Excerpts from war bloggers
A U.S. soldier stationed near Mosul in Iraq was one of the most popular war bloggers until he was disciplined by the Army for violating "operational security" two weeks ago. Here's a nice set of excerpts from the blogs of other U.S. soldiers in Iraq that the Los Angeles Times pulled together.
Sep 07, 2004 | E-MAIL | SAVE | PRINT
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2 comments about 'Excerpts from war bloggers' WHERE DID WE GO WRONG?
FROM THE BEGINNING WE WERE UNCONQUERABLE. WE HAD IT ALL IN THE BAG. THEN THERE WAS 9/11. THERE HAD BEEN A WAR DECLARED AGAINST TERRORISM. IT LINKED BACK TO AFGHANISTAN. THERE WAS A LOT OF TALK OF HOW IRAQ MIGHT OF BEEN INVOLVED. SADDAM HUSEIN HAD EVEN MADE A FEW DEROGATORY REMARKS OF THE UNITED STATES, BUT WAS CAREFUL TO STAY CLEAR OF THREATENING THEM DIRECTLY. IRAQ, WAS THE KEY THOUGH, IN OPENING UP THE TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS IN THE MIDDLE EAST, NOT TO MENTION IT WAS RICH IN OIL FOR THE TAKING AND PROFIT, IF THERE EVER WAS A WAR. THE PRESIDENT WAS JUST LOOKING FOR A REASON. WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION WOULD OF WORKED OUT JUST FINE, IF THERE WAS NO WAY OF GETTING THEM OUT OF THE COUNTRY OF IRAQ. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE STRATEGY IN THE WAR? AMERICAN HISTORY WAS FAT WITH, OUT-THINKING, AND OUT-MANEUVERING THE ENEMY. SURROUNDING HIM, FLANKING HIM, COMING FROM BEHIND. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE THOUGHT FOR THE LIVES OF THE SOLDIERS? WHAT HAPPENED WITH TELLING THE REAL TRUETH FROM THE BEGINNING, OF WHY WE WERE REALLY ATTACKING IRAQ? WHY ALL THE LIES? WHY DIDN'T WE EVER LAY SIEGE PROPERLY, TO THE COUNTRY? WE NEVER SURROUNDED THE BOARDERS. WE JUST WENT IN WITH BRUIT FORCE AND SPEED TO TRY AND KNOCK THEM OFF GUARD IN THEIR OWN COUNTRY. YES, WE DID CLEAN UP THEIR MILITARY IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS, BUT THE MOTHERS AND FAMILY OF ALL THOSE THAT WERE KILLED WILL BE FIGHTING THE UNITED STATES FOR THE REST OF THEIR NATURAL LIVES, AND WE DIDN'T CLOSE THE BOARDERS STILL. AFTER THE FIRST WAVE OF U.S. SOLDIERS CAME THROUGH TO WIPE OUT ANY IRAQI MILITARY, RAIDS ON HOMES BEGAN TO HAPPEN. TROOPS WENT FROM HOUSE TO HOUSE, CITY BY CITY, UNTIL THE WHOLE OF IRAQ HAD BEEN CLEANED OUT OF ALL WEAPONRY. THE BOARDERS WERE STILL OPEN THOUGH, IN THE MIDST OF IT ALL. SO NOTHING WAS ACCOMPLISHED. WEAPONS WERE BOUGHT AND MOVED, RIGHT BACK INTO IRAQ. THE IRAQI PEOPLE WERE OFFENDED BY THE OFFENSES THE AMERICANS LAID OUT ON ACCOUNT OF WAR. BOTH SUNNI AND SHIITE, WHO ARE ALWAYS AT WAR WITH EACH OTHER, WERE BROUGHT ABOUT TO HATE THE AMERICANS INSIDE. SADDAM WAS FINALLY FOUND. NEW REASONS TO ARREST SADDAM WERE CONCIEVED, LIKE THE UNKNOWN GENOCIDE THAT WAS HAPPENING TO THE SHIITES. SADDAM WAS KILLED, YET THE AMERICANS STAYED TO TRY AND BUILD A STABLE GOVERNMENT. UNFORTUNATELY THE PERSONNEL PUT IN OFFICES OF THE GOVERNMENT AND THE ONES WHO SPEEDLY PUT SADDAM TO DEATH, JUST HAPPENED TO BE ALL SHIITE, MUSLIMS; THE SUNNIS' SWORN ENEMIES, IT WAS ALL AN INJUSTICE TO THEM. WHY SHOULD THE SHIITES GET THEIR FILL IN BLOOD AND NOTHING HAPPEN? IT WAS ALL THE AMERICANS FAULT. SO WHY SHOULDN' T WE STAY IN IRAQ? WE KNOW KNOW THAT THESE RELIGIOUS MUSLIM ACTIVISTS WILL BE TRYING TO KILL US IN THE FUTURE IN THE U.S. IF WE DO PULL OUT OF IRAQ. WHAT SHOULD WE DO?
Posted by Scott at May 4, 2007 6:42 AM
"Why are we fighting in Iraq?", is a topic that comes up often. Not even our Commander in Chief can pinpoint an accurate cause except for his proclamation of "fighting for the people of Iraq to enjoy the freedoms of democracy" or the other catch phrase of "against terrorism." Now their plans that sent over 30,000 troops to help regain control of Baghdad has been a blunder. I supported the invasion of Iraq to take out Saddam for threats against the United States , not only for weapons of mass destruction. Nobody moved fast enouph, so the weapons were out of Iraq, before any U.S. Soldier made it in Iraq. Saddam's crimes against humanity, the reason why he was put to death, were not even mentioned as a reason to "invade Iraq ." If we were to look closely, Saddam has been out of power for awhile now, violence has not stopped in Iraq . The war within Iraq is a war of two different religious groups fighting each other. It is not even similar to the Israelites and the Palestinians, because the only thing the Shiites and the Sunnis hate each other is for religious differences. They don't tolerate other religions around them. Is there hope that these two groups will ever get along? Not Much.
The goal now in Iraq is to establish democracy and security in the country. American soldiers are there to train the Iraqis to stabilize their own country. How can there be stability if Iraqis will continue to kill Iraqis with no second thought.
I studied up on our who our enemies might be. Sunni Islamics make of 90% of the Islamic world. I discovered from not too much extensive research, that the Taliban and the Al Qaeda, are both formed by Sunni, and that they both were organized military groups formed originally to help defend their country and their beliefs. How do you cause such a group to stop trying to kill everyone?
Shiite Islamics make up about 70% of Iraq, yet make up less than 10% of the Islamic world.
At one point in the Sunni and Shiite religion it is said they came out of what is called the Caliphate. Caliphate, is actually a common theoretical form of Islamic government. Radical factions of Sunni, like the Taliban and Al Qaeda favor using this form of government to take over half the world, encompassing it in an Islamic Empire, thus fulfilling what is called, their Jihad; a betterment of life, much similar to the ideals of some early Americans who thought the United States, should cover the whole of North and South America. It has a set of common Islamic laws under it known as the "Shariah". In study of the Caliphate, you will learn that it resembles our Democratic government, with a few unique twists that would be common for an Islamic Nation.
The only things I have seen when watching the news, or receiving my orders as a soldier, is how we are trying to build a government of Western views in an Islamic nation. We have been placing our troops there to fight our cause. There will always be mass threats to a government we are trying to build, if common peaceful ground is not met between the Shiites and the Sunni; the Sunni, who are the Taliban and Al Qaeda. There seems to be a massive lack of knowledge and understanding because of the massive lack of communication. Yes, we did go into this war without doing our homework. It could have ended before it started if people had only done their homework, instead of reacting with violence for violence, force for force, or wanting to take out some revenge on someone from 9/11.
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There has been people starving from the lack of jobs in Iraq. Insurgents, which most likely come in over the borders, pay these starving desperate people to try and kill us in different ways. They most often use peoples families, saying they will be killed if the father didn't sacrifice himself to blow up a front gate of a military instalation. In most cases, Iraq is not fighting the U.S. They fight among themselves because of religion. It is different organizations, and governments that are out to kill the American Soldier. Sometimes I would rather them try and attack us in Iraq, than in America, so close to my own family, but there will be less deaths and less costs if the troops just pulled out and waited for those terrerist to try and penetrate U.S. boarders. Pulling troups out totally is a mistake that will effect us in the future, but it is better than the miss placement of troops in Iraq that will only get them killed. Bush may be misguided with a lot of his strategies. At least he is doing other than sitting around crying about it, like most people. So next time you think about crying about the problems, the United States faces, try crying to someone that is suppose to give a Care, like your Congressman. They are the ones that make the changes.
Posted by Scott at May 4, 2007 6:50 AM
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