The Iraqi War

[Busman747]

The subject of Iraq has been very quiet of late so I feel that it should be brought up again into debate because our soldiers are still DYING there along with others from the USA.

The press have done a pretty good job of convincing people that the war was a BAD thing and that we should not have gone into Iraq, Isn't it strange that during "desert storm" both the USA and the UK were criticised for not continuing the march into Bagdad

What I would like to see are ideas of what would happen had we not "interfered" in the middle east. Would Saddam have another go at Saudi Arabia? Would Iran complete their nuclear program ..... and would Iraq be the target rather than Israel? Perhaps the Kurdish population would be extinct by now.......and maybe there would be a huge shortage of oil to the Western world because it is controlled by Iraq

As a distraction, I have put some comments below from a serving American soldier who belongs to another forum. I think you will agree that what he says is WAY different to what is presently in our national papers.........

Hey guys! It's been a while since I've posted, but a lot has gone on. I've been in Iraq now a little over two months, and it's going well. I'm at Al Asad Air Base, in Western Iraq, near Fallujah. So far it's much better than my last trip here. I share a 10X10 living area with a buddy, and we have decent food and internet access, which is a huge blessing! Last time we lived in our vehicles and ate MREs every meal, so I can't complain.

So far President Bush and Chuck Norris have visited, and Chuck Norris rates as the nicest celebrity I've even heard of. He went out of his way to visit the troops, and even when they interrupted his meals, he took the time to talk and sign autographs. I posted a couple of pictures of him visiting our wounded in the POTM area because I thought they said a lot about him.

Iraq in reality is, of course, much different from what you see on the news. The people are mostly very friendly and grateful for our presence, while the news portrays it as a country that hates us. We're training some of the Iraqi soldiers to have the skills they need to run things themselves; they are a great bunch of guys who really love their country.

I'll drop in more often since I have the means to. Good to be here again, though it would be nicer to post from home...

-Outshined


Thanks for all the kind words!

I'll tell you folks something interesting that I haven't heard in the news. Lately we've been finding fake roadside bombs. The convoy will stop, and EOD will go up to disarm or detonate the bomb, only to find that it's either not wired up or altogether fake. On the side they usually find a list of names and a note to the effect of, "These men are corrupt. If they are arrested, bombings will cease in this region". I don't know what they are doing about it, but it's an interesting twist. If nothing else, it is an effective way to make sure someone sees your message...


Life isn't bad here. I get into Fallujah and Haditha a couple of times a week, and they are doing well; rather quiet most days. Critics who don't know anything except what the news and blogs tell them say we are "losing", or it's a "disaster". All I'll say is experience shows me a much different Iraq than the media is feeding people. The people are friendly and cooperative; they just want a better life than they've had in the last thirty years.
Unfortunately it became a political football from the start, and the media has to portray it as badly as possible; truth took a backseat. Life here bears little resemblance to the media/blog version.

There are sites you can visit to get a broader picture of Iraq. It helps when you can see both sides.

Good News Iraq - Nothing but the good news

Good News In Iraq

Good News in Iraq by Kmax World Site



Sorry to hear they're coming back again, especially when I read that 40% of active-duty troops have never deployed. This is my third trip as well, and my last.

At least they are doing some good here. Things have quieted down a lot here in the Anbar province, once used as an example of how bad it was here.
It's coming along, and the Iraqis are taking a larger part in the defense and government of their country.
Six provinces out of 18 are completely in Iraqi control now.I see a lot of progress, but I have no doubt we'll be here a long time. We still have troops in Japan and Germany 60 years later, after all...

[mani]

iraq had no weapons wether they be of mass destruction or those capable of starting a small war. all iraq had left literally was its own leaders pride. its amazing that they're sayin they wanted to topple saddam - why did they just throw money at the opposition and initiate a coup? like they have done so many times in the past.

its quite interesting to read the the soliders views but i'm sure those sorta views are a minority depending on where he's posted and who he's lookin after. after all if things were as good as that - would soliders be coming home injured or dead?

[BERNADETTE]

It certainly puts a different perspective on things not that I believe things are hunky dory just not as bad in some places as we have been led to believe!!!

[WillowTheWhisp]

I like this quote from Iraqi Mohammed Fadhil:

And so, as an Iraqi, I say without hesitation: the American forces should stay here, and further reinforcements should be sent if the situation requires them. Not only that, these forces should be prepared to expand their operations whenever and wherever necessary to strike hard at the nests of evil that not only threaten Iraq and the Middle East, but seek to blackmail the whole world in the ugliest way through pursuing nuclear weapons.

It is up to us to show tyrants and murderers like Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Hezbollah's Hassan Nasrallah, Syria's Bashar Assad, and their would-be imitators who seek to control Iraq's people and wealth that we, the people, are not their possessions. They can't take out our humanity and they can't force us to back down.

The world should ask them to leave our land before asking the soldiers of freedom to do so.

Taken from this site. It's difficult to have a true perspective from the outside so it's good to hear from an Iraqi point of view from someone actually there.