Questions About Iraq

[Sergeant_P]

I am a US soldier currently serving my last 3 months of a 15 month deployment in Iraq. I am posting to give a chance for people to inquire about Iraq. Now that Obama will be running the show in a few months, I hope that both sides of the political spectrum will be able to look at the war through clear eyes and not support or despise it on the basis of their politics.

I'm happy to answer any questions pertaining to the war. All I ask is that you leave your prejudices at the door and contain a general interest in the truth of the matter. I'm not here to promote a particular political party nor to get into a debate over the justification of the war. Just the honest truth as seen by a soldier stationed there.

Thanks -SGT P​

 

[Sergeant_P]

Do you believe the war is just?​

Do you think the american brainwashing of the public to treat trained killers who kill more civlians than the dictators they are supposed to be "saving" those people from as heroes is a good thing?

Did you join the army because you ACTUALLY thought you would be protecting america, or because it was the best option available to you?

First off, I want to thank you for expressing your feelings on this issue honestly.​

Today, Coalition Forces (CF) are assisting Iraqi Police and Iraqi Army (IP and IA) in keeping control over their country. They run the show. We just supervise. Is the war legal? Yes, until the end of this year when our contract expires. Then the Iraqis will have to invite us back in, but until the agreement is signed, we will not be able to protect the Iraqi people. ​

90+ days of no CF protection will show how the Iraqi people feel about us. If they celebrate welcoming back the Al Qaeda that send suicide bombers into Iraqi market places and kill Iraqi Civilians with open arms over the Coalition Forces, then you will know that we are phony and don't belong there. I could tell you all day that I believe the war is just and you would disagree and we would get nowhere. But please, take this opportunity to honestly assess the situation and see what the Iraqi people choose. Trust me, if they choose Al Qaeda, JAM (Jaish Al Mahdi) and the God's Revenge Brigade over CF as the ones they want in their country, then I don't want to be there either.​

Do you believe the war is just?​

Yes.​

Was it just when it was started?​

No, we went to Iraq on mis information and lies.​

Do I support Bush?​

As my Commander and Chief, Yes. As I will do for President Elect Obama. Did I vote for either of them or currently show any support for either of them as a civilian? No.​

Did Bush lie to get support for the war from the American people (and the rest of the world)?​

He channeled our anger for the attack on 9-11 on a single country that, though they did play a small role in the 9/11 attacks, didn't directly attack us nor has any WMDs. So yes he absolutely lied.​

Do you think the American brainwashing of the public to treat trained killers who kill more civilians than the dictators they are supposed to be "saving" those people from as heroes is a good thing?​

Thousands of Civilians have died in this war while only a single dictator has been executed. But to be fair, we've run out of dictators to find in Iraq.​

As far as brainwashing, I think support of the troops is a healthy thing and so is questioning this war. Both should be encouraged, however, no I don't believe that the support the troops campaign is brainwashing to encourage the support of killing civilians. I think it's a way to show your patriotism while not showing support for the war. If I were to say to you Decado that you not supporting the troops makes you unpatriotic, that would qualify as me attempting to brainwashing you (That was hypothetical, I do not actually know your position on supporting the troops and will never bring it into question). Supporting the troops is just that, support for the troops.​

Did you join the army because you ACTUALLY thought you would be protecting America, or because it was the best option available to you?​

I joined the Army to serve my “God, Country and Family” as I told my mother. It was a calling. I wanted to prove that the war was the right thing to do. I also can go to any college I want to when I get out and I did superbly on the ASVAB (Armer Services Vocational Battery – The test that decides what jobs you qualify for in all branches of the military) to get in to the military with a 99. I had a full ride scholarship to OU that I turned down. ​

I also joined the military as a Republican seeking to serve Bush and be surrounded by Republicans.
Now I am an independent and I am surrounded by realists. I was a fool to believe that President Bush was anything other than a politician. So is president Elect Obama.​

Now I don't support a particular party. I support solely the war effort, my comrades (Brits, Americans and the other supporting countries) and the Iraqi people of which I interact with everyday.​

“Did you join the army because you ACTUALLY thought you would be protecting America, or because it was the best option available to you?”​

Yes. But it's not a belief, we have stopped plots here in Iraq meant to attack Americans on American soil. It's happened a few times actually. The question now is, would those plots have happened if we didn't invade the country.​

I've found the truth I was seeking for out here Mr. Decado. We are doing good things today, protecting the Iraqi people from extreamist organizations that plant IEDs and send suicide bombers into market places day by day. We are building up their country to be a prosperous and safe place to live and work with. But yes, the war was started on lies and decite. ​

I only hope that the world can get over that and judge the war for what it really is today and not by who started it 8 years ago.​

 

[Sergeant_P]

Thanks for taking the time to reply - few points.

I was actually indicating that american and coalition forces have, in the first and second gulf war, killed more iraqi civilians directly or indirectly, than saddam hussein ever managed.

I'd like to see some proof of this. You may be right, you may be wrong, like I said I don't support Bush 1 or 2 any more than is required by my job. Still I find this figure to have been manipulated to fit someone else's view.

Iraq went from having one of the best healthcare systems in the middle east, and a life expectancy or approx 68 in 1988 to having almost no healthcare infrastructure, and an average life expectancy of 53 by 1993 after the first gulf war. Due to the destruction of its economy, and the fact saddam hussein was left in charge after america had been in and "blew shit up" Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi's, especially children, died needlessly.

That's just twisting around a few words. They might have been the top whe compared to other countries the middle east, but everyone in the middle east still bathe in rivers of their own fecies due to lack of proper facilities which they have been doing to thousands of years. They might be the top of the bottom, but they're still and always have been waaaayyyy below the rest of the world.

Everyone refers to Iraq as a land raped by the west. As if there was some golden age that we interrupted. Yet this "golden age" never existed, they've been a 3rd world country as bad as any other since before the modern age.

As far as civilians go, since the end of the invasion, extreamist groups have been killing 20 times more civilians than CF could ever hope to kill. They put little ball bearrings inside of their bombs so that the blast radius devastates anyone within 200+ meters. We find women brainwashed to think that exploding themselves will make up for their mistake of being born female. The list goes on and on...

But like I said, come January, we won't be able to offer our protection to the Iraqi people any longer and all of those AQI/JAM leaders hiding out in Iran will have free reign to reclaim the country and continue their attacks on the Iraqi people unobstructed.

There have been more civilian casualties in the second gulf war than combatants on both sides put together. Women have LESS freedom in Iraq now than they did when saddam hussein was in power.

This is completely false. Women are involved now in politics, art, music. I see their faces, they can laugh sing do whatever they want. All these things would have resulted in a bullet between the eyes if Saddam was still in power.

Civil war and infighting between groups continues to this day (I am sure as a soldier you know of examples of this).

This "Civil War" is merely gang warfare fought between the different extremist groups. JAM members will hold marches to protest some piece of legislation and be attacked by a couple of AQI ied emplace rs and vise versa. It's a smaller version of the bloods and crypt battles involving mostly teenagers trying to get bonus points in their said extremist groups. Sunnis and Shias live in the same neighborhoods right next door to each other and to Christians peacefully. Yet the media calls it a "Civil War" and that's what sticks.

America's presence in Iraq has served to turn it into a training ground for terrorist, and a focal point for disillusioned youths, who can be convinced to fight the american invaders. (Yes, going into a country with armed forced without being attacked makes america the invader)

Al Qaeda has no country lines. Iraq has always been a training ground for terrorists and they have been involved with attacks on American soil numerous times. If you're referring to the 9-11 hijackers, many of them received training and equipment in iraq prior to boarding the planes. They have attacked us on other occasions which I'm sure you're aware of for instance the USS Cole, various Embassy bombings and the original attack on the Twin towers prior to 9-11.​

Al Qaeda attacked us, and we are fighting Al Qaeda. Iraq harbored this group and refused to put a stop to it. So in the intrest of self-preservation, any country harboring Al Qaeda that we attacked would have been quite justified.

Imagine if the people's republic of texas sent people to gas the london subways and instead of taking them out, we said "shove off Britain, we're going to protect this group and not only that, we're going to train, supply and equip this group. Now can you blame GB for not taking our shiit anymore and attacking the US? Honestly now?​

I am glad you said that, since President Bush himself has stated that if you don't support the troops you are unpatriotic. I agree with you very much on this point, that this idea that you *must* support the troops is brainwashing and is machiavellian on the most obtuse scale possible.

I think one is a hypocrite and a jerk if they sit behind your computer screen and bash the troops while they die for the country, but we protect their right to be a hypocrite and a Jerk.​

As for my personal view? Soldiers are, for the majority, young impressionable kids who are used by the US government to enforce its barbaric foreign policies. They are not heroes, and those who believe they are fighting for freedom are not only impressionable, but quite naive and a little bit stupid as well. If someone is a soldier because it's a job that was available to them, I have no issue with that at all. IF they really believe they are a freedom fighting hero, then i would suggest they pull their head out of their ass and smell reality. Same applies to British troops by the way.

I honestly don't think you've met any American troops. And trust me we're in reality. Go talk to a poor oppressed Al Qaeda member and ask him his opinion of the US. He'll cut your head off on live TV. That's reality.​

Since the invasion of Iraq, muslim fuindamentalism has increased around the world. Terrorist attacks have increased around the world. More americans (civilians and soldiers) were killed by terrorists/extremists in the 5 years after the invasion of iraq, than before america's invasion of the middle east.

Total BS. Name one major middle eastern attack on American soil post Iraq invasion.​

Some (the majority i have read about) suspected terrorists, say they acted due to anger at america invading middle eastern countries, and a feeling of helplessness that no one is doing anything about it.

And McDonalds makes me fat because I eat their cheese burgers. Everyone feel sad for the little guy who was forced to do evil because of big bad America.​

America can bomb and kill more iraqi/afghani civilians than Al-Qaeda ever managed to kill americans, but when america does it, it's not terrorism?

Funny how innocent civilians casulaties caused in an effort of national self defense is unjustified as is killing criminals by capital punishment. But babies, on the other hand, should be slaughtered if they pose an inconvenience to the mother. And the left is supposed to be the "compassionate party"....​

 

[Sergeant_P]

And here we go. You Quoted:​

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17211.htm
http://www.yemenpost.net/48/LocalNews/20081.htm

neither of these links has any information on an attack on American soil post 9-11. All it says is "The count - excluding the Arab-Israel conflict - shows the number of deaths due to terrorism rose from 729 to 5,420". All this was "found by a study...". A single study.​

There is nothing about any attacks on American soil. Not one.

The second link says "following a terrorist attack on the embassy's building that killed 17 people, mostly Yemenis".

so a single attack in Yemen that killed a few Americans but mostly Yemenis is being claimed an "increase in terrorist attacks..."

But here's something interesting that I found in that exact same article:

"in the incident implemented by 'Islamic Jihad in Yemen', suspected to be a branch of Al-Qaeda." -http://www.yemenpost.net/48/LocalNews/20081.htm

And another interesting event (pre-9/11)
"The attack (on the USS Cole) was organized and directed by Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terrorist organization.[4][5][6][7] In June 2001, an al-Qaeda recruitment video featuring bin Laden boasted about the attack and encouraged similar attacks.[8][9]"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Cole_bombing

and another (the first world trade center bombing in 93)

"(The imprisoned blind cleric who inspired the 1993 World Trade Center bombing) has strong ties to al Qaeda and is seen as a key theological force behind the terror group. He is an influential figure for Egyptian Islamic Jihad, most of whose members joined al Qaeda. He has been mentioned often by Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri"
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/14/rahman.health/index.html

(yes that was a CNN arcticle)

What's my point? We've been attacked over and over again (and yes even that single embassy bombing that kill more Yemenis than anything) by Al Qaeda.

Will you at least agree to this thus far? Will you agree that we have reason to want to take out Al Qaeda? Do we as a nation have the right to kill the extreamist organizations that threaten to kill us on a daily basis? Or do you actually think that every major media outlet, newspaper story and personal accounts of these attacks were staged to brainwash the world and only single "studies" done by special intrest groups tell the real story?


(I'll get to your other points in a few minutes, don't worry.)​

 

[Sergeant_P]

Again, proof please? ​

Here's three:

Women can speak their minds in public. They can also vote and hold political positions.


Now you tell me ONE thing that they could do in Saddam's regime that they can't do today. Just ONE.​

As far as civilians go, since the end of the invasion, extremist groups have been killing 20 times more civilians than CF could ever hope to kill.

Source please? That sounds like a very arbitrary number, where did you get it from, or was it just one from the top of your head?​

Get on a plane and come down here to Iraq. Everyday ieds are emplaced by AQI and JAM to kill civilians and only civilians. We do not plant IEDs Mr. Decado. We don't use missiles since the invasion ended other than at nighttime when we catch the IED emplacers at work. I don't know if you are aware but there's a curfew for all Iraqis at night time and so there is no collateral damage, no one is on the roads but the emplacers. Today we capture, not kill, our objectives unless they pose a bodily threat to us, our comrades or a local national. They plant the bombs, we try and disarm them. That's the way it works down here.

That is why they kill 20 times as many civilians than we do. They're aiming for them Mr. Decado.​

Um... an american embassy is american soil... How you don't know that is beyond me. Are you sure you are a soldier?

You can't kill a terrorist organisation by giving it propaganda material. Killing iraqi civilans doesn't hurt Al Qaeda, it helps them.

America having military bases in the middle east helps Al Qaeda, it doesn't hinder them.​

Not to mention that Bin Laden and Al Qaeda done the same thing with Russia, and as soon as russia pulled out, the attacks stopped. America sending MORE military forces int othe middle east CLEARLY isn't stopping Al Qaeda - it's encouraging them - a 4 fold increase in terror attacks since the invasion in fact.

So yeah, i do think america should stop helping Al Qaeda. =)​

Patiently waiting for your sources. Valid sources please - not whitehouse statements =) Neutral organisations - Red Cross, Amnesty international etc.

Um... an american embassy is american soil... How you don't know that is beyond me. Are you sure you are a soldier?

No it's someone else's soil that was set aside for our use. If it were American soil, we wouldn't have to abide by the host countrie's rules. You're just being technical with words. We do not own that land, we're just allowed to operate on it.​

America having military bases in the middle east helps Al Qaeda, it doesn't hinder them.

Source? Ah another privetly funded poll by a special interest group. Then ask your special interest group why are all of Al Qaeda leaders in Iran? Wrong facts.​

America sending MORE military forces int othe middle east CLEARLY

No quite to opposite, the surge was removed 9 months ago. More wrong facts.​

Patiently waiting for your sources. Valid sources please - not whitehouse statements =) Neutral organisations - Red Cross, Amnesty international etc.[/

informationclearinghouse is not what anyone would call a "legit" website. Extream is more like it. I quoted from legitimate sources. One government, one news and one collective information. Just because your sources are supporting their own agendas doesn't make them legit.​

 

[Sergeant_P]

I made this topic to let people ask questions to someone who's here, in Iraq. Obviously you have never been to Iraq, plan to go to Iraq nor have any desire to seek out the truth of the matter. You are convinced that everyone is trying to brainwash you with their logic and reason and that only privatly funded polls by special interest groups hold any truth to the situation, and not the majority.

I'm sure you could quote thousands of mis-informed and tweeked results of studies done by people who have never been outside of their own country let alone have any insight to any real world situations. Frankly I don't want to play a lying-with-numbers game with you at this time. It's not based in reality, it's based on name calling.

If you actually have a desire to seek out the truth, you will not find it by listening to two people who "did a study", but rather from listening to all points of view and then deciding for yourself without any preconceptions. Just try and open up you mind a little and you'll be surprised what you can learn.

Now if you want to continue this, please continue it in personal messages.
If you want to have the last word in this thread, then please do so.
After that I'd like to open it back up to my original post.​

 

[Bun]

Something I see here is an immediate bias on the entire concept of this thread, which, honestly, should've been titled "Questions About Iraq Through the Eyes of an American Soldier". America isn't the only country fighting in this war, and there are many people way more qualified and with more insight than you Sergeant_P (no offense). I think the purpose of this thread fails immensely and filters the potential questioning exactly the way the media does. You may say you joined for one reason, spent time over there, experienced things and changed your opinion in some regards, but you're still you. You are still a human being with his own perceptions of the world and that, without intention, establishes preconceived notions about every aspect of this war.

I don't have any questions as it wouldn't matter whether I asked you or the guy you're shooting at, but I do think you made a good point when you said this:

Obviously you have never been to Iraq

Although you probably should've just left it at that, it still raises some interesting questions. To truly get a sense of what the war is like, you need to be over there in the atmosphere, the rush, the ominous feel of death at every corner, and flourishing life at the shopping malls and suburbs where people live peacefully. We rarely see the good sides, we just see the bad (like a car bomb that went off in a quite neighborhood). But we (soldiers and civilians alike) don't see all of it.

Anyway, just thought I'd point that out.

 

[Donald Trump]

May I ask who exactly you are fighting?
Because it's clearly not Al-Qaida, since Saddam's regime was secular and the majority of Iraq is Shia, not Sunni like A-Q is.
It surely isn't pro Saddam loyalists, you must have killed them all by now.
So you must be fighting domestic Iraqi insurgents?
So either they want America, who lets face it have no business and whose previous track record concerning Arabs is incredibly poor, out of their country.
Or you're trying to keep the peace between Sunnis and Shias, which would make it a civil war, so you are interfering in a civil war.
Or do you have more than one opponent?

Also how do you fight the war?
Do you go on patrols, much like the police, or do you go and actively seek out insurgents a la search and destroy?

 

[Sergeant_P]

First off I must give the other countries fighting in this war their dues. America is not the only country fighting any dying in it and I apologize if I ever make it seem that way.​

May I ask who exactly you are fighting?

The majority of our missions are against local JAM extremists (Shia) and AQI fighters (Al Qaeda in Iraq, Sunni's) from Iran. There are also other smaller tribal groups predominantly shia but some sunnis.​

Because it's clearly not Al-Qaida, since Saddam's regime was secular and the majority of Iraq is Shia, not Sunni like A-Q is.

Your right. Most of Saddam's regime formerly in Iraq have been disposed of or fled to Iran. The AQI we find today usually (but not exclusively) comes from Iran.​

It surely isn't pro Saddam loyalists, you must have killed them all by now.

I wish. There's still a good number, mostly leadership) that have fled to other countries but we are still holding evidence in case they return.​

So you must be fighting domestic Iraqi insurgents?

Yes and no, we usually leave the domestic problems to the local IPs.​

So either they want America, who lets face it have no business and whose previous track record concerning Arabs is incredibly poor, out of their country.

We'll see. Like I said in 30 days, our contract will expire and we won't be able to operate in their country. Unless they want to make a new contract. If they don't want us there, then we can't stay there. If we do then we'd be in direct violation of the UN.​

Or you're trying to keep the peace between Sunnis and Shias, which would make it a civil war, so you are interfering in a civil war.

The extremists on both sides attack the general populace on both sides. However The majority of the IEDs they WE find are Iranian made and AQI placed.​

Or do you have more than one opponent?

Yes​

​

Also how do you fight the war?​

​

Personally or as a collective?​

Do you go on patrols, much like the police, or do you go and actively seek out insurgents a la search and destroy?

A little bit of everything. We have patrols, we support the IA on their patrols as well as RCPs (Route clearance packages) that solely sweep for IEDs.​

Conversely, We also have high value top ten lists for every level, Battalion, Brigade all the way through Iraq's top ten. It's more or less like the police force's top ten lists through the FBI's most wanted. We keep evidence on our top ten and all of our other targets that we use to prosecute the individual with before an Iraqi judge.

If we do a raid and capture say 5 people, we only have a certain amount of time that we can legally hold them (in the ballpark of 24-48 hours, I'll get the exact numbers for you) before we have to either let them go or present the judge with evidence and charge them with a crime.

Then there are the humanitarian missions, building schools, helping out the community type things. I don't deal to much with those types of missions.​

 

[Sergeant_P]

I'm curious as to how exactly you know that most of those IEDs were placed by Al Qaeda. Do they leave "Al Qaeda wuz ere" notes?

Yes actually. Sometimes they do take responsibility for their attacks. We also can link the different ied groups by distinguishing characteristics of the remains of IEDs or the entire IED if we can disarm it.​

There's also tips from the commuity and other resources but that gets into the classified side.​

It seems to me that what you are saying is that most of the people in iraq blowing stuff up are only there because YOU are. (i.e the Al-Qaeda operatives) Because they sure as hell weren;t there when saddam was in power... So you're pretty much saying that its the US's fault that iraq is being blown to shit, and you guys KNOW it's your fault, but still think the war is a good thing? Interesting perspective

.

Key words there being "It seems to you".​

 

[Sergeant_P]

Then let me rephrase so you don't avoid the question:

Al Qaeda only arrived in Iraq when the US soldiers did.

You said Al Qaeda are causing most of the destruction.

Therfore most of the destruction is caused by the presense of US soldiers (And thats before we even get into the US's own bombing campaign before the war began -.-)

So technically. it seems to YOU that it's your fault. Yet you still think it's a good idea. Interesting to get into the mind of a soldier, a person who WILLINGLY does and beleives whatever the person above him in a chain of command tells him to.

[/COLOR]​

Al Qaeda was in Iraq before we got here. There are Al Qaeda training camps all throughout Iraq that are now abandoned since we invaded. We capture, killed or drove out the Iraq Al Qaeda which is why these days most of the Al Qaeda we're finding is Iranian sent.

Al Qaeda uses fear tactics such as PIEDs (peopleIEDs), VBIEDs (VehicleIEDs), and kidnappings to name a few in order to gain influence and support for their organization. If we were to pull out then they would continue to use these techniques to gain support because Iraqis don't like them blowing up their neighbors.

Speaking of which, Iraq recently signed the charter with CF to allow us to continue to operate in Iraq after Jan 1st.

As far as your belief that we all have no minds of our own because we will do whatever we're told like good puppies... This is only your belief to compensate for the fact that you've never been around the military and you've no idea how the military works nor have you any desire to find out. It's much easier to guess at the mind of a soldier from behind a computer screen than to actually spend the time to sit down and talk with one.
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