I don’t want to quarrel about Iraq. The war has its successes, as well as its failures. There is a group of us who still believes (as everyone did a few years ago) that there were weapons of mass destruction in the country, and they were relocated somewhere during the months of deliberating over an inspection.
For those of you who are still screaming “Bush Lied!,” my point is this: it doesn’t matter how we got there or where we are; you have to choose between proving yourself right or creating a success despite your opposition. In talking with people who have returned from the “great sandbox,” I am convinced that it is obviously not what the media portrays. A lot of good has come from U.S. occupation in Iraq, and we have not lost the war yet — but how would we even know if we won? Most Iraqis believe life is better now than it was four years ago as illustrated by various polls. We have come a long way; Saddam Hussein, a dictator who killed 300,000 of his own people, is no longer in power. Violence is concentrated in a few provinces of the country. We have heavily eroded Al-Qaeda’s organizational capabilities (not to mention nearly eradicating the Taliban’s presence in Afghanistan). Two free elections later, and despite violent resistance, voter turnout exceeds the past elections in the U.S.
Nevertheless, from the start, we were not ready to fight this war. With a death toll just over 3,000, politicians cry that the war in Iraq is our generation’s Vietnam (which killed 58,000 Americans and lacked Iraq’s successes). In 2004, the improper equipping of troops became a campaign issue. How could we have sent our soldiers abroad without proper equipment? Our battle has overwhelming dissent around the world; while Prince Harry’s departure from Iraq brings us hope, we can’t ignore the cries from the rest of the United Kingdom, our strongest ally.
The average citizen is not making sacrifices. We don’t know what it’s like to live in a time of war; there are no Rosie Riveters among us and sugar is not being rationed. Staring at the casualties of war only dehumanizes those who have died for us, but in the last year we have lost 600 soldiers at most, while in Vietnam we averaged 5,800 a year. Clinton went to war in Bosnia without UN or French consent; Bosnia never even attacked us. In Korea, we averaged 12,172 American deaths a year. We suffered 10,000 casualties on D-day, not to mention it was Japan, not Germany which first attacked us. I am not trying to undermine the value of human life, but rather put this war in perspective.
Today is the fourth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. On March 20, 2003 in the early hours of the morning, the U.S. and three other countries began military operations there. As we enter our fifth year, politicians and talking heads debate over when we should remove ourselves, and whether that means leaving those who fought beside us with little strength against insurgents.
The media tells us that we lost long ago, but that was just the battle for our spirit. Whether I quote Ronald Reagan or FDR, the theme is the same: don’t give up, never lose hope. You can be an ardent patriot without supporting our efforts in the Middle East. You can dissent to our occupation there without turning your back on our soldiers. The message we are sending our men and women is not positive. Our common enemy is hopelessness, and we should unite to defeat it. Our troops should be sent care packages and thank-you letters rather than the photos of angry protesters. Though we have seemed to tire and falter, we cannot fail.
E-mail Christine your thoughts on the war effort and supporting troops at [email protected].
