US soldier: We are not making progress

Each day, you hear the news about the grim security situation in Iraq, while the right-wing says the exact opposite is happening.  Enough with the media and the pundits.  How do the soldiers feel?  Here is an excerpt from letter by US Sergent Jason Walker in Baghdad:

The truth from a soldier from the ground in the middle ofBaghdad. We are not making progress. I can tell you from the last timeI was here in 05 that we are fighting a whole new beast. Instead of afew individuals from a different land we are now fighting the wholecountry.

The streets are empty. The people that supported liberty and freedomhave long been killed or have moved. I cleared a group of houses theother day that was at least 50% abandoned. The only people that seem towant us here are the people we put in power.

...All this being said it's not the fight for freedom that upsets me.If I saw citizens dragging terrorists in the streets and wantingLiberty I would gladly give my life for that cause. That is not thecase at all. The people keep their mouth's shut and therefore theTerrorists leave them alone. Thats all they want anyway.

Well a Army is held together by a "cause" . A cause to hold thesoldiers together, a cause to give them some cause for sacrifice. Fourof my close friends gave that sacrifice the other day. Death is part ofa soldiers life. It is the accepted risk. The price for Liberty. Thehardest part has been justifying thier sacrifice. Is so many good manylost worth the freedom of a country who doesn't really want us here. I say no.

The letter went on to ask for the help of every political blog in getting this message out to as many people as possible.

3,559 US troops have lost their lives since the war began.  So far, President Bush's troop surge has exposed even more US soldiers and put them at risk.  Despite the added effort, Baghdad is still the least safest place in Iraq, while nearby suburbs have seen a dramatic increase in violence.

 

Comments

[Tony]

If Melanie Morgan (or any conservative pro-war person) gets her paws on this, that soldier will be deemed a traitor and unpatriotic

[fubar]

My son is in the Marines and he told me basically the same thing. He said the Iraqi Army are lazy and the Iraqi Police are all dirty (crooked) I am glad that more of the military is speaking the truth about this debacle. My son said that they did not know why they (the U.S. military) were even there. I agree with this young man's assessment. There really is no "noble cause", there is only oil and that is not worth the lives of our children. This is an unjust, illegal war.

[Chief Editor: Todd]

Fubar, that's really revealing what your son said about the Iraqi army being lazy. It's exactly what has been reported in the news. But it's even more authentic to hear it from the soldiers that are working alongside them.

We all can hope that the Iraqi Army steps up. We can hope that the insurgents will simply put down their guns. We can hope that Sunnis and Shiites will form a unity government. But that's not what reality tells us. I sure wish we had a President that embraced reality.

[reality hurts]

they haven't wanted us there from the beginning. Duh. Leave.

[joed]

Sounds like the Sgt. thinks that being in Iraq is morally ok. The us has no moral justifacation for killing even one Iraqi. The Iraqi's have the right to defend their homes and families. Any harm that comes to an american in Iraq is justice in action. The sgt wants me to spread the word because he is a moral coward that doesn't have the courage to say no! So, Serg-I don't wish harm on anyone but if you want to stop murdering people then tell someone that can help you--like you co. Cowards often ask others to do the real work.

[Chief Editor: Todd]

joed, no violence against any US soldier is just. How can you reject violence and then condone violence?

I am 100% with you that Iraq is not a just war....and that seemed to be the sgt's point. We need to get out of Iraq. Richardson and Obama are right that we have NO strategic interest in that country.

[joed]

Todd, I should have thought about my comment more before posting. First, I do not wish harm to anyone. But, if the sergent goes 20,000Km to support "war" then he is putting himself in harms way.
I reject unnecessary violence. I support self-defence for every person. The sergent going to Iraq is not self-defence it is unnecessary agression. This is not a war it is an illegal, immoral occupation of a (once) sovergn country. If US military gets out of Iraq I will feel a great relief because fewer deaths will occur in Iraq. The life of an american sergent is of no more value that the life of an Iraqi in-sergent.
I hope this clarifies some.

[Chief Editor: Todd]

joed, yes, that does clarify a lot. :)

It's just that for many people my age, as it was shown in Fahrenheit 9/11, their economic situation is so bad that military recruiters prey on them. They offer these young adults all sorts of incentives and bonuses if they join. Once you are in, it's not as if you can just drop your guns and get out of it. It's hard. So this soldier is doing the only thing he can do: speak out -- which many other soldiers have not done.

As far as I have checked, this soldiers' message is now all over the internet -- just within a matter of days. It's soldiers like these who give bloggers like myself even more motivation to continue doing what we're doing. They're stuck there now. We as activists need to get them out of harms way.

[joed]

Todd, there are several military people that have found the courage to say "NO!" Watada, Benderman, Aguayo and others. Our sergent here is asking us to do what he alone can do; say "NO!" It's called moral courage and ones economic or social class is no excuse for killing people. I can say this because I, too, did not have the courage to say no!