Five Questions You Should Never Ask a Soldier

Unless you are a child, you should be punched in the face for asking this question. Children are cute and don't know any better. When they ask it puts a smile on my face. A bar tender asked me the other day, and I quote, "Did ya kill anyone over in Iraq?" I stared at him and thought to myself "How ignorant is this guy?" I didn't answer. Whether or not I did or didn't, that is a stupid question.

Taking another life is an intimate thing, something the person will have to live with forever. Unless you are a child, don't ask it. If a soldier volunteers it, then listen.

2. What do you think of Bush or Obama or Hillary or McCain?

We don't care either way about politics. It's not our job and most of us could care less. Bush is the guy that signs our paychecks. He has more resources than we will ever know. Basically, a soldier doesn't want to talk about politics.

3. Did you lose any friends over there?

Listen closely on this one. When a stranger asks this question it makes me uncomfortable. If a guy was in Iraq, someone near him probably died. We don't like talking about it with anyone unless they are close or they were over there too. If you have ever lost someone really close to you it's probably a sensitive subject, something you don't just talk about to strangers. If you lost someone in a tragedy or to a crime, you really get emotional when talking about it. Get the drift?

4. Did you like it?

I'll just answer this one for you. Probably not. Life in a war zone sucks. Iraq sucks. It's trashy, dirty, and dangerous and the soldiers live in either tents, the ground or trailers. The food is generally crappy. We do what we do for our families, for our country and cause we hate terrorists. Not because we like war.

5. Do you think the war is going to end soon?

The answer will always be either no, I hope so or I don't care.

The final verdict:

Basically we don't feel like heroes. We don't like war very much, but it's what we do. We don't want to hear someone say that war is bad. Experience war and then talk, that's how we feel. If you were over there, you would understand as well. Lastly, if you were in Vietnam, Korean War or WWII that is good. We're proud of you. But we only want to compare stories with our grandfathers. Sorry.

God Bless.