“War is hell in Iraq, so prepare for a daily nightmare of salsa dancing, yoga & martial arts classes.”

Published on October 22nd, 2009

Yes, it’s so good to see my tax money going to such worthwhile things. Wouldn’t it be cheaper to have them do these things at home if they don’t have a war to fight?

Pfc. Adrian Vesik heard that war could be hell.

He was happy to discover when he arrived in Iraq earlier this year that his war experience also would include salsa dancing, yoga and martial-arts classes.

“When I signed up for the Army, I thought I was going to be a hero — go out and do some fighting,” says Vesik, 19, during a break at a Filipino-Okinawan jujitsu class. “I haven’t come close to doing anything that I was trained to do. I work, maybe, four to five hours a day. I have time to try all these new things. It’s not so bad.”

Because of new rules that require Iraqi approval for all U.S. missions, and a general decline in violence nationwide, many of the 117,000 U.S. troops stationed in Iraq say they now have more idle time than at any previous point in the six-year war.

25 users responded in " “War is hell in Iraq, so prepare for a daily nightmare of salsa dancing, yoga & martial arts classes.” "

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# 1 Improbus said, on October 22nd, 2009 at 5:12 am

Be careful what you wish for young man. You could end up in Afghanistan.

# 2 said spot said, on October 22nd, 2009 at 5:19 am

As any democrat and filmmaker would scream at you, their use of your tax micromillipennie for recreation (which saves lives) is Bush’s fault, and the fact that they are not at war as much is all due to The Obama Peace Game, no one else had anything to do with it.

# 3 Uncle Dave said, on October 22nd, 2009 at 5:25 am

#1: It’s been a long time since anyone called me “young man.” Thanks!

#2: I have no quarrel with the activities. But if the soldiers aren’t needed, bring them home and save the cost of them being there.

# 4 Improbus said, on October 22nd, 2009 at 5:36 am

I was referring to Pfc. Adrian Vesik you old coot.

# 5 Dallas said, on October 22nd, 2009 at 5:37 am

We’re not really at war in Iraq anymore. We are now a reactive police force, a national guard of sorts.

As a matter of fact, we now outsource combat to Haliburton and missionaries. It’s a fucking scam and waste of tax payer dollars by the defense department to sustain itself.

However, it’s the military. You know, the guys that give us air shows to wow the guys with all that thunder of billion dollar toys.

# 6 Jetfire said, on October 22nd, 2009 at 5:44 am

#3 “But if the soldiers aren’t needed, bring them home and save the cost of them being there.”

FTA “The improvement in Iraq’s security recently prompted Gen. Ray Odierno, the top commander here, to accelerate the pace of sending troops home. He announced last month that 4,000 more troops — about the size of an Army brigade — will be going home by the end of October.”

It looks like he’s doing it.

# 7 Dr Dodd said, on October 22nd, 2009 at 6:01 am

#3-Uncle Dave-But if the soldiers aren’t needed, bring them home and save the cost of them being there.

Except for a minimal amount touted as hazardous duty pay they get paid the same in Iraq or at home. The base will remain open because it is in a good proximity to Iran. The necessity of that fact will be clear in the near future.

So the truth is that the money is not being wasted.

# 8 jescott418 said, on October 22nd, 2009 at 6:50 am

The problem is that you can call this a war but its really a military action against a certain group of people that do not wear uniforms. Do not function as a army. Plus they range in age from pre teen to the skys the limit. This is not how our military should be attacking this. They should use precision strikes by means of guided bombs or special operations. After all we should not be in Afganistan to push democracy. We should fight terrorists and that’s it! This would do wonders for our image in the Middle East.

# 9 pedro said, on October 22nd, 2009 at 7:07 am

Even this far into Europe, I can smell the stench of an op-ed on that story

# 10 GF said, on October 22nd, 2009 at 7:33 am

Guys are still getting killed in Iraq.

I wonder, is this Obama’s propaganda machine or the military’s.

# 11 pedro's (very embarrased) daddy said, on October 22nd, 2009 at 8:06 am

pedro, the bastard goat offspring donkey fooker who thinks is my son,

pedro, pedro, our little bastard donkey fooker, you are being very rude again. that “stench” you smell is probably your a**h**e from all the goat and donkey dicks that have visited. And I guess the gay part of the fifth fleet. I heard most of them walked away because your a**h**e was so stretched out of shape and your teeth scratched their weenies.

please stop being so rude. it doesn’t matter if this is an op-ed or not, you attacked the idea, not the substance. I know, you are too fooking retarded to understand. the gringos have this saying you might heed, “don’t shoot the messenger”. it would do you well to learn that lesson.

your dick is lonely without you to clean that drainage from his little erection. maybe your tongue has good healing properties, but poor dick wants you to take care of his dick. just brush your teeth first. please.

# 12 Glass Half Full said, on October 22nd, 2009 at 9:23 am

@11 Issues? Wow. Look, a good psychologist doesn’t cost THAT much.

Seriously though…BRING OUR TROOPS HOME! Our Founding Fathers (which the right wing loves to pretend to love) never wanted a standing Army, much less a ‘profit’ motivated mostly sub-contracted (with no bid contracts to firms financially connected to President or Vice President) sort of Army. You DO agree with the Founding Fathers and like the idea of an unchanging Constitution/moral/philosophical static time. So if a standing Army was bad 200 years ago it’s bad today! No ‘modern’ relativistic “times have changed” bullshit. If it was bad then, it’s bad now, right!

Iraq is MORE than capable of handling random gunmen and a few roadside bombs. What the F**K are we doing there? We can have enough troops (10k) in the area (Kuwait, Western Europoe) to provide help if something really goes bad, but we don’t need 100K troops just sitting over there playing cards and going on ‘patrol’. STOP SPENDING SO MUCH MONEY ON WASTEFUL UN-NEEDED GOVERNMENT ACTIONS…right fellow Republicans?

# 13 O'Really said, on October 22nd, 2009 at 9:25 am

As an active duty US Army soldier whose unit just deployed to Iraq, I can tell you the danger is still present. Mortars and Rocket attacks are still common and IED’s still remain hidden by a dwindling insurgency. My unit is the first of the “advise and assist” brigades that are there to ensure that we hand over the country in a manner that doesn’t have back there in 3 years.

Please don’t act so hastily to think that service members don’t deserve some downtime to play sports or chat on the Internet. The job is 24 hours on-call with no weekends or days off. You 14 days at home in 12 months and you have to watch your children grow up over a Skype connection, and someone is ready and willing to take your life.

Soldiers don’t make policy but we put ourselves on the line because we swore an oath to do so.

# 14 Ralph, the Bus Driver said, on October 22nd, 2009 at 9:55 am

#13, O’Really,

Don’t cry for me. You fell for the advertising and decided to join the “Army of One”. You get to play with things that go “BOOM”. You can drive real big trucks and shoot a lot of guns without having to pay for the bullets. GI Joe all the way. I can’t respect someone crying about how tough military life is.

If you didn’t know that someone might shoot back then you really aren’t bright enough to be in the US Army. The US Army is an occupying force. Expect that the occupied might resent it.

And yes, I did my bit so eff yourself before you even think otherwise.

# 15 Jim said, on October 22nd, 2009 at 9:56 am

Soldiers do what they are told to do; when they are not doing their duty, they have time to do something called “living”.

This soldier managed to come online at a great time for him, at just the right assignment. And he’s complaining. Which means he really is an idiot.

As for the cost to keep them over there supposedly doing “nothing”… they are there for the same reason you have firefighters sitting at your local firestation “doing nothing” all day and night.

Would you like to stop paying them too?

It would cost roughly 10X as much to dump in troops in the case of real emergencies there, rather than keeping them in the area until we’re sure things are settled and having them do busywork.

I see no problem, for now.

# 16 mediator said, on October 22nd, 2009 at 10:15 am

#14
Your post proves what an asshole Ralph, the Bus Driver really is.

Eff yourself.

# 17 ArmyOfOne said, on October 22nd, 2009 at 10:23 am

Ralph, the Bus Driver definitely sucks cock.

# 18 pedro said, on October 22nd, 2009 at 10:33 am

#11 I see your mommy let you out of the basement for a while. Instead of ranting like a parrot, I suggest you use whatever out time your momma lets you to get some fresh air.

#14 Thanks for your deep thoughts. Again, don’t lose that busdriver job you have. The only thing available for you is toilet scrubbing & shoe store clerk.

# 19 amodedoma said, on October 22nd, 2009 at 11:17 am

The ministry of truth produces double plus good information and those that don’t believe it require reconditioning in the ministry of love. Big brother loves each and every one of us and would never put us or our children in harm’s way.
NOW GO BACK TO SLEEP!

# 20 Ralph, the Bus Driver said, on October 22nd, 2009 at 12:37 pm

#16, 17, 18,

You guys sure show one thing. None of you have ever served. Nor have any of you dimwits ever done any critical thinking.

Military life is rough, no doubt about it. Free housing, three squares a day, cheap postage stamps, free clothing, free training, free education, free medical care, … .

I served eight years, got my degree, my wings, a lot of hours, and prepared me for my current job. RTFA, it even mentions a Warrant Officer learning advanced math so he can teach when he returned to civilian life. And instead of complaining of being in a war zone, he was making the best of it. Guys like him deserve credit and my respect. Idiots that post like you three don’t.

When you volunteer though, don’t cry about what you volunteered for. It’s unbecoming.

# 21 Hmeyers said, on October 22nd, 2009 at 7:15 pm

I think the fact there is little going on in Iraq is a great thing.

Afghanistan is a hopeless sinkhole.

# 22 pedro said, on October 22nd, 2009 at 11:48 pm

#20 Is twice as unbecoming to put down those who volunteered and have a different opinion from yours.

# 23 Ralph, the Bus Driver said, on October 23rd, 2009 at 8:37 am

pedro,

I suppose our little Venezuelan coward volunteered for the US Army. You know nothing yet you are ready to condemn.

You are worse than a coward.

# 24 pedro said, on October 23rd, 2009 at 9:45 am

#23 Tell us, are you like the south park bus driver, with bird on the head and all? Just wondering. That’d explain a lot

http://tinyurl.com/yj4aaby

# 25 steelcobra said, on October 30th, 2009 at 8:43 pm

I’m at Balad, and I still work 12/7. This jackass got a cushy assignment and he’s bitching. Fuck him.

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