Are you tough enough?

October 28, 2005 5:56 PM

Go Rangers This is the tale of a young man who lost an eye to a suicide bomber in Iraq and THEN joined the U.S. Army Rangers. I don't think that he was busy calling his Mom.
posted by snsranch (51 comments total)

No, but he kept an eye out for her.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 5:57 PM on October 28, 2005

"Told you I was hardcore."
posted by Krrrlson at 5:59 PM on October 28, 2005

I'm surprised they still let him out in the battlefield, especially with the Rangers. He must have gotten quite a medical waiver.
posted by QuarterlyProphet at 6:05 PM on October 28, 2005

Maybe he'll participate in the upcoming invasion of Syria--hope so.
posted by ParisParamus at 6:08 PM on October 28, 2005

I'm surprised they still let him out in the battlefield, especially with the Rangers. He must have gotten quite a medical waiver.
posted by QuarterlyProphet at 6:05 PM PST on October 28 [!]


That's what I thought too. Either this guy is just really hardcore, or even the Rangers are desperate for recruits.
posted by snsranch at 6:09 PM on October 28, 2005

YEEEEAAAARRGGHHHH
posted by fire&wings at 6:20 PM on October 28, 2005

"Maybe he'll participate in the upcoming invasion of Syria--hope so.
posted by ParisParamus "

Maybe you will, mighty warrior.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 6:22 PM on October 28, 2005

It's horrifying. In a situation like that, you CANNOT have enough eyes or ears.

agreed. oh wait, wrong thread.
posted by raygun21 at 6:23 PM on October 28, 2005

raygun21: YOU WIN!!!!11!! He he, really you do!
posted by snsranch at 6:24 PM on October 28, 2005

One hell of a waiver, to be sure. When are you leaving for boot, Paris?
posted by Balisong at 6:32 PM on October 28, 2005

No, but he kept an eye out for her.

that was mean, brutal, callous and utterly funny, crash
posted by pyramid termite at 6:34 PM on October 28, 2005

No, but he kept an eye out for her.
Heh, it had to be said, especially with the previous thread.
I say a bonus point for sarcastic creativity.
posted by Balisong at 6:38 PM on October 28, 2005

PP, it's probably going to be Iran. But what exactly are you hoping for? That he will be there because he sucks, or that we will go to war with Syria?
posted by snsranch at 6:40 PM on October 28, 2005

He doesn't know, snsranch.
posted by odinsdream at 7:03 PM on October 28, 2005

Go-Go Post Deletion Rangers!
posted by Balisong at 7:16 PM on October 28, 2005

Onward Christian Soldiers to Syria and Iran, indeed. Our asses kicked vs. getting kicked ratio is getting perilously close to that 30:1 ratio I require before I am able to perform my bimonthly marital duties, and I do not like that at all.
posted by Heywood Mogroot at 7:18 PM on October 28, 2005

Man -- they already say Rangers volunteer three times -- for the Army, for Airborne, and then for Rangers. Their motto is "Rangers lead the way"; their patch says "Follow me".

This is why Rangers had the black beret when nobody else did.
posted by dhartung at 7:27 PM on October 28, 2005

raygun21: YOU WIN!!!!11!! He he, really you do!
i am teh funnay

Let's get it straight though; he passed Ranger School and got the tab (damn commendable, fuckin' impressive), but he's still with the 101st and hasn't been moved to the 75th (not that I could find in the article). That makes him a Screaming Eagle, not a Ranger.

As it stands on its own, the article is a great "overcoming adversity" story a la Carl Brashear.
posted by raygun21 at 7:36 PM on October 28, 2005

This has the makings of a hit country song.
posted by 2sheets at 7:46 PM on October 28, 2005

LOL. What would have been even more funny is if that guy calling his mom had died right then and there one the phone. What could be more hilarious then making fun of people risking their lives for your idiotic wars while you sit at home and pontificate on teh internets.
posted by delmoi at 7:55 PM on October 28, 2005

"There is one deep-seated fear he can't shake: that he'll end up wasting his time. But maybe that's common among men who've had nothing more than an open door between themselves and death."

No, I don't think so. It's common among men who are the kind who think that signing up for military service will bring meaning to their lives. That's what distinguishes this guy from other men, not any bullshit about facing death, which more people than you might guess have done in one way or another. Like they say, we all have to create our own purpose in life. I respect the choice, but signing up to kill people on command never seemed all that appealing to me. That you can lose an eye doing it really doesn't make it any more noble an aspiration.
posted by sfenders at 7:59 PM on October 28, 2005

Let's get it straight though; he passed Ranger School and got the tab (damn commendable, fuckin' impressive), but he's still with the 101st and hasn't been moved to the 75th (not that I could find in the article). That makes him a Screaming Eagle, not a Ranger.


Yep. I agree. I got an airborne tab over the dragon (18th airborne corps) for my combat patch. That was cool, even though I've never jumped.

The only reason I posted this was for some compare and contrast with the "I called my Mommy" post.
posted by snsranch at 7:59 PM on October 28, 2005

This thread provoked me to muse on the different perceptions the young and the old have concerning that which moves history.

American popular culture is very soft and denatured of risk, and hence the appeal of true risk - of violent death.

But the final fallout of such engagement often can be best discerned over time and from a distance : a mentality antithetical to the ( necessary ) demands of combat.
posted by troutfishing at 8:10 PM on October 28, 2005

troutfishing makes a good point.

Unfortunately one needs to be on acid to comprehend it.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 8:15 PM on October 28, 2005

I think an invasion of Iran might be just what's needed to break the back of the U.S. military.

If I were Osama, I'd be rooting for it!
posted by insomnia_lj at 8:16 PM on October 28, 2005

troutfishing: How very cool. Have you been drinking? I have. (Chardonnay)
posted by snsranch at 8:19 PM on October 28, 2005

What could be more hilarious then making fun of people risking their lives

All these America haters should go and live in Russia/Vietnam/Iraq and see how much freedom to mock the sacred war heroes they have in those places.

I'm sorry that his application to join the Rangers didn't work out. Perhaps he should see if he can get a trial with Celtic?

And if he's really determined to play in the Scottish leagues, there are always the lesser teams like Partick Thistle, Motherwell and Cowdenbeath.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 8:33 PM on October 28, 2005

"hence the appeal of true risk - of violent death."

Death isn't a risk, it's a certainty. It's the violence that appeals, the fight, the struggle against a well-defined enemy, who fills in for our own fear of death.
posted by sfenders at 8:41 PM on October 28, 2005

Peter: I have no clue what you are talking about.
posted by delmoi at 8:43 PM on October 28, 2005

excuse me... how much freedom they have to mock the sacred war heroes... in Russia? Uh, have you ever actually talked to any Russians? I don't know if they have any other freedoms, but far as I know they have that one.
posted by sfenders at 8:45 PM on October 28, 2005

PeterMcDermott writes "And if he's really determined to play in the Scottish leagues, there are always the lesser teams like Partick Thistle, Motherwell and Cowdenbeath."

Oh, nonsense. This squad's on top the SPL right now!
posted by clevershark at 8:49 PM on October 28, 2005

Death isn't a risk, it's a certainty. It's the violence that appeals, the fight, the struggle against a well-defined enemy, who fills in for our own fear of death.

Oh how noble of you, how valiant the great warrior staring down the eyes of the demon, the yellow eyes the glow the hatred of a thousand suns. To burn in that great light, to ennoble yourself, to bring honor to yourself and your family for a thousand generations to bask in the love of your 72 slow-eyed virgins in the upper air. Oh you, a great and noble sacrifice, the life the simple meat shredded by led bullets. Blood flying through the air. It is in this act, a child, a small child two feet tall and smiling with blond hair and blue eyes with his mother in her 16 year old car and they are driving and then, at 18 torn to ribbons, greeted at paradises door. An honor to his country, and an honor to himself who can't appreciate it.

What greater glory can a man receive? What greater sacrifice? What is the love a mother, of a father or a brother or sister? The glory of the nation, watching Opra never to know you're name? Never to know anything as the architects of your death hobble to jail on crutches, the liars that they are.

You're pussy French Chardonnay can't match my Iowa vodka, you'll never be as drunk as me.
posted by delmoi at 8:51 PM on October 28, 2005

"Unfortunately one needs to be on acid to comprehend it." - Crash, I'll reword that :

Young humans - males especially - like to try smashing, headfirst, through walls.

Old humans have been through similar things before, so instead they study antics of the young to figure out easier, less bone crushing solutions.
posted by troutfishing at 8:58 PM on October 28, 2005

AAArgh, tis a manly thread, and a manly thing to do to call one's family in the face of death, to clear the boards, and ready one's self to fight well. Aaarghh I made my own wine and then fortified it. See this is germane, I mentioned fort.

Aaarghhh I heard correctly that it is how yuz lives, that's important mayties, not how yuz dies, since death is a pedestrian walkway we will all take at one time or nuther. Aaarghhh tis a manly thread.
posted by Oyéah at 9:11 PM on October 28, 2005

Old humans have been through similar things before, so instead they study antics of the young to figure out easier, less bone crushing solutions.

Also, there's good money in rebuilding walls.
posted by Armitage Shanks at 9:13 PM on October 28, 2005

I think an invasion of Iran might be just what's needed to break the back of the U.S. military.

If I were Osama, I'd be rooting for it!

Hello, Osama!
posted by Krrrlson at 9:16 PM on October 28, 2005

Damn IT! Nothing to do with the Iraq War can be considered on it's own merits. The rational for war has soiled our perceptions of the people who, more then anyone else, deserve our respect.

It really pisses me off that the honor and dedication of a soldier is not the primary focus anymore.To feel good about anything Iraq War related, is to validate Bush's retarded vision.

This whole situation is such a complete load of horseshit!
posted by kuatto at 9:20 PM on October 28, 2005

Kuatto: I have nothing against this particular fellow, just snsranch's idiotic harping on this other particular fellow.
posted by delmoi at 10:05 PM on October 28, 2005

Strikes me that everone here is drunk, or something.
posted by 5MeoCMP at 10:06 PM on October 28, 2005

It's the Fitzmas whine. It's very intoxicating.
posted by Balisong at 10:11 PM on October 28, 2005

It's Friday night. We're posting on Metafilter. Put two and two together, 5MeoCMP.
posted by kosher_jenny at 10:13 PM on October 28, 2005

Ha, Ha!! 5MeoCMP is a looser like the rest of us!! **Points and hops**
posted by Balisong at 10:36 PM on October 28, 2005

Maybe ParisParamus will participate in the upcoming invasion of Syria. I certainly hope so.
posted by Skeptic at 3:45 AM on October 29, 2005

he'll be cheerleading in ALL CAPS
posted by matteo at 5:31 AM on October 29, 2005

I remember there was a SEAL in Team Six (or NAVSPECWARDEVGRU, can't remember which) who'd lost an eye but got a waiver to stay in. Naturally, his buddies called him "Cyclops."
posted by alumshubby at 7:40 AM on October 29, 2005

alumshubby - same thing. Once you're in the mob...they're all under JSSOC anyway (even the funny ones).

Was it hyphema? (sp?) Did he get it from a diving accident?


From article:
"When you look beyond 50 yards, you only need one eye, anyway."

Hooyah! Although pit fighting had to have been tough on the man. Gotta move your head around a lot I guess. And PLFs. Judging distance. I dunno. I've got the two eyes, so I can't say. But I do respect him for it.


I guess that's the difference here. I can't respect a person who calls home in the middle of a firefight. As much as I understand it.

And I agree with kuatto, where this all gets bogged down is considering the act or an individual as an individual.


I can't take seriously comments that extrapolate the big picture over the decisions of an individual.

I think the facts of the two articles are different, so snsranch is wrong comparing them on that basis. But I don't think he was. He was comparing the spirit of the two.


Certainly a subjective thing, but a valid point for debate.

The tactical situation aside - Would you call home? Would you take names and kick ass? Do your beliefs force you to charge into things or do they make you treasure your family all the more?


That would have been a nifty debate, since I'm torn at this point myself. I have friends in the field who I feel I'm letting down by not joining back up and going to fight. But I have a family now and I very much feel my duty and desire to be with them.


But instead we got..whatever this is.
posted by Smedleyman at 11:01 AM on October 29, 2005

I can't respect a person who calls home in the middle of a firefight.

And I don't feel I need to judge people without having had walked in their mocassins (this makes me an INTP not an INTJ, LOL).

Also, Respect, for me, is continuous variable, not binary yes/no. I can still respect people who fail to be Some Ideal of the Ultimate Warrior or whatever. Respect him more than the doughy pantload war boosters who would never actually fight these Freedom Battles themselves (ie nearly all of the neocon fucknuts who had "other priorities" during Vietnam).

Oddly, this gets back to Kerry. Kerry gets my respect for getting his ass onto the firing line in Vietnam, and his later actions in the 1970s to publically campaign to end our involvement in that war do not substantially lessen my respect for him, even though in retrospect I do think Kennedy et al were wrong for pushing to totally abandon the South like we did.
posted by Heywood Mogroot at 2:43 PM on October 29, 2005

And I don't feel I need to judge people without having had walked in their mocassins

I haven't walked the guys specific path, but being a veteran, I figure I can say that. I don't respect the half assed wannabes and those with other priorites who cheer the war on.

I suppose we're looking at 'respect' in different lights. I didn't mean it as a universal. I respect a guy who knows and does his job. I respect a farmer who gets up at 3:30 in the morning every day and busts his ass.
To me, on that day, that soldier wasn't doing his job. In that selected bit of circumstance, I can't condone that kind of behavior. If it's indicative of what kind of soldier he is, no I don't respect him.
Maybe he doesn't do that all the time. Whatever. Even if I walk into Best Buy I expect the guy showing me a t.v. to be on the clock. If he's not it irritates me. And that job is far less important.

I do respect him for being good to his mom (as much as I personally disagree with his method - but that's just a matter of taste). He's a good kid. I can respect him for that.


No one has to be a super soldier. Just do the job. It's nice to see someone like the one eyed guy here eager to do it.

I actually respect Kerry more for his service to the country in protest. He probably did more for it than simply fighting. I respect the hell out of Cindy Sheehan for what she's doing.


Let me use another (poor) analogy and see if we can understand each other. Pretend these guys were firefighters. I respect the guy who overcomes his disability and can be as good a firefighter as the next guy.
In the other instance, we have a firefighter calling home from inside a burning building where other people and firefighters are.
That's how it resonates to me. Perhaps there is a perspective I'm missing on it.
posted by Smedleyman at 4:19 PM on October 29, 2005

Smedleyman writes "I don't respect the half assed wannabes and those with other priorites who cheer the war on. "

That's an interesting choice of words (search for "other priorities" on the page).
posted by clevershark at 4:58 PM on October 29, 2005

clevershark - uh, yeah. I figured. See, that's the quote Heywood Mogroot was referencing: (ie nearly all of the neocon fucknuts who had "other priorities" during Vietnam)


Would I be incorrect in thinking you are assuming I am so adle-headed that I didn't recognize the Cheney quote and so depthless as to support Cheney in some way despite mountains of evidence here and elsewhere how sinister the bastard is based only on my opinions of these two isolated incidents?


If I'm wrong concerning your perspicacity on my acumen, I apologize.
posted by Smedleyman at 9:41 AM on October 30, 2005

Metafilter: Your perspicacity on my acumen.

I had to Smedlyman. Still looking up perspcacity, that was good.
posted by snsranch at 3:42 PM on October 30, 2005