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"When our platoon of combat engineers returned to COS Marez, in Mosul, Iraq after it had been turned over to the Iraq Army, we were stuck there for several hours. During that time, our platoon explored the now abandoned areas of the COS while we waited. Me and two buddies were walking back to our MRAPs and saw an American flag sitting in a trash pile next to a dumpster where it had been dumped by the IA when they took over. The three of us immediately rescued the flag, folded it, and kept it with us until we returned to the States, where we could give it a proper burial. Pictured here is PFC Hamlin and PFC Perez, two combat engineers with 2PLT 4STB 4-1AD, folding the flag for safe transportation through the rest of deployment and back to the United States."
The following is my personal thought. I don't mean to put things on people and in no way do I mean this as a political statement. I think, this is one of those photos that should be in class rooms.
No right words, thank you PFC Hamlin, PFC Perez and Dan (who sent this in)…f-ing thank you. I stared at this photo trying to think of something not too emotionally charged to explain my insignificant thoughts. All I could come up with is, "Don't tell me our generation is incapable of having Pride."
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Just shows you that no matter who we help they just don't understand the value of it.
sometimes you have to just look past the political aspect and smile at these soldiers' act of simple pride
Iraq is already warming up for a sectarian massacre. Absolute waste of time.
Sad thing (besides the massacre) is that people here will say that it was a failure on our military's part, when the real failure is on Congress and the American people to pull together and move in the same direction. We could have made a HUGE and lasting impact over there, but instead our opportunities were squandered by a government that couldn't see the forest for the trees. If they would have said to the commanders like Petraeus, "You just do your job and accomplish the mission, which is this: (enter specific mission definition). We'll back off and handle the people," I think we would have been viewed as far more successful.
I doubt it Franklin, the problem in Iraq is an endemically corrupt leadership, and deep rooted sectarian hatred. There's no military objective to fix that.
You can't build a true democracy when people will tolerate that.
Yeah, I suppose you're right. I was just trying to put a good face on it, but it doesn't work.
I'm from Ireland, and if there's one thing we know, it's that for a difficult peace process to work, everybody's got to want it.
You can't really stop some fights, Iraq will have to endure their own troubles, every new nation does.
Every weapon, every war, every soldier, every branch. Every story deserves to be heard. Share the stories of servicemen and women at —kissinguniform.c0m—, and find friendship, love, romance, marriage or even more with our heroes.
Their pride should be shown to the younger generations. Between years of a down economy and political bickering on both sides, kids are being inundated with negative messages about our country. Kids deserve to see that we should still have pride in our country. Great photo
I know there will be comments that say "I'm going a bit over-board", "putting military stuff in school" and so on. But I get pumped when I hear some people are seeing the same things that I'm seeing happen. Our future should not feel that they are being "blood-thirsty" for simply having pride in symbols that rep. our past, present and hopefully our future…forget politics, those kids are America's future.
and I just got long-winded again, sorry, I'll get off my pedestal now
I am not American, but I respect what these soldiers did. Well done!!
voices like yours matter, we need our allies b/c America can't do this alone, thank you
Ooh Rah!
good job guys! As a fellow OIF vet I thank you for your commitment and sacrifice and I applaud your level of respect for our flag. I wish each and every one of you a safe and speedy return home. HOOAH!!
"It is the Soldier who salutes the flag, Who serves beneath the flag, And whose coffin is draped by the flag, Who allows the protester to burn the flag."
Thank you for posting this Rick. Too many Americans have forgotten and are forgetting what our men and women have and are currently going through.
When I get photos like this, I actually get nervous b/c I want to go on a rant on how powerful I feel the picture is…and, of course, no one wants to get lectured by an idiot running a web site. Anyways, thank you, as I say and always will say, this site is sh*t with out the user submits.
You the man, Rick. Keep on doing what you're doing and sharing things like this with the world. Tell our stories to the rest of the world. Thank you, Sir.
Yo that my boy T.J., PFC Hamlin and myself went to BCT together at Ft. Leonardwood, Charlie 35th Engineers…….Sappers lead the way HOOAHH!!!!!!!!!!
Pride isn't necessarily a good thing. Pride is fine if you've got reasons to be proud of something, blind pride paves the way for prejudices, demagogues and ignorance.
Stealing this to post to my FB.
Our generation (18-30) has plenty of pride, we just have no reason to have pride in our nation. Our nation is on the brink of civil war, and we have a corrupt idiot in charge. And, how can i say that democracy is better, when so much of our jobs & production is being done by communists. Tell me something besides the military to be proud in, and i will be proud.
The unwilling ability to stop pushing forward looking for jobs or doing what needs to be done to survive by the good haerted noncriminal American civilians is something you should be proud of. My father made counterfeit money because he had no other way to put food in my belly and he understood it was wrong (not the best example). I have plenty of pride in my country, my military, my state, and the good citizens of this nation. For without us there would be no nation. (A 17 yo)
Atta boy Hamlin. Good to see your face on here. Making C35th a proud one.