Vicki wrote on Apr 23, 2007 5:17 PM:AMEN!!!! We should have the flags flown at half staff until this war is over. Support out Troops!

Dan wrote on Apr 23, 2007 6:00 PM:Support our troops. Love the soldier, hate the war! Get them out of IRAQ NOW! Bush can order our soldiers to a war that makes no logical sense.

Tough one wrote on Apr 23, 2007 6:29 PM:I don't think the flags should of been lowered for the VT victims. It is a tragedy but they didn't do anything to earn the honor. I think lowering the flags for every service member lost would be a sign of weakness. All service members risk their lives for our freedom but they don't all get medals for it. It takes something above and beyond to get that. As it should for lowering the flag. I think it dilutes the power behind the symbol if you use it too much.

JA wrote on Apr 23, 2007 6:45 PM:I'm with the sergeant on this one, the only reason anyone could oppose this gesture would be that they do not want attention payed to the high loss of life and want to ignore the sacrifices our troops are making.

ABSOLUTELY! wrote on Apr 23, 2007 7:28 PM:Until we send our men and women home, we need all the US flags half staff while they die daily. It is preposterous that our flags are not half staff until this war is over. Our soldiers are heros dying daily. Why not recognize them?

THE WAR IS A LIE wrote on Apr 23, 2007 7:45 PM:Lets fly them at half staff until this national nightmare is over.

to tough one wrote on Apr 23, 2007 8:09 PM:The sergeant suggests lowering the flag at the home base and state of the lost servicemember, how does that "dilute the power behind the symbol" the San Onofre truck scales lower their flag for lost CHP and state workers and I think that is appropriate and proper!

Veteran wrote on Apr 23, 2007 8:40 PM:You do not lower the flag for every fallen soldier. If you extend this logic we would never have had the flag flying high during any war. They didn't raise the flag and lower it to half mast on Iwo Jima and we lost a lot more men there than we have in four years in the middle east. Flags at half mast are for special occasions and national cemeteries. I believe that all soldiers are special people but I do not believe they would want to see their own flags lowered everytime one of them pays the ultimate price.

Jay wrote on Apr 23, 2007 9:03 PM:Of course as it turns out and the article clarifies, flags are flown at half staff in Afghanistan when a soldier of any contingent is killed. Sounds like this writer has never noticed that. I don't have anything against them being flown that way all the time like the post at 7:45 suggests. In fact, why don't we fly them inverted as a sign of distress until this ridiculous and senseless violence is ended? As far as this soldier is concerned: I am sick and tired of hearing them whine. They are generally well cared for by the taxpayer (would be better if the Bush contractors weren't stealing much of the money) and those of us who are sensible are trying to get them back here safely to their lives and families. I think his remarks are insensitive to the victims. At least he is armed and can defend himself. If the gun control lobby has their way none of us will have protection. Of course our biggest potential enemy is our own government and THAT is the purpose of the 2nd Amendment, in case the we the people need to take up arms against a tyrant, not for deer hunting as many allege.

Markus wrote on Apr 23, 2007 10:05 PM:I feel for the families of the fallen at VT as I do for the million families who lost theirs and who were and continue to be the victims of our war in Iraq. It is all sensless and puzzling. May God show us the light to be good neighbors someday.

Stealth Blogger wrote on Apr 23, 2007 10:31 PM:At the rate things are going, if the Stars and Stripes flew at half staff for our fallen military heroes,it would NEVER fly at full staff again!

Patriot wrote on Apr 24, 2007 1:42 AM:It should fly at half until the GIs all come home.

Al wrote on Apr 24, 2007 6:37 AM:The Virginia Tech incident was a tragedy but flying the flag at half-staff is ridculous. Displaying Old Glory in this manner is a sign of respect for a person who has given his/her life for this Country. Those young people were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. If we continue with this mentality, the flag will never again fly at the top of the staff.

Honor wrote on Apr 24, 2007 7:33 AM:As a service member, the most appropriate time to fly our flags at half staff is on Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Americans also need to respect those days and not just use them as a day to throw a party or BBQ. The intent of those days are to show honor to those who made the ultimate sacrifice and those who served their country in peace and war. I don't believe that they should fly the flag at half staff in a combat zone either because it gives the enemy reassurance that they were successful in killing an American. Of course they can get the information from the news as well, but seeing the flag at half staff in combat gives the enemy a psychological boost.

Officer's Wife wrote on Apr 24, 2007 7:58 AM:Jay, you are tired of hearing the soldiers WHINE? Are you kidding me? Well cared for by the taxpayer?! You do realize the majority of enlisted soldiers earn below the poverty line, don't you? And what do they get for their efforts? Moldy rooms and shoddy care at Walter Reed, after the president (little p intentional) promised we would take care of our wounded soldiers. Of course, while he was telling us this, he was cutting funding to the VA, slating Walter Reed for closure (during a violent war, how does that make sense?) and not approving even the slightest repairs. Then, while the soldier is humping 60 pounds of battle rattle around in 100 degree weather, missing their families and getting their deployments extended, the American people are blissfully and ignorantly pumping their large vehicles full of inexpensive fossil fuel, eating out and kissing their families goodnight, night after night THANKS TO THOSE SOLDIERS YOU SAY ARE WHINING. Outside of the military family NO AMERICAN has made any manner of SACRIFICE during this war! And I have news for you, JAY, your tax dollars aren't being spent on the soldier, it's being spent to pay Halliburton and KBR and Blackwater millions more than our TRULY UNDER APPRECIATED SOLDIERS that get NOTHING - NOTHING! - from the majority of Americans except that stupid yellow support our troops magnet they slap on their gas sucking, behemoth vehicles on their way to the mall. If you are of appropriate age and fitness, please march yourself down to your local recruiter and sign up - go see how the soldier lives and then we'll see who's whining.

Tough one wrote on Apr 24, 2007 8:17 AM:Re to Tough one, I stand by my opinion. I don't think the flag should be lowered except in very special circumstances. See Veteran's coments.

Joan wrote on Apr 24, 2007 8:23 AM:Absolutely fly them at half mast. It's the least we can do to show our appreciation and respect. Bringing them home from a war that never should have happened is another way.

judy wrote on Apr 24, 2007 8:24 AM:It seems as if our flag is in a constant state of mourning. If we fly is at half staff for every death it will never be raised again. No, it should not be lowered to half staff for our fallen soldiers. We can honor them in countless other ways. They are fighting for our freedom and the right to fly that flag. Keep it flying high.

OIF Military Widow of a Fallen Camp Pendleton Marine wrote on Apr 24, 2007 9:36 AM:Jay - Maybe you should take a few moments and re-read your own post. You made the following statement about the Servicemember who wrote the letter "I think his remarks are insensitive to the victims". The only one being insensitive is you. I hope that someday you can truly appreciate and respect those who proudly serve their country (past and present), our Wounded Warriors and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice so that you can continue to enjoy your freedoms. As for your comment "At least he is armed and can defend himself." Have you missed the fact that we are loosing many of our Servicemembers due to IED's planted by the enemy? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that a gun is of little to no use when trying to defend yourself from IED's. There are so many ways to show your thankfulness and appreciation, but instead you'd rather be negative. It's obvious you no nothing about what it's like to be a Servicemember and/or the life of military families.

Jay wrote on Apr 24, 2007 10:28 AM:To "Officers wife". In my time, the military mess halls weren't restaurants where you ordered fancy meals of your choice with Hagen Das Ice Cream for desert. They didn't have video toys, internet or phone access, McDonalds, weight equipment ad nauseum and all in a combat zone! YOUR comments are EXACTLY what I mean by whining.Buck up! The military, its members and families have NEVER had it so good in our history. Don't get full of yourself. In spite of the disingenous monikers of "hero" and such so popular these days, your husband and the others are no better than the rest of us or those that came before. Have you ever heard of the "Greatest Generation"? These guys came back from a REAL war, having eaten little but canned beans and candy bars, with virtual no contact with their families for years. Most people, sometimes even their own families, never knew they had been decorated. THEY didn't DEMAND respect or special priveleges. Perhaps they were just raised to be modest or maybe they thought their service was expected and not something to be boasted about. Your husband is fed, housed and clothed better than I and perhaps most Americans and almost certainly better than any millitary in the world. He gets a reasonable pay (though as I stated above could be better if not for the crooked contractors and their Administration allies) and benefits. I did not know that my father had been decorated for action in France until AFTER his death. He never bragged and his wife didn't write letters to the editor demanding that he receive special treatment. He became a city police officer (at the wopping pay of $250 a month on which he raised us) and never complained. He never expected or DEMANDED that citizens call him a "hero" for pulling children from burning car wrecks or entering businesses in the dark of night when an alarm went off. When he came home with a black eye it was becuase it was his job to take down suspects without killing them, unlike the trigger happy cops and troops of today. (I wish, hope that I was half the man as he).He signed on the dotted line and did his job as expected. Now I am reaching my retirement years and sick of the petty complaints and demands of the priveleged generation. Try reading the obits and see how many modest REAL heros have lived amongst us all these years. People you no doubt knew. Don't give me that BS that your husband is something special. He is an American soldier (or airman, sailor or Marine). That would be enough for the "greatest generation" but evidently not for the self-centered narcissists of today. I stand by my remark that the this soldier was insensitive (and just plain WRONG about flags flying at half staff for those killed in Afganistan)for his remarks about the killings of those young students. YOUR remarks on the other hand (which I expected someone to write) are typical of the afformentioned Generation X,Y and Zee'rs. Get a grip on your ego and bring it down a couple of notches. You're NOT special and/or better than any other American. (PS: If your husband wants better percs perhaps he should work for Microsoft, Boeing or be elected to Congress. The military does what we tell them to do, eat what we give them and go to places that are, by nature, unsafe. Don't like Hagen Das for desert? Then he can resign his commision).

Jay wrote on Apr 24, 2007 10:31 AM:To OIF: Sorry missed your self-centered and silly remarks before I responded to "Officer's Wife". Just consider them as being addressed to you too. You sound more like a baby than a "warrior". Go cry somewhere else. Real men dont want to hear it.

Juanita wrote on Apr 24, 2007 10:53 AM:A flag lowering for each fallen soldier, would equal a "partytime" signal for the enemy.

OIF 2003 wrote on Apr 24, 2007 12:59 PM:I gotta say that Jay's initial comments did seem to be negative, however, his rebuttle is true. Today's military thinks the worls owes them everything. I served in combat in Iraq, and I think that the real hereos are the ones who served all over the Pacific, Civil, and Revolutionary Wars. They are the ones who set the standard. My grandfather survived Normandy. Holy smokes Batman. He never talked about it. HE died an average man just as most do. When I enlisted in 2001 I knew that a life that was to be more than undesirable was ahead of me, and I was O.K. with that. Maybe I'm just old fashioned for my age.

To Jay & OIF 2003 wrote on Apr 24, 2007 2:23 PM:I am not a Servicemember/"warrior". I am a widow of a local career Marine who lost his life in OIF. I don't feel the world owes me anything & neither did my late husband. I never stated that. He was proud to serve in the Marine Corps and in Iraq.

OIF 203 wrote on Apr 24, 2007 3:21 PM:I appologize if my comments seemed directed toward anyone. That is how I see the majority today. I have lost some good friends, and I back troops 100%. It seems to me that the underlying problem is the society that we have created. Many people feel that they should be praised like gods. Then there is the others who do it because we know what is right. We were founded on people who did what they thought to be right. Today is obviously not that way. Many think that they are above the rest, when in fact we are just a bunch of ordinary people standing up for what we believe to be right.

Jay wrote on Apr 24, 2007 6:12 PM:To OIF: Thanks for giving me credit for at least part of my comment. Perhaps I worded the first one poorly. People react to catch phrases too quickly these days and don't read the "meat" of one's comments. I stand by my comments. Todays generation is spoiled and makes demands for "respect" (a common trigger word nowadays and also expected to be given unearned). No one that I know of on either side of the war issue wants to see harm come to our soldiers, on the contrary, we want them home safe. My emphasis was the "whining" about alleged lack of supplies and again, that catch phrase "respect". Their service is respect enough and I freely give it. I don't give it to those who continue to whine about this trivial matter or that. Remember, this article is about a soldier feeling slighted by the memorializing of 31 murdered young people. I can't imagine what he was thinking. It was and continues to be a grossly insensitive published remark. Unlike so many today (and not just the young) I'm not demanding that he apologise or change his opinion. Its not my business. I wouldn't demand it of Mark Richards, Al Sharpton, Don Imus etc etc. I may however express my opinion. Thank God I can still do that even if only in the blog of a small paper using a pen name. Thanks.

Airbornemom wrote on Apr 25, 2007 4:44 PM:Jay you are really sad. That sickens me the way you think. These young men that do make it home alive are usually either physically or mentally damaged. To heck with what they have or get. That's the least they deserve and thats the updated world now a days. The kids only have one life to live. One time to do it right. Once they are gone or Physically mentally, or emotionally damaged its to late its over its all they had. This is so sad. Can we please get back on the subject of the flag? I say if we dont fly it for every soldier killed then we dont fly it over here either for things like the VA Killings

judy wrote on Apr 26, 2007 2:19 PM:If we lower the flag for every death it would appear to be in a constant state of mourning. We can honor our fallen soldiers in countless other ways. Let's keep the flag flying proud and high.

Jay wrote on Apr 26, 2007 3:40 PM:To airbornemom: Sounds to me that we actually agree. As is so common in these blogs you didn't read or understand my comments. For at least the third time: I felt (and continue to) that the soldier who wrote the original piece was insensitive to the death of the students. People who responded to me (such as you) brought in flags and such trying to turn this tragedy into another pro-war and "hero" worship subject. When faced with these remarks I often respond. Don't want to hear or read them? Don't whine or direct your remarks at me.

AW4cryinoutloud wrote on Apr 27, 2007 11:17 PM:To Jay: Sounds like a little envy going on concerning our troops. Shucks, too bad they are actually treated with some respect at this time in history. How terrible they be allowed Haagen Das ice cream for dessert or have access to the internet so they can keep in touch with their families. OMG! And to think they are allowed to play video games. I guess they should just stay out there in those insurgent infested towns 24-7. And my personal favorite; weight equipment. Heavens, what will we think of next? For them to have access to something to keep them in shape or help with stress. Go figure! The military and family members have never had it so good? Tell it to the ones who come back "injured"; to put it delicately. The remark about the disingenuous monikers of "hero"; Yes, why not? It's about time our heroes were those who fight for this country rather than over-paid, over-rated celebrities and athletes. Your comment to Officer's Wife about whining was ridiculous. She wasn't whining, she was explaining the reasons YOU should stop your whining. And what do you do? Whining ad nauseum! The Greatest Generation? What the heck is that? YOUR generation? Guys ate beans and had no contact with their families for years. How does that become the greatest generation? I would think a great generation would be the one where the military finally gave a toot about the troops and what they have to endure and try to make it somewhat easier. Although...This generation of military also persecutes them when they do fight and kill as ordered, and their families don't even know they're in the U.S. in shackles. I didn't hear anyone "demand" respect. The Army Sergeant has apparently lost some good friends and is sick to death of people such as yourself who WHINE about yourselves and what "you" DON'T have. Wrong about Officer's Wife's husband not being a hero. Have you served? Of course there are many kinds of real heroes and I'm sure your dad was one of them but, stop feeling sorry for yourself. Has it ever occurred to you that your dad would be darned proud of our troops today? How can you say to a wife to not give you that BS that her husband is something special? Of course he's something special. To her and to those of us who support him and his fellow soldiers, no matter which branch of the service. Let go of the bitterness Jay. It's written all over you...Pardon the pun. Officer's Wife did not sa she was special. Your bitterness is showing again. If anyone needs to get a grip on their ego, you might want to look in the mirror. I just have to know, but doubt that you'd answer; what the hell do you mean by the remark that , "the military does what we tell them to do, eat what we give them, and go to places that are, by nature, unsafe."??? WHAT??? Who is WE? Are you with the Pentagon? Are you a general? Are you a Politician? You surely can't mean "We" the people. We don't have anything to say about where they go or what they're told to do. Talk about ego. Yours is too big even for you.