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Originally Posted by Torps
Watch Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West
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I have that dvd.
I was in a mine-clearing class when the towers got hit. I was falling asleep, because the idea of clearing mines with a stick didn't appeal to me one bit.
Our company commander showed up in a Humvee, and said that anyone with family in New York needed to come with him immediately.
I briefly considered saying that I had family in New York just to get out of the damn class, but I decided against it.
A couple hours later (yes, I was still in that stupid class) the C.O. came back with the marines who had left with him. All of them were ashen-faced. They told us that the Twin Towers had been hit by airplanes and had collapsed. The C.O. said there might be 40,000 casualties. Then he produced a wireless radio and we listened to Bush's speech about the incident, not believing a word of it.
My platoon came to the consensus that it was all a hoax, designed to make us take our training more seriously. Our suspicions were reinforced by the multitude of lectures we were given in which we were told that we were going to war and we were all going to be conscripted into the infantry.
I remember a conversation with a PFC Dunham. (about 90% sure that was his name, maybe it was Durham.)
He said to me.
"Dude, they are so full of s***."
"Yeah, I know, I'm getting really tired of these mind games. One day it's China, the next day it's Africa.
I wish they'd give it up."
Yeah, but they really went over the top on this one.
Planes crashing into the twin towers? My a$$. The Air Force would have shot them down."
"I know, it's ridiculous. I wish (can't remember names, platoon members who left with the CO) would stop going on about this crap. I wonder what they got in exchange for spouting this bull****."
"Probably a decent meal and a hot shower with the CO. Faggots "
And we laughed.
That night I was put on ammunition watch. To my great surprise, Sgt. Jurado gave me a loaded, clear, plastic magazine for my rifle.
"Lock and load Devil Dog. Do you remember the challenge and password?"
"Yes, sergeant. Challenge: ice cream. Password: cherries. "
"Good, use it like I taught you."
"I wish I had some cherries to bust."
"Damnit, Maryott, you a$$hole, do it right!"
<sigh>" Want some ice cream?"
"Only if you have cherries."
"You're not getting my cherry"
"Maryott, if you don't do it right I will buttstroke you across the face with your own rifle!"
"Couldn't you just stroke my butt?":rotfl:
At that point he grabbed me by the throat and uttered a string of obscenities.
I decided that enough was enough,and stood my post.
Four hours later, I related the story to the guy who relieved me.
And we laughed.
The next day we hiked back down to the School of Infantry.
I was astonished to see LAV-25s patrolling the streets. Barbed wire was strung everywhere. We had to show our military IDs to use the heads and showers.
Everyone made jokes about how ridiculous it was.
And we laughed.
A couple days later (or one day, I don't remember) we were allowed to go to Oceanside on leave. I didn't go to the beach or to the market center. I bought a phone card at a gas station and called my girlfrend.
I told her that I might have to go to war. I told her that my instuctors had said I would be conscripted into the infantry. Then and there she left me. Verbatim; " I'm not going to wait for you while you go off to war"
She soon married an Air Force officer candidate (AFROTC guy) that flunked out, and became an Air Force officer herself.
We laughed about that as well.
We deployed to Iraq in support of OIF II and III in 2005.
Four of our comrades were wounded over a period of 2 months.
Two were damaged beyond repair.
None of us are laughing now.