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Dude,
I just like to visit the Website for a laugh. It's a valuable break in my day. I really don't want to read about your personal problems with a brigade commander. That ain't funny and, though I like your comics, I question whether your attempt to drum up sympathy on your Website isn't just a little bit childish.
Kevin Young
Fort Sill Cannoneer staff writer __________________________________________________________________________

Mark,
Your friend Jason (SGT Rob) here.
The Light COL, has it all wrong.
I loved the toon!
And since when do the thoughts and beliefs of a piece of paper, (the Koran) mean more than my soldiers, friends, and patriots lives?
The country of Iraq doesn't care about our soldiers.
So why the big deal of the Koran.
Call me crazy but how many times have they burned our flag?
How many of us have they killed?
To them we are all infidels.
Infidels sometimes use important stuff to shoot at.
Does that make every soldier a bad person?
NO.
Does the one Militiaman/Insurgent that blows up my convoy and kills my friends make every Iraqi a terrorist?
NO.
Screw the apology, and then men that allowed it to be blown out of proportion in the firstplace, and the "Liberal" media that made it such a big deal, let them take my units patrols awhile......maybe then they will take a few shots at the Koran.
I didnt cry or whine when my bible got burned up in a fire after being blown up on patrol.
I just bought a new one!
Get over it.
This is war,
Feelings get hurt.
Grow up, and put the thought and concentration on how to put this counter-insurgency to rest so I can be with my family more than 12 months at a time between deployments, instead of writing emails to a cartoon writer that makes us Dogfaced, Jarheaded, Flyboy, Anchor Clankers smile!
Walk a mile in our infantry boots.
Triple Dog Dare ya!

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Mark,
When will it ever end? When we go to another country we are to respect that
countries culture and laws. Why do we have to do the same when we get home? It
seems that LTC Monnard has forgotten that first amendment right to free speech
in his push to be PC for arab visitors. He cannot shield them from it, nor
should he be trying. We are currently in a war attempting to teach democratic
principles to an arab country, Iraq. How must it look to them when we abrogate
one of our most fundamental and important rights? We should be leading by
example, embracing even that speech that we don't agree with or that embarrasses
us.

Mike
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As I understand it, LTC Monnard’s complaint is that the cartoon offends the Middle Eastern students in the IMET program, thus making his job a greater challenge than it needs to be. He mentioned that the goals of the program are to expose “students to the US professional military establishment and the American way of life including amongst other things, U.S. regard for democratic values, respect for individual and human rights and belief in the rule of law.” I believe that the cartoon has achieved these goals. We, as a people, are guaranteed the right to express ourselves; Private Murphy, the avatar of the common soldier, has accomplished that goal. We also do not censor the press, as noted in his comment that ”the installation allows the Sierra Vista Herald / Bisbee Daily Review to distribute this periodical to all military members and their families.” The command structure at the installation respects freedom of the press, which further illustrates the principles that we hold dear. LTC Monnard appears to disagree, however, as he appears to elicit the PAO’s support to violate those principles, rights, and beliefs with the poignant close “Thanks for your help in building partnerships in regions where we have Soldiers fighting and dying every day.”

To site a more glaring example of “insensitivity,” if we are to categorize Private Murphy as such, I offer this example. I recently attended the graduation of an Information Resources Management class at the National Defense University (NDU) at Ft. Lesley J. McNair; Washington, DC. About one quarter of the class was comprised of senior foreign military officers. At the conclusion of the ceremony, everyone in the auditorium was asked to stand. Music began to play over the auditorium’s sound system. I expected to hear something like “Pomp and Circumstance”. Instead, I heard “God Bless the USA ” by Lee Greenwood. Looking about the room, I noted some mystified looks from the foreign officers and many of the Americans in attendance. To be sure, the other Americans in the audience and I appreciated the sentiment of the song. Personally, I believe that had Francis Scott Key not beat out Mr. Greenwood by 190 years, the song “God Bless the USA” may have become our National Anthem. Neither the President of NDU, a USMC Lieutenant General, nor any of the other senior U.S. government officials present seemed to object to the selected song. I suppose that no one at NDU shares LTC Monnard’s sentiments.

Does he not see the incongruity between his comments and his oath to uphold and defend the constitution?

Ruben Rosario
CW3, USA (Ret)
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So you're saying a senior TRADOC officer might just be in full flight from reality? That's pretty much how I remember it-only with more mandatory nonsense.

Thanks for the very, very accurate cartoons.
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Dear Mark
I have been thinking about the issue that has been brought up by your cartoon
PVT.Murphy, which I have enjoyed a lot and remembering my days in the service
(ARNG, USA and USAR) with 24 years of service and being a senior NCO.
You definitely have hit the feeling of the troops about being in Iraq, those who
feel that are caught in the middle of the rules of engagements, that sometimes
are conflicting, that I feel history is repenting itself like our troops back in
the Vietnam days.

The longer we stay the more problems and incident are going to happen , in a
place where you don't know who is the enemy ,everybody looks the same and we are
caught in war between brother vs brother. which is not easy for our guys over
there.

I remember as a young NCO going into Desert Storm with very simple rules of
engagement (not to shot Mosques etc) but we went theres kick butt ,cause our
damaged (with the Big Red One) liberated Kuwait and left there.

Now we are stuck, we have opened a pandora box, that will not close, so we need
to get our act together and also have the right to express our opinions.

As mentioned before our middle east allies have troops training in this country,
we need to exposed to our system of government and the right of the average
citizen to openly criticize our government and leaders.

That does not happen over there, yet some countries like Oman, Kuwait and Qatr
are more liberal than Saudi Arabia and are opening up, like allowing women more
freedoms to include to vote.

If we are going to try to show them a democratic system to their old tribal and
absolute strong man system, we need to show we are a open society that respect
everybody, we don't need to shield from this, nothing to hide from our Arab
friends, this might take time as they say Rome was not built in seven days

So please keep putting up old Murphy and taking about the issues that the US
Army is facing, i can back what I say because I BEEN THERE, DONE THAT AND BOUGHT
THE T-SHIRTS (twice) and my wife complain to many T-shirts.

Keep up the good work and the fight
Santiago A.Flores
SFC (ret)

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Dear Mark:
Perhaps LTC Monnard should look at his own words a little more closely.
"Thanks for your help in building partnerships in regions where we have
Soldiers fighting and dying every day." The soldiers fighting and dying every
day are being killed by individuals who seem to carry their religion on one
shoulder and a weapon on their other. I served nine months in Iraq surrounded
by people who preached one thing and practiced another. Perhaps they should
be reminded of the old adage "If you can't take the heat then stay out of the
kitchen".

Sincerely,
SGT John Cervone
 

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Mark, Unfortunately, LTC. Monnard got it wrong. He talked about teaching respect for Democratic values, human rights, etc. but he wants to show his "guests" the same type of controlled society that they all come from. Sometimes Democracy and First Amendment rights are not convienient and they can be a little embarrassing. Seeing that and having LTC Monnard explain that to them, would do those foreign officers a world of good. We don't train foreign officers well or do them a service when we impose self censorship just to make their stay comfortable.

Thanks for your great cartoons. They depict military life more correctly than some people would like to admit.

Thanks,
Ed Napier
USA (Ret)

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Sir,

I understand the point you were making with the cartoon. I think it’s a good example of how far the PC movement has taken this country down the tubes.

We can’t address our troops without fear of stepping on someone’s toes or offending them in such a way as to have us standing in front of the boss trying to explain to them what you were trying to do.

There was a time when we as Americans were not afraid to stand for what is right and say to hell with what the others think. Yes, I know one has to be diplomatic and there is a ton of ass kissing being done on a regular day to day basis. But It’s times that we start realizing that we need to start acting like the big dog in the yard instead of a cowering little puppy in the corner, afraid to stand up for ourselves and what we feel is right.

I mean look at us. We can go to the moon and back not just once but several times, fight a war in the jungles of Viet Nam, make major strides against diseases, help prop up other countries economies at the expense of our own, and should we decide to do so, exterminate ourselves in a radiation filled haze. And yet here we are, begging some bunch of rag heads to increase the production of oil so tha t we can have cheap gas to run our cars with. We cower to extremeists and pay them off to leave us alone, and so forth. What has happened to our national will is summed up so well in your cartoon.

The old saying is “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Should be the watch word to these “student” at Ft Hoochie. You don’t like the culture, then stay out of it in your little cubicle on base. This is OUR country and they must adapt to OUR customs, just as they expect us to adapt to theirs. Unfortunately, we do the adapting and they do the laughing.

Keep on doing what you’re doing, sir.

Oh and please dpn’t discontinue the mis adventures of Murphy..you know as well as I that all because you pick up that third stripe, the Law still applies, only it’s been modified to include the added stuff. I even coined a “law” while I was a young sergeant in the Marines and it still applies today. I call it “Cole’s Law” which states If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen on my watch and I’m the one who’s going to have to find, fix and explain why it occurred. And in the end, I’m going to be the one to pay for it.”
I’m now a 1st Lt and a company commander in the Virginia Defense Force and it STILL applies only 3xs worse.


Semper Fi

Lloyd Cole
1st Lt. INF VaDF
S/Sgt USMC 73-86

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Mark,
Sorry to see you getting grief over the cartoons about the Koran and Arabs . What sort of irritation does the LTC show over cartoons in the local papers making fun of the Commander in Chief?

He would have probably been upset over 'SGT Mike in VietNam"

I enjoy your cartoons and agree with other writers that the PC Police need to be shook up now and then.

Good luck!!!!

Jay Ward Viet Vet
Slick pilot 71-72 B troop 3/17 Cav
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Mark,
Ok, I agree with you. I have travelled a bit over the years and I “respect” the unique nature of another culture. However, I take issue with people who get too PC. The strength of our country lies not in the PC nature but in our individual backgrounds/culture. That also means it is our greatest weakness when we let people divide us.
IF the LTC has an opinion he must also understand that the US Constitution gives you the right to publish your own opinion. But I also saw the whole Koran thing as “kissing” someone too…even before you published your cartoon.

CW2 William Bowe
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Hi!
Got my Sgt. Murphy - spent an hour reading and re-reading it and
laughing my ass off. Thank you very much.

Regarding the foreign officers at Ft. Huachuca - They need to develop a
sense of humor, and failing that, thicker skin. I am tired of the US
Military having cater to the wishes of people from other countries. I
miss the days of gunboat diplomacy and colonialism...

Thanks!
Ray Spitz

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Mark,
It should be nothing new. From that guy who shared a gin drink name at Bragg to this guy. Some people lack the ability to either see realism or have the sense of humor to laugh at themselves.
The cartoon about the US kissing butts over the Koran incident is exactly what most of the soldiers here in theater felt and thought. You just put it in ink for us.
Gotta love the first amendment. It's what separates us from them.
Got Book 5 in today. I now have the complete collection (well, except for the very first one). Gonna hate to see Murph go.
To steal a line from Bob Hope: "Thanks for the Memories"
Dan
 

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Mark,

I've got something to say: First I’d like to state that the Army would have a massive PR nightmare if they attempted at any time, for nearly any reason (this one included, I’m sure), to censor or ban a local paper on Fort Huachuca. This is in direct violation of both the freedoms of speech and press, of course guaranteed under the 1st Amendment to the United States Constitution. As a veteran myself, I know that all members of the armed services, enlisted, officer, and Lieutenant Colonel Monnard included, swore to uphold and defend the Constitution of these United States. Though he states that he understands the Bill of Rights, I’m afraid I must remind him that the word “uphold” is defined by Webster’s as: “to support against an opponent” among others. This doesn’t sound like his oath and understanding are altogether in line.

Furthermore, the cartoons in question were an opinion, granted, but the events driving that opinion were of the following nature: A uniformed soldier in a foreign country acted in such a way that was offensive to that country’s people and culture. Although I don’t agree with the way the Army handled the incident, the soldier in question nonetheless was not entitled to conduct himself in any way that offended or affronted that society and culture. The same can be said, and should be expected, from the 15 officers from Middle Eastern countries (or any foreign uniformed service members) who are now in a foreign country with a society and culture that is different from their own. It’s kind of a “quid pro quo,” wherein if our soldiers must be “sensitive” to a foreign culture even if they don’t like it, shouldn’t the same rules apply to foreign soldiers here? They don’t have to like how much freedoms are guaranteed to our society, but that’s not their call. I mean, even the most senior officials in the United States government are not protected from being the subject of free speech and press. If the sitting President of the United States, as well as senior Senators (to name a few) can be subjected legally to political opinions and satire, then how are foreign personnel elevated above our highest executives and legislators? They don’t have the right to demand, or even expect, our fundamental way of life to change just for them, especially when it directly conflicts with GUARANTEED freedoms granted by the Constitution. If we bend to that way of thinking, then the next step will be female soldiers having wear niqabs on Fort Huachuca in the presence or view of these 15 Middle Eastern officers, or at the very least, they’ll not be allowed to hold their heads high and look men in the eye while in their presence. The latter point I’m sure sounds extreme, but the fundamental point is the same. Being “a bit more sensitive” at the expense of our own rights becomes a double standard at best, and at worst will degrade the very principles and values that men and women swear to “uphold and defend” every time they don a uniform of the United States military.

Keath Warlick USMC

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Here you go, Mark! My opinion only, of course.

It seems to me, as a retired Army officer and fairly well educated and traveled man, that we are being very one sided in our efforts to accommodate those of other cultures. When I went to other countries in the course of my duties I was encouraged to learn the language and culture of the host nation as a sign of respect to them (a good idea). Yet I am forced to choose between a foreign language and English in my own country. I'm told that it is disrespectful to Muslims to make jokes about their religion yet there seems to be very little concern for ridicule and threats by Islamic sources of Christianity and Judaism, not to mention direct violence that focuses on the religion rather than actions or politics. I will give respect but only for so long unless respect is returned in kind. And every Army leader worth their salt should have learned that respect is a two way street.

I think the call for more sensitivity toward Americans and American values and sacrifices is long overdue and if some young battalion commander has a problem with that then maybe he or she should re-read their commission, the part at the top that talks about "fidelity". Your first concern should be with and for your soldiers, not with the sensitivities of guests who barely return the same consideration we give when we are in their country. Be considerate. Be a good host, by all means. But require the same respect from our allies as they demand from us. Perhaps the International Military Education and Training Program should institute a block of instruction on "Respect for American Culture" as part of their curriculum? Make it a graded block, colonel.

Roger L. Perkins
US Army (Retired)

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As a soldier in the United States Army and a Muslim I understand the tension. It is a difficult job in and of itself without leadership flip flopping all over the place. True enough using a book for target practice is not in keeping with TRADOC (but then again, nothing we have done over there is).

There is a degree of discipline that has been lost due to the nature of our work there and the environment our soldiers find themselves. While we may have been ready to go a do "A JOB" there, were we ever prepared for "The JOB" we have been tasked with? I don't think so.

I remember back in the '80s when I was a young Airman serving in the Air Force, a publication came out yearly entitled "The Soviet Threat", and the last one that I was able to get my hands on talked about future conflicts would not be in the manner that we trained constantly for back then (remember "Reforger"?) It did speak specifically that we would be in conflict in an urban environment, house to house, and town to town. Hmmmmmmmmm??? Is Nostradamus still around somewhere?

Yes, let the punishment fit the crime, not alter it to suit those who are offended. Stuff like this happens all over the world with other armies, but the world seems fixed on us every time one of ours farts in the wind. What a damn shame.

Keep doing what you are doing. You are a venue that we can travel to and laugh and at the same time think and learn something of ourselves. Thank you. - RogueMedic

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