I read Stars and Stripes every day for 2.5 years when I was in Germany. Letters to the editor were never this serious in my day, but there wasn’t a war like this one either. So for everyone who participated in the ‘Bush thinks he’s your father’ thread, give this letter a read. I’ve said before that to assume everyone in uniform over there is behind the mission is foolish, and that Bush’s statement of, “When you’re risking your life to accomplish a mission, the last thing you want to hear is that mission being questioned in our nation’s capital,” is a false assumption.
Those who haven’t served in a combat unit would be surprised with how out of touch the President’s statement really was. Here’s some more proof. A letter to the editor that ran in the 28th issue of Stars and Stripes, written by an Army captain currently serving in Iraq:
November 28, 2005
Stars & Stripes
Letters to the EditorWar based on a lie
Weapons of mass destruction? I’m still looking for them, and if you find any give me a call so we can justify our presence in Iraq. We started the war based on a lie, and we’ll finish it based on a lie. I say this because I am currently serving with a logistics headquarters in the Anbar province, between the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi. I am not fooled by the constant fabrication of “democracy” and “freedom” touted by our leadership at home and overseas.
This deception is furthered by our armed forces’ belief that we can just enter ancient Mesopotamia and tell the locals about the benefits of a legislative assembly. While our European ancestors were hanging from trees, these ancient people were writing algebra and solving quadratic equations. Now we feel compelled to strong-arm them into accepting the spoils of capitalism and “laissez-faire” society. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy watching Britney Spears on MTV and driving to McDonald’s, but do you honestly believe that Sunnis, Shias and Kurds want our Western ideas of entertainment and freedom imposed on them? Think again.
I’m not being negative, I’m being realistic. The reality in Iraq is that the United States created a nightmare situation where one didn’t exist. Yes, Saddam Hussein was an evil man who lied, cheated and pillaged his own nation. But how was he different from dictators in Africa who commit massive crimes again humanity with little repercussion and sometimes support from the West? The bottom line up front (BLUF to use a military acronym) is that Saddam was different because we used him as an excuse to go to war to make Americans “feel good” about the “War on Terrorism.” The BLUF is that our ultimate goal in 2003 was the security of Israel and the lucrative oil fields in northern and southern Iraq.
Weapons of mass destruction? Call me when you find them. In the meantime, “bring ’em on” so we can get our “mission accomplished” and get out of this mess.
Capt. Jeff Pirozzi
Camp Taqaddum, Iraq
I’ll take a shot at this liberal hack, sounds like Michael Moore, do they verify the authenticity of these letters?
I am not fooled by the constant fabrication of “democracy” and “freedom” touted by our leadership at home and overseas.
The media makes sure no good news leaves Iraq so this is obviously not true.
Weapons of mass destruction? I’m still looking for them, and if you find any give me a call so we can justify our presence in Iraq.
Why is a guy in logistics (pumping gas, delivering mail and MRE’s, driving trucks) be looking for WMD’s? Isn’t that the CIA’s job? The U.N. couldn’t find them before they ended up in Syria so why dos this one guy think he can do it?
This deception is furthered by our armed forces’ belief that we can just enter ancient Mesopotamia and tell the locals about the benefits of a legislative assembly. While our European ancestors were hanging from trees, these ancient people were writing algebra and solving quadratic equations.
And now the West is doing all the thinking and this “ancient” civilization would be the ones hanging from trees if there were any over there.
Now we feel compelled to strong-arm them into accepting the spoils of capitalism and “laissez-faire” society.
Why not, were being strong armed into the Islamic and Sharia society. Seriously, is this Michael Moore?
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy watching Britney Spears on MTV and driving to McDonald’s, but do you honestly believe that Sunnis, Shias and Kurds want our Western ideas of entertainment and freedom imposed on them? Think again.
Think again? This guy should have thought in the first place. There is no Caliph, and we are not forcing Big Macs down their throats. This is about rehabilitating killers into contributors to society. Democracy is a much better choice than perpetual jihad, don’t you think?
I’m not being negative, I’m being realistic.
Comment edited out by author, Right Thinker
The reality in Iraq is that the United States created a nightmare situation where one didn’t exist.
Yep, born yesterday, he moved up to Captain pretty quick. Should someone this disconnected from reallity be trusted with military function. He probably thinks we shouldn’t have commited a sneak attack on Japan’s Tokyo bay in 1941 either.
Yes, Saddam Hussein was an evil man who lied, cheated and pillaged his own nation. But how was he different from dictators in Africa who commit massive crimes again humanity with little repercussion and sometimes support from the West?
Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and UAE asked for help, but I’m sure logic and history have no part of this discussion.
The bottom line up front (BLUF to use a military acronym) is that Saddam was different because we used him as an excuse to go to war to make Americans “feel good” about the “War on Terrorism.” The BLUF is that our ultimate goal in 2003 was the security of Israel and the lucrative oil fields in northern and southern Iraq.
Great point Michael Moo..er..I mean Captain Clueless.
Hey, he forgot to mention that many intelligence arganizations worldwide, including the British still believe the evidence proves Saddam had WMDs before the invasion and that they got moved. The American liberal establishment believes there was never a Saddam Huissein in the frist place and that he is afactional character invented by the Bush Admin. to justify war for oil and to boost McDonald’s stock prices.
Even the Arabs wouldn’t by Britney Spears CD’s!!!
Liberal hack? How about Captain in the Army that’s defending your freedom Right!
Of course they check for authenticity. It’s the military’s newspaper.
Yea, you know better than he does…since you spend so much time in Iraq.
Before we got there, more Iraqis were alive, employed and more oil per day was produced.
No Right…officers in the US military can think for themselves, just like you and I. It’s important to portray them as brainwashed…if the public was made aware of the fact that these people actually think and speak for themselves once in a while, politicians wouldn’t be able to claim that they KNOW what the soldiers think.
Right, if a McDonalds went up, it would be destroyed the day it opened.
We’re ‘rehabilitating killers’ in Iraq? Where’s it say that? I didn’t see that warplan.
Don’t be sore Right. He’s the one that took the oath, earned 2 promotions and is in Iraq today.
They did prior to our invasion of Iraq? When?
Hey, he forgot to mention that many intelligence arganizations worldwide, including the British still believe the evidence proves Saddam had WMDs before the invasion and that they got moved. The American liberal establishment believes there was never a Saddam Huissein in the frist place and that he is afactional character invented by the Bush Admin. to justify war for oil and to boost McDonald’s stock prices.
Right – where are your references? People have GUESSED that it happened…just like they guessed about a lot of other things.
I hear they put a pork flavored scratch and sniff on the front of the CD too…you’re probably right about Britney.
Liberal hack? How about Captain in the Army that’s defending your freedom Right!
Sure doesn’t sound like he’s defending my freedom by choice, this was probably one of those guys who wanted all the free college money, job training and medical, dental, room & board and hoped he wouldn’t have to do any real work for it. Would you want this guy covering your back?
Before we got there, more Iraqis were alive, employed and more oil per day was produced.
Makes you want to go live in a dictatorship, doesn’t it? Had Clinton gotten there earlier there would have been even more Iraqis alive and “ungassed” to death.
And yes, more may have been employed, torturers, death squads, secret police, executioners, institutionalized murderers and such.
As for all that extra oil, it was going to the Russians, French, Chinese and others so that Saddam could kill more people. Thanks to those counties for helping a lot of Iraqis suffer and die under the brutal regime of Saddam Huissein.
Right, if a McDonalds went up, it would be destroyed the day it opened.
That we agree on.
We’re ‘rehabilitating killers’ in Iraq? Where’s it say that? I didn’t see that warplan.
Here is a great place to start and it will help everyone understand why we are there. Islam is a religion of war and conquest. In a nutshell, the koran is aranged according to verse length and is not read as a whole like the bible. So, the later stuff cancels out the older stuff if there is a conflict.
The portions on the Koran that remain enforceable do not conatin any of the fuzzy, love your neighbor stuff. Particuallry the sara 9 and 9:5 in particular. This is the sword verse that deterimines the direction of Islam.
It’s a bad cliche’ but they are out to rule the world and there are no moral brakes in the koran. We either convert, pay the tax and live in slavery or we die. That is the ultimate goal of Islam since mohammad. There are no Lutherans, Methodists, Adventists, Baptists, etc. types in Islam. There are 4 main schools within Sunni that sy pretty much the sme thing and there is the shia which is seen as a scourge.
Way too much to write about here but it is very scary and this “terrorism” is going exactly by the book, the koran that is.
They did prior to our invasion of Iraq? When?
Kuwait couldn’t get un in there fast enough and Saudi Arabia gave us the airfields and land for bases. Yemen refueled our ships and UAE gave us stuff too. All our “allies” like France and Germany gave us the boot but the people who live there begged us to help because they were next in Saddam’s sights.
It’s funny, the only people who learned from Hitler and WW2 were the ones who were not there.
I hear they put a pork flavored scratch and sniff on the front of the CD too…you’re probably right about Britney.
Ouch, funny, but ouch. That’s a keeper.