not celebrate the return of someone in uniform, you might has well have an Al Qaeda membership..

the media has a way of manipulating such storylines - and, yes, I'm thankful for the troops, soldiers, etc - but I'm thankful for everyone who contributes to American society.

All of that said, yes, a lot of the reunions seem incredibly contrived and there always seems to be a local news camera around.

by **xsanguine** 2014-05-20, 11:15

I hate to sound like a conspiranut... but when I'm watching the news, at least with the likes of CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, etc., I assume 75% of it is staged, out right faked, or edited to all hell likened to how reality tv puts together a "storyline".

I'm not sure why I should be celebrating someone who made the 100% choice to go fight for multi-national corporate interests, anyways. I know our all-benevolent government tells us we should be calling them heroes and if it were in actual defense of the home that's one thing but traveling thousands of miles across an ocean to kill poor people to make stogie puffin bankers rich doesn't seem very heroic to me. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there's many heroic young men and women that have acted courageous in many instances, but the act of joining the military and being sent in billion dollar equipment to shoot at people living in mud huts and slums seems the furthest away from a heroic act. Bill Maher was COMPLETELY right before he got canned by ABC. This is coming from someone from an extended (and decorated) military family, too.

But yeah, given our government's track record (actually EVERY government's track record)... you have to assume most of what you see in that context is contrived (Pat Tillman is a great example) Makes for some great Hollywood blockbusters, though, amirite?

Government gonna government.

Flame away.

by **InTenSity** 2014-05-20, 12:22

Xsanguine, I can't really say I disagree with much of what you said. The only thing I sort of disagree with is that the people are volunteering, I think a lot of them didn't have many other choices and took going in to the Army, maybe to get out of a bad situation, or they just had no where else to go. I won't begrudge people that. We've been at war for...20ish years. I was just curious if I was the only one noticing there are more and more 'surprise' homecomings or not.

by **Robert J Sakimano** 2014-05-20, 13:54

xsanguine wrote:I hate to sound like a conspiranut... but when I'm watching the news, at least with the likes of CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, etc., I assume 75% of it is staged, out right faked, or edited to all hell likened to how reality tv puts together a "storyline".

I'm not sure why I should be celebrating someone who made the 100% choice to go fight for multi-national corporate interests, anyways. I know our all-benevolent government tells us we should be calling them heroes and if it were in actual defense of the home that's one thing but traveling thousands of miles across an ocean to kill poor people to make stogie puffin bankers rich doesn't seem very heroic to me. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there's many heroic young men and women that have acted courageous in many instances, but the act of joining the military and being sent in billion dollar equipment to shoot at people living in mud huts and slums seems the furthest away from a heroic act. Bill Maher was COMPLETELY right before he got canned by ABC. This is coming from someone from an extended (and decorated) military family, too.

But yeah, given our government's track record (actually EVERY government's track record)... you have to assume most of what you see in that context is contrived (Pat Tillman is a great example) Makes for some great Hollywood blockbusters, though, amirite?

Government gonna government.

Flame away.

I agree with you completely.

by **xsanguine** 2014-05-20, 15:00

InTenSity wrote:Xsanguine, I can't really say I disagree with much of what you said. The only thing I sort of disagree with is that the people are volunteering, I think a lot of them didn't have many other choices and took going in to the Army, maybe to get out of a bad situation, or they just had no where else to go. I won't begrudge people that. We've been at war for...20ish years. I was just curious if I was the only one noticing there are more and more 'surprise' homecomings or not.

Keep in mind I'm not calling anyone who makes that choice a coward and I don't even think it's a bad decision, per se. I have two cousins over there right now and I think it's an exciting and awesome life experience for them. I'm moreso uncomfortable showering them with admiration and calling them heroes for something that at the end of the day was a choice of theirs to make... again... if they were volunteering to defend the homeland in a scenario where we're being invaded... well hell yeah, that's heroic as shit. You get all the admiration in the world for that, in my opinion. But our military (directed by our government) is a cancer on this earth right now and like you've pointed out... it has been for a long time.

by **steveschneider** 2014-05-20, 15:45

If I have to watch one more soldier reunited with his dog video I think I'm going to puke.

Just an FYI, when you come home from a day of work dog's react the same way.

by **Robert J Sakimano** 2014-05-21, 09:08

steveschneider wrote:If I have to watch one more soldier reunited with his dog video I think I'm going to puke.

Just an FYI, when you come home from a day of work dog's react the same way.

agree - that's why I like cats.

by **steveschneider** 2014-05-21, 13:52

Robert J Sakimano wrote:
agree - that's why I like cats.

I wonder how well a soldier cat reunion would go over?

by **xsanguine** 2014-05-22, 07:35

Robert J Sakimano wrote:
I agree with you completely.

As always, Bob, you're a fantastic citizen!

by Three_Putt_Par 2014-05-23, 00:36

xsanguine wrote:I hate to sound like a conspiranut... but when I'm watching the news, at least with the likes of CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, etc., I assume 75% of it is staged, out right faked, or edited to all hell likened to how reality tv puts together a "storyline".

I'm not sure why I should be celebrating someone who made the 100% choice to go fight for multi-national corporate interests, anyways. I know our all-benevolent government tells us we should be calling them heroes and if it were in actual defense of the home that's one thing but traveling thousands of miles across an ocean to kill poor people to make stogie puffin bankers rich doesn't seem very heroic to me. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there's many heroic young men and women that have acted courageous in many instances, but the act of joining the military and being sent in billion dollar equipment to shoot at people living in mud huts and slums seems the furthest away from a heroic act. Bill Maher was COMPLETELY right before he got canned by ABC. This is coming from someone from an extended (and decorated) military family, too.

But yeah, given our government's track record (actually EVERY government's track record)... you have to assume most of what you see in that context is contrived (Pat Tillman is a great example) Makes for some great Hollywood blockbusters, though, amirite?

Government gonna government.

Flame away.

I too am uncomfortable with the idea that just because someone puts on a uniform they are automatically a hero, and if you disagree you should be thrown out of the country and are a terrorist. Are there some heroes in the military? Absolutely. Is it something that I should automatically worship someone for, even if they're a bad person? No.

by Jethro Bodeen 2014-05-25, 16:34

Three_Putt_Par wrote:

I too am uncomfortable with the idea that just because someone puts on a uniform they are automatically a hero, and if you disagree you should be thrown out of the country and are a terrorist. Are there some heroes in the military? Absolutely. Is it something that I should automatically worship someone for, even if they're a bad person? No.

Combat troops are one thing. Paper pushers and fork-lift drivers, though important, are not equal. That's why the militant ( no pun intended) feminists are pushing for women to be in combat units because they know Combat Veterans have more distinguished careers in and outside of the military.

by Jethro Bodeen 2014-05-25, 16:59

InTenSity wrote:Did the US armed forces learn from Vietnam to make sure to only try to show the good parts of war? .

Yes.

Even these two stupid wars. (I'm a libertarian. I voted for Bush because he said no "Nation Building". That was by far his biggest, most costly lie. We have literally FLUSHED our wealth and troops down the toilet by invading Afghanistan and Iraq. If there was sufficient reason to invade them, we should have just bombed them to kingdom come.)

The guilt for our treatment of our Vietnam troops has pushed us into a sort of PC love affair with the Military. They are untouchable now. Only the most " slimy little Communist shit twinkle-toed cocksuckers" dare talk shit about the military. Its like Abu Ghraib never happened.

As an aside- Democrats and leftists use the Military to push their social engineering agenda and steer military contracts to their donors and Republicans like to drape themselves in the flag and spend money on the weapons built by their big business donors. They both love the military, though the Leftists cry crocodile tears about military spending.

by **steveschneider** 2014-05-26, 11:06

Jethro Bodeen wrote:

Yes.

Even these two stupid wars. (I'm a libertarian. I voted for Bush because he said no "Nation Building". That was by far his biggest, most costly lie. We have literally FLUSHED our wealth and troops down the toilet by invading Afghanistan and Iraq. If there was sufficient reason to invade them, we should have just bombed them to kingdom come.)

The guilt for our treatment of our Vietnam troops has pushed us into a sort of PC love affair with the Military. They are untouchable now. Only the most " slimy little Communist shit twinkle-toed cocksuckers" dare talk shit about the military. Its like Abu Ghraib never happened.

As an aside- Democrats and leftists use the Military to push their social engineering agenda and steer military contracts to their donors and Republicans like to drape themselves in the flag and spend money on the weapons built by their big business donors. They both love the military, though the Leftists cry crocodile tears about military spending.

Bull shit...remember Halliburton? Right wingers steer plenty of contracts to them selves. Dick Cheney made a killing off of the wars.

by **pulling69** 2014-05-26, 22:55

steveschneider wrote:

I wonder how well a soldier cat reunion would go over?

by **steveschneider** 2014-05-27, 10:10

pulling69 wrote:

Good one.

by **Rocinante** 2014-05-27, 10:31

Jethro Bodeen wrote:I'm a libertarian.

It must be fun being an "every man for himself" person in a society that takes care of you through the taxes of your fellow citizens.

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