You can be proud of this lad!!!

[-06]

Fri night we took our last graduate out to a Japaneese steak house and while there my son(at Ft Bragg, NC) called. His words were something like this: Dad, you will absolutely not believe what just happened. I was standing in line at the "shopette" (base convience store) when this middle eastern looking soldier came in. He ripped off his flag patch, said "MF" the US, and started burning the patch with a cigerette lighter. I jumped out of line, tackled his a-- driving him out through the doors, and pinned him down in the parking lot. I checked him out throughly for wires or explosives while holding him down till the MPs arrived. They searched the entire lot/building/etc. and found nothing. I am just so very very proud that my son came out of the line of who knows how many and took care of business. Just wanted to stand up on the table and relate the story to everyone there---but they would have thought I was overly proud of him---Hey, I AM. Will said that he did not even think but just reacted and that he just could not stand to have some *** disgrace the flag in his presence. Will has been deployed twice and is now a Pathfinder. He has about twenty jumps in already. D---, I am proud of that lad!!!

[MtGun44]

Weird incident. Was this guy actually real soldier or someone impersonating a soldier?
Sounds like an attempt to be a mole in the army if he was actually in. Like that muslim
psychiatrist that killed all the soldiers in Texas, terrorist on the inside.

Bill

[44fanatic]

Interesting.
I see two possible scenarios here:
1. Bubba was pissed off'd and disgruntled with something and got stupid at the shoppette
2. Bubba was checking reactions/respsonses (recon) to actions while his "group" plans an attack.

I was not to far from the incident in 2003 (just prior to crossing the border in Iraq) when Akbar, of the 101st ABN Div, decided to attack his fellow Soldiers. He was disgruntled and not a good team player and used his relegion to justify his attack and his later court martial. My assumption, after talking to a few individuals who knew him, was that he was just a piss poor Soldier, couldnt get along with others, others felt he was a lousy sergeant, and he was slightly off his rocker are the reasonings behind his attack.

As for this guy looking like he was middle eastern, the Army has plenty of 09L in service right now. Guys who have enlisted as interpreters. Sometimes you may not know their motivations.

-06, thank your son for his service. We are all damn proud of him. This is coming from a retired NCO from America's strongest division (weather permitting)...101st Airborne Division...Air Assualt.

[1Shirt]

06, You have every reason to be proud of your son! I realize that we have a number of middle eastern backgrounded individuals in the military today. Do not recall ever serving with one however in my 23 years of active duty in two branches of the military.

It would seem to me however at this point that there should be some very strong and detailed review of middle eastern backgrounded individuals who are not at least second generation Americans at time of enlistment. To me this is not racial profileing but rather common sense. I like the term "trust but varify", and think in this issue it applies. We need no more Fort Hood incidents! It was political correctness within the ranks of the army officers who lacked the moxie to take action that allowed that shooting to take place. Will probably get flamed for the above, but if so, so be it!
1Shirt!:coffeecom

[Charlie Sometimes]

I hope he got in a few good licks for the rest of us, before the MP's carted that sorry *** away! WHAT could that guy have been thinking? He HAD to know SOMEONE would kick his ass for that action on a military base.

Way back when I was in the Marines, we had foreign nationals (Russia, Vietnam, and a few others) serving in Uncle Sam's Misguided Children club. I think it was like a one sided exchange program- they had to meet all the standards we did, including boot camp to be there. The Russian kid nearly got his ass kicked one day using a public phone- he was speaking Russian (apparently to his parents, who spoke NO English) and everyone gathered around thinking "SPY". He spoke excellent English, and no one even knew about his background until this happened. This was back before "Glasnost" when the wall was still in place, but nearing the end of the Cold War. Poor kid was in immediate danger, but it got worked out, thankfully due to a fortunate set of circumstances that included the right people with the right knowledge in the right place and time being in the crowd, and cooler heads prevailing.

These days, I would be very "attentive" to those in OUR uniform, but holding allegiance to other nations- they, more than any other time in history, could be plants/spys/sleepers.

Your son did good. Tell him to keep up the good work- we need more like him.

[-06]

Will said he was a soldier and evidently just ticked off at being disciplined by his NCO. No reason to burn his patch and say things like that in a store. Just too many things he could have been doing. Hope my son does not get into trouble over the incident. Has not been too many years ago that some loony shot a bunch of his fellow soldiers at Bragg. Glad my son carries(not on base of course-that is against the rules).

[Charlie Sometimes]

What is a military that is not trusted to carry locked and cocked, even in peace time and on base? Their weapons should be in the barracks, and not in the armory locked up.
I served during the time when they sent us Marines into Lebanon and harms way, without ammo to "keep the peace"- and you know what happened there.

"Trust, and verify" is prudent, and it should be done with extreme prejiduce, but you can't maintain military superiority when you are training other nations with our methods, equipment, etc. We are our own people, and the rest of the world just does not think like we do, or think at all, it seems. It is up to us to protect our country and instill the values your son applied in that situation- you did a good job, and he will continue the tradition.

[DIRT Farmer]

His actions fit his patch, Lead on. I was watching the news the other day and saw a nut case had breached security at Fort Wood where both of my sons trained. The local police were searching for the nut job. It would be a better plan if the boys at the base were in on security, I cannpt imagine our service people not being able to defend their post.

[Cherokee]

Good for your son, more power to him. Thank him for his service.

[Echo]

Let your son know how proud your chums on this forum are, for him.

When I enlisted in the USAF, after Basic Training, I went to Guided Missile Control System school @ Lowry AFB. My class leader was a retread - ex USMC, only had one stripe like the rest of us, but wore the Tommy Gun patch on his left shoulder, and wore 5 rows of ribbons (!). Had been a Marine raider, and had stories to tell. I was pretty young, and not sure if what I was hearing actually happened, until I saw him coming out of the shower once, and spied the purple spots on his back (7.7 Arisaka) and legs that looked like someone had sculpted out chunks (more 7.7's). After that I believed anything he said.

On their first landing in WWII, he was one of the first out (his story). The guy in front of him was an Oriental, top raider, head of the class, &cetera. This guy bounced up the beach, turned, and started shooting the guys following him. Jack took him out.

They have been around forever.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

Praise the Lord!

I appreciate a person who goes by what they believe in!

Good natural reaction to have!

[smoked turkey]

Your son did good. I'd be proud of him if he were my son. Obviously you did a good job with him as his dad. Good on you too! I will be very disappointed if any problems come to him from this. He should get atta boys from everyone.

[Jim]

Yes Sir, this ol' man is DAMN proud of your son! Tell him I said that, would ya'?

[nicholst55]

-06, tell your son that this retired sergeant said 'Hooah!' That's all that needs be said.

[462]

-06,
Both you and your son deserve to feel proud, and he should receive some sort of commendation, for actions.

I never served with a non-native born. However, I remember one in-country, disgruntled airmen who was quickly re-assigned when it became apparant that he should not be working on aircraft, their weapons and munitions.