Buyers Remorse
Let's start with a recap of my morning. A Humve got blown up just outside of our perimeter and some soldiers got killed. I was called to put out the fire because I have some fire trucks at my disposal. I won't get into the details. I saw worse in Nasariyah back in 2003, but then again we were in an actual standup war at that point. I have lost count as to how many wounded I have seen and helped. I've put more men in body bags now than I can even remember. American. Iraqi. Soldier. Marine. Civilian. I've lost some friends over here as well. All to enemy fire. I've seen no atrocities nor committed any acts of valor. To be blunt, I'm over here just doing my job.
And that is what has sent me around the twist. I have no buyers remorse about the war. I've been here for three tours and still think that coming over here was the right thing to do. No WMD? No problem. Now that Saddam is gone a lot of people have developed a selective memory and have lost the bearing of their moral compass. I'm not going to go into the oft repeated justifications of the war, but just hear me out.
For the last 26 years, the Middle East has been festering. During the Cold War we were able to partially ignore the problem and to use it to our advantage. Defeating Communism was our primary goal and all others could wait. A lot of people are throwing bricks at President Reagan for leaving Beirut, but cleaning out the Middle East wasn't his focus. Burying the Soviet Union was. Reagan 1, Commies 0. After the wall fell, we did not want to hear of the next threat. We went to sleep. Not because the would be conflict had drained the national spirit, but because we willfully turned our back on the next threat in a selfish attempt to enjoy our peace dividend. We were determined not to be aroused from our slumber. We did not wake for attacks on our military barracks. We did not wake for attacks on our embassies. We did not wake for attacks on our naval vessels or attacks on our native soil. We became a self involved, navel gazing, equivocating country that wanted peace at any price.
And we paid the price for our lack of vigilance. Most of us finally realized that our Western way of life is better than the Eastern. We realize that the US is a force for good in the world. We want people to be free. If we are guilty of exporting our culture to the world it is because we want the rest of the world to enjoy the liberties that we have. If a person says he is going to kill you, you take him seriously. If that person does everything he can to undermine you, to provoke you, to kill you, then you eliminate him. Al Qaida is not the disease. It is a symptom. Saddam Hussein is not the disease. He was a symptom. The disease is Islamofascism. We are taking measures right now to treat the symptoms, but we are not curing the disease.
The reason for that is that the cure is too steep a price to pay for the American public. The disease will not be cured until the entire Middle East is crippled and humiliated. They must face the fact and admit their total surrender. Then, and only then, will we be able to rebuild a civilization that can exist with the rest of the world. But we do not have the stomach for such things.
It is much easier to lash out when popular opinion demands it and then withdraw when the task becomes too hard. We will retreat to our own shores. The pacifists will lick their bruised egos and wail of the impending retribution that we BROUGHT ON OURSELVES. The warriors will lament how we could have secured the peace that cost us so much blood. And we will be attacked again. And again.
I knew the reasons for invading Iraq. We were coming in to remove an old enemy and to remove a disease by the only proven way: fire. I do not look at the wounded and dead and weep at the loss. I swell with pride at their courage. I am humbled at their sacrifice. I know their blood has bought more of the victory of the clash of our civilization against that of the barbarian. I just wish that the rest of America didn't use the words we live, fight, and die by as the punch line to their jokes.
Did we do the right thing in Iraq? Yes. Could we have done it better? Yes. Do I have any regrets? Only that my country is not prepared to do all that it takes to complete the victory and ensure that our way of life goes on. Would I do it again knowing what I know now? Where do I sign up?
You already betrayed one generation of veterans. Now get the hell out of my way.
And that is what has sent me around the twist. I have no buyers remorse about the war. I've been here for three tours and still think that coming over here was the right thing to do. No WMD? No problem. Now that Saddam is gone a lot of people have developed a selective memory and have lost the bearing of their moral compass. I'm not going to go into the oft repeated justifications of the war, but just hear me out.
For the last 26 years, the Middle East has been festering. During the Cold War we were able to partially ignore the problem and to use it to our advantage. Defeating Communism was our primary goal and all others could wait. A lot of people are throwing bricks at President Reagan for leaving Beirut, but cleaning out the Middle East wasn't his focus. Burying the Soviet Union was. Reagan 1, Commies 0. After the wall fell, we did not want to hear of the next threat. We went to sleep. Not because the would be conflict had drained the national spirit, but because we willfully turned our back on the next threat in a selfish attempt to enjoy our peace dividend. We were determined not to be aroused from our slumber. We did not wake for attacks on our military barracks. We did not wake for attacks on our embassies. We did not wake for attacks on our naval vessels or attacks on our native soil. We became a self involved, navel gazing, equivocating country that wanted peace at any price.
And we paid the price for our lack of vigilance. Most of us finally realized that our Western way of life is better than the Eastern. We realize that the US is a force for good in the world. We want people to be free. If we are guilty of exporting our culture to the world it is because we want the rest of the world to enjoy the liberties that we have. If a person says he is going to kill you, you take him seriously. If that person does everything he can to undermine you, to provoke you, to kill you, then you eliminate him. Al Qaida is not the disease. It is a symptom. Saddam Hussein is not the disease. He was a symptom. The disease is Islamofascism. We are taking measures right now to treat the symptoms, but we are not curing the disease.
The reason for that is that the cure is too steep a price to pay for the American public. The disease will not be cured until the entire Middle East is crippled and humiliated. They must face the fact and admit their total surrender. Then, and only then, will we be able to rebuild a civilization that can exist with the rest of the world. But we do not have the stomach for such things.
It is much easier to lash out when popular opinion demands it and then withdraw when the task becomes too hard. We will retreat to our own shores. The pacifists will lick their bruised egos and wail of the impending retribution that we BROUGHT ON OURSELVES. The warriors will lament how we could have secured the peace that cost us so much blood. And we will be attacked again. And again.
I knew the reasons for invading Iraq. We were coming in to remove an old enemy and to remove a disease by the only proven way: fire. I do not look at the wounded and dead and weep at the loss. I swell with pride at their courage. I am humbled at their sacrifice. I know their blood has bought more of the victory of the clash of our civilization against that of the barbarian. I just wish that the rest of America didn't use the words we live, fight, and die by as the punch line to their jokes.
Did we do the right thing in Iraq? Yes. Could we have done it better? Yes. Do I have any regrets? Only that my country is not prepared to do all that it takes to complete the victory and ensure that our way of life goes on. Would I do it again knowing what I know now? Where do I sign up?
You already betrayed one generation of veterans. Now get the hell out of my way.
posted by BigCountry | 3:32 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home