I am among these soldiers almost everyday. They are far from "phony." However, I do believe that an active duty soldier does not have the right to critisize the actions of his/her command or government as in doing so only serves to diminish the mission which that soldier is obligated to defend. That is the way of being in the military. I also think that civilians like me, although under no such mandate, shouldn't be yapping to the press with derogatory comments about the war either - at least not while working here in Iraq.

Someone claiming to be a veteran of the Iraq war, who is not, should be subjected to a severe beating.