Sunday, May 28, 2006
Don't give up
Contrary to media reports, hope is high for democracy.
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Maj. John S. Phillips
Greetings from Al Kassick, Iraq. I would like to thank the many people who have supported me with e-mail, packages, letters and encouragement. It makes a difference that is hard to understand until it is experienced. Thank you.
My location has become significantly more remote during the past several months; however, the Iraqi Army is stepping up to the plate and doing a strong job helping out. This letter is slightly different than many previous letters. After weeks of watching the media attempt to destroy the success America has had in Iraq, I decided to finally express my own opinion.
This morning I woke up to find a terrible story on the Internet indicating the possibility of Marines killing civilians last November. It made me extremely angry and disappointed. I am getting close to serving more than one complete year of my life for this war and I can see firsthand the incredibly positive difference we are making in the lives of the Iraqi citizens. I want to tell you why that is and hope that you will continue to support the troops in Iraq.
Before we were here, this country was not peaceful; it simply lived in the fear of death. Imagine that the policeman on the corner of your neighborhood was doing more than watching for speeding cars. That policeman was talking to your neighbors about you, or talking to your children about you, and trying to determine if you represented a threat to the government.
It did not take much to win the attention of the police. If you didn't like the fact that you did not receive water from the water truck, but your neighbor who was bribing the water man did receive water, you represented a threat to the police. If you took initiative or tried to improve your situation and someone else was jealous, you represented a threat to the government. Most likely you would be sent to prison.
If you did end up in prison, there certainly was nothing called human rights. Torture was a routine, not an exception. Numerous Iraqi soldiers I live with have spent time in prison simply because of their nationality. Some can't hear, some are nearly disabled, and every one of them has direct relatives who were killed by Saddam Hussein's secret police or army. It was a horrible place.
Now, we did make some mistakes on how we took over this country. Everyone agrees. There is no such thing as a perfect war. In fact, war is the last thing anyone ever wants to happen. However, we also did many things correctly.
We should look at what this country is going through right now. We have an entire country that is learning about human rights, civil rights, capitalism and democracy at the same time. I have heard it described as taking the American Revolution, our Civil War, our civil rights movement and the 1930s Depression, and hosting them all at the same time in the same country without an existing government -- pretty tough to do all of that, form a new Army and expect it all to be nicely fixed in a year or two. This might work on television, but not in real life.
Schoolchildren attend school here every day. Soon there will be a harvest that may set a record because of a good season of rain. Iraqi Army units are taking over parts of the country and relieving U.S. units of ground responsibility every month. The markets are open. People line up and sheiks beg for the ability to put more young men into the Iraqi Army.
In fact, where I am located we had a recruiting drive for the Army, and on the second day, we were sadly struck by a suicide bomber killing 40. The very next day, we limited the number to 100 and turned away tractor-trailer loads of people. The terrorists failed in their attempt to scare off the recruits.
In Northern Iraq, the Kurdish area, it is like being somewhere in Europe. All nationalities move freely. It is fully secure. There are no IEDs. There are no suicide bombers, midnight attacks, execution squads or kidnappers. Thanks to the 1991 Gulf War and 10 years of no-fly zone limitations, the Kurdish north lives under a democratic government and maintains a very safe region.
Compare the situations
There is much to be improved in Iraq. There is much to be improved in America. The vast, vast majority of Iraqis live very peacefully, minding their own business, much more worried about surviving their poverty and illiteracy than about the war.
There are places where this is not the case. In those places, the minority wields incredible power over the majority by the use of force and intimidation. Regretfully, this is what we read in the newspapers and see on television. Naturally, we apply this situation to all of Iraq regardless of where it might be limited.
Two things give Americans a skewed outlook on the Iraq war: the media and our natural instinct to compare the daily existence of Iraqis to our own situation. The media is a business; it must sell, and it certainly is easier to sell sex and violence than peace and routine. And finally, the Iraqi citizen is not living a life that is much worse off than citizens in many African countries, Egypt, Pakistan, India and other locations where poverty beats down hope and initiative.
I sometimes wonder if anyone has paused to compare our situations very openly. Yes, there are insurgents in Iraq trying to gain power through violence and intimidation. How is this different from the gangs in America's own inner cities? I wonder if we really recognize the number of people in the United States murdered every day and compare that to the number of people killed in Iraq -- yet it is Iraq that is the location at war?
If you travel north, entering the peaceful Kurdish region, it is an epiphany of sorts. I found myself without body armor, without my long rifle, eating among a nationality that is among the most respectful, hospitable and caring in the world. Everyone wants their picture taken with a soldier. People give gifts despite their economic circumstances. Appreciation for what the United States has done flows wherever we go, despite our Army's embarrassing mistakes.
Someday most of Iraq will be like this, and another culture will wake up from tyranny, fanaticism and sectarian violence and recognize that freedom has its own struggles but is incredibly worth the price. The people to thank when this happens will be the citizens of the United States of America, where we believe that free and individual rights are worth the sacrifice.
Future bright with peace
I just pray that we will have the patience to understand that this type of revolution and revelation both take time -- perhaps an entire generation.
There are places in Iraq where urban combat is an hour-to-hour situation. I spent some time in one. But do not forget the Iraqi people and their desire for peace. Do not be misled by our own sensationalism and desire to see those in power in our own country fall for whatever reason. Remember, the vast number of soldiers understand why we are here, are proud of their service, can recognize the positive difference that is being made and fully understand the difference between right and wrong.
I work with an Iraqi Army general every day. I am incredibly proud of him and his unit and all that they have accomplished in a short time. Today, we spoke for nearly an hour about Iraq's future. While it is easy to see the darkness, he looks around and sees the light of Japan, Germany, all of Europe and the horrible histories they endured, the positive impact the U.S. had on their history and the struggles they endured to get to their current situation of freedom, peace and prosperity.
I think he is right, although it will not happen quickly. Iraq now understands there is a future that is bright with peace, and for a change, with patience, there is hope again. Thank you for your support for me, my fellow soldiers and all of the Armed Forces of the United States of America.
