Iraq War begs answers
Brian Miller
Issue date: 1/20/05 Section: News
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After 9/11 President Bush began his campaign against Saddam Hussein and as people watched it play out on TV, the parameters for war were clearly stated. Americans became fearful of terrorists and terrified of the "weapons of mass destruction" that were allegedly hidden in Iraq.
Now with the weapons not an issue and Hussein out of power, Bush has to answer to the critics that doubt an election planned for January 30 will take place. But Bush is confident, as always, and sees a happy ending for proponents of an election for Iraq. "I certainly don't expect the process to be trouble-free," the president said. "Yet I am confident of the result. I'm confident that terrorists will fail, the elections will go forward and Iraq will be a democracy."
The Bush administration has taken the heat for what some call a poorly planned attempt to turn the government of Iraq into a democracy. Information from polls suggests that many Americans doubt a democratic government can be established with an election. In fact, these concerns are expressed worldwide as many nations stand together in their disapproval of the war and the tactics used to overthrow Hussein. But Bush is not concerned with how others in the world view him or his policies. He is only concerned with how well can protect America from further terrorist attacks.
He is also concerned, he says, with the well-being and safety of all Americans, especially our troops in Iraq. Some soldiers, however, have not all been satisfied with the condition of some of the equipment they were issued. Vice President Dick Cheney recently had to answer the soldier's questions about why they were under-equipped and in some cases not paid on time. It was a clear message that some soldiers are not happy with the way they are being treated.
The result of this unhappiness is felt in the recruitment campaign of the military. The number of soldiers reenlisting is dropping and the number of new recruits is dwindling. The military recently began a new campaign, hiring hundreds of additional recruiting officers to hit the streets looking for volunteers.
It's hard for most of us to imagine a day in the life of a soldier fighting in a war.
It's difficult to imagine what a soldier goes through day to day. Or even what they experience from one hour to the next.
Most of us cannot comprehend what goes through the minds of these soldiers. We might know these people, but do we know what it is like to be them? Or how that soldier feels about the war, the circumstances that led to it and the changes they've experienced from it?
When we, as civilians are hit with life's uncertainties and trouble comes our way, most of us like to think we can handle these situations well.
But what if we were faced with being in Iraq and fighting a sometimes hidden enemy? Some of us at this college have never been outside of the continental United States. Those of us that have never seen a desert cannot fathom how to survive in that climate. Add to that the stress and worry that the conditions of war bring and we just don't have a clue what it is like to be a soldier in a foreign country with gunshots and car bombings bringing death, and with uncertainty and fear dominating the everyday struggle.
Such was the experience of Sgt. Claudiu Fatu, a University of Massachusetts student that was called into active duty February 2003. For 15 months Fatu fought in Iraq alongside the 101st Airborne Division, handling harsh conditions including food and water shortages, getting constant verbal abuse from unsympathetic resident Iraqis, and other harsh conditions Americans in the US can only imagine in their nightmares. Still, the hardest part about going to Iraq was the impact his departure left on his family. "...the ones that were hurt the most were probably my family members. I just had to deal with it and drive on. I had a job to do, and it had to be done right, and that kept most negative thoughts out of my mind," Fatu said.
Fatu, promoted to Sergeant a few months ago, concurs with reports detailing the media's stringent censorship of soldier life over in Iraq. "What we see (on the news) is only a fraction of the truth that has been filtered through the media. TV (has) no real sense of what a soldier's life is really like at war. That is a shame, because it is us the soldiers that go through the worst situations every day to keep the world safe, and make our government look like they are doing a good job overseas." Despite the hardships on himself and the people in his life, Fatu still feels proud to be a soldier and wishes only the best of support from everyone in the US for our soldiers still in Iraq. He also reminisces on the change going to Iraq had on his and his fellow soldiers' worldview. "You get a different outlook on life and the things that govern it (by going to war). The obstacles you had to go through only make your life that much more valuable, and make your experiences invaluable. Many are ignorant about other cultures, and only live at home, here in the United States, knowing nothing about the outside world. I could not say the same about any war veteran."
Some of us do not agree with why we are in Iraq, and some are puzzled at the notion of why we are so interested in forcing democracy upon the citizens of Iraq, but we cannot turn on our backs on the people we have fighting for us. After all, these people we call soldiers are our co-workers, neighbors, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, mothers, fathers, teachers, and our friends.
Tom Bukowski contributed to this article