Your thoughts on the war in Iraq.?

Question

What I find interesting is that everyone in the US sits around and argues about the war in Iraq when first off, we as civilians dont know all of the facts, and second I think it is just plain disrespectful to our brave soldiers who went to Iraq to fight and protect our country. Do me a favor, if you are a soldier that has made it home safely from Iraq, please tell us what you think about the war. We know what everyone else in America thinks yet do we ever hear from the soldiers? No, probably because they respect our great nation instead of complaining about it all the time. But I do think they could put an interesting perspective on it for everyone. I bet they know what we are fighting for.

Answer 1

Hello from Iraq. I have not yet made it home safe, but I'll throw down my 2 cents here, as none of the other respodees seem to fit your criteria either. I can't give an easy answer and say "Yes everything we've done here is totally justified and things are peachy", nor can I condemn everything that's gone on in Iraq in the name of "freedom" or "democracy" or whatever the daily buzz word is. The situation here is more complex than a simple yay or nay. Some of my fellow soldiers have committed war crimes (the rape-murder in Mahmudiyah being the most egregious example I can think of), and disgraced the country and the Army. But that is an aberration, one must not judge all soldiers based upon the actions of a few. I have also seen how much good we can do here. I have watched an American medic frantically working to save an Iraqi boy's life after a roadside bomb detonated next to their family car. When the boy died, I saw that same medic weeping. Rebuilding and change is a slow process. This is NOT America, and we can't measure this nation with our arbitrary yardstick of progress. There is no "quick fix" here. If we want to see Iraq standing on its own as an independent nation, we should be willing to make the committment of adequate time and resources to finish the job. It is frustrating on the ground to see the Iraqis destroying themselves and their country, and the task of helping them is monumental. I want to leave here feeling as though I've done some good, accomplished something meaningful, but I don't know if that will happen. Yet I'm still here trying, and I count myself lucky. Last month a soldier from my company returned to his family in a flag-draped casket. When I hear people criticize the war, I'm proud to be wearing the uniform that has defended them and made that freedom possible. I consider my military service a gift to my country, and to all my fellow Americans. I'm proud to fight for you, and I hope that my service here will make a positive difference in the future. But I can accept the possibiity that it may not. Whichever side ends up being able to say "I told you so", please remember those of us who are trying to hold together a fledgling nation with action rather than words.
I dedicate this answer to SGT Adam Lon Knox (Jan 26, 1985-Sep 17, 2006). “There is a tide in the affairs of men, a spark. We perceive it now before us. I would rather face death by an executioner than at this crisis desert the sacred cause of
my country.” (John Witherspoon)

Answer 2

Although I'm not a soldier. Someone I used to be close to was a soldier in Iraq. He didn't come home the same person as what he left. He started having some violent nightmares and screaming. While he was over there, I would get calls from him telling me exactly what was going on. Not always the best background noises either.
In my opinion, for all the people that are actually for the war (which includes George Bush, Tony Blair and John Howard) than why aren't they the first ones putting their hands up to go over and fight for the cause that they consider to be so good?
I will never say what my friend went through in detail, it's not my place to say, but yes he was all for the war when it first started. He considered it to be a good cause, he knew what he was fighting for, I know what he was fighting for and that he was more than happy to represent and defend Australia. Although I don't agree with his choice, it was his opinion and his choice to make. I'm just happy that he came back alive.
But how long can this war seriously go on for?

Answer 3

What I don't understand is How your brave soldiers are 'protecting your country ' when Iraq was never a threat to america. Putting it in another way , brave soldiers are MADE TO bark up the wrong tree.
Other than getting 3000 or so soldiers and 6,00,000 civilians killed and making the whole world despise america , what did you achieve?? ( If some one think they don't care about the rest of the world , its like the old days of Hitler. Look , Israel didn't care about anybody but they were kicked out of Lebanon this time !!!)

Answer 4

Think we can take a guess from army's situation over there, daily 5-10 soilders are getting killed.Boz now civilians are in the picture, they think from the base which we can't agnor and this is not enough to say

"no matter how we get into this war"

we have to look into this matter deeply. this war was on baseless facts infact lies and was bcoz of few stuben minded people which has taken life of more than 655000 civilians of Iraq. Who so ever was saddam, what so ever was he, if he killed 200000 cilivian, we have killed more than him, what this is game of killing more n more innocent civilians every day?

Recently British Army chief calls for 'withdrawal from Iraq' its is on record now, i think every army chief has the same feeling, they have relalized that by keeping the army in Iraq its not the solution it infact never was.For this we don't need to be a solider to guess this.

solution is simple get out from Iraq and let them decide what they want now. or keep sending the troops there and get them killed one by one.

Answer 5

If there were evidence that this war were justified, the Bush administration would be leaking like a sieve this information to EVERY media outlet because the one thing Republicans want IS TO KEEP THEIR JOBS. If the evidence were there, we'd hear about it.
The soldiers and marines are dying for NOTHING, not to keep you safe. Iraq had nothing to do with 911.
Case Closed.

Answer 6

Well said Adrianne. As a Viet Nam vet, and know how it felt to have been unappreciated, I want to say "Thank You" to all U.S. military wherever you are. I dare say that it will be many years before all the facts come out. But that said. Nothing can take away the gift you give us with your sacrifices..Thank You again.

Answer 7

first of all the media is all lies........... don't you notice that a "soldier gets killed every day" but the death tole goes up one # per week........ my buddy got killed and he was on the news for 2 weeks as getting killed each day....... bad news sales ... good doesn't...... why wont they show soldiers giving things to children but the will show a terrorist claiming to have been beaten i served in Iraqi for 1 wear and the news is negative lies

Answer 8

No matter how or why we got in this war, at this point we are in it and we must deal with the situation as is. Lets stop playing the blame game and just support our young troops.

Answer 9

alot of our so called great soliders do things that would fry your mind!and how are they protecting our nation in iraq?iraq didn't do crap to us.as a matter of fact are you old enough to remember when the us backed saddam?buddy i've been to war,i seen our bullets our bombs,our soliders gun down and kill women and children withpout a second thought,you proud of that?
we are in iraq because bush got punked out and his son became pres.and pulled a bullcrap attack for no reason.the only thing worse than war is idiot's like you that support it?
my brother laid in a bed for 22 years after his tour of duty,slowly dying from the poison he was exposed to.and for what?not a dam thing.
my thought on war in iraq?quit asking questions that dig up old wounds.you so proud of your country?enlist and shut up!

Answer 10

Any bloodshed in the name of terrorism or war anywhere in the world is condemnable.