War On Terror, US Involvement in Iraq

honestly, 9/11 had little to do with Iraq. Afghanistan is really a reletivley(sp) small operation. There are few units there and mostof them are Sf guys. The terrian there is too obscure for massive unit operations and the combat there is on a differen't level than here. Iraq was ocupied because of impending threat to the us and other countries.

To be honest, nobody has ever called us infidels or called us other names of religious orientation. The people that we have met here are grateful for our precense here, and wish us only the best in our efforts to forward Iraq to a more modern and successful state of affairs.

Originally posted by Satyr
I don't think we belong in Iraq at all. The main reasons being, Iraq had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11, nor were they a threat to the US. We had enough on our plate already, without starting another war. We should concentrate on finding Bin Laden, if that's who is indeed responsible. There is no connection between them, and there was no evidence of WMD in Iraq, period. You're fighting an unnecessary war, at the moment. Military is for defense, not offense.

I'm with you...AND..in defence of the guys and gals in Iraq....the country called you to do the job. There is evil everywhere. There are problems to be solved everywhere. I think it's too simplistic to say that it was all worthwhile because Saddam was bad and the Iraqi's are better off now. No doubt the people helping the Iraqi's are doing good work...but you have to pick your battles wisely. You focus on priorities. America had the problem of WTC and Osama and a CRAP economy. Iraq came out of left field and strategically threw off our focus. That doesn't mean the soldiers aren't performing a great service over there. And when I say, America shouldn't be in Iraq...it is NOT a statement on our soldiers...they are doing what they are positioned to do. I just BELIEVE in my heart that we have bigger, more pertinent threats to security and stability and by going into Iraq (and after Saddam) we opened ourselves up to greater battles which has weakened our focus and our ability to respond to true, present dangers.

Any other thoughts from the panel that anyone wishes to share???

Names, ranks, serial numbers, and unit will do just fine.....

Just kidding. When is the 4th ID expected to rotate out?



regards
seekerof

I think that if this world was run by all of our opinions we would really be messed up worse then now. My son is over there....I worry everyday about him being safe. I am like alot of other ppl I don't understand but I do understand what it is like to miss him so much it hurts and to be scared to death everytime something comes on tv about a soldier being killed.

we're not 4 th ID we're 2d ACR but we work along side of them. I imagine they got a good amount of time left

I am not so certain that we opened ourselves up to bigger battles. I think that we have shown a great warning to any future dictators or tyrants that reside in other countries. It says that the US and its allies will not stand idly by while a single man or a group even, takes control of a people and renders its will to his own for his won gain at the expense of the people. We believe that the capture of Saddam has started to close the book on a poor and ragged culture, and we, the US, and our alllies have begun to play a part in the next chapter. The people of Iraq are the real writers.

We can only hope that the book that is written by this country's people is for the better. We will do what we can to help them along, to go forward.

Originally posted by Armymom
I think that if this world was run by all of our opinions we would really be messed up worse then now. My son is over there....I worry everyday about him being safe. I am like alot of other ppl I don't understand but I do understand what it is like to miss him so much it hurts and to be scared to death everytime something comes on tv about a soldier being killed.

I feel for you with all my heart. He's a good man I'm sure. He may even be a good boy at this point but I'm hoping and praying for him. I am SO glad I don't have someone over there. I hope you don't mistake my critical comments on the administration for a lack of faith in the people doing the work and carrying out the missions. My thoughts are with you.

Originally posted by SoldierMedic
I am not so certain that we opened ourselves up to bigger battles. I think that we have shown a great warning to any future dictators or tyrants that reside in other countries. It says that the US and its allies will not stand idly by while a single man or a group even, takes control of a people and renders its will to his own for his won gain at the expense of the people.

this could describe the Bush Administration and the American people. I'm not saying we're being killed in the streets. But...who knows what happens in private. I think Bush is bordering on a dictator.

Originally posted by Armymom
I think that if this world was run by all of our opinions we would really be messed up worse then now. My son is over there....I worry everyday about him being safe. I am like alot of other ppl I don't understand but I do understand what it is like to miss him so much it hurts and to be scared to death everytime something comes on tv about a soldier being killed.

I understand this 100%. And I'm sure you don't want your son to be in danger, fighting an unnecessary war. It would be, IMO, worse to be killed in a senseless war, than to be killed in a justified one. I get the feeling, what is this for? Why are Americans being killed in Iraq, when the whole thing should have just been avoided? There are many countries with bad dictators,who don't treat their people right. These are primitive people we're dealing with, IMO. There are even more primitive people on Earth, too. We don't mess with them either, unless they're truly a threat to us. (or we shouldn't) We need to realize that this is a different culture, and that we should steer clear of them as much as possible. Of course, our gov't screwed that up long ago, didn't they?The point is, we're not going to make them like us. We're not going to convert them to our ways.

I believe that President Bush does the best job that he can, with our (meaning the American people) best interests at heart. Yes there are many legal agencies who wish to invoke checks and balances on President Bush and his administration, but I do believe in my heart, that he is working for the greater good. I believe that. I certainly do not believe that President Bush borders on a dictatorship state.

[Edited on 23-1-2004 by SoldierMedic]

4 th ID we're 2d ACR

Could you elaborate more on these terms please?

Not to sure what they mean.

Deep

i believe thatbush does do some shady stuff, but it's not all bad. I believe one of the main reasons that the us decided out of all the dictators current right now, to getsaddam was largly oil stabilization. And that actaully isn't as bad as it sounds.

We do not wish to turn Iraq to our ways, Satyr. Iraq has been war-torn for thousands of years. It has no sense of itself. Its people, no sense of meaning, no sense of purpose. We wish to reestablish pride to the Iraqi people, not to tun this country into what we want. We wish to help the Iraqi people find the contry with themselves. Richard the Lionheart tried to bring Chrisitanity to the Turkish and muslim culture many hundreds of years ago. It is arrogant and foolish to try to turn a people into that which they do not wish to be.

[Edited on 23-1-2004 by SoldierMedic]

4th ID= 4th infantry division. Thats the unit who did the apache attack. 2d ACR= 2nd Armored Calvary Regiment. Thats our unit. we operate closly withthe 4th ID

The Iraqi people have been under the heel of opression for so many years, so much poverty and sorrow. Until a civilized governement with intelligent and competent officials can be established as the overseers of Iraq then we are here to make sure that another Saddam does not happen.

That's all fine and dandy, but we put him there in the first place. How can you suggest that this isn't going to happen again? The idea that the US can fix their problems wasn't even the original reason for the invasion. We were misled. We were told that he practically had nukes aimed at us, and was capable of launching them at any moment. There's a huge difference between that, and "liberating" Iraqis. Not to sound uncaring, but it's really not our place to get involved in any wars that don't involve us. In doing so, we've made many more enemies, and these guys don't fight fair. It's much worse than Vietnam. These guys really fight dirty. Just as you don't want to piss off the mob, you don't want to mess with these people, unless absolutely necessary. We have only increased the invitation for an attack from Iraq, IMO. There are kids growing up there who are never going to forgive us for killing their families. They are future terrorists, and we've just stirred up their bee hive.

If I remember correctly, those soldiers who tried to surrender to our forces were gunned down by Saddam's Republican guard. Does that not suggest they really did not want to be there in the first place??? If they were forced into the military against their will then it seems unlikely that they wanted to take a real offensive stand against the US in the first place. If they were killed in trying to surrender, then it would seem as though the families should not hold it against us for their deaths. As for the families of the other soldiers who did not try to surrender, the soldiers who were firing upon us were as likely to be killed as we were.

[Edited on 23-1-2004 by SoldierMedic]