posted
I searched but didn't find anything on snopes...I'm surprised the guy growing grass wasn't included (the first line is from the person who posted it)
I've seen this before from my sgt when I was still in the Army but I'll pass it on anyway.
A Soldier petting a kitty.
Soldier teaching an Afghan boy how to draw a smiley face.
Soldier teaching an afghan boy a high 5
Soldier with a letter.
Little Iraqi Kids that would come to the tower and beg for sodas.
-------------------- "Fate is like a strange, unpopular resturant, filled with odd waiters who bring you things you never ask for and don't always like."-Lemony Snicket Posts: 1119 | From: Bronx, NY | Registered: Dec 2005
| IP: Logged |
Soldiers giving Iraqi children paper, pencils, glue, and crayons.
Iraqi girls laughing. Notice none of them are wearing hundreds of rags to cover their faces and bodies up anymore?
Iraqi girl with a beanie baby.
Soldier greeting Iraqi children.
Soldier playing soccer with an iraqi boy.
Reposting is easy. 1. Click "reply to poster" 2. High light then copy everything 3. Paste the code into a new bulletin.
That's it. Three simple steps to show your support for our troops. I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the news that they don't show you.
-------------------- "Fate is like a strange, unpopular resturant, filled with odd waiters who bring you things you never ask for and don't always like."-Lemony Snicket
posted
Last week on "The Al Franken Show" they were discussing this very topic; why were the media not showing images of American soldiers helping the local people, building schools, etc. Franken stated that one teacher he had spoken to refused to allow his school or the children to be filmed, because it might be seen by the insurgents, who would then retaliate against the school for associating with the Americans.
I guess sometimes no good news is good news.
Horse "Hope nobody retaliated against the kitten" Chestnut
Posts: 1651 | From: Columbus, Ohio | Registered: Aug 2004
| IP: Logged |
quote:Notice none of them are wearing hundreds of rags to cover their faces and bodies up anymore?
Huh? Did they ever? Those are great pics, though.
-------------------- "When a stupid man is doing something he is ashamed of, he always declares that it is his duty."--George Bernard Shaw Posts: 19266 | From: Nashville, TN | Registered: Jun 2002
| IP: Logged |
Joe Bentley
Ding Dong! Merrily on High Definition TV
posted
quote:Originally posted by AnglRdr:
quote:Notice none of them are wearing hundreds of rags to cover their faces and bodies up anymore?
Huh? Did they ever?
Depends do the pictures show Iraq, where the full body Burkha and the less restrictive head piece (the name escapes me for some reason) were never as common as they are in many other Muslim countries, or Afghanistan were they were much more common.
I love that kitten pic though.
ETA: Never mind, the top pictures said Afghanistan, the bottom ones, including the one about the lack of covering, were labeled to be from Iraq. Never mind.
-------------------- "Existence has no pattern save what we imagine after staring at it for too long." - Rorschach, The Watchmen Posts: 8929 | From: Norfolk, Virginia | Registered: Jun 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
The kitten picture looks like an unamerican uniform to me, especially the boots.
Posts: 11 | From: Tucson, AZ | Registered: Jan 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
There is another word for the one that completly covers the face (a veil?) Hijab is just hair cover...many wear it w/o covering their face/mouth
-------------------- "Fate is like a strange, unpopular resturant, filled with odd waiters who bring you things you never ask for and don't always like."-Lemony Snicket Posts: 1119 | From: Bronx, NY | Registered: Dec 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
I've seen the picture of the solider holding the child before. There's a story behind it that I don't recall, but IIRC, it's not a happy picture -- you'll notice the soldier appears crying.
-------------------- How homophobic do you have to be to have penguin gaydar? - Lewis Black Posts: 8322 | From: Columbus, OH | Registered: Aug 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
The soldier smelling the letter is real. It was on the front page of my hometown paper, as the soldier is out of Ft. Bragg. The letter is from his wife and he's kissing it.
-------------------- Dr.Cox: I don't know if they taught you this in the land of fairies and puppy dog tails where you obviously, if not grew up, then at least spent most of your summers, but you're in the real world now! M'kay? Posts: 42 | From: N. Carolina | Registered: Nov 2005
| IP: Logged |
quote:This is the forum for posting "Is this picture real . . .?" queries. This forum is only for pictures of questionable authenticity or origin — it is not a place to post "Ha, ha, look at this funny picture" entries.
quote:Originally posted by alicia: Not to be a jerk or anything, but:
quote:This is the forum for posting "Is this picture real . . .?" queries. This forum is only for pictures of questionable authenticity or origin — it is not a place to post "Ha, ha, look at this funny picture" entries.
No one said these are funny.
-------------------- "Show me a sane man and I will cure him for you." - C. G. Jung Posts: 243 | From: Marina del Rey, CA | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Equally, I don't think they are of questionable veracity either, so Alicia has a point.
Posts: 305 | From: South Africa | Registered: Jan 2006
| IP: Logged |
Are they really US soldiers, is this really in Iraq
Questionable enough.
-------------------- "Fate is like a strange, unpopular resturant, filled with odd waiters who bring you things you never ask for and don't always like."-Lemony Snicket Posts: 1119 | From: Bronx, NY | Registered: Dec 2005
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Squishy0405: So where did they come from?
Are they really US soldiers,
I can't say if they all are, but I'm sure the ones with visible US flags on their uniforms are.
quote:is this really in Iraq
Can't say, but see no reason to doubt it.
-------------------- How homophobic do you have to be to have penguin gaydar? - Lewis Black Posts: 8322 | From: Columbus, OH | Registered: Aug 2005
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Squishy0405: Definitely won't see that on the news...
I get annoyed by these statements with images of Iraqi reconstruction or Iraqi support. I have seen these sorts of images on the news, and in the papers, and on the internet. I've seen these images a heck of a lot more often than I've seen pictures of soldiers funerals, or of Iraqis being oppressed by insurgents and warlords. I'm so sick of the assumed anti-military bias that everyone sticks on "the media" (as though it is a single entity).
I think some of these pictures are fantastic images. I just get sick of the baseless claim that "the media won't show you blah blah blah".
-------------------- "The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him." - G.K. Chesterton Posts: 1514 | From: Wisconsin | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
This is off topic (sort of) but it does have to do with the pictures. In the last picture in the first batch, captioned "Little Iraqi Kids that would come to the tower and beg for sodas.", there is a little girl at the back who is doing something weird with her thumbs. Is she firing an imaginary gun maybe, or is it some sort of culturally specific gesture?
-------------------- "Accompanied by the ghosts of dolphins, the ghost of a ship sailed on..." Terry Pratchett Posts: 660 | From: Gainesville, FL | Registered: Dec 2005
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by geminilee: This is off topic (sort of) but it does have to do with the pictures. In the last picture in the first batch, captioned "Little Iraqi Kids that would come to the tower and beg for sodas.", there is a little girl at the back who is doing something weird with her thumbs. Is she firing an imaginary gun maybe, or is it some sort of culturally specific gesture?
Looks like the ol' 'Thumbs Up' to me.
What I want to see are the pictures of Tim Collins reducing that reservist to rubble for handing out sweets
-------------------- This is where I come up with something right? Something really clever... Posts: 6552 | From: UK | Registered: Oct 2002
| IP: Logged |
Are they really US soldiers, is this really in Iraq
Questionable enough.
i guess i just meant that since you were posting them with no apparent questions about their origin or authenticity, you just wanted to share them, which would be fine, but considering how big of sticklers people around here usually are about sticking to the right forum topics, i would assume you could have chosen a more appropriate forum.
and now, this statement above, could really be applied to any picture anyone posts. say i felt like sharing some pictures of cute bunnies- "hey guys, look at these cute bunnies that FOX NEWS DOESN'T WANT YOU TO SEE!" and then someone points out that this forum is not an appropriate place for them. should i say, "well, look at the pictures. are those bunnies REALLY in a grassy field? that sounds questionable. carry on!"
anyway. i hope you see where i'm coming from.
Posts: 131 | From: Portland, OR | Registered: Sep 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
What is the point of the pictures? Did we send 100,000+ troops and spend hundred of billions of dollars so the troops could befriend kids and pet kitties?
Have 30,000+ Iraqi civilians and 2,400+ US service people died so we could befriend kids and pet kitties?
Has there been a large number of articles in the US press saying the soldiers weren't doing their job in an honorable way?
What is the point? Petting kitties and being nice to kids in no way supports the war. In mearly says that the troops are doing the best they can given their shitty mission.
Posts: 629 | From: Greenwood, IN | Registered: Dec 2005
| IP: Logged |
Richard W
Ding Dong! Merrily on High Definition TV
posted
That high-five one has been crudely photoshopped for propaganda purposes. The original is below:
I'm sure you'll agree this gives a much more realistic portrayal of events.
Posts: 8725 | From: Ipswich - the UK's 9th Best Place to Sleep! | Registered: Feb 2000
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by jimmy101: What is the point of the pictures? Did we send 100,000+ troops and spend hundred of billions of dollars so the troops could befriend kids and pet kitties?
Have 30,000+ Iraqi civilians and 2,400+ US service people died so we could befriend kids and pet kitties?
Has there been a large number of articles in the US press saying the soldiers weren't doing their job in an honorable way?
What is the point? Petting kitties and being nice to kids in no way supports the war. In mearly says that the troops are doing the best they can given their shitty mission.
I agree jimmy101. The point of this (at least from the "you won't see this on the news" caption) seems to be "see see, the war is going great! the kids have beanie babies and the kittens are being well-treated!" This is not Vietnam and I haven't heard anyone disparaging our soldiers' efforts. And what really is news-worthy? Even on your local news, a murder or robbery is going to be a bigger story than someone giving out toys to poor children. Whether or not that's the news you want to hear, that's the way it's been done for a long time, not just starting in Iraq.
posted
Looks like Iraq to me. As noted, not all the pics are American soldiers, but they do all seem to be coalition forces from the current conflicts.
As for my personal take on other comments:
Iraqi kids love their sweets and beanie babies, as well as anything else you might give them. They'll even ask for empty shell casings. Curiosity is as much a motivator as poverty.
Most young girls in Iraq (and even many older women) don't wear the face covering. Many don't even wear the hair covering. This is especially true in the major cites. Compared to its neighbors, Iraq is and was fairly progressive (again, COMPARED TO ITS NEIGHBORS)
A Thumbs Up in Iraq means the same thing it does in America, however flipping the bird is a whole different process (they have several gestures to this effect).
The point of the pictures is probably nothing grand, just something the soldier with the camera wanted a pic of, not a snapshot to send to the major media outlets to justify the war.
The media doesn't report on these event because for the most part the media doesn't go on humanitarian missions. They also don't go on raids, convoys, or patrols. After the initial invasion, day to day missions are old hat. Mostly the reporters sit in a hotel in the Green Zone and let the local nationals get the news reports. Of course, a handful of glurgy/angry emails don't really fill the gap in coverage. If you want to know what goes on in Iraq, ask a returning soldier. Even then, know that you won't get the full picture (I doubt anyone has it).
posted
'Soldier petting a kitty' I have seen before & its not a US soldier in Iraq. My first guess was that it was a British soldier in Northern Ireland, but on second thought he may be Israeli. I found the picture all over the net dating back at least a year & google shows it on the following site (currently down): http://www.bebale.com/only-in-israel1.asp
Some gun expert could probably ID this particular picture. The others look like a fairly random selection of pictures, many of which are US soldiers in Iraq or elsewhere. I'm suprised there aren't more of these pictures; the US has been open about paying PR firms large sums of money for good PR... after years in Iraqi just a handful of nice pictures?
Posts: 83 | From: Auckland, New Zealand | Registered: Feb 2006
| IP: Logged |
The shiny brown leather boots, olive drab fatigues, unusual helmet cover, wide helmet band, and the way the M-16 is rigged all scream Israeli Defense Force.
Contrary to popular belief, the IDF rarely uses the Galil rifle. It's cheaper to buy M-16s from the USA than it is to build their own. Most Galils are sold for export.
This guy is a British (or possibly Australian) soldier. The 'Desert DPM' camo pattern is pretty distinctive.
-------------------- Meanwhile, at stately Wayne Manor... Posts: 1316 | From: Oregon | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Squishy0405: Soldier helping a child.
"Navy Corpsman Richard Barnett of Camarilo, Calif. checks the heart of a young Iraqi boy as other Navy medics treat the boy's older sister, right, after the two children and their family were caught in a crossfire between US Marines and Iraqi soldiers just outside of a Marine encampment in central Iraq on Saturday, March 29, 2003...[snip]..."If anything good comes from this nonsense, I haven't seen it yet" said Barnett after the two children and their father were taken away for a medivac helicopter."
An "artist" did a propaganda poster of this image. More info here. (link may be a little NSFW for language)
-------------------- Preston: Actually, Catholics believe in Transubstantiation, wherein bread and wine become Christ's actual body and blood. You'd think Jesus would know that.
Abe: I Googled "Catholic Trannies" and nothing came up.
"Alien Loves Predator" #147 Posts: 8 | From: Sapporo, Japan | Registered: Nov 2005
| IP: Logged |
quote: Iraqi girls laughing. Notice none of them are wearing hundreds of rags to cover their faces and bodies up anymore?
i'm offended for them. i wonder how whoever wrote this would feel (assuming they are christian for the benefit of my post, obviously) if i invaded their home, ripped the cross from their neck, and said "look! you don't have to wear this cheap tat anymore! thank me for saving you!" it's just offensive beyond words.
Do you have any wine? All of this would go a lot smoother in an altered state of reality. Posts: 779 | From: Southampton, England | Registered: Nov 2005
| IP: Logged |
quote: Iraqi girls laughing. Notice none of them are wearing hundreds of rags to cover their faces and bodies up anymore?
i'm offended for them. i wonder how whoever wrote this would feel (assuming they are christian for the benefit of my post, obviously) if i invaded their home, ripped the cross from their neck, and said "look! you don't have to wear this cheap tat anymore! thank me for saving you!" it's just offensive beyond words.
Is this facetious? Cause if I was forced to wear a certain item of clothing, and then someone told me I did not have to wear it anymore, I do not think I would be offended. Do you really think the girls were stripped of the garments, and then told "You can no longer wear that, even if you want to"?
-------------------- "Accompanied by the ghosts of dolphins, the ghost of a ship sailed on..." Terry Pratchett Posts: 660 | From: Gainesville, FL | Registered: Dec 2005
| IP: Logged |
quote:i'm offended for them. i wonder how whoever wrote this would feel (assuming they are christian for the benefit of my post, obviously) if i invaded their home, ripped the cross from their neck, and said "look! you don't have to wear this cheap tat anymore! thank me for saving you!" it's just offensive beyond words.
Huh?
I think as a few people have pointed out, he was probably been off-base in that I don't think Iraq had strict Sharia law as Afghanistan under the Taliban did. But your analogy is rediculous. In Afghanistan, where women did have to dress according to strict Islamic law, Americans didn't run up to women and tear off their veils and yell "You're free! You can stop wearing this crap now!" and then force them to wear jeans and t-shirts. Women are still free to wear veils and robes if they so desire.
His comment was addressing the wrong country. But "offensive beyond words" ?? Give me a break.
posted
the point i was trying to make is that those clothes are part of their religion. it's arrogant to think that we've swooped in and 'saved' them from having to wear something that a lot of them choose to wear anyway. how do we know what they wore before? those kids could have been wearing those types of clothes (in the pic) their entire lives. the assumption that they've been set free is just so arrogant, is pisses me off.
and my analogy was meant to be extreme. it's called hyperbole.
Do you have any wine? All of this would go a lot smoother in an altered state of reality. Posts: 779 | From: Southampton, England | Registered: Nov 2005
| IP: Logged |
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[lol]](graemlins/lol.gif)
