A LETTER FROM THE FRONT
This is a copy of a letter that I recently submitted to my Campus Newspaper at the University of New Hampshire:
A LETTER FROM THE FRONT
I am a sophomore at UNH. Well, kind-of. My education has been temporarily put on hold due to the fact that I was called upon to defend our country in January. I have been in Iraq for 7 months now and unsure how much longer I will be needed here. We are hoping to return sometime in the spring. Some of you might remember me as being very vocal on the Student Council. Others, I’m sure I saw you at the Tin Palace or Libby’s, or maybe even in the Gables. I was a regular at the hockey games and went to more than my share of frat and dorm parties. I was a regular student like you. Well, almost. I was also a Nontrad. I served my country for seven years in the active Army and did my time overseas. After my second enlistment was up, I wanted to continue my education but still wanted to serve my country so I got out of active duty, joined the New Hampshire National Guard, and enrolled at UNH. Now I am in Iraq, away from my wife, my family, and my friends.
When I got the call, I didn’t ask “Why me?” or, “Can’t you call someone else?” I didn’t say, “I’m not ready” or “I have a life here”. Instead I said, “When and where and what should I bring?” I knew my brothers needed help and I was ready to go. I was not forced to come here. None of us were forced to come here. Everyone had a choice. You always have a choice in everything in life. Believe me, the soldiers who didn’t want to deploy found ways out.
I am honored to be here. I am proud to be here.
My sympathies go out to the Mommies and Daddies who don’t want their kids going to war, but it was their choice as free Americans to sign up. The keyword there is free. That is what our gift to the world is. We are giving freedom to those who cannot free themselves. Your children knew what they were doing when they raised their right hands and signed the dotted line. The only respectable thing that parents can do when their kids deploy, is to honor their choice, and support the troops. I’ll be blunt. You war protestors are not helping us. You are our enemies. You are aiding and encouraging the enemy by speaking out against our righteous cause. Freedom of speech is what I protect but please be civil and intelligent about it. Be educated about what you do and don’t use hate as your only tool.
The press is giving a lot of coverage to the deaths in Iraq reaching 1000. I don’t understand this. Our side has had 1000 members pay the ultimate price in defense of our country. How many has the other side lost? Hundreds of thousands. How many lives have been saved because these lunatics fought us here instead of back in the states? Countless millions. How many terrorist attacks have we had on our soil since 9-11? That’s right, ZERO. Why? Because we took the fight to them! For those of you who have still not gotten it, we are the good guys and terrorists are the bad guys. We are protecting our way of life by allowing our families to live without fear. We are preventing terrorist attacks like the Russian school catastrophe by being here. I personally would much rather have these fanatics taking shots at me over here than at my family back home. I have been trained for it, my family hasn’t. The overwhelming view in my unit is that we are doing a great and noble thing. Even the Democrats here think so. We are not being sent here to die senseless deaths. What is senseless about dying for the protection of your country?
It is what we are trained for.
It is what we signed up for.
It is what we believe in.
Most importantly, it is our job.
Let me say that again, THIS IS OUR JOB!
As soldiers, we get a first hand view of how much good we are dong here. Our local town is very pro-coalition. They love us and see us as liberators, not occupiers. A few months ago, a gang of Sadr’s militia wanted to move into the town but the locals told them to get out! You don’t hear about that in the press. Here is another story you will never read in the mainstream press. After a local girl with 2nd and 3rd degree burns had been turned away by 2 Iraqi hospitals, her parents came to our post as a last ditch effort. The little 12-year-old girl had dumped a pot of boiling water on herself. Now, our doctors and medics are not allowed to treat the local populace because of all the possible legal and physical dangers. When they heard about the situation, our medics ran to the gate, treated the girl on site, and saved her life. All with no regard to their own safety. We made friends for life that day. That is what we are doing in this country now. We are making friends. Since the occupation more schools are available to the children and we deliver toys to them once a month. Fresh water is being pumped to the homes, in some cases for the first time ever. They are getting electricity for the first time in a generation. The other day, our local town had their first free elections ever. They were not forced at gunpoint to vote for Saddam and his puppets. We are winning the hearts and minds of the ones who matter. The terrorists will hate us no matter what we do. Hopefully they will soon realize they are fighting a winless battle and that good always triumphs over evil. No matter what, these locals will still be here. They are the ones who will need our help and guidance during this tough transition period.
We are winning over here. Don’t believe what is in the mainstream liberal press. Do your own research and form your own opinions. Don’t have them force-fed to you by the likes of the anti-American New York Times or CBS or even the propaganda spewing Michael Moore. Talk to a soldier who has been here and get the real story.
Remember, if you want to support the troops, Vote Bush in November!
Michael Owens
Sophomore
Iraq
posted by Monte @ 11:46 AM
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