It was not the men who started the war: Not Dick Cheney, Don Rumsfeld, Colin Powell or George W. Bush, who I saw in the streets of Baghdad. It was United States Army soldiers. Privates, PFC’s, Sergeants and a few Lieutenants who were out in the streets of the city, guarding the street corners, trying to create order, arguing with the citizens of the city, trying to explain why the Americans were there.
These are the men and women—boys and girls mostly—who fight wars. The same young faces I remembered from Vietnam. The same young faces, often scared and confused, of soldiers doing the grunt work in any war for any country. These are the pawns that do the dirty work that the leaders would never think of doing themselves. The soldiers who come home damaged from the war, psychologically, or deaf or blind, missing limbs, or in body bags.
Standing with some of our troops occupying one of Saddam's palaces brought back feelings of another war for me. It was eerie. It was as if I could call out the names of my buddies in Nam and these guys would turn around smiling.
Posted by Tony at April 20, 2004 07:57 PMTony,
Namaste, what a wonderful word. Signs of greetings to deter automatic battle - whoops, we are past that in Iraq thanks to George Bush's LIES. What are the signs of PEACE? Bush's declaration of war's end didn't work. Thanks, jillian.
Which brings up your second picture, Tony, of the Iraqi and American soldiers talking in the ancient streets of Baghdad. This is where the war is going to be won.
Which war?
1) Terrorist --- The rich versus the poor. (secret ploy set up to give America an excuse for war)
2) Terrorist --- Civilized people versus disenfranchised screams of attention and justice for those who take actions of ‘attention getting’ which are criminal. (Israel)
3) Crusade --- Christians converting all of Islam. (Born-again Christians or Neocons)
4) Moslem Democracy --- Extending Western Civilization to match China’s numbers of people. (Western Civilization - Europe, Russia, Japan included)
5) Oil --- Middle East Oil Control holding the rest of the World hostage to energy and drugs. (a few rich taking advantage of everyone)
A blogger in Baghdad, Iraq (Riverbend) said it best: “I wish they would take the oil and leave.”
Posted by: LonghairSteve on April 27, 2004 01:01 PM |
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