I hope this won't come off selfish in the face of all the troubles of the world, but what about me and my need for kick-ass gtk# installers for Windows??

But seriously, good luck dude. I admire your passion.

"""There has been others and there may even be future ones, but my Son and the name and memory of our whole nation deserves better. Every time an incident like this happens I ask: Where were the Non Commissioned Officers (NCO)? What are parents teaching or forgetting to teach our young men?"""

This stuff happens in every conflict, it speaks to the nature of our violent origins, not the character of our nation.

Why can't you learn from your mistakes? People like you make it possible that the wrong wars never end. The young troops need guidance, but in a different way than you think. They need someone to help them go AWOL, to hide them from the military police, to question the authorities, not someone like you who is telling them to follow their leaders and die a pointless death.

The world needs a peaceful America in the first place. Innocent young ( and old ) people are killed every day in the name of your so called democracy. The US is the main source of terror in the world today.

I salute you.

Just a "me too"; I totaly agree with Joris

Thank you for your service and dedication, past, present, and future.

Hi,

The best solution for you and for alls americains soldiers : GO HOME.
Let your democraty for you and use it in your society and city wher there are many many people leave in miserable situation. Listen you ahve a big crasy president and he is marionet in hands staff : Dick cheney, romsfeld e...

GO HOME for you peace let irak for irakian : OK

Paco, the strength of your convictions never ceases to amaze me. Those who are leaving negative comments would be so surprised if they actually knew you. Thank you!

Hi Paco,

Kevin and I were talking a few weeks ago, and I asked him if he knew what was going on with you, because you hadn't posted anything in your blog since late May. He said he didn't know what was going on then, but I'm sure he'll stumble upon this blog entry soon enough.

Aaron is incorrect, this troop misbehavior BS does not happen in every conflict. You Paco, and many other experienced soldiers I know, are proof that he is wrong. That is why it bothers Paco that it is happening in the first place: this isn't right, and it isn't what Paco and others were taught is the behavior fitting of a US soldier.

Paco, I am troubled by your decision, and wish there was something else you felt you could do to bring about the change you want to make. You're a friend and I don't want to see you in harm's way. But know that I'm behind you all the way.

Hopefully you won't get put into active duty any time soon. And I wish that wherever it is that you will report to for your reserve duty, you will be able to give your guidance to any new recruits, and to any active troops that have returned from a tour, before they get deployed again.

Actually, I'm hoping you keep blogging, and tell us about your re-integration into military life. You see, I believe these troop problems come from lax and wrong leadership from above (from way way above, like from 1600 Pennsylvannia Ave. Know what I mean?)

As an experienced soldier, you will be able to see if policy or anything has changed from the top, or if the problem is a question of character or any other difference at the level of your fellow troops. I wish you'd let us know, by blogging, what your perceptions are.

Paco, I admire what you're doing and hope that you will be safe. While I often don't agree with the policies that lead us to war, it's not the soldiers that make the policies. They need the support and guidance of people like you to help them make the correct moral decisions during chaos. My nephew recently joined the armed forces and you would make a great role model for him.

I've been contemplating the armed forces recently as well. I'm a pacifist and am quite bothered by the same types of military issues you've mentioned above. My wife would probably divorce me should I decide to join the armed forces. Plus, I recently got a well-paying position writing code... so it would be a difficult decision to make and a difficult decision to convince my family of.

I also suffer from sciatica, and without regular visits to my chiropractor, I often end up walking with a cane. But I think that if I corrected my posture, I could muster my way through a physical.

blah blah blah... it's good to hear what's going on with you.

I truly appreciate all of the opinions that are being shared in this space. I have not been inducted yet, but the prospects are still looking good.

PJ, I intend to keep this channel opened for updates, thanks for your support. Scott, regardless of being accepted or not, it is still my intention to resume the work I do with the Gtk# Installers for Windows, the Mono Experimental Installers and Visual Studio Integration with Mono.

Dan, your salute gives me a lot of strength. John, it is great to hear from you. I thank your nephew and all of his family for his service. CJ good to hear from you too!

My thanks to Matt Gutierrez, and Garth Dougherty and my Good friend Miguel de Icaza who have also offered their support or expressed their genuine concerned for the well being of my family and I.

After all, I would like to think that I am the sum of the best advice and intellectual influences that you all afford me in addition to the great upbringing that Roger and Mimi Martinez gave me.

It takes a good man to see a problem such as Iraq,
and throw himself into it. I am not sure why
our troops are committing such atrocities, you
are quite correct that this is unacceptable
behavior for a soldier. Thankfully, most of
our people are the real thing.

One man can make a difference. I hope whatever
sickness that causes these foul acts does not
affect you. God bless you and keep you safe.

It would help if the US government would respect the Geneva conventions.

I do not think You will make a big difference, but I wish you good luck trying.

Saludos, Paco. Hoy Mimi me alert� a trav�s de Messenger sobre tu decisi�n. Ante la perplejidad que me ha casusado la noticia, me he lanzado a leer tu justificaci�n, pero me temo que tienes aqu� a un hermano a quien no has convencido. Creo que bien conoces d�nde residen mis preferencias pol�ticas, pero mis reservas se alimentan adicionalmente ante el aprecio, el cari�o y el amor de hermano que siento hacia ti y hacia toda tu familia. Estamos lo suficientemente lejos como para saber que no soy influencia alguna en tu vida. Pero quiero que sepas que a�n con nuestras diferencias ideol�gicas, sigues siendo el ser humano que siempre he querido y que espero que tu decisi�n produzca resultados positivos. Yo prefiero optar siempre a favor de la paz y es por eso que nunca me ha satisfecho la filosof�a pol�tica norteamericana a nivel internacional. Al estar ahora t� de por medio lo �nico que me obligas es a atenuar mis opiniones al respecto y a orar para que tu familia pueda disfrutar siempre y por muchos a�os de tu presencia. Eres una torre de fuerza dentro de ella, mucho m�s de lo que te imaginas. El mundo est� tan convulsionado y las sorpresas nos persiguen a diario. Oro sinceramente para que entre tantas sorpresas que nos rodean se desate muy pronto una totalmente inesperada: el estallido de una paz duradera.

We all love you Paco..

Very good reading. Peace until next time.
WaltDe