[Tenor CS]

So ... to throw another monkey wrench into the discussion: does anybody know if these stories are in fact, true? They sound like typical internet-forward glurge to me. (Glurge is a term I first heard at the snopes.com urban legend site to describe those heartwarming, chicken-soup-for-the-soul kind of stories) The lack of specifics re: dates of these supposed conversations, and no specific names of the non-Americans leads me to believe that these likely were not actual conversations. Also, the tone of the speakers does not seem very "diplomat-like."

Don't get me wrong, I have the utmost respect for our troops, and those of other countries. I just feel that there is no need to glurge-ify the stories. The facts speak strongly enough.


The facts I consider important:

There are many American troops in the Middle East right now.
Many of them are doing dangerous work in horrible conditions.
They should be respected for the job they are doing, even if you disagree with the politicians who are making them do that job.