Originally Posted by
jettyman
Everything changed because of 9/11. On my first deployment many years ago we could go downtown in different cities freely and shop or get something to eat. Most guys would go buy the awesome gold they have over there. But Bin Laden changed everything. They revere him as a hero. That's when the war on terror began. You can't go outside the base boundaries over there now unless you're in a armored convey and they get blown up pretty much every time now. If you tried to walk out of the base you would be kidnapped or killed immediately now. A lot of people don't realize how much the arab world is trying and planning to kill us. That's why we're still there. And we will be there long after we all die. It's hard to explain to someone that hasn't been over there. Saudi Arabia is a prime example. They hate us. I hated being there. They also hate Iran but an Iraqi told me once they have been fighting each other for thousands of years but they will always fight together to kill us. The fanaticism is beyond a level that most people could comprehend.