Has the Iraq war landed on your doorstep yet?

Question

Last week, my nephew, a marine, was critically injured when the tank he was in ran over an anti tank mine. He was air evacuated to Germany, then sent to the burn center in San Antonio, with burns over 75 percent of his body. He has severe blast injuries. My brother, who is there with him says that planloads of injured soldiars arrive hourly. Despite the contstant things we here about it on TV, I guess I wanted to believe it "couldnt happen to us", and yet here it is. I wondered how many others this has happened to. Do you know someone who has had their lives ripped at the seams from this awful war?

Answer 1

Beebs ... My sympathies go to your family. All wars "stink" including the ones that seem justified. But as long as there are crazy leaders around the world, as we now have, and as long as there's nothing else to prevent them from doing others harm, I guess wars will continue just as they have since Kane killed his brother Abel.

I am not pro-war, but I am pro-defense of America. To say, "No, I won't fight to preserve the way of life I love," is plain and simple surrender. Under the rule of a vicious oppressor, your heart may still beat, but life as you knew it will be a distant dream.

As you're mourning the severe injuries your nephew sustained, there's nothing anyone can say that can make it seem worthwhile ... Nothing! However, if the day ever comes when too many will say, "No, no, I won't go," it will no doubt be over for America.

The peace, freedom, and privilege we enjoy came at the cost of the sweat, blood, and lives of many, many who've served in the past. In other words, what we have is because of the millions of brave men and women who are serving now as well as those who've served in the past, of course.

When you have time, if you're willing to read a little, please take a look at my first link, below ... especially the part that begins with, "Annexation of Korea."

The colonization of Korea by the Japanese occurred just two lifetimes ago. Exactly how Japan established a foothold in Korea is a long story. However, I offer this true, real-world example of what happens when a country lets a cruel neighbor get the upper hand. The suffering you'll read about is not a myth nor an exaggerated tale; it's fact. And their suffering lasted for decades.

And America's involvement with World War II is another prime example. As we were still suffering badly from the effects of the Great Depression of the 1930s, the last thing Americans wanted was needless involvement in someone else's war (see my second link below). This attitude and the American government's policies actually served to embolden Hitler and Japan in the years leading up to our involvement in World War II. In fact, to this day, many rumors persist that President Roosevelt KNEW an attack by Japan was forthcoming. Yet, because the American people felt a false sense of security because of the isolationist policies our government adopted, President Roosevelt is rumored to have ignored the warning signs and ALLOWED us to be attacked, thereby requiring a response from us. This is akin to the rumors running about today that the American government knew the attacks of September 11th were coming.

I alone will not be the one to prove whether these tales are true or not. But I also know that one man cannot make such things happen. If our government knew we were going to be attacked, many people at all levels of the government and military would have to have cooperated. The co-conspirators would come from the Executive Branch, many levels of the Defense Department, the CIA, the National Security Council, as well as the U.S. intelligence community. And how long could such a conspiracy remain secret? If there was even a tiny shred of evidence that such a thing were true, the person who finally springs the leak and breaks the story to the media would go down in history as the greatest hero of the century. However, I have no confidence in such stories.

But I've gotten off track ... My point is that being passive or adopting isolationist policies gets you:
1 - What Korea endured at the hands of the Japanese (see my first link).
2 - What America endured in 1941 for minding our own business while the world around us was being dominated by Hitler and the Japanese.
3 - What France got in World War II: near complete destruction and domination at the hands of Hitler's forces.
4 - September 11th, 2001 (see my third link below). The first attack on the World Trade Center was a truck bomb explosion that occurred in February, 1993. President Clinton was in office for just a month, so he can hardly be blamed for not preventing this attack from occurring. We learned later that the bombers had hoped to cause one tower to tip over and collapse upon the other tower. This did not work, of course.

However, President Clinton had the next eight years to do something. If he DID try something, it seemed to be ineffective. Further evidence of the ineffectiveness came in the form of:

1 - The bombing and destruction of our two embassies in Africa in August of '98.

2 - The bombing of the U.S.S. Cole in October of 2000.

But I'm getting off-track again. This is not an anti-Clinton commentary. But these factual events DO offer clear evidence of what happens when we mind our own business too much and wait for trouble to come to us instead of trying to do something about it before we all suffer here at home.

My words cannot undo your nephew's injuries. Again, we're all sorry for his suffering. But thanks to him and all those who've served, we do get to enjoy many comforts and freedoms that many other countries haven't ever known. I don't expect to convince you; my words are hardly comforting, I know. But I just wanted to tell you how it is.

Well, good luck to you, Beebs, and all the best for your nephew's speedy recovery. Bless him and all those who've served. Freedom surely is not free.

[An earlier version of this answer incorrectly reported that the truck bombing of the World Trade Center occurred in February 2003; it should have said February 1993. I have since corrected that error.]

Answer 2

I'm really sorry. The only thing I know of is a girl who got divorced after her husband came back. But I do think it is completely stupid to have the soldiers patrolling the streets, it makes no sense.

Answer 3

he joined the army because he wanted to serve his country.

you should be proud of his instead of looking at him as a harmless little kid whoes a victim of their leader... i doubt he would be very happy with you right now, asking this question...

it is about bravery, sacrifice, and loyalty....
not pitty parties and "aw, i really liked defending my country, until i got hurt.." its part of war.

i doubt your nephew feels the same way as you, he is a soldier and a patriot and he is willing to die for his country... that says a lot. i doubt he suddenly blames his country for the war when he haas been over-seas killing terrorists kamikaze bombing market places in Iraq killing thousands of innocent people.

THOSE are the people who are harmless and should feel your sympathy the most... THOSE are the people your nephew went to Iraq for.

Your nephew knows who is the harmless one just trying to do right, those are the Iraqi citizens and the new iraqi government, those are the people he went through so much while in Iraq for...

He would not just turn to his leader and toss blame.. thats cowardly and pathetic. you should be ashamed of yourself because you are CERTAINLY not supporting your nephew by cowardly blaming his leader he shows so much dedication to when he is hurt, when he does not feel the same...

he spent X amount of time fighting to protect these innocent people and accomplish a mission he fully supports, and once he is hurt... one of his relatives starts saying "Oh the President, who is your nephews son, should not be there... our soldiers are dieing for no reason over there... rarara.." if i was your nephew i'd be disgusted.. its like undermining his bravery and courage to sacrifice himself to save innocent people's lives in Iraq...

you should be focusing on what he was fighting for in Iraq, what amazing accomplishments he has made in Iraq, what kind of human qualities it takes to do such a heroic thing in Iraq...

thats what you should be focused on.. not calling this an "awful war" ...

i know people who have died.. not any1 really close to me.. but i mean, i still know some people relatively-closely who died.. and i dont feel as though the quick solution to solving my mixed emotions is simply pointing fingures at authorative figures in government, i feel as though i owe something to them.. i feel like i owe my own life to them for such a brave sacrifice they made to make my country safer.. or ATLEAST my utmost support for them and their fellow soldiers... i dont just turn and blame the president and feel sorry for the soldiers who get injured in Iraq every day.. its a war.... to do that, to me, is betraying the whole reason they went there in the first place, undermining all of the things they tried to achieve by sacrificing themselves for someone else they dont even know.. which makes them so heroic... you forget about all those positive things and all you focus on is how he is a victim of a meaningless war called upon by the president... thats betrayal.. i think...

i dont think you mean to betray your nephew at all, i dont mean to sound like that.. im just saying.. dont let your mixed emotions and sadness take over your ability to know whats right.. and thats supporting your nephew and what he went to Iraq to do, and what he has done.. and what he has helped accomplish ; saving iraqi citizens threatened by terrorists ... removing saddam ... establishing a democracy in Iraq (HUGE!!!) ... removing threats of terrorist attacks in parts of Iraq + securing parts of Iraq completely ... helping parts of Iraq so much that Iraqi police can secure their state by themselves (britain leaving HUGE!!!!) ...

those are the things you should be focusing on, dont let your emotions get the best of you.