A word from those who are there

Aelfinn

This is an article I recently found, I felt it to be a good thing to share it with these boards:

The following is an article about Bush's national address and troop increase. I thought it was a good idea to let you all know what the perspective is over here. I'm tired of hearing the media's skewed version, the politicians squabbling over what they read in a report, and the average ill-informed American ranting about things he knows NOTHING about.

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I've been over here a couple of months now, and I've learned more about this country than I would have in a year of watching CNN. I've sat in mission briefs with colonels, talked with village elders, had tea with sheiks, and played with kids. And I agree with the President. We need more troops and we need to take greater action.

There are three major factions here: Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds. The Shiites are in the majority, but they were kept in check by Saddam, who was a Sunni. Everyone hates the Kurds, who are Christian and in the vast minority. The Kurds received the brunt of Saddam's murderous tyranny.

Now that Saddam is gone, the Shiites have taken control of Baghdad . The largely peaceful Sunnis are now the victims of radical Shiite terrorism. So, the young Sunni men, who can no longer go to work and support their families, do what all young men would do. They join the Sunni militia and battle the Shiites. And thus the country sits on the brink of civil war. But this war is between them. They largely do not concern themselves with the U.S. troops.

The insurgents who battle the coalition forces are from outside the country. And the biggest problem down here isn't the insurgents. Its the politicians, the local politicians. Even though the country is controlled by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, downtown Baghdad is controlled by radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The Shiites follow al-Sadr, and thus the prime minister does what al-Sadr says. Think of it as if a warlord controlled New York and blackmailed the president into giving him diplomatic immunity.

When the 1st Cav (mainly 2/5 Cav) came here in 2004, they took downtown Baghdad (known as Sadr City ) by force. It cost many lives, but after a year, we held an iron grip on the largest insurgent breeding ground in Iraq . The insurgents were afraid of the Horse People, and rightfully so. But when 1st Cav left, al-Sadr influenced the prime minister to kick the coalition forces out from that area of Baghdad . He said the Iraqi military forces could hold the city. But all that happened was al-Sadr regained control of his city, and it is now a heavily guarded fortress - a place where insurgents and terrorists can train and stockpile arms. And we cannot go back in because the Prime Minister won't let us. Our hands are tied.

So where does al-Sadr get his backing? He gets it from Iran and Syria . Iran supplies him with money and Syria supplies the terrorists. The insurgents that battle the coalition forces are from Syria , Somalia and dozens of other places outside of Iraq . Iraq is literally a terrorist breeding ground. They have terrorist and sniper schools here. And why not? They train by teaching them to attack the military forces here. And they have an endless supply of these training tools. They have factories in Sadr City to build bombs.

Both Iran and Syria have openly proclaimed their number one goal in life is to destroy the great Western Devil and the little Western Devil ( America and Britain ). Iran wants to control Iraq to further this purpose. Al-Sadr will get to "run" the country and live like a king, but in reality Iran will pull the puppet strings. Iran will have access to thousands of radical Shiites who will do whatever al-Sadr tells them to. And Iraq will be used as a breeding ground for terrorism. Terrorism that will be targeted directly at America and Britain .

The Iraq Study Group advised we should let Iran and Syria help with rebuilding? Bravo to President Bush for striking that idea down and vowing to keep those two countries out of Iraq .

So how do the Iraqi people feel about everything? Of course they don't want the Americans here. But they would far rather have us here than the Iranians. My platoon visited an average Sunni village on a patrol a few days ago. Their only source of income was to farm, as they could not go to the city to work for fear of violence. Many of the young men had already run off to join the militia for no other reason than to feed their families. They had no school or hospital near them and the community was dying. The village elder's granddaughter was very sick and I was able to treat her. Afterwards he invited me and my platoon leader to sit in his house and have tea with him, and we talked about the situation.

The people want peace. The Shiites kill the Sunnis because al-Sadr tells them to do so. The Sunnis fight back because they have no choice. They are glad Saddam is dead (Sunni or not), but do not want to replace him with another dictator in a politician's clothes (which is what al-Sadr will become). And, they especially don't want Iran in charge. Many innocent Iraqis will die if this happens.

These are the words that came out of the elder's mouth: "We do not want America here, and America does not want to be here. But you cannot leave because the militias control the country. America must use the might of its giant army and sweep through, root out and destroy the militias. Then Iraq can be free and you can leave."

What appears to have happened within our diplomatic community is that prime minister finally realizes that his days are numbered. If al-Sadr remains, he will be kicked to the curb. So hopefully he is about to allow us to reenter Sadr City , root out and destroy the enemy. A dramatic troop increase will allow us to do this. And the Horse People are back and ready to finish what they started over two years ago.

If we leave now, it will be a failure for democracy. Iran w ill control Iraq and the end result will be more terrorist attacks on America . The American people don't want soldiers dying over here, but its better than American civilians dying over there.

Do NOT forget 9/11. They will do it again. The moment we loosen our grip on the noose, they will do it again. And the only way to root out the evil here is to stop beating around the bush, increase troops and destroy the insurgents once and for all. The Iraqi government cannot do this on their own. The Iraqi security forces are inadequate for this task. We are the only ones who can stop al-Sadr.

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Feel free to share this with whoever wants a real soldier's opinion about the war.

SPC "Doc" Shurley

2/5 Cav, 1st CB

Truth is unchangeable no matter what is politically correct.

Thisperson

Interesting read. I share a lot of those views spelled out and we must finish the mission.

Aelfinn

I apologize, I should have made that disclaimer more clear, its the words of someone else. I personally have never been given the opportunity to serve my country in that fashion.

I have a hip bone defect, it does not at all affect my day to day life, but it makes running for any length of time humanly impossible. Were it not for that, I would have joined the military long ago.

Tagurit

Originally posted by Aelfinn



This is an article I recently found, I felt it to be a good thing to share it with these boards:
The following is an article about Bush's national address and troop increase. I thought it was a good idea to let you all know what the perspective is over here. I'm tired of hearing the media's skewed version, the politicians squabbling over what they read in a report, and the average ill-informed American ranting about things he knows NOTHING about.


-------------------------------------


I've been over here a couple of months now, and I've learned more about this country than I would have in a year of watching CNN. I've sat in mission briefs with colonels, talked with village elders, had tea with sheiks, and played with kids. And I agree with the President. We need more troops and we need to take greater action.


There are three major factions here: Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds. The Shiites are in the majority, but they were kept in check by Saddam, who was a Sunni. Everyone hates the Kurds, who are Christian and in the vast minority. The Kurds received the brunt of Saddam's murderous tyranny.


Now that Saddam is gone, the Shiites have taken control of Baghdad . The largely peaceful Sunnis are now the victims of radical Shiite terrorism. So, the young Sunni men, who can no longer go to work and support their families, do what all young men would do. They join the Sunni militia and battle the Shiites. And thus the country sits on the brink of civil war. But this war is between them. They largely do not concern themselves with the U.S. troops.


The insurgents who battle the coalition forces are from outside the country. And the biggest problem down here isn't the insurgents. Its the politicians, the local politicians. Even though the country is controlled by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, downtown Baghdad is controlled by radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The Shiites follow al-Sadr, and thus the prime minister does what al-Sadr says. Think of it as if a warlord controlled New York and blackmailed the president into giving him diplomatic immunity.


When the 1st Cav (mainly 2/5 Cav) came here in 2004, they took downtown Baghdad (known as Sadr City ) by force. It cost many lives, but after a year, we held an iron grip on the largest insurgent breeding ground in Iraq . The insurgents were afraid of the Horse People, and rightfully so. But when 1st Cav left, al-Sadr influenced the prime minister to kick the coalition forces out from that area of Baghdad . He said the Iraqi military forces could hold the city. But all that happened was al-Sadr regained control of his city, and it is now a heavily guarded fortress - a place where insurgents and terrorists can train and stockpile arms. And we cannot go back in because the Prime Minister won't let us. Our hands are tied.


So where does al-Sadr get his backing? He gets it from Iran and Syria . Iran supplies him with money and Syria supplies the terrorists. The insurgents that battle the coalition forces are from Syria , Somalia and dozens of other places outside of Iraq . Iraq is literally a terrorist breeding ground. They have terrorist and sniper schools here. And why not? They train by teaching them to attack the military forces here. And they have an endless supply of these training tools. They have factories in Sadr City to build bombs.


Both Iran and Syria have openly proclaimed their number one goal in life is to destroy the great Western Devil and the little Western Devil ( America and Britain ). Iran wants to control Iraq to further this purpose. Al-Sadr will get to "run" the country and live like a king, but in reality Iran will pull the puppet strings. Iran will have access to thousands of radical Shiites who will do whatever al-Sadr tells them to. And Iraq will be used as a breeding ground for terrorism. Terrorism that will be targeted directly at America and Britain .


The Iraq Study Group advised we should let Iran and Syria help with rebuilding? Bravo to President Bush for striking that idea down and vowing to keep those two countries out of Iraq .


So how do the Iraqi people feel about everything? Of course they don't want the Americans here. But they would far rather have us here than the Iranians. My platoon visited an average Sunni village on a patrol a few days ago. Their only source of income was to farm, as they could not go to the city to work for fear of violence. Many of the young men had already run off to join the militia for no other reason than to feed their families. They had no school or hospital near them and the community was dying. The village elder's granddaughter was very sick and I was able to treat her. Afterwards he invited me and my platoon leader to sit in his house and have tea with him, and we talked about the situation.


The people want peace. The Shiites kill the Sunnis because al-Sadr tells them to do so. The Sunnis fight back because they have no choice. They are glad Saddam is dead (Sunni or not), but do not want to replace him with another dictator in a politician's clothes (which is what al-Sadr will become). And, they especially don't want Iran in charge. Many innocent Iraqis will die if this happens.


These are the words that came out of the elder's mouth: "We do not want America here, and America does not want to be here. But you cannot leave because the militias control the country. America must use the might of its giant army and sweep through, root out and destroy the militias. Then Iraq can be free and you can leave."


What appears to have happened within our diplomatic community is that prime minister finally realizes that his days are numbered. If al-Sadr remains, he will be kicked to the curb. So hopefully he is about to allow us to reenter Sadr City , root out and destroy the enemy. A dramatic troop increase will allow us to do this. And the Horse People are back and ready to finish what they started over two years ago.


If we leave now, it will be a failure for democracy. Iran w ill control Iraq and the end result will be more terrorist attacks on America . The American people don't want soldiers dying over here, but its better than American civilians dying over there.


Do NOT forget 9/11. They will do it again. The moment we loosen our grip on the noose, they will do it again. And the only way to root out the evil here is to stop beating around the bush, increase troops and destroy the insurgents once and for all. The Iraqi government cannot do this on their own. The Iraqi security forces are inadequate for this task. We are the only ones who can stop al-Sadr.


------------------


Feel free to share this with whoever wants a real soldier's opinion about the war.


SPC "Doc" Shurley


2/5 Cav, 1st CB
Truth is unchangeable no matter what is politically correct.

Are you sure you wouldn't rather listen to to some of the younger folks around here who say in their infinite wisdom that we shouldn't be there and that it is evil????



Surely some of these guys over here know all there is to know about politics, war, and religion and would be a far better judge of what we should do as a country.......



__________________________________________

Sarcasm aside,



There are far more that appreciate you guys than what is reported by the media.  ...but then again, everyone who has been in the military already knows that.

viadi

A well worded letter from a troop that believes in his work. I hope, really hope he and everyone like him gets home safley.

And I agree that more troops could help in Iraq but how many more and for how long? Unless you get the sunny and Shiites talking holding Iraq with an iron fist wont work. for the day you withdraw old hatred will raise it ugly head and civil war rages.

sadam did a good job of making this hard he spent 35 years driving a wedge between the two factions and I doubt very much that even a million troops could bridge the void in trust but again thats only half the problem in Iraq you have sunny killing Shiites and Shiites killing Shiites and Sunnis a foreign force using Iraq to play out it's own war and a legitimate (as hard as it is to say it) Iraqi forces fighting it's invaders

This is a war where no one wins more us troops may slowdown the US casualty rate. But that’s about it

I wish someone had a great idea on how to fix this so the man in the Iraqi street could feed his family without fear. Than again I bet someone/people know how too it’s just a matter of are the right people listening?

Aelfinn

More troops would allow us to effectively crush the opposition, as opposed to  sweeping this or that region clean, only to have the insurgents come back again later.

olddaddy

Yes, the letter acknowledges that we are in the middle of a civil war between Shiite and Sunni. That the present government of Iraq is in bed with the Shiite militia, Iran, and Syria. That we need more troops to effectively pull the situation back under control. That if the US pulls out of Iraq, the situation will destabilize, and the "domino theory" of Shiite dominence in the region will spiral out of control.

In summary, the situation is grave, and deteriorating. The Bush administration is the primary responsible party for this downward spiral. Now we are asked to trust the President, after all, it's not as if he's screwed up the Iraq policy. And his policy to turn this thing around, is more of the same but with more troops.

And of course the rest of the arab world is right there, behind us, and supporting us. Flag, mom, and apple pie, everything is just so simple. Stay the course, folks, it's working......(lol)

 

olddaddy

Originally posted by Aelfinn

More troops would allow us to effectively crush the opposition, as opposed to  sweeping this or that region clean, only to have the insurgents come back again later.

Yup, more troops was the correct solution in Vietnam, you always fight an insurgency with more troops. Much better than obtaining a political solution to a political problem.

Aelfinn

Originally posted by olddaddy

Originally posted by Aelfinn

More troops would allow us to effectively crush the opposition, as opposed to  sweeping this or that region clean, only to have the insurgents come back again later.

Yup, more troops was the correct solution in Vietnam, you always fight an insurgency with more troops. Much better than obtaining a political solution to a political problem.

You call a deep rooted hatred between different sects of Islam, constantly being inflamed and renewed by centuries of bloody conflict a political problem?

noname12345

Originally posted by Aelfinn



 If we leave now, it will be a failure for democracy. Iran will control Iraq and the end result will be more terrorist attacks on America . The American people don't want soldiers dying over here, but its better than American civilians dying over there.

I don't know how occupying Iraq is keeping America safe from terrorists. I think if the terrorists thought about it for a second they would realize Iraq is not the "doorway" to America. Terrorists don't need to go through Iraq to get to America.....infact it's on the other side of the WORLD! Boggling, I know...


Do NOT forget 9/11. Don't forget the alleged terrorists were from Saudi Arabia! They will do it again. Saudi Arabia? The moment we loosen our grip on the noose, they will do it again. Saudi Arabia? And the only way to root out the evil here is to stop beating around the bush, increase troops and destroy the insurgents once and for all. You will NEVER kill every insurgent nor will you put a dent in them. You can't kill an ideology of this magnitude with military, especially because Iraq has since become a LARGE breeding ground for terrorists because we have fueled them by invading and occupying. Think of the Iraq war kind of like Superman vs Doomsday....it can't be won. The Iraqi government cannot do this on their own. The Iraqi security forces are inadequate for this task. We are the only ones who can stop al-Sadr. You make it sound as if al-Sadr and Iraq was behind 9/11. Even if Al-sadr was killed then someone will take his place. Propaganda....nuff said.

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Solution? Bring troops home. Put money into border patrol (terrorists can EASILY EASILY EASILY get through our borders) instead of Iraq.


Feel free to share this with whoever wants a real soldier's opinion about the war.


SPC "Doc" Shurley


2/5 Cav, 1st CB
Truth is unchangeable no matter what is politically correct.

Briansho

What is the source for this?

MadAce

Saddam was anti-terrorism and anti Al-Qaeda. The organisation (and any other terrorist organisation) was a direct threat to his power. Now Iraq is a stronghold for the Iraqi resistance (duh) who use terrorist tactics and for terrorists in general. Iraq is also a reason for many muslims (many, not all) to dislike the US and the west.

Mr.Knowitall

Originally posted by Aelfinn


Now that Saddam is gone, the Shiites have taken control of Baghdad .

Do NOT forget 9/11. They will do it again.

Truth is unchangeable no matter what is politically correct.

First line :

There was an old woman who swallowed a fly, I dont know why she swallowed that fly, I guess shell die. There was an old woman who swallowed a spider...... etc you get the picture.  In other words..... you broke it.... now you cant fix it.... and despite your best efforts to try and prove otherwise... its no one elses fault but your own.

Second line :

Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. Saying over an over again that they did doesnt make it true.

Third line :

Truth is the first casualty of war.

The naieve bleatings of people who should know better, doesnt change anything my friend.