by DakotaRed 22 Replies latest social current
Hello Dakato,
HS, real men don’t exactly love war, but see the need for it on occasion
I am relieved to note that by your definition I am a 'real' man.....lol
All the unreal men must stay at home and never watch the plethora of war movies and never read the monumental reams of war novels and books that jam the shelves each year. Men love war. Combat is in their genes. Hobbes rules O.K.
Best regards - HS
Dakota
http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/editorials/0000027.shtml
An Elite Athlete: The Inside Story.By Tom Demerly. On March 23rd I posted an editorial called "An Elite Athlete" to our website. It was a tribute to America's soldiers in general, and Special Operations specifically. Since the editorial went up we saw what we thought was an unusual spike in site traffic. Then our site host contacted us. They told us our hit traffic had exceeded our contracted transfer rate by an "enormous margin". We transferred to our own server due to the increase in traffic. Good thing we did. Since then our site received approximately 1 million hits. I nearly pooped my pants. |
We got e-mails from parents of soldiers, wives of soldiers, relatives of soldiers, old retired soldiers, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and general well wishers. The most valuable e-mails we got were from the men themselves. I got a call from CBS News in New York. They wanted to know where I got the information. They were looking for a story. I told them "Sorry, no story here… We just sell bikes". Somehow, either through the miracle of the Internet or a news report or both our editorial was making the rounds on the web. And fast. I got 151 e-mails this morning. I have received hundreds of e-mails in response to "An Elite Athlete". Only one was critical of the editorial, a woman who said it glorified war. I wrote her back saying I thought she missed the point but thanking her for her response. "An Elite Athlete" is historical fiction. There is no specific person as "Mike Smith". The activities depicted in the story are not based on any specific operation. I made them up in my head in about 45 minutes. I was watching CNN the night before and saw a big bomb score a direct hit on the Republican Palace in Baghdad and then, minutes later, saw a lone white Mercedes sedan on a CNN remote camera leaving the area. I thought, "Hmmmm, that's interesting." Then I came in here the next morning and wrote the story. That's it. As many writers and readers know, truth is always stranger than fiction. And "An Elite Athlete" is a perfect example: On April 2, Sunday NBC, MSNBC, CNN, CBS and other major news networks reported that an American POW, Pfc. Jessica Lynch of the 507th Maintenance Company, had been rescued by a "Combined Special Operations Mission" that included, according to reports, Army Rangers and Navy Special Warfare Operatives (SEALs). Grainy night vision images of the operation showed withering fire power being directed during a diversionary raid (according to U.S. Central Command). Then the video showed soldiers (presumably Special Operations personnel from their Nomex fire resistant uniforms and customized M4 carbines) carrying the wounded Pfc. Lynch from a Special Operations MH-60 Blackhawk (or Pavehawk depending on the unit) to a larger aircraft for medevac. As I said, truth is stranger than fiction. Imagine the rescue: Private Lynch, wounded, certainly frightened but doing her best as a U.S. soldier to stay alive and keep the faith that she will survive. The rescue team enters the building from the roof, the ground- everywhere at once. They are quickly clearing rooms on the way to their objective. Moving with speed and precision from years of training. All hell is being unleashed outside. They enter the room with Private Lynch. A soldier bends over the wounded Private's bed and says, "I am here to rescue you". In the hours preceding Private Lynch's rescue it is safe to assume that she was one of the loneliest people on the planet, clinging to a fragile hope that seemed to slip by the hour. But then Special Operations arrived. Under fire she is extracted to a waiting special operations helicopter. And freedom. "At this point [Lynch] is safe, she has been retrieved, and some brave souls put their lives on the line," said U.S. Central Command spokesman Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks following the operation. Brigadier General Vincent Brooks went on to say in a press briefing, "In an operation like this ... there is a lot of deception." It is unlikely we will never know the full story surrounding the rescue of Pfc. Lynch. And the same goes for many, many special operations being conducted around the clock. They are secret and shall remain so. Forever. There will be no public historical record. And that is the way it should be. At CIA Headquarters in McLean, Virginia when you enter the main lobby of the old building there is the beautiful, granite 16-foot CIA emblem inlaid into the floor. It is a holy place, like going to church. If you look to your right as you enter the lobby there is a white granite wall. On it are 79 stars. One star for each of 79 CIA operatives who have lost their lives in service to our country. Below it is a book with 44 names of persons who have a star on that wall. Each Memorial Day the story of one of those names is read in the lobby. There are 35 other stars on the wall. Their story can never be told. There are many more stories about people who don't even have a star. And there is room for more stars. All without recognition. So I wrote "An Elite Athlete" to recognize, in a very small way, the contributions of people who never get recognition. I'm excited that the little story seems to have worked. Over a million people have read it. In a way it's funny a lot of people thought the story was true. That flatters me (as a writer). But I will make you a guarantee: The true stories we will never hear would make for much more compelling reading. These people are Elite Athletes. I'm glad so many people enjoyed this little tale, and thank all of you for your kind words. More importantly, thanks to the Meat Eaters, Shadow Men, Ghosts, Spooks, Drivers, Door Kickers, D-Boys, and Operators doing their job at this hour. Have an Airborne day, and Drive On. Like I said, FICTION.
Men love war.
Redneck,
Mr. Step was quoting Mrs. Step.
That Mrs. Step, succinct as always.
Andee
Not just Beautiful with Garbage, but graced with memory....lol
Kindest as ever - HS
and ya wonder why posters with something interesting to say dont stay here....its because of stupid remarks like the above ones..Trauma..I dont recall anyone saying ya couldn't..and if anyones a good judge of fiction am sure it's you.
H.S....I dont understand this at all....You and trauma read the same post as the rest of us?
Yes I read the same post, as my followup post above shows, I was right. What is it you don't understand? Because I actually do research, before posting something that sounded to fishy. I deduced it was fiction before I did any research, just for the OBVIOUS fact, that you would not see anyone posting about the details on the attack of saddam, untill the war was long over. If they did, they'd be in real deep do do with the NSA. As this thread attestes to, some people are gullable, and well plainly put, still have a JW mantality, to believe anything your fed.
Like I said, FICTION. First and foremost, it was posted as a story, not an actual event. The name Mike Smith is obviously made up. The events may not be the ones that actually occurred, but it appears to be only one man's opinion, as so eloquently stated by Abbadon to me before, as to whether or not they don't happen.
Then why did you post it in current events? This is not a current event, it's fiction, and now your back peddling, because I just made you, and our cohorts look like asses.
Charlie , your buddy Simon asked for all posts pertaining to the current war to be posted in Current Events, remember? Simply following the requests of the board host.
But, bet it really frosts your butt that the US Military is having the success it is, doesn't it? Damn, just think, you just may be forced to continue living in a free society and maybe even the Iraqi people will have to deal with freedom. Sorry that you will be forced to be free.
Charlie , your buddy Simon asked for all posts pertaining to the current war to be posted in Current Events, remember? Simply following the requests of the board host.But, bet it really frosts your butt that the US Military is having the success it is, doesn't it? Damn, just think, you just may be forced to continue living in a free society and maybe even the Iraqi people will have to deal with freedom. Sorry that you will be forced to be free.
Actually no it doesn't, I don't want our troops to be killed anymore, than I want innocent civilians to be killed. But fighting in Iraq isn't fighting for my freedom, period, end of statment. There is no link between the two period. Iraq didn't come over here, and try to invade us, period.
Charlie, keep your beedy little eyes and ears open and you will discover just how much Saddam was behind terrorism, which finally reached the shores of America. Just pray that the WMDs he refused to account for don't end up in Seattle.
