| Aughtry Cooper's Sitrep on Iraq and Similarities to Nam____________
| 
Vehicle burns in Sadr City(AFP/File/Ali Al-Saadi) | You might ask: What has changed since this article was written in August 2004?
Well, Sadr City has changed somewhat: The Cleric Al Sadr backed down; American soldiers can now patrol the streets; Construction projects are on-going; Soldiers are handing out pencils and candy to children; There are fewer car bombings and very few soldiers have been killed in the city.
But there are still problems.
Sadr City is still a slum, Al Sadr is still handing out vigilante justice to his opponents(things like drinking alcohol or not growing a beard are also grounds for punishment.); Children still throw rocks as military vehicles pull away while soldiers keeping watch wear protective gear.
Through out other parts of Iraq our soldiers are still being killed-1 a day, 4 a day, 5 a day, 23 a day; There are still car bombings and kidnappings.
Will violence stop with agreement on a Constitution? I doubt it, but I do hope for the best. Will things be better for the average citizen? Will women have equal rights? Will there be freedom of religion? Right now there is disagreement over how much Islamic language is in the Constitution. Does this tell you anything?
The similarities between Iraq and Nam still hold true, in my opinion. Take a look at the original article below:
If one were to follow the trajectory of the Vietnam war and the various reiterations we went through: 1) Be home by Christmas, 2) Move toward Vietnamization-Encourage the South Vietnamese to take more responsibility for the war for eventual takeover of the military operations 3) Win the hearts and minds of the people 4) Bury more of our soldiers-suddenly Iraq and Vietnam are overlays. What a way to fight a war!
The biggest slum in Iraq is called Sadr City, which is not a city, a slum, literally owned by Muqtada al-Sadr, a religious leader who has more or less made most of Iraq somewhat of a no go zone. The next thing we know, Americans will petition their leaders to remain behind the Green Zone because of the dangers outside.
The worst kind of war imaginable is an urban guerilla war. And, when you are fighting terrorists, it is no holds barred. Unfortunately, we are beginning to appear to be handcuffed.
Foreigners are still being beheaded, kidnappings are a common thing, massive car bombing are still the order of the day, firefights are happening, Al Sadr's forces are still taking the battle to the Americans and Fallujah remains a safe haven for insurgents and an outright hornet's nest of terrorist recruiting and training.
I don't know the answer, but I do know two things: This is a hell of a way to fight a war; and, secondly, we're not winning this thing. When you are getting beat up, you have to figure out a way to get the hell out or come up with another strategy to come back to fight another day. 7-23-04
|
Sincere Person Easily Becomes a Pawn
| 
Sheehan hugged by Father Barrios REUTERS/Jason Reed | The Vacaville, CA woman, Cindy Sheehan, who is "making hay" wanting to talk to the President will probably become a pawn. Her campaign started out as grief over the loss of a son in Iraq.
Now, of course, she has become the darling of the anti-war ideologues. And, in the media circus, probably her message will be lost. Already some communications companies have arrived to coordinate her media efforts. Give me a break! Here's is a simple message: "Mr. President, I want to tell you face to face how much this hurts. How many more of our loved ones need to die in this senseless war?"
Her Son Is Dead
What can not be denied is that her son is dead. However she wants to display her grief ought not to be condemned but accepted. I mean, come on, the women has lost her son and the President is on a three week vacation.
I read where some guy who lost a son said, "I'm not even sure I have an opinion on the war yet, but I know what it's like to lose a child." Now, that's empathy. Another guy donated $4,000 to her and is paying for her meals. Who knows what their motives are, but I think I understand: When you are in grief, you want to do something.
She said on NPR that she wants an explanation from the President on the War. Somewhat ambiguous, to say the least: What can he say? Well, here's about it for the President, "You're in good company Ms. Sheehan, 23 Marines killed in one week, 5 more U.S. soldiers this week, 7 Pennsylvania National Guardsmen killed in 4 days. All total, more than 1850 soldiers killed. So, don't feel so bad. Your son has died for a noble cause."
For those of us who are middle of the road types, it is not that the soldier's cause is not noble, it is that the cause has been mismanaged. Ambiguous. Impossible. No exit time frame and no over all strategy other than hoping it is going to be OK.
Politics Screw Up Most Good Motives
I don't doubt Ms.Sheehan's motives in the beginning, but they can go to hell in a hand basket fast when politics get involved. The right, the left: the red, the blue- they all have a position and lost in translation is a grieving mother. She becomes lost herself. Sad.
I think my buddy from Vietnam said it best, "Sheehan's son and all the others may have died in vain, but they lived in honor." As far as this mother is concerned, my heart is broken for her as all the others from Iraq as it just gets worse. When you have an ideology like O'Reilly or Drudge or Michael Moore, it really doesn't make any difference other than their desire to promote themselves and their views. Their motives are always suspect.
We Need An Exit Stragedy
Any thinking person doesn't doubt that the President and most Americans empathize with Ms. Sheehan or anyone who has lost a son. What we have an obligation to do is figure out how to bring our conventional troops home as quickly as possible and learn lessons from what we've done. We didn't learn from Vietnam; so maybe, for future generations, we can learn from this debacle. God bless in particular all those who grieve over this war.
Kelly Thomas
|
|
AP/The Vacaville Reporter, Roach/file | |
Grief is a title wave that overtakes you, smashes down upon you with unimaginable force, sweeps you up into its darkness, where you tumble and crash against unidentifiable surfaces only to be thrown out on an unknown beach, bruised, reshaped.
Grief makes what others think of you moot. It shears away the masks of normal life and forces brutal honestly out of your mouth before propriety can stop you. It shoves away friends and scares away so called friends, and rewrites your address book for you.
Stephanie Ericcson, Compassion through the Darkness.
| |
“The Sheehan Family lost our beloved Casey in the Iraq War and we have been silently, respectfully grieving. We do not agree with the political motivations and publicity tactics of Cindy Sheehan.
She now appears to be promoting her own personal agenda and notoriety at the expense of her son’s good name and reputation.
The rest of the Sheehan Family supports the troops, our country, and our President, silently, with prayer and respect.”
Casey Sheehan’s grandparents, aunts, uncles and numerous cousins.” - Casey Sheehan's paternal family
Cindy Sheehan's response:
"We have always been on separate sides of the fence politically and I have not spoken to them since the elections when they supported the man who is responsible for Casey's death."... "The thing that matters to me is that my family: Casey's dad and my other three kids are on the same side of the fence that I am." She also noted that she and husband were separated and dealing with their grief differently.
Note : Sheehan's husband filed for divorce August 12.
What can't be denied is that Ms. Sheehan's son is dead. What the President really ought to do is if he wants to get her out of Crawford is get the Swiftboat Vets after her. Those guys know how to accomplish a mission. KT
| |
|
