r/whatisit • • 1d ago

New, what is it? What's tf is in the sky?? FL

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u/gipoe68 1d ago

It was really fun seeing the F-16s take off in Iraq at night. So many thrust diamonds. Everything else pretty much sucked though.

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u/Hilluja 1d ago

Did you have a chance to talk to the locals, meet any of the Kurds and the like? :) maybe it wasnt all bad for them I hope. Ugh.

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u/gipoe68 1d ago

Gave candy to some local children. One kid took it all and then the parents of the other kids got pissed at me. Even when the interpreter explained, they were still mad. Started asking for my glasses and boots. That was really my only face to face encounter.

I manned the cameras around base and worked with military intelligence and TACP to guide UAVs on target. A LOT of the intel reports were pretty tragic though. When insurgents were firing mortars from a town, we returned fire. Took out the insurgents, but killed little girl in the cross fire. A team went out to offer money for their loss. Pretty bad exchange, but what else can the military do. The father looked at the interpreter and ask why were we offering money when she has no worth, or something to that effect.

Other side of the coin, our soldiers were guarding KBR trucks, while EMPTY, just so the KBR contractors could get their contracted hours. One of the soldiers lost a foot to an IED for 30 gallons of Baskin Robins ice cream. That was the only thing they were carrying. Whole thing was fucked from jump. Dick Chenney was the VP of KBR before he was VP of America and was making tons of money from the no bid contracts they were receiving.

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u/Hilluja 1d ago

Cheney killed that little girl that had a priceless soul (lost in translation I'd bet based on my background). I hope the pain on all sides one day may be forgotten.

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u/hard-dee4u 1d ago

Murderers over here

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u/gipoe68 1d ago

Only people I took out were people planting IEDs. We never should have been there, but my conscience is clear.

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u/hard-dee4u 1d ago

You killed people defending there land from the invaders with the only meager means they had from basically 100 yrs in the past compared to the us army and your conscious is clear about that? You proved my point lol but your closer to a serial killer

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