What Freedoms Did The US Military Protect In Afghanistan And Iraq?

I keep hearing "they fought to protect your freedoms here at home".

This is complete BS.

I'm not bashing the troops but this cult of military worship is getting out of hand. Why must some people say "he died protecting your freedoms" when that's obviously not the case.

My perception is that people say this to avoid admitting that they were lied too among other reasons. The Afghan war was based on lies and the Iraq war was based on lies too. No one likes to admit that they have been tricked. No one wants to believe that their son or daughter died needlessly making rich people more wealthy while making the economy even worst for the regular folk at the same time

All these wars brought was a whole lot of dead young men and women, and a lot of opium too. Let's not forget about all the tax dollars that were wasted as well.

Can we just admit that they were fighting for the elite banking cartel and protecting their interests? They may have been lied too, but this is 2014 and if you can't see through the lies then you are most likely willfully ignorant. When I say willfully ignorant I do not mean it as an insult but there is no excuse for sticking your head in the sand.

So my question stands...

What freedoms were they protecting for American citizens over there?

The point of this thread is to see the reasoning why some of you say this.

I would like to see it from your point of view for better perspective.

Is it different to say a man enlisted to fight for your freedoms?

Because we don't enlist to make our politicians money.

I guess dick Chenys financial freedom? And as hes a American thats sort of a American freedom...even if its one American.


For us Brits toney Blair freedom of careers

originally posted by: Iamthatbish
Is it different to say a man enlisted to fight for your freedoms?

Because we don't enlist to make our politicians money.

I guess the answer to your question depends on individual point of view.

My answer would be that I agree that many if not most enlist to be able to protect their country if the time ever came when it needed protecting.

After 9/11 many young Americans enlisted to join the war on terror. At that time a lot of the evidence we have access too now was not available. The propaganda machine was in full gear so I am not surprised that many young Americans wanted to do the honorable thing and protect their country.

My concern is that after all these years, after all the lies that have been exposed, how can one honestly say that they were protecting our freedoms?

They protected the most important freedom of all. The right for corporations to make profit. Oil companies in Iraq and drug companies in Afghanistan.

a reply to: Mikehawk
This is also an economy where the military is free training and garenteed income.

The military doesn't seem to have the same crazies as LEO. Wanting to be an LEO is actually a sign of mental illness.

I personally wouldn't be able to handle the military but know that someone needs to do that job so I have gratitude for those that do.

a reply to: Mikehawk

At no point did I fight for your freedoms while I was in Afghanistan.

I did, however, take part in missions that fought for Afghan liberty:

I helped ensure that local governors could speak with their people as well as
speak with the national leadership on important issues.

I helped ensure that the Afghan Special Forces got the men responsible for creating
havoc prior to elections.

The recent Afghan elections, while not entirely event free, largely went as planned. Turn
out was not what was hoped, but the security situation was far better. Thanks, in part, to the missions
I was party to for the better part of a year.

While I was in Afghanistan we helped supply remote Afghan posts and villages.
Members of my unit personally flew food and supplies they had collected on their own accord
and flew it to the near by Bedouin camps both as a thank you for allowing us to use their area as a
training area, and as an acknowledgement of their contributions to our mission.

I flew over 17 medevac mission to rescue personnel from Afghanistan, civilians, members of the 30 or so other military organizations in play. My first mission was a rescue of a 6 month old girl whose parents were killed in an IED blast, her leg was blow off in the process.

I flew over 150 combat missions across southern Afghanistan. Some of which were in the most dangerous places, like Helmand province, to get Afghan leaders, Afghan Soldiers, and civilians where they needed to go so they could accomplish their work for their country. And I am proud of every bit of it...It came at a high cost as I lost friends out there. People I worked with closely. People who I miss seeing in the hangar now that we are home.

But not ONCE did I ever fight for American freedom. And I didn't go there thinking that I would

They fought to protect our empire not freedoms.a reply to: Mikehawk

a reply to: projectvxn

I thank you for your honest reply.

I also thank you for admitting that you were not there fighting for America's freedom

Many war vets are not capable of admitting this.

originally posted by: knightsofcydonia
They fought to protect our empire not freedoms.a reply to: Mikehawk

In your opinion was the protecting of the American empire justified?

Sorry, I'm just not sure if you were supporting this imperialistic crusade, or criticizing it.

a reply to: Mikehawk

I know first hand the situation on the ground in Afghanistan.

I knew immediately, through briefings, reports, intelligence, and the missions I participated in that I was there for Afghans. And that's it.

If there was some nefarious ulterior motive, I didn't see it off hand. Our mission was always cut and dry.

a reply to: projectvxn

If there was some nefarious ulterior motive, I didn't see it off hand. Our mission was always cut and dry.

It's very possible that your personal mission was not nefarious, but overall do you believe that the reasons for being there in the first place to be nefarious or perhaps accompanied with ulterior motive?

*kicks myself for derailing my own thread*

a reply to: Mikehawk

Here's the thing. And this is as honest on this as I can be:

I DON'T KNOW.

No one does. It is ok, in my opinion, to say you don't know. It is more scientific than just assuming.

That said, I don't think we should be in Afghanistan anymore. I think we need to stop being the world police.

I do have my caveats however. If they told me I'd be deploying to kick ISIS ass I would jump on that flight quick, fast, and in a hurry. There are "good" fights out there. I just don't think Afghanistan is that fight. It MAY have been at one point. But I don't think it is now. I didn't think it was before going to Afghanistan.

But I know for a FACT that my contributions, that of my unit, and the people we helped support were a huge help to the Afghan people.

a reply to: Mikehawk

Freedoms? Nah, we didn't bring any freedoms, we brought chaos and death. The terrorist hate us for our freedoms but love us for opening the door for them into places like Iraq, Libya, & Afghanistan.

a reply to: Mikehawk

The Taliban are still in Afghanistan, what was actually achieved?

Iraq is still in turmoil a decade later but somehow we got "Mission accomplished".

As for the rest, soldiers died for nothing, not even our freedoms or the freedom of the Iraq's and Afghan's. It is the biggest load of garbage I have ever seen and just to make things worse other countries were taken out for the same garbage reason's.

Of shrub and co. to make billions in blood money .. and for halliburton/xe/whatever the hell they call themselves now to make billions in bloodmoney...

I was hoping some of the people who regularly say what I discussed in the OP would have dropped by to share their reasoning, too bad all we got was crickets...

a reply to: Mikehawk

Well if you're sitting around waiting for soldiers to repeat what is in the OP you'll be waiting for a long, long, long time.

No one I know, either in my unit, or in the Army in general believes that our military interventions in the ME have netted positive gains for liberty at home.

originally posted by: projectvxn
a reply to: Mikehawk

Well if you're sitting around waiting for soldiers to repeat what is in the OP you'll be waiting for a long, long, long time.

No one I know, either in my unit, or in the Army in general believes that our military interventions in the ME have netted positive gains for liberty at home.

I've seen it many times on ATS from people claiming to be soldiers.

Perhaps it's not something that they easily support when logic is implied?

I know I wouldn't want to be called out on that retardation.

But come on man, you know darned well this is a very prevalent social stigma on ATS.

"Protectin ur freeedommmsss - Murrrrrikkkaaa!"

No offense to you but you know it's true.