Sayin' goodbye for 8 weeks...

Switch Kicker · Post by **Switch Kicker** » 12 Jun 2005 17:24

Tomarrow (Monday), at 3:00 PM, I'll be on a flight from Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Fort Benning, Georgia for Basic Training. I've joined the National Guard and I'll be in Basic Training for 8 weeks. 8, long, hardworking, footbagless weeks... *cries*. But I know it will be fun, so the lack of footbag is ok, I mean I'll still get to play it for an hour each night (If I have the energy.), and on Sundays we get extra time off for personal stuff, writing home, laundry, *cough* footbag, church and other jazz like that. Well, wish me luck...

limester816 · Post by **limester816** » 12 Jun 2005 17:38

Good luck man

QuantumBalance · Post by **QuantumBalance** » 12 Jun 2005 19:36

quit now b4 its too late

hacksterbator · Post by **hacksterbator** » 12 Jun 2005 20:10

QuantumBalance wrote:quit now b4 its too late

word...

but if it's what you want to do, good luck.

Switch Kicker · Post by **Switch Kicker** » 12 Jun 2005 23:09

Heh heh. I have no worries. The next Minnesota National Gaurd deployment is next Spring. I won't be able to go to that one. That's also the last deployment Minnesota will be sending out, for a good long while. By the time I'm ready to get shipped, this war will be over. Besides, I'm a tank killer. I basically sit back a bit farther than the close range combat, and take out tanks and other heavy artilary with ground to ground missiles and such. Either way, we've only lost some odd 1500-2000 troop in this war. That's not much at all compared to most other wars. This one isn't nearly as bad as teh press makes it out to be.

Thanks for the concerns though. Besides, I'm only 17, I still ahve about a year to back out of my contract before I get officially sworn in for 6 years.

C-Fan · Post by **C-Fan** » 12 Jun 2005 23:35

Switch Kicker wrote:By the time I'm ready to get shipped, this war will be over. .

Wait, didn`t the war end in May 2003? Mission Accomplished? End of Major Combat Operations? Bush flying out to an aircraft carrier, big banners, lots of flags?

Oh wait, no, I guess the war ended when sovereignty was handed to the Iraqi Government last year.

Oh actually, hold up. Wasn`t the war over like half a year after that, once the first elections in Iraq were held?

I think its really great that combat deaths have been relatively low, but the statistic you never here reported are the casualty rates. Because of mines, rpgs, and booby traps, combined with better field medecine, less troops are bleeding to death on the battlefields, but the number of troops who come home missing limbs is way up.

I`m not questioning your motives for joining the national reserves. I think its incredibly dangerous, and it takes a lot of balls to go. I just don`t think its smart to join up thinking that you will be safe, because you think the war will be over soon, or you have relatively safe duty. The Korean war ended in the 50s, but we had troops stationed in the DMZ there for a good 50 years.

I hope you are able to continue playing footbag and, if you do get sent overseas, are able to come back safely.

Switch Kicker · Post by **Switch Kicker** » 13 Jun 2005 07:56

Well, either way, I'm still in a pretty safe situation. And besides, if I do get sent over and die, it's not preventable, because in my book, you die when you're supposed to die, no matter where you are or what you're doing. If I don't get sent over, I could just as easily die in a car crash, or while doing footbag on the railing of my steps outside (it's hard, but I can hit a mirrage while balancing on it.) I could easily fall off and snap my neck. Hell, the fuckin appocolypse could happen in the next hour. I'm basically saying that I don't fear death, because death is inevitable, and should not be feared in the first place.

BAM, how's that for a speech? Yea, it didn't kinda suck, but whatever.

Again, thanks for the concern and compliments. It's now 11 am here, and I'll be leaving in two hours.... I wonder if I shouldnt' get one mroe Head to Head match in on Halo 2...

Guest_2 · Post by **Guest_2** » 13 Jun 2005 08:08

Hey man, I wish we would've had time to kick before you left (I'm a twin cities guy), but I wish you best of luck. I'm not going to wax intellectual over the war/any war, but I hope you come back safely and we are able to shred in the near future.

Peace, and good luck

username · Post by **username** » 13 Jun 2005 08:30

hey, go kick some ass man, I and the rest of us with DRY beds are all rooting for you.

HG · Post by HG » 13 Jun 2005 08:33

What is that supposed to mean?

The people who dont want to go into a pointless war piss their beds? Sure i piss my bed regularly, since i dont feel like getting up, but that doesnt mean anything!

The thing that pisses me off the most is when people have those "Support our troops" magnets on their SUV! Thats so retarded! The people with SUV's are the reason were in this war!

And kids, Never forget. Its cool to piss your pants. God i hate Adam Sandler

Switch Kicker · Post by **Switch Kicker** » 13 Jun 2005 10:13

I agree. Those little ribbon magnets that say, "Support our troops." is just stupid, and wrong. It's just someone's idea on how to make money off of a horrible situation. None of that money goes to help the troops either, that's a fact that I know. While on the way up to the MEPS (Testing and stuff like that.) building in Minneapolis, every time my recruiter saw someone with those damn ribbons he'd curse at them under his breath. I finally asked him why and he told me that it's just some man's greedy idea and that there is no funding from it that goes to the men and women over seas. It's not right.

Yes, you and I will definantly have to shred sometime when I get back.

This is my last post, later everyone.

Jeremy · Post by **Jeremy** » 13 Jun 2005 11:28

Wow - big decision! I'm sorry I missed this topic - I presume from his last post that Fred has already left. If not, I bet you can still find 20 minutes or half an hour every day to play footbag. At first it will be really, really hard because you'll be exausted from your other activities but as you get fitter you'll find it easier and easier. Have a routine (not a competition routine - a daily routine) that involves a bit of footbag.

Aaron Orton - who posts on this forum - went to Iraq as a marine and still had time to play footbag.

Personally I'm opposed to the war, and to all war and to the trillion $$ spent on killing people around the world - but I respect your decision and I hope you feel that you've made the right one. I feel that the soldiers who go to war are usually pawns in a much larger issue and the war is not their fault. It's the politicians and world leaders who should acquire the blame and responsibility.

Comments like from "username" (Nathen somebody I think? - Don't know because your name isn't in your sig...) Are pretty useless and inflammatory. That will only succeed in driving more of a wedge between those who support the war and those who don't - but maybe that's what you want?