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Coming home from Iraq - warmest welcome
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by YankeeJim | August 19, 2010 at 02:34 am
193 views | 16 Recommendations | 5 comments
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If you know any of these soldiers who fought in Iraq, if you have spoken with them, one thing that you won’t likely hear is complaining. They fought the war that their government asked them to fight, and they did so with professionalism and honor. Over 4,500 of their comrades, our soldiers, died in Iraq and countless Iraqi citizens died too, innocent bystanders among insurgents.
History is likely to prove as it seems obvious now, the Iraq war was a mistaken decision by the executive branch of government and supported by members of Congress who allowed themselves to be misled. They failed to effectively challenge the basis of war and erred in using it as a preemptive action instead of a last resort.
It is too soon to understand the full cost of Iraq War, but our nation, economy, and foreign relations will be surely better off when it concludes completely.
The best we can do now is to give our fighting veterans the warmest welcome home and all the appreciation we can render.
“Operation Iraqi Freedom ends as last combat soldiers leave Baghdad
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, August 19, 2010Lt. Col. Mark Bieger huddled his infantrymen in a darkened parking lot minutes before they were to depart Baghdad for the last time.”
http://my.nowpublic.com/world/operation-iraqi-freedom-ends-operation-new-dawn-begins
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YankeeJim
Arlington, Virginia, United States
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Recommendations (16)
nanute
New York, United States
pankaj kumar
New Delhi, India
Amy Judd
Vancouver, Canadat k kidwai
Lucknow, India
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (5)
at 05:38 on August 19th, 2010
Iraq was a long and costly mistake. In the end, we made the most of it.
at 06:42 on August 19th, 2010
YJ.No doubt,from viewpoint of every sane American citizen,unfortunately the voiceless majority,the wars on Iraq were a mistake,a very expensive mistake;not in terms of money at the initial stage of war because American establishment received more than what she spent.Crookdom of Saudi Arabia,Germany and Japan bore the expenses of war,Americans lost lives.
The war on Iraq was part of the agenda of global occupation and what is lamentable is that yet American people are not opposing this agenda.The game has many players,but very few know about the game,the participants and grounds(call them war theatres,if you like)where next game is likely to be played.Refree,UNO has been blinded,deafened and dumbed.All the rules are thrown to the winds.End of Iraqi Operation Freedom is prelude to Operation Permanent Occupation.
at 09:56 on August 19th, 2010
I don't think it's over yet Jim. If I'm not mistaken there are still 100K US troops in Iraq, and they'll be there for quite some time before total "withdrawal." The country is so destabilized right now that a coalition government can't be formed. Outside pressure from Syria, Iran and Turkey are not helping matters. This "adventure" will go down as one of the worst foreign policy decisions in US History.
at 10:17 on August 19th, 2010
Nanute,I guess you are not mistaken.100Knon-combatant troops will stay in Iraq and combatants may stay if requested by puppet regime of Iraq.Coalition of the willing is cospicuous in Iraq by its absence.So many factions with divergent interests,governed by selfish motives are determent to formation of any government which can govern the coutry.US is in a quagmire,Iraq on the horns of a dilemma.
at 11:16 on August 19th, 2010
Gulf War II, Back to Iraq, may have been undertaken for the wrong reason, been justified based on false or imperfect information, and cost many lives. It did, however, depose a despot. It also pulled the US military from a Cold War mentality that many NATO nations were (and in some cases still are) clinging to, which was out-dated and dangerous to the soldiers. The odyssey is indeed not over yet. What will define the war in the history books, however, is what happens next. If the large force of non-combatants stay, and help rebuild the nation, by training the Iraqi forces into something their people can be proud of, and have faith in, the instability will subside, and History may very well show the misadventure in a good light. If, however, those troops are pulled out as well, and the nation left to fend for itself, with the power vacuum continuing to grow, it will be a black mark on America's name for generations to come. Not every war is about occupation and imperial agendas. While Iraq may have started in that vein, there has been a regime change since then, and what will be remembered is what happens now.
As to the soldiers, you might hear them complain Jim, but probably not in public. Soldiers tend to hold to that old adage "its not that you cant complain, but no one would listen." Besides, their complaints would not be about what they did, by and large, but about the light in which what they did was shown back home. They did their duty, they did what they were asked. They may not fish for a thank you, but when one is recieved, it means the world.