A letter home about the French

Hank Hill · 02-10-2003, 14:52

A letter home from a marine with the multinational force in Bosnia:

Dear Dad,

A funny thing happened to me yesterday at Camp Bondsteel Location: (Bosnia): A French army officer walked up to me in the PX, and told me he thought we (Americans) were a bunch of cowboys and were going to provoke a war in Iraq. He said if such a thing happens, we wouldn't be able to count on the support of France.

I told him that it didn't surprise me. Since we had come to France's rescue in World War I, World War II, Vietnam, and the Cold War, their ingratitude and jealousy was due to surface, again, at some point in the near future anyway. I also told him that is why France is a third-rate military power with a socialist economy and a bunch of pansies for soldiers. I additionally told him that America, being a nation of deeds and action, not words, would do whatever it had to do, and France's support, if it ever came, was only for show anyway.

Just like in ALL NATO exercises, the US would shoulder 85% of the burden, and provide 85% of the support, as evidenced by the fact that this French officer was shopping in the American PX, and not the other way around.

He began to get belligerent at that point, and I told him if he would like to, I would meet him outside in front of the Burger King and whip his ass in front of the entire Multi-National Brigade East, thus demonstrating that even the smallest American had more fight in him than the average Frenchman.

He called me a barbarian cowboy and walked away in a huff. With friends like these, who needs enemies?

Dad, tell mom I love her,

Your loving daughter

Mary Beth
(last name, Johnson, Lt Col, USMC)

Steve Koski · 02-10-2003, 17:18

Even if it's not a true story, that cracks me up!!!

PA25P · 02-10-2003, 17:31

Quote:

Originally posted by Steve Koski
Even if it's not a true story, that cracks me up!!!

Made my day!;f

rlfjr · 02-10-2003, 18:31

I'm forwarding that letter to all my friends, especially my friends who are veterans, my female friends, and to my sister, a retired USAF colonel. If I had any friends who were French nationals, I would send a copy in 16-point bold type, but, thank God, I don't! If you don't like the message, take a number, and I'll deal with you after I deal with the jerks ahead of you.

Rebeldon · 02-10-2003, 19:08

Who needs the Fraaaanch, anyway?

rlfjr · 02-10-2003, 19:13

One of my (female) friends sent this in reply:

Going to war without France is like going deer hunting without an accordian. You just leave a lot of useless, noisy baggage behind.

oh, and I liked this one:

How many French soldiers does it take to defend Paris?
No one knows. It's never been done.

And one of the talking heads, Ken Adelman, former US ambassador to the UN remarked this evening on Hardball with Chris Matthews, "Is it just me? Or doesn't anyone see the irony in France accusing us of arrogance, and the Germans accusing us of militarism?"

Hank Hill · 02-10-2003, 22:10

Quote:

Originally posted by Steve Koski
Even if it's not a true story, that cracks me up!!!

I seriously doubt that it's true, I just think it's funny as hell.

David_G17 · 02-11-2003, 21:08

.

cmoth · 02-12-2003, 15:57

I actually heard the French reffered to as "cheese eating surrender monkeys" on Fox News a week or two ago. Hillarious. Also there were reports that some guys in the State Dept commented that the French were just making noise because they desperately want to matter.

It would be nice to have their support but I can't seem to remember seeing any French spec-ops guys sneaking around to do anything other than blowing up the Greenpeace boats.