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Question

I have the utmost respect for our armed services and salute them for their efforts and dedication to maintaining the liberties many of us take for granted. My question is this: as a current or former military personel soldier or officer, what are your personal thoughts on our occupation of Iraq? Do you think the US Military is helping the situation or do you think we have made it worse? Do feel that you have adequately been provided with the tools you need to do your job or il-equiped? Please no attacks. I simply would like to hear your personal experiences and beliefs. Thank you.

Answer 1

Well, I can tell you from my experiance that I thought we where making a difference. But I can also tell you I have friends I served with that think we are not. So the answers here will deffinately be as varied as the political parties we have in our country. Democracy is something that Iraq has never had. EVER! So there has been alot of problems. Theres Bath party members (That party was banned) Causing trouble. Religious differences, causing trouble. And a large and I mean very large segment of the population that do want to be free, go to work and just raise there families. The Kurds in the northern part of the country have had zero problem with all this and are doing very well. Whats the long term prognosis? I Don't know, I wish I had a crystal ball and could tell you and everyone for that matter. I believe in what we tried to do, and certainly feel it was the best for them, us, and everybody else in the world. I was in neighborhoods where everyone shook your hand and smiled, and they where all friendly. Two blocks away someone set up an IED, and people watched them do it, and nobody said a word to us. Theres alot of faces in Iraq, too many to be honest. But we are trying, and probably only time will tell. I'm being optimistic, but there will be others that are not.

Your right Katie, they certainly do, it always made my day brighter.

Answer 2

When we went into Iraq, we didn't expect the situation to shift the way it did. There are now competing interests jockeying for position to benefit the most from all the moneythat will pour in once the US pulls out.

These people aren't really ready for the kind of government we would like them to have. They were content to live under a brutal dictatorship. I've heard reports from soldiers that many Iraqi's aren't willing to fight for their freedom. If we would have stayed out and left Saddam in power, how likely would it have been to see an Iraqi version of the American Revolution and see something other than another form of dictatorship established?

I read the comment above about Iraqi's watching an IED being setup 2 blocks away and no one saying anything. I've heard it said that tribal loyalty is more important there.

The main reason for the slow progress is that we no longer fight wars like war. We try to be polite about it and "civilized." However, the result is that it prolongs the situation. Although the insurgents are significantly funded (e.g. Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, miscellaneous wealthy individuals around the world), they know they can't defeat the US militarily in Iraq. Time is on their side as support for the war here in the US declines.

I don't watch CNN or the major networks for news, so I apologize if this conflicts with what they are reporting. Obviously they are more authoritative.

Answer 3

Contact the Department of Labor. If your bosses are being a little "Too Accommodating" to the Military people, then there could be a problem. The Military does have priority but there are some managers that can get carried away with their support. It's not a crime but they do have to treat everybody equally. I am a Veteran and have worked at jobs where is has happened. One manager thought that Reservists and Guardsmen had to take time off every weekend so nobody but seven guys had weekends off. It took a while to get him straightened out. Him being an idiot in the first place didn't help matters much.

Answer 4

I think we are ill-equipped and without a clear goal. This is EXACTLY what happened in Vietnam

Compare this to Gulf War I. We had a true collation and and and overwhelming force with a clear goal. We went in, kicked butt, and went home.

I have never been in combat except for shelling of the coast of Lebanon in the early 1980's during the Israeli occupation. But I do know that we cannot win this war in a conventional manner due to logistics, corruption, and just ineptitude at the highest levels.

If the military were given the tools and authority to win at the combat level, we would have completed our mission in Iraq two years ago

Answer 5

Well thought out question.

Based entirely on the psyche of the enemy, I honestly believe that we could not make the situation in the Middle East worse - even if we tried.

I believe (but it won't happen) that we should either fight a war on terror with the full might of our forces and stop fretting so much about "the hearts and minds" of the people - or we should get the hell out and shore up our homeland defenses - make no mistake, we will have to fight these Islamic radicals, sooner or later, on their turf or ours.

Let's take a quick look at the enemy:

They have indiscriminately killed thousands of innocent men, women and children in the guise of a demented and perverted ideology.

The have perpetrated acts of war against the United States since 1979.

Their demand is clear - as are their threats:
"You will convert to Islam.....or you will die."
"Death to all infidels"

A good example of this barbaric enemy:
On October 29, in Sudan, West Darfur, approximately 300 Arab militia on horses attacked 8 villages. They killed 63 people - 33 children, 27 who were under 12 years old. They rape, pillage and murder routinely.
In 3 1/2 years, it is estimated that 200,000 people have died and another 2 1/2 million have been forced from their homes.
We are not in this area - we are not to blame - but we are still criticized because we are not there.
We are in Iraq - it is often implied that the violence and instability is the result of our presence.
In short, it is apparently felt by some that it is our fault if we are there, and our fault if we aren't there - maybe, just maybe, the Islamic radicals are the fault, duh?

The president of Sudan, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, has refused to allow U.N. forces into his country - despite a U.N. Resolution authorizing 20,000 peace keeping troops.

This is an example of our enemy.
Why in hell are we still so concerned about their "rights?"

One may criticize our involvement in Iraq or Afghanistan - criticize our strategies - bash the President -
BUT, one cannot overestimate the resolve and threat that this ideology presents to every cililized nation in the world. The United States and its true allies appear to be the only hurdle left between freedom and Islamic rule as clearly laid out by the radicals - minus the infidels, of course.

Answer 6

Most of the people who have served in Iraq feel that we are doing 'the right thing.'

If you review the answers from people who have been in Iraq that are posted on Yahoo answers to various questions you will notice that there is strong support form the people who have been there and seen it with their own eyes.

Another thing I hope you have noticed is that just about everybody who has been in Iraq feels that the news media is giving you a negatively biased version of events over there.

Answer 7

My Husband is in Iraq right now, and he feels that, yes, they are helping the efforts in Iraq. Many Iraqi's go up to him, and thank him for being there.

Answer 8

Since you asked for info I can tell you this. No active duty personal will answer a question like that. If you ask them for their personal opinion about their feelings about the war they may or may not give that to you. But active duty will not criticize the military, their civilian commanders to any one but another active duty military. And its not just because there is a rule against it. Unless you have stood in their boots you couldn't possibly understand where they're coming from. I know that sounds trite but its the truth.

Answer 9

There is/was no plan - for what happens after we got in. How can we stay the course when the course isn't charted....
George W will be remembered alright - as the worst president ever....and that's a long time.

Answer 10

i must tell you that your question violates the oath military personnel have to take and they are not at the liberty to answer a question like this they are on extremely short leashes