Back in the 1990's while serving in the Army I was loading ships for the return to the states in Saudi Arabia. One day after work, me and another officer were out shopping for presents for family and girlfriends, well the call for prayer happened while we were in the store, and we went to leave. However the store next to us a GI wasn't as quick as we were to leave. And the Saudi Religous police showed up and took the store owner out and beat him in front of all of us. This woke me up to the double dealing of the Saudi government and how it related to the American Government.

Then a few years later I was sitting on a bus in Korea going from one military camp to another on the local civilian buses. Always interesting to see how people react to americans. In general I found the Korean People friendly and polite toward us. however one day the Korean Police come onto the bus looking for North Korean inflitrators or symathisers (SP). The way they determined who to pull of the bus still shocks me to this day. It seems South Koreans at the time always looked down when the police approaced them. Anyone who didnt was pulled off the bus and given intergation (sometimes right on road in front of the bus.) Another interesting prespective was when one of our trucks busted the brick wall that seperated our compound from the South Korean Infantry Battalion that was our next door neighbor. Needless to say the beatings that the South Korean Sergeants placed upon their privates was not minimized a bit.

And then one day a retire American General, one of the men cited by South Korea for saving their nation during the active phase of the Korean War, arrived in Soeul. I have never seen a single individual given such respect by a nation. And I still remember the smiling grandmother that always shook our hands and said thankyou. Interesting country South Korea.

Now then there was the discussion with an Iraqi Armor officer that my platoon captured during Desert Storm and the information about how his soldiers were treated by him and his nation.

Makes me understand why a free society - even with all its problems- is always better then anyother form.