in case it hasn't made national news the witmar sisters have decided that doing their job as they should with the rest of their unit is not something they would enjoy. they'll take duty somewhere else thanks.
in order to make this decision less harsh on the young cowards the nat'l guard has issued a statement saying they wouldn't be safe in iraq. one of them was an mp! our mp's with guns aren't safe, hmmmm imagine that not being safe in a hostile land. who would've ever imagined.
i guess there is no chance of them being targeted somewhere else for being........................"celebrities" according to the nat'l guard.
never though of a piece of crap coward as a celeb but i guess that's what our country has come to.
the worst part is they were local here so everyone is all proud of their decision and all that. the local station happened to interview my g/f but wouldn't play here response as it wasn't the old i'm so proud of them crap.
oh well what do you guys think?

 

If I remeber correctly did there commanding officer Maj. Gen Al Wilkening advise them to not return to there units in Iraq.

Calling it "a profoundly difficult and complex decision," Rachel and Charity Witmer said in a statement that they had accepted the advice of Maj. Gen. Al Wilkening of the Wisconsin National Guard and would take non-combat assignments outside of Iraq.

"Although he said he could not 'order' us to request reassignment, he was very clear to point out that a decision to return to Iraq might expose our fellow soldiers to increased danger. This we will not do," they said in their statement, read by family representative Joan Apt.


Wilkening was not only concerned about the Witmer family but the potential hazard the sisters' return might have posed to their units because of the notoriety their case received in the aftermath of Michelle Witmer's death.

"My direct request to them was based not only on the needs of two soldiers and their grieving family," Wilkening said in a statement read by Lt. Col. Tim Donovan, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Army and Air National Guard. "It was also based on military considerations for their units and the safety of 225 other Wisconsin Guard soldiers whose exposure to danger might well be increased due to the international visibility these units received over the past two weeks."

Seems to me that they are taking some advice and not wanting to indanger there fellow soliders. Oh and calling them or anyone that serverd wether they lost a family member or not a

"piece of crap coward" is Sh*t .

 

aren't there unwritten rules that if a soldier dies, any military siblings are taken out of danger so the parents will not lose any more children?

 

Hasn't that family suffered enough.

 

I'm tired of their danm whining. They knew the risks of joining the armed forces. It's not a cakewalk to get a free college education...
I'm going to go cry to my congressman and maybe they won't send my brother to Iraq....

Personally I couldn't look my fellow brothers in arms in the face if I abandoned them like that, regardless of losing a sibiling. If I was them I wouldn't expect a warm welcome from their unit when they return.

 

I hate to sound ignorant here, but who are the Witmer sisters?

 

wow, hold on guys and gals. They were ready to go back when a General told them things would be better off if they did not go back to Iraq. At least that's the story that I read or heard. Their dad on the other hand was pretty whiny about them not going back, but he's already lost one child, I can see why he wouldn't want them to go back, but he should also realize that it is their duty. Bottom line, I heard they were ready to rejoin their fellow troops until the General's phone call.

I found the news story:

Sgt. Charity Witmer and Spc. Rachel Witmer decided against returning to combat in Iraq after their sister Michelle was killed in a Baghdad ambush.

The sisters released the following statement Tuesday about their decision:

During the last two weeks we have been mourning the loss of our sister Michelle, our hero, who gave her life in service of her country. It has been an incredibly difficult time for all of us.

We would like to take a moment to thank the thousands of people who have expressed their sympathy to our family and have offered their prayers and condolences. We would also like to thank the media for the respect you have shown for our privacy and the kindness you have shown to our family.

As you all know, we have been faced with a profoundly difficult and complex decision. It is, by far, the most difficult decision we have ever made. We have taken ample time to look at our situation from every conceivable angle and have explored all possible implications. We feel we have made an informed and appropriate choice taking into account the well being of everyone involved.

Yesterday, we spoke with General Wilkening, who asked us to request we both complete our active duty military obligations in an assignment that would not take us back to Iraq. Although he said he could not "order" us to request reassignment, he was very clear to point out that a decision to return to Iraq might expose our fellow soldiers to increased danger. This we will not do.

We have decided to honor General Wilkening's request and the encouragement we have received from Governor Doyle and accept reassignment to other duties suitable for our military skills and expertise.

We would like to thank Governor Doyle, General Wilkening, General Denson and our immediate commanders Colonel Lee and Captain Southworth for supporting us as we looked outside our family grief and considered the broader impact of our individual decisions. We would also like to extend our sincerest thanks to Lieutenant Colonel Tim Donovan, Lieutenant Colonel Mark Bruns and Major Julie Gerety, we consider them as forever a part of our extended family.

We thank them all, the National Guard and all our fellow soldiers for their expressions of kindness and concern. We especially treasure the friendship, camaraderie and heartfelt sympathy shared with us by the 32nd Military Police Company and Company B 118th Medical Battalion. We know you mourn the loss of Michelle with us. Our thoughts and prayers are with you until you return home safely.

So do a little research before you start ******* on someone, especially someone in our armed forces. It'll help you look a little less ignorant also.

 

Could you look your parents in the face when you had to tell them they may have no more children soon?

 

Yes. Because it is a "volunteer" service. You make a decision, you stick to it. That's a major flaw with people nowadays. Kinda like racing car drivers. They know the risks. Besides, who said they won't have any children soon. That's knee-jerking to me.

 

If a General 'politely requests' something from an enlisted person, that particular enlisted person would be a total idiot if they ignored that Generals' wish. Order or not, what the General wants, he gets.
And all you jerkoffs calling them cowards, I didn't see your sorry asses over there in Iraq. So **** or enlist.

Ex-Navy, DS1, Oman and Somalia.

Fritz

 

First, I didn't ask you. Second, All three girls in that family served, now they've lost one. Their mother asked that they be removed from Iraq, maybe you don't have children, or you're just cold or both. As a parent, I would not want to lose all three of my girls. Did you even research the story? Do you have any sympathy for that family? It seems not. They have already given one of their children to the cause. There are plenty of able bodies here, they should not have to loose any more children.

 

Nicely said Fritz

Thier brothers and sisters in arms are probably happy for them. No one want to see any milatary person get killed and have a family destroyed. The general knew that.

I guess by your logic, if a person is to get wounded in combat, they should be sent back to the war after they heal because they knew what they signed up for and they must complete thier duty. I think not.

Walk a mile in my shoes. Don't critcize until you yourself have seen combat and those mortars and bullets are flying in on you.
This does not mean I am anti war concerning Iraq. I feel we need to be there, now more that ever. I have the upmost respect and admiration for those serving. They are all my heroes, including the Witmer sisters, but no family should have to lose more than one member to war.

 

I know this may “surprise” some but I agree that the girls should NOT return to Iraq. I don’t recall just how the “unwritten rule” goes in the military as far as siblings dieing but nonetheless there is something to that affect which is for siblings that die in the act of war or during war time and this is war time.

They did it for WWII and I believe Vietnam as well. I see absolutely NO problem with the military letting them be reassigned to another duty that is not over in Iraq, or at least not where the heat of the action is. Now if they decided on their own to return fine, but I would stand behind their decision to not go back into the hot zone if you will.

I do not find these girls to be cowards like the others that are running away and hiding in Canada. We need to put this into perspective, they lost a sister and their parents lost a child so it is not like they are backing out all of a sudden. They lost a very brave and honorable sister so I think people should leave them be because they have a family member that has paid the ultimate price for freedom so I think we owe this family and these girls some freedom and allow them to make what ever choice they wish to make.

Like I said if it was good enough for WWII and Vietnam then why is it not good for this war in Iraq…

Let’s worry about the coward wuss bags that are running to Canada as well as the wacked out socialist liberals who are in the media helping the terrorist anyway they can to kill more Americans. Let’s worry about handing Kerry a defeat not seen since Modale where Kerry will only win one state.

You want to talk about cowards then Kerry should be your center piece, he is the biggest coward in Washington today, he can’t talk straight, he can’t walk straight and he can’t see straight…

 

Amen Brother,

I don't think anyone would want a whole family of Patriots to die. It won't leave anyone to carry on their family's proud tradition of patriotism.

 

When I was in the service and stationed in Vietnam, my younger brother was reaching military age and was required to register for the draft. My tour of duty was almost up, and I was preparing to request another tour in Vietnam to keep my brother out. The rule then, and I believe the rule now, was unless you volunteered to serve in a combat zone you couldn't be sent there if an immediate family member was already stationed there. The draft lottery came about that year, and his number was in the high 200's, so it was clear he would not be drafted. I came home as fast as Flying Tiger Airlines could flap their wings.
It is my guess those sisters volunteered to be there, and I see no cowardice in requesting a new duty assignment out of the middle east area.

srfd44 summed it up well with his "walk a mile in my shoes" statement. I would not want to walk a mile in any of our soldiers shoes today. Only respect and gratitude should be shown to any of them, including the sisters Witmer.