Dying veteran's F-U letter to Bush and Cheney

[We Come In Peace]

I write this letter on the 10th anniversary of the Iraq War on behalf of my fellow Iraq War veterans. I write this letter on behalf of the 4,488 soldiers and Marines who died in Iraq. I write this letter on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of veterans who have been wounded and on behalf of those whose wounds, physical and psychological, have destroyed their lives.

 

(snip)

 

I joined the Army two days after the 9/11 attacks. I joined the Army because our country had been attacked. I wanted to strike back at those who had killed some 3,000 of my fellow citizens. I did not join the Army to go to Iraq, a country that had no part in the September 2001 attacks and did not pose a threat to its neighbors, much less to the United States. I did not join the Army to “liberate” Iraqis or to shut down mythical weapons-of-mass-destruction facilities or to implant what you cynically called “democracy” in Baghdad and the Middle East. I did not join the Army to rebuild Iraq, which at the time you told us could be paid for by Iraq’s oil revenues. Instead, this war has cost the United States over $3 trillion. I especially did not join the Army to carry out pre-emptive war. Pre-emptive war is illegal under international law. And as a soldier in Iraq I was, I now know, abetting your idiocy and your crimes. The Iraq War is the largest strategic blunder in U.S. history. It obliterated the balance of power in the Middle East. It installed a corrupt and brutal pro-Iranian government in Baghdad, one cemented in power through the use of torture, death squads and terror. And it has left Iran as the dominant force in the region. On every level—moral, strategic, military and economic—Iraq was a failure. And it was you, Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney, who started this war.

 

(snip)

 

I have, like many other disabled veterans, come to realize that our mental and physical wounds are of no interest to you, perhaps of no interest to any politician. We were used. We were betrayed. And we have been abandoned.

 

 

Worth a full read no matter which side you fall on in regards to the march to war.

 

http://dangerousmind...eeds_to_be_read

Edited March 19, 2013 by We Come In Peace

[B-Man]

http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/165220/

 

It’s good to hear that from the people who served.

 

I think the Bush Administration dropped the ball on Arab democracy promotion in 2005, when I believe it would have gone better than the “Arab Spring” turned out. And the Obama Administration, of course, blew the withdrawal.

 

Nonetheless Iraq is freer, and vastly more prosperous, than it was under Saddam and has a decent shot at becoming a successful and democratic nation, which is better than many countries in the region. [Later: What, I'm on the same page with Bill Maher?]

 

Ten years on, soldier recalls Iraq invasion. “I would absolutely do it again.”

 

 

Related: Southie vet: ‘I would do it all over again tomorrow.’

 

 

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[birdog1960]

i'll bet the guy writing that letter read (or heard) some of these: http://zfacts.com/iraq-war-quotes

[B-Man]

The Iraq War at 10: A Legacy of Resolve

Pete Hegseth

 

 

In February of 2006, al-Qaeda-affiliated insurgents bombed the al-Askari shrine (or “Golden mosque”) in the heart of Samarra — a dusty town in Iraq’s Sunni Triangle. I awoke that morning to the explosion, and was one of four Americans in the mayor’s office that evening for a meeting with city leaders and tribal elders.

 

Critics of the war quickly seized on the shrine’s destruction — and the cycle of sectarian violence that ensued — as a metaphor for America’s failure in Iraq. Despite local successes in Samarra that arose after that terrible event, it was hard to disagree with the critics. The year I spent in Iraq, from 2005 to 2006, was undoubtedly a low point in the war, as it was clear our whack-a-mole strategy wasn’t working. Even the most steadfast supporters of mission were calling for a new course.

 

A year later, the momentum shifted in Iraq, as President Bush announced the bold and controversial “surge” strategy, deploying five additional combat brigades (including extending Marine deployments in Anbar Province), putting General David Petraeus in charge, and implementing a new counterinsurgency strategy. (A few years later, President Obama, an unyielding critic of the Iraq surge, would adopt a similar policy in Afghanistan — a tacit acknowledgment of the Iraq surge’s success.) Following Bush’s crucial decision and thanks to the bravery of our troops, the tide turned in Iraq, setting U.S. forces on a course for success and eventual withdrawal on our own terms.

 

As we mark the ten-year anniversary of the Iraq War’s launch, it’s worth reflecting on the mixed history of that war. Mistakes were made in the conduct of the war, but that doesn’t mean every aspect of the war was a mistake. Those of us who fought the war — losing great men and women in the process — understand the scope of the task and the meaning of the mission. It was a controversial war, but it was our war, and its legacy remains important to America.

 

It’s worth remembering that the bipartisan view before the war — and the international view from the United Nations, hardly a den of warmongers — was that Saddam Hussein was pursuing weapons of mass destruction and must be stopped. Saddam Hussein was an undeniably dangerous dictator, with a history of belligerent behavior and a record of supporting jihadists in the region. While critics of the war have long preferred to gloss over Saddam’s record as if pre-invasion Iraq had been tranquil and misunderstood, surely no one wishes Saddam were still in power.

 

The origins of the war remain legitimately disputed, but there is little historical doubt that, by the time my unit arrived in 2005, al-Qaeda had decided to make Iraq their “central front.” Jihadists from throughout the world descended on the country, seeking a quick and strategically significant win against the American “paper tiger.” Instead, due to the courage and adaptability of our troops, the political resolve of a president, and the efforts of many on the home front, America turned the tide and won the war on the ground.

 

The U.S. paid heavy costs for this tactical victory, and our troops (alongside their families) steadfastly bore these costs with courage, grace and perseverance. More than 1.5 million Americans served in Iraq, over 4,400 lost their lives, and nearly 33,000 were wounded. Over a thousand U.S. civilian contracts also gave their lives. This sacrifice, and that of our Iraqi allies, was not in vain, but instead is an example of valor, service, and sacrifice. They were given a mission, and executed it. End of story.

 

 

 

 

Morning Joe Revisits Dems Who Supported Iraq War Before They Were Against It

 

 

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Edited March 20, 2013 by B-Man

[birdog1960]

Morning Joe Revisits Dems Who Supported Iraq War Before They Were Against It

 

 

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from your link "make no mistake about it, the iraq war belongs to president george bush". just like the bay of pigs belongs to kennedy. were the others all lying? maybe. misinformed or misled? possibly. just plain wrong? probably but they saw their mistake much sooner than the wars principal architects.

[TakeYouToTasker]

We have an all volunteer army, and 60+ year history of undeclarable "wars".

 

The lesson here is to not sign up for the ideal in a far less than ideal world.

[birdog1960]

We have an all volunteer army, and 60+ year history of undeclarable "wars".

 

The lesson here is to not sign up for the ideal in a far less than ideal world.

all volunteer x if you're poor, have no good alternatives and see a realistic opportunity to improve youy place.

[dayman]

We have an all volunteer army, and 60+ year history of undeclarable "wars".

 

The lesson here is to not sign up for the ideal in a far less than ideal world.

 

My sympathy is with people like this guy...but I can't help but side with Tasker here...I mean I rarely do but lets face it we're all thinking exactly what is said above when we here stuff like this about the military...

Edited March 20, 2013 by SameOldBills

[RkFast]

Worth a full read no matter which side you fall on in regards to the march to war.

 

http://dangerousmind...eeds_to_be_read

Dear Army Guy...you don't get to decide where and how and what you want to fight. Signed, Everyone.

[GG]

FDR/Truman Bad (great movie BTW)

[KD in CA]

all volunteer x if you're poor, have no good alternatives and see a realistic opportunity to improve youy place.

 

Are you suggesting an avenue for poor people to realistically improve their place is a bad thing?

[birdog1960]

Are you suggesting an avenue for poor people to realistically improve their place is a bad thing?

not at all. only that to utilize them as cannon fodder in a futile war is.

[NoSaint]

 

Dear Army Guy...you don't get to decide where and how and what you want to fight. Signed, Everyone.

 

while i feel for his frustrations, part of me was very irked by the "i didnt sign up for...."

 

likely a lot of people that signed up right after 9/11 feel the same way, but there has to be a certain realization that when you sign up for the military you sign up for a lot of things you might not believe in and you need to consider that BEFORE you enlist.

[RkFast]

while i feel for his frustrations, part of me was very irked by the "i didnt sign up for...."

 

likely a lot of people that signed up right after 9/11 feel the same way, but there has to be a certain realization that when you sign up for the military you sign up for a lot of things you might not believe in and you need to consider that BEFORE you enlist.

Not in today's America. EVERYTHING is someone else's fault. Everything.

[peterpan]

This guy has points, but let me remind you are are still at war with Iraq. I know some people claim its over, but if its over, why do we still have troops there?

 

Bush messed up, I get it, but how can we fix it? Obama has been in Office for over 4 years now, why aren't we out? Why aren't we out of Afganistan? He promised to end them - we want them over.

 

Complaining about the past won't do us any good unless it helps us change the future. Please end the wars.

[TakeYouToTasker]

not at all. only that to utilize them as cannon fodder in a futile war is.

Did he make the choice to enlist, or not?

[B-Man]

Did he make the choice to enlist, or not?

 

The "soft bigotry" of the Left.

 

They really don't know as much as us, we need to direct their lives.

 

 

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[birdog1960]

Did he make the choice to enlist, or not?

he signed up out of a sense of patriotism and the belief that our leaders would chart a wise and effective course. if that sense and those beliefs are deemed ultimately and permanently foolish, i'd say it's time to call the system a failure.

[We Come In Peace]

We have an all volunteer army, and 60+ year history of undeclarable "wars".

 

The lesson here is to not sign up for the ideal in a far less than ideal world.

Expound on that point if you don't mind. Prior to 2001, how many first strike wars has the US waged in its history? Not operations, but wars.

[KD in CA]

he signed up out of a sense of patriotism and the belief that our leaders would chart a wise and effective course. if that sense and those beliefs are deemed ultimately and permanently foolish, i'd say it's time to call the system a failure.

 

Yeah, who would ever foresee our leaders straying from the course of wise and effective decisions.