>>5542896Marina looks particularly unsettled at your ferocity; something that shows no sign of abating any time soon.
> “The politicians get a nice bump in the polls and the opportunity to glad-hand like they were the ones who got their fucking hands dirty. After all, that’s just the nature of the game, right? Doesn’t matter how many grunts like me go in the pile so long as they can advance their position.> The brass gets some nice talking points to stick in their promotion packet about how their bullshit initiatives were instrumental in securing victory. After all, what do the joes on the firing line know when compared to the nepotistic cowards that govern from six time zones away? If a dozen men need to die so that you can fill out the paperwork for your medal, well that’s just the cost of doing business.> The defense companies get to line their pockets by charging insane prices for dogshit gear that we’re forced to adopt. After all, it’s not like anybody slapping their John Hancock on the purchase order is paying for it out of pocket. And it’s not like the lives of anyone they care about will ever hinge on the quality of what they peddle.> The folks at home get to cheer and jeer about the catch of the week while bitching about they would’ve done it better if they had the chance. After all, even though they probably couldn’t spell the name of the country or pick it out on the map, that doesn’t stop them from playing armchair soldier. And as soon as something equally interesting rolls around, they’ll drop it and move on like it never happened.> It’s a neat win-win for everyone except the stupid fuckers that get saddled with the ramifications of an incompetent bureaucracy, an apathetic public, a delusional command structure, and a corrupt logistics chain.”Your voices reaches a fever pitch, an unholy mixture of longing, barely-suppressed rage, and quiet sadness.
> “And you know what the worst thing is? Even with all that shit, sometimes I still wish that I was out there. Every single day, I would think about all the things that’d I accomplish after I did my bit; all the places I’d see, all the things I would do. And now that I’m back, all I can think about are the things I lost over there that I’ll never really get back.> My brothers.> My hopes.> My damned life.”Your rant reaches a shattering climax as you continue to unload the bleakest of your buried musings.
> “Y’know, I used to think that the lucky ones were the ones who made it home in one piece. But maybe I was wrong; maybe the fortunate ones were the ones who bought it in the line of duty. They had the luxury of dying with certainty, that they were doing the right things for the right reasons. They never had to learn the truth, that the cause they fought and bled for viewed them as disposable.” 