I thought for quite a while about posting on the anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq but I realized there wasn’t much that I could say that hadn’t been said better by someone else. Then on One Hand Clapping I found a reference to a post by an Iraqi blogger and I was moved to respond.
Dear Sarmad:
I was moved to tears by your eloquent post and felt I had to respond to you.
The events of the last year both in your country and in mine have come with such rapidity that they are hard for me to understand. Perhaps they are hard for you as well. You must be hearing many things from many people and don’t really know what to believe. But this is how things look to a plain American on the other side of the ocean.
Some people say that American soldiers only came to Iraq for the oil. This cannot be true because Saddam would have sold us as much oil as anyone could want if we had let him stay in power.
Some people say that American soldiers only came to Iraq to steal Iraq’s treasures. We believe that the treasures of Iraq belong to Iraq just as the treasures of America belong to America. You have a counter on your blog that shows how much money the U. S. has spent so far on the war in Iraq. This is how we spend our treasure. Does a thief spend so much only to steal? It just doesn’t make any sense.
Some people say that American soldiers only came to Iraq because we hate God, Islam, Arabs, Kurds, or Iraqis. This cannot be true because we have Arabs, Kurds, and Iraqis here among us and they prosper here as nowhere else on earth. Would this be true if we hated them? God is worshipped here and Islam is practiced here more freely than anywhere else in the world. Could that be true if we hated God and Islam?
Some people will say that American soldiers only came to Iraq because we are evil people and desire only evil. Look around you at the American soldiers who are in Iraq. Are they evil? Are they doing evil things? They will fight to defend themselves which is what any human being will do. They are not angels. They are only human beings and will make some mistakes. But they are not evil. I read the blogs of American soldiers in Iraq. They build schools and hospitals. They give toys to children. Are these things evil?
Then why are the American soldiers in Iraq? There is only one thing they want more than they want to come home and that is to complete their mission. And that mission is to bring peace, freedom, and properity to the people of Iraq. But all we can do in Iraq is to create the conditions under which peace, freedom, and prosperity can happen. The Iraqi people must create their own peace, their own freedom, and their own properity. Please work hard to do these things so our soldiers can come home!
Some people will say that this mission is a dream. The counter on your blog shows how much money the U. S. has spent so far in Iraq. But we have sent the Iraqi people something much more precious to us than money. We have sent our sons and our daughters to make your dreams possible. Some have become a permanent part of the history of your ancient land by giving their lives for this dream. This is no surprise to me because I know my friends and neighbors. We are a nation of dreamers.
Because we are a nation founded on a dream.
Wow, David, or should I say gEye, I am overwhelmed by the way you have distilled the issues and cut to the core of the debate as to purpose behind the U.S. involvement in Iraq. I couldn’t help but follow up on reading your essay by following your link to the blog entry by Sarmad, and saw a perspective that we never get in the U.S. media. (This is my first experience reading blogs.)
It’s as if the media does not want to give clarity to what is happening in Iraq, or help contribute to any national sense of purpose in our being there. Our leaders are no better at articulating it.
I recalled reading an article in our local paper, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, which I went back and tracked down. It was on page 1A of the January 10, 2004 paper. The article was titled “Stay or go? Iraq opinions diverge ; It’s a familiar debate in state, across nation.” And it was not the only time I had read words from men who are actually serving in Iraq, and at least some of them seem to have a better understanding of why we are there:
“A member of the Army’s 16th Combat Engineer Batallion, [Joseph Roche] is stationed on Baghdad Island, a resort that the U.S. transformed into a military base. His unit performs four to five missions a day in downtown Baghdad and along the east bank of the Tigris. They’ve collected plenty of weapons and have worked to open and provide security to power stations, roads, schools, water plants, hotels and embassies, Roche said.
Joseph Roche, 36, of Minneapolis, has no doubts that he is spending his time well, driving a Humvee on the streets of Baghdad, dodging roadside bombs and whizzing bullets. He believes he is advancing the cause of freedom and democracy in the world, and said that Americans must be patient.
“There’s no reason why Baghdad should be a cakewalk,” said Roche, a combat engineer. . .”
“If I’m killed tomorrow, someone’s going to be able to drive my Humvee,” he said. “But what they’re [the guerrillas] really aiming for is to break the will of the American people. . . . They know they can’t defeat us in Iraq. They’re trying to defeat us back here at home.”
Thank you, David, for introducing me to blogs and for adding your eloquent voice to the dialogue.
Love, Susie
Whoops, I botched the email address.
Dear Sir,
I served as a member of the 16th Engr Bn During Storm. I am very sure I never endured the hardships you brave men have encountered. I spent 3 months in Iraq performing demolition missions after the cease fire, but I was basically in the middle of the desert and was very safe. I see your entry was over a year ago, but I hope you are able to catch up and hear what I have to say. People don’t like turning on their TV’s and seeing that america’s brave have been killed by cowardice. Myself included. But I like to think of the wonderful work Americans have done in making both Germany and Japan the economic powerhouses that they have become. In the same sense, I would like to think that Iraq has the potential to become a great country as the others have become. I lost my childhood on the desert sands of the middle east, and I would like to think that you fine young men will be able to bring about the results we were unable to(due to UN resolutions)during Desert Storm. Please know that despite the negative press by the liberal media, that those of us who understand what the sacrifice for freedom requires, and do not hide behind a teleprompters understand the sacrifice you are making. You were very eloquent in your description of the positive influence of America in Iraq. Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you and your comrades, and that I think of you often.
God Bless,
Barry Hall