a little more than my two cents...

I am increasingly becoming interested in hearing about the war in Iraq from the perspective of both Iraqis and Americans - whether journalists or soldiers - who are actually in Iraq. I distrust the popular media and journalism on the front pages which seems so detached. I don't just want the facts, I want the opinions of those in Iraq. Do the Iraqis support the American occupation? Do the soldiers believe in their mission/support their commander-in-chief? Truly, I think it doesn't necessarily matter what I say. I can fill my mouth and head with lots of ideas and passionate feelings and such, but what if they're just ideas? I'm not living out the war, the reality of bombings in my city on a daily basis, with such close proximity to myriad threats, including death. I don't want to just espouse ideas that have no founding in truth or reality or have a distorted view of what is The Good.

That said, I am aware that not even every solider or every Iraqi will feel the same about the U.S. occupation, or the war, or even would support the removal of Saddam from power, as seen here. Not to mention, some people in Baghdad (Sunnis) may be particularly hostile, seeing as how they have gone from a thriving lifestyle thanks to Saddam, to one where electricity goes out, running water is sporadic, and other such realities of wartime... this situtation I think is the result of the anti-American feeling behind this blog.

There are several noteworthy journalists chronicling the lives of soldiers and Iraqis alike. One, Stephen Vincent, was recently killed. You can still read his articles and postings here.

Another journalist I got hooked reading, who records on both paper and film real instances of urban fighting and reconnaissance in Iraq is Michael Yon. He recently has been following one LTC Kurilla, and details a really interesting string of events in the streets of Baghdad here.

This same site, and this same Kurilla, is made mention of on The Fourth Rail, a site I found thanks to another great blog maintained by two Iraqi brothers, 24 and 35 years old, who live in Baghdad - their site is called Iraq the Model, so check it out.

But the group of well educated gentlemen who write for The Fourth Rail site made this comment about Kurilla:
"Kurilla represents the engaged commander: drinking tea in the homes of the people on his watch, working hand in hand with the nascent police and security forces, and showing the best of the Western Heroic Ethic in the streets." - quote from The Fourth Rail
Check out their site, and the article this quote came from about how to define victory (esp. in relation to what is happening in Iraq... are we being successful?) After reading Michael Yon's log of Kurilla getting shot, and reading a lot of the history about this guy, I have come to the conclusion that he is one of the few who is a true warrior, and I use the word warrior in the best sense of the word: brave, courageous, daring, compassionate, who truly will root out the evil personally and would willingly lay down his life for his fellow men, American and Iraqi alike.

(side note: "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends..." - John 15:13)

I also realize there are many people who are true warriors and heroes on the battlefront. I think of many of my friends from The Naval Academy in Annapolis, who attended a school so externally and formally unlike my college choice of St. John's across the street. And yet I truly admire them for their commitment, discipline, and selflessness. Sure, I met a few who were arrogant, pretentious. Unavoidable naturally. Several who disdained the St. John's education and way of being. However, I feel closer to the situation in Iraq by talking to people who know that they may very well be going to Iraq themselves shortly, once they have mastered flight school and training and all.

While I was in Pensacola visiting Laura Moore ('04) I enjoyed having snippets of conversations with 2ndLts Michael and Chris. Chris made an interesting comment. He said that of all the military academies, the Naval Academy is the most liberal... and even then, the Naval Academy is roughly 85% Republican. He strongly thought that most Americans don't really care about the soldiers, and cited Ms Sheehan, mother of a fallen soldier, as an example. He thought her son would be appalled by his mother's crusade. Any soldier would be appalled to have their sacrifice, their service, which was 100% voluntary to begin with, be degraded by opposing the purpose to which they entered the service in the first place... I can understand grief, but you do a disservice to your loved one's legacy by seeing their death as meaningless or unnecessary... they - the soldiers, the fallen soldiers - knew the risks, knew the sacrifice that might be demanded, knew who their commander-in-chief was and willingly put themselves under their commander-in-chief's direction.

I think freedom is necessary. I wish war were not.

Even though, again, not all servicemen would agree with these thoughts of mine or a fellow enlisted man like Chris or Michael, I am inclined at least to trust their voices over the media's and any other war-opposing, Bush-opposing individuals who have valid points but are sadly drastically more detached, as I am, than those who live the life of a soldier, albeit a soldier in training...

Other worthy mentions to check out:

The Messopotamian written by a dentist in Baghdad. He has interesting ideas.

Or Major K, a National Guardsman/Reservist training the Iraqi army, whose site I have only read a little from after finding it via Iraq The Model