Nephew (Army) was shot yesterday in A-stan... Armor saves his life!

[Rmplstlskn]

My nephew is a turret gunner in those big a$$ trucks in Afganistan. Besides having his truck blown up twice by an IED this year he was just shot in the chest yesterday while up top and his personal armor saved his life... He is badly bruised and sore, but they returned fire and took care of them. An Afgan driver in the convoy was not so lucky, got shot in the face, from jaw through to the neck, but lived.

He cannot comment much about things, but it sounds like things are going downhill over there and picking up...

I hope and pray he makes it out of that place, that we do whatever is needed to win quickly and decisively, and get the hell home...

Rmpl

[Klayton]

I am very happy to hear that the armor saved him Rmplstlskn...
He and all the men and women over there are in our family prayers every night, that they make it home safe and sound...

[Bourbon]

It is good to know advances in personal armor has moved far in the last century.
I am glad that this story ended more positive than the title suggested.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

We pray for the same, glad he survived.

[Lowdown3]

Glad to hear he's o.k.

[610Alpha]

Thank you Lord for watching over him.

[monkeybird]

Rmpl, I'm so grateful for young men like your nephew. I'm so glad his personal protection worked.

What does he think of the war? I'm interest, because I don't know how we can look our young troops in the face, when we have a President who has written 'rules on engagements' which put our boys in increased danger.

Anyway, I hope he comes home without further harm.

[Rmplstlskn]

What does he think of the war? I'm interest, because I don't know how we can look our young troops in the face, when we have a President who has written 'rules on engagements' which put our boys in increased danger.

I cannot comment on what HE thinks of the war in Afganistan, as he cannot say much in detail, all I know is him and his buddies are frustrated...

Now as for ME, I can comment fully... Since much of TRIBAL 'stan is already in the stone age, run by ignorant old men, we can't bomb them back to it. We did a pretty good job of it when we first went in, but the mission has changed: from removing and destroying the Taliban to "nation building" and propping up a weak government and corrupt politicians. Our guys are more like "wack-a-moles" for haji snipers and ambushes, as they do endless "patrols" with extremely rigid and restrictive Rules of Engagement (ROE) and protect convoys to places we should not be "settled into" in the first place.

Most of the people don't want the Taliban back, but they don't want us there either. The old fart, barely functionally intelligent, tribal leaders only want more tribal power, and work with whomever gives that to them, us and Taliban, often both at the same time. Since most are muslim, that religious bond, and the threat of Taliban violence, usually pulls them to the side of the haji fighters. This is why they can plant so many IED's and ambushes without anyone notifying US, the US military, about it. So we continue to get vehicles blown up, soldiers killed or maimed, and our kids in uniform transformed into cold, detached dogs of war.

So I think we should be out... Because Bush & Co. screwed up the war, changed the mission, and now Obama is stuck with it as well... (not an Obama fan at all, just the reality). The blood of thousands of dead and wounded American kids are on Bush & Co. hands, as well as Obama's, and I believe they will account for it before their Creator one day...

It is getting worse over there and much more active... With still 2 more years of Obama and a Congress still wanting to "nation build" over there, it looks bleek, very bleek... You should see pics of the waste yards full of blown up military vehicles... They money we spend DAILY and the money that gets blown up and expended daily is unfathomable... For what? For an Afgan gov't that is in cahoots with the Taliban? Who takes $$$ from Iran? No thanks! We should have been out of there YEARS AGO! Gone are the Pattons & McArthurs...

Rmpl