I would like to ask the people who served in the military their thoughts on the war in Iraq.?

Question

Thank-you for serving our country!!!

Answer 1

It sucks when a soldier is being led by a commander and chief who doesn’t understand war. Vietnam veterans can relate to warring under a lousy commander and chief, we had an unpopular war under both LBJ and Nixon, both were poor commanders and their results stand for themselves. Its similar today, every reason cited for going to war has been proven false, as we experienced with Nixon, the American leadership is failing on every level. How sad it is that we followed our leaders through Korea, 50,000 Americans dead, Vietnam with almost 58,000 dead, all the while our Presidents were telling the American people to be patient, sound familiar. It seems even sadder now, more than when I went to war, because most of us Vietnam veterans believed America had learned lessons from the Vietnam war. Yet it’s now obvious they haven’t learned a thing as evidenced by the number of great Americans dead and wounded in Iraq and the current status of this horror show of a war.

Answer 2

I think it was the RIGHT thing to do... and still is.

Though I certainly question the SecDef's approach... we certainly did the "Military" portion well... drove in, scared them right out of uniform and into surrender.

I think we SHOULD have detained the prisoners longer... just to document them, keep them off the streets and perhaps put them to work (within guidelines) on infrastructure repairs.

We also screwed the pooch on how to do the occupation and rebuilding.

The press is also interesting... more positive stories for home? The media definitely affects the perception

I wonder if the USA should have a branch of the military... or a semi-military group organized SOLELY for Occupation-Duty... more of a HEAVY Police group?

Answer 3

If Iraq wasn't able to "defend itself" from the insurgents or establish a working democratic government within 3 months of our capture of Saddam, I don't know if they ever will be. I'm afraid that so many lives may have been ended or negatively altered for a catch-22. If we defeated the Iraqi army so easily during the invasion, but we can't defeat the insurgency, how is the army we defeated supposed to defeat the insurgency? I'm afraid we may have liberated a nation unable to sustain liberty. One must imagine what kind of government would be established (most likely through a power-struggle) if we were to withdrawl our forces now. My heart goes out to the troops that are deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan right now.

Answer 4

I was sent to Iraq twice and spent over a year and a half over there. There is a lot of good stuff that is going on in Iraq that doesnt and isnt going to matter in a few years. The unit I was was with lost 14 people, blew the crappola out of the cities of Najaf and Diwaniyah, kicked Muqtadah Al-Sadr out of there, and killed an estimated 1,500 Mahdi Militia and foriegn fighters. All with in a one month period. Then we spent the next eight months dropping an estimated $5.5 million in the local economy building new schools, water works, sanitation, and training the local Iraqi National Gaurd (ING) basic military training. Today, the ING that we trained are currently shooting at the Army Reservists that replaced us (I think that they recently returned to Mississippi). The schools were never completed. The funding for the schools that were given to the local Iraqi contractors to build the schools was given to the Syrian, Kuwaiti, and Saudi Arabian smugglers for Foreign Fighter Facilitation, ammuntion, and muntions.
Last year, I spent another nine months working out of Al Asad, Hit, Haditha and the Dam, Husaybah, and Waleed specifically working agianst the Syrian and Jordanian smugglers and foreign fighters. We actively hunted Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and his closest followers, and we almost had him on three occasions (the unit I was with then left Iraq before he was killed). Operation Steel Curtain resulted in the deaths of an estiamated 2,500 Foriegn Fighter, Muqhadeen, and Al Qaida Liasons. The city of Husaybah is a town almost primarily populated by old (50 to 75 years old) people and children. Just about all of the Military Aged Males (M.A.M.s) have been killed off, sent to Baghdad, or fleed across the borders. We blew up bridges, canals, and train stations to kill the enemy. There was almost no "reconstruction" as we were constantly following the enemy's movements from city to city. The ING training was almost non-existant on the main bases like Al Asad. Sure, there were ING brng in from other cities and towns, but you cant trust them because they might just turn out to be Mujhadeen waiting for an opprotunity.
We did the right thing in getting Sadam Hussien, Uday Hussien, Qusay Hussein, and the top leaders of the Bathiest Regiem out of power. After having seeing and been inside what is considered to be a small torture chamber, I honestly beleive that we did the right thing. The world is a much better and safer place without them.
However, I beleive that there was not enough planning for after the Invasion. We did not and do not have the man power, plans, or the political support from the politicians for us to keep going like we are. We are constantly dropping literally billions of dollars into Iraq and we are never going to "win". The Iraqi People are too un-educated to get themselves out of the route that their country has been going down for the last 3,000 years. As soon as the Coalition Forces pull out of Iraq, another dictater will set themselves up and there will be another Saddam Hussien in charge under a different name and face. It will become a vicious circle.
So, I believe we started out great, but we screwed up big time some place.
We have done a lot for that country, but ultimatly, we wont win. Iraq is NOT another Vietnam, it is a different war, but ultimatly, the Iraqi People are not going to help themselves and the politicians will be pressured into withdrawing the US Forces.

Good luck to all of the Marines over there. I'll be seeing soon enough on my third trip to that place.

Answer 5

My husband is serving.

He feels that we are wasting the lives and relationships of mothers, daddies, sons, and daughters for someone else's freedom when the military is here to protect our own.

Some of the lastest intelligence states we are increasing the threat of terrorism through our actions in Iraq.

Answer 6

Navy - Vietnam era
This war was a big mistake. Not worth a single American life.
Now its a matter of extracating ourselves from this mess in the fastest and least expensive way we can find.

I want to see some of the planners ( Rice, Rumsfeld, Cheney, Perle and Wolfowitz) on trial for war crimes.
Bush needs to be removed from offfice.

Answer 7

I support the troops and the President. U.S. Army Vet 1991-1995

Answer 8

You mean Bush trying to get even for the attempt on his fathers life war,never has the American people been lie to as now,look all party affiliations besides,i wish every country was a Democracy,but it just isn't going to happen,and i can't see more of our men and women paying the price,for people who just don't care. U.S.N.

Answer 9

I supported the war in 2003 and I continue to support the war.

Answer 10

careful here, a military man has a duty to support the military.