Saturday, August 13, 2005

Lessons Learned

What a place Iraq is. You go to bed to the sound of .50 caliber machine gun fire and wake up to 120 degree F (or hotter) temperatures. You get bombed and shot at and you carry a gun and body armor. You get to shoot and kill people too.

In Iraq I found out many things. I learned what pieces of glistening bone look like when they are still fresh. I found out what the inside of a brain looks like, and how much blood leaks out of dead human beings. There are other things too that I have learned over here, like what Depleted Uranium rounds look like and what a person smells like when they have burned to death. I learned a lot about death here, like all the different ways bullets can rip through a person and turn them into so much meat.

One lesson that I still remember like it was yesterday was what a dead child looks like when they have been shot in the head.

I learned that you can cry until tears won't come anymore and I learned what poverty really is. I also found out here in Iraq that I know how to make people die, and I learned what true desperation is.

You won't find these lessons in the school house. Most people won't even learn these things through life experiences. I wonder if they count for anything? I wish that I learned these lessons so that my son and daughter would never have to, but my father hoped for that same thing back in Vietnam and my grandfather had similar wishes while serving in World War II.

These lessons and more I learned in Iraq. A fellow soldier told me the other day, "show me a terrorist nowadays that we didn't help create here in Iraq." Perhaps you think we are making lives better here? Maybe you haven't seen the same things I have.

Welcome to the Iraq School of Hard Knocks where you can learn a lesson in futility. All these lessons I have learned... I just haven't learned how to stop the nightmares.

56 comments:

Anonymous said...

Stay strong Zach...and keep talking...keep talking until everyone listens. We need to hear what you have to say....maybe it will be different for the little ones...maybe we will learn from this war.

Anonymous said...

talk doesn't cook rice.

zach can talk and write his grade b poetry till the cows come home, his actions betray his real intentions.

yes stay safe sarge zach.

p.s. real cute how you talk of killing people. what if they gave a war and nobody came?

Terrible said...

Zack, that's some heavy shit you just layed down but it definitly needs to be told. I suppose there will be all kinds of Bush supporters calling you all kinds of names over this post. But know that those of us who see the deceit and greed of the administration care very deeply about our troops and hate seeing them used and abused as they have been. Nothing can take away the horrors that you have been a part of but working together hopefully America will someday heal from this misadventure. And if the administration ever gives up it's plans for ruling Iraqs oil fields maybe someday Iraq can heal too.

On another sad note the VA is trying to save some money by reviewing disability benefits for PTSD. They're going to see if they can cancel some claims that may have been granted that shouldn't have been. Fair enough, but they aren't going to review if there were claims denied that should have been granted. Things haven't changed much about how the government uses the military since I was in 25 years ago.

Be stong, stay safe and tread lightly.

Cathie said...

trying to look at the positive (it's quite difficult to find anything), there is some good that can come out of this. see, you know the horrors and can come back and do something to try to prevent them from happening. you will never sit on your couch waving your flag supporting the atrocities of an adminstration like this. people who sit back and call you names and write you nasty messages will never do anything to fix the problems of the world, because they are too busy watching their reality television to know that a real reality exists, that of the horrific aspects of human nature. zach, you are better than them, because you have been able to overcome your hatred for "targets" and to see them as people. you've come to see that war is a human struggle, and you see the moral aspects of it. that is so much better than blind hatred for an "enemy."

hypocrite you are not. you're just trying to survive. are you supposed to sit back and let those monsters take you? you've just been cursed with a brain that can think on its own and with a soul that is morally conscious of humanity.

that is the tragedy we call life. it sucks, but it can also be joyous and beautiful. one day, zach, yours will be, too. hang in there. you too, hurria, hang in there. no war has lasted forever.

Anonymous said...

Things MY husband has learned in this combat.
-never take anything for granted
-cherish and appreciate every moment
-just when you think you can't go any further, you find the strength to go another mile
-not everyone agrees with your opinions, and that's ok
-do your job well, even if you dislike it
-if you really dislike it, make a change when you can

I'm not saying that Zach hasn't learned these things. But what I am saying is that my husband learned the greatest lesson of all. Things can always be worse, so look in the bright side of things. (and yes, there always is one)
Stay safe Zach, hurry home, and bring home those you work with. Keep your Head down and your Heart up.

Anonymous said...

Times are tough for all in Iraq (especially Iraqis who don't have a 6 month exit in sight). But at least you can all feel proud that your suffering is not completely in vain: Blood and gravy.

Peace and safety to all in Iraq.

Taff

Cathie said...

The whole world will suffer from the effects of the bush administration. It is up to people like me (and Zach, when he is finally allowed to go home) to fix these things, I think. I am ashamed of my country right now, but there is still enough good in it to begin the painful healing process. We'll make it right someday, maybe not in our lifetimes, but it's worth trying.

Anonymous said...

For Hurria,

It must be nice to be so morally pure and uncorrupted that you can throw stone after stone at those on the front lines. Just out of curiosity, do you live in the US and pay the taxes that go to support the army? Do you have privileges that come to people who live in first world countries which are based on the actions of a standing army? Before you go calling others out, I hope you've made sure that your own house is clean.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous: Obviously you haven't read previous posts. Hurria is an Iraqi civilian, living in Baghdad. Whether she's "right" or not, she has more right to 'throw stones' than just about anyone else here.

Anonymous said...

Your post has made me so sad, Zach. I'm so sorry you've been sent to the "Iraq School of Hard Knocks." I wish you'd never had to learn these "lessons," though I cringe to use that word since they seem less about learning than about hardening. No one should have to experience such things, the Iraqis or soldiers like you. We'll work toward peace, Zach, so we can wake up from these nightmares.

You're in my thoughts, friend. Stay safe. Take care.

Peace --

Anonymous said...

Hurria,

With all due respect, what do you think can be done to help end this deadly situation in Iraq? How to stop the insurgency? Should the Americans just leave?

Anonymous said...

Here's an account of the "lesson" learned by one Iraqi family: How Can the US Ever Win, When Iraqi Children Die like This? by Robert Fisk of The Independent (UK).

Taff

Anonymous said...

Hurria, I apologize, I did not mean no respect by the comment "with all due respect". In sincerity only.

Would you have rather had the US not invaded at all? Perhaps the Iraqi people would have been better off with Saddam posing a world wide threat?

Joe

Anonymous said...

How many more have to die for a lie???? Who wants to be the last to die for a lie??? Any takers??? We need to get out and get out NOW.

-roamer in mich

Anonymous said...

Zach,

You rock me.

Stay true; stay safe.

p.

Anonymous said...

Hurria: Saddam DID have plenty of palaces, though. Many of which had big, impressive chairs in them that could easily be mistaken for thrones. I'm just sayin'. :-)

Anonymous said...

I have been reading this blog for some time, but this is the first time I have commented. As an American reading this blog from the comfort of my living room, the first few times I read Hurria's posts, I immediately felt defensive. I started anticipating that I would automatically dislike what she wrote before she even posted.

Then I began thinking about how I would feel if I were in her shoes. I think I would probably feel much as she does. I suspect my reaction would probably be much less civil than going on an Internet blog started by a solider of the invading army and trying to convince people of my opinion.

Whether you agree with Hurria or not, her views and insights are genuine, valuable, and while they are probably very common in Iraq, they are unique to most American readers. I think we are lucky to have her here.

Hurria, thank you for taking the time to try and educate some of us. I apolgize for the actions of my government, and for the ignorance and greed that allowed this war to begin at all. However, I would like to hear your suggestions for possible solutions to the current state of affairs.

Kind regards,

J. Cole
Dallas Texas

Anonymous said...

In terms of solution (from my perspective here in the U.S.)
- Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice should acknowledge that the U.S. government initated this war based upon false premises (i.e. lies). There were no weapons of mass destruction. There were no tactical links between Saddam and Al-Qaida. (If anything, the links between the U.S. governmenta and Al-Qaida were far stronger; Reagan was a staunch supporter of Bin-Laden and he pressured King Fahd to finance Al-Qaida. The U.S. should also apologize for its past support of Saddam Hussein.)
- BushCo and Congress should pass a bill that makes clear no permanent bases will be maintained in Iraq (of course construction is right now already underway) and that all troops will withdraw in several stages -- beginning immediately with troops withdrawing to the major bases established outside of cities. A date certain should be set for all withdrawal of foreign troops including the 25,000 or so mercenaries. (Even older Iraqi polls show strong support for U.S. withdrawal. The percentages continue to rise. January 2005: 82 percent of Sunni Arabs and 69 percent of Shiites favor US withdrawal either immediately or after an elected government is in place. (Zogby - http://www.comw.org/pda/0501br17append.html)
- Violations of the Geneva Conventions (Falluja destruction, Abu-Graib, killing of over 9,000 civilians since Bush declared victory - the actual count may be far higher) are acknowledged. The U.S. government issues formal apologies to Iraqis.
- Reparation $ (perhaps the equivalent of what the U.S. would have spent on the military for the next two years (were talking 100 or 200 billion dollars) will be paid. (This should be administered by a third party -- not the U.S.)
- That's it. The very presence of the U.S. fuels armed resistance. Withdrawal will mean an end to much of the violence. The U.S. has fostered sectarian enmity and the threat of identity politics. Withdrawal may reduce (rather than increase) the threat of civil war.

Also, folks should keep in mind the enormous death toll of this war (based upon lies).

Hurria and other Iraqis who may be reading. There is no way as an individual I can adequately apologize for the criminal actions of my government, but please know that I will continue to protest this occupation and speak out against the warlike, imperial, and lethal policies of the U.S. government.

Sept. 24 is the date of a mass protest of the war to be held in Washington D.C. and (I believe) a call to impeach Bush. People might want to mark this in their calendars and join the protest. I plan on being there.

- Stephan

Cathie said...

Here is what Texans and the American right think of the memory of dead soldiers: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thenewswire/archive/2005/08/pickup-truck-runs-over-cr_5733.html

Zach HAS risked a lot to try to make people understand what is happening there. One thing you have to understand is that most soldiers don't join the Army because they want to go to war. In addition to wanting to DEFEND your country, there are so many incentives for joining- getting college paid for is just one of many. I joined to pay back my student loans, and I joined at a time when Clinton was President and the thought of occupying foreign countries was far from my mind, indeed, it seemed like the whole world had grown tired of war and that peace was possible. It was naive idealism, I know, but I was fresh out of college and not sure what I wanted to do with my life. Now I have learned that I was wrong and that there are some people who actually like war because they profit from it or they have no moral conscience. I am so glad that I got out and I never had to fire a shot at anyone.

You are right, Hurria and Stephan, that it is time to come up with solutions. We can all sit in front of our computers in all parts of the globe and bicker, but more Iraqis and Americans will die in the meantime. My organization is trying to help Iraqis rebuild the private sector in the country, but our resources are limited. Not that there isn't money earmarked for Iraq, it's just that most of it goes to Bush-friendly corporations. So, on my side, I can take a stand against this practice and work with Congress to try to put more oversight into spending. I can also help my organization to raise more money to send to nascent Iraqi private sector organizations for training programs and computer equipment. I'm trying, really, I am. I tried by working on campaigns to get Bush out, but I failed, we all failed. However, I can still do something, and I am. Zach is doing something, too, just by getting his voice out there, and though Hurria, you don't distinguish between soldiers like Zach and others who use terms like Hajji or whatever the derogatory term is and who want to destroy some "targets", there is a huge difference. Morally conscious soldiers give us confidence that our troops are good people who are in a really bad situation and hope that someday all will heal.

I know no number of words will ever be able to fix things, but words make up dialogue, and dialogue makes up negotiations, and negotiations make up ceasefires, and ceasefires make up ends of wars.

Here's to the idea of peace.

Anonymous said...

Daedalus said...
"I joined at a time when Clinton was President and the thought of occupying foreign countries was far from my mind, indeed, it seemed like the whole world had grown tired of war and that peace was possible."
Bosnia, Kosovo, Haiti, Mogadishu, These never crossed your mind?
It is always the same no matter who is in office. Democrats trying to use the Military as Goodwill Humanitarian workers, Or Republicans trying to force everyone to behave.
And nothing will change because of anything we say here. It will be over when its over.

Anonymous said...

hurria, please could you comment on these emotional americans? thank you.

f

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/michael-smerconish/the-consoling-president_5757.html

Anonymous said...

What do you think about this:

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewSpecialReports.asp?Page=\SpecialReports\archive\200508\SPE20050817a.html

Anyone???

Anonymous said...

UN Paying for Palestinian Propaganda?

(CNSNews.com) - A Republican lawmaker is troubled by a New York Times report saying that Palestinian militants in Gaza are using U.N. funds to create banners emblazoned with anti-Israel propaganda. The New York Times reported on Aug. 15 that the Fatah (the Palestinian National Liberation Movement founded by Yasser Arafat) hung banners in Gaza City reading, "Gaza Today, the West Bank and Jerusalem Tomorrow." A disclaimer at the bottom of the banner said it had been paid for by the United Nations Development Program. Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) called the situation unacceptable because it looks like the U.N. is funding groups dedicated to the destruction of Israel -- "demonstrating, once again, its long-time anti-Israel bias," he said. "Either the U.N. has been derelict in its oversight of how aid funds are used and to whom they flow, or it is fair to assume U.N. complicity with a radical anti-Israel group." Cantor said the American people will not stand for their taxpayer dollars being used to support terrorists: "They deserve to know how the U.N. allowed such funds to be used for such scurrilous purposes."

Anonymous said...

Thank you Hurria,

Your points extend and deepen my awareness of the situation. Particularly key is withdrawal in order to stop the violent acts by American and other occupation forces. As you remind us, it is not only the American presence that provokes resistance, but American soldiers, mercenaries, and other occupation forces who themselves have killed and injured many many Iraqi civilians. Some of these acts appear to be done by soldiers who are out of their depth and react blindly - the recent strafing of Iraqi workers is perhaps a case in point. Other acts such as the destruction of Falluja are intentional, and to my view, clearly criminal -not just by the soldiers involved - but on the part of an occupying power and its leadership (including Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, and others).

Cindy Sheehan has begun to raise American consciousness about the illegal, futile, and deadly nature of this war and occupation. I think a critical part of the dialogue (such as it is here in the states) is in getting people to understand that withdrawal means saving lives (both Iraqi and American) and allows for the possibility of an Iraqi government that does represent Iraqis (as opposed to being beholden to, supported by, and serving American oil, economic, and military interests).

- Stephan

Anonymous said...

Anonyloser: "Christian News" is generally considered to be somewhere between Faux News and Geraldo, in terms of legitimacy. Try posting a link to a _real_ news provider.

-Mike Crichton

Anonymous said...

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewSpecialReports.asp?Page=\SpecialReports\archive\200508\SPE20050817a.html

this sounds very much like any normal run of the mill boy scout jamboree, in almost any country in the world.

start em young, keep em hungry, sleep deprived, away from family. when they're older pump 'em full of vacinations "necessary for deployment", really keep em sleep deprived. and feed em bad food. teach them how to "survive" as they learn to kill.

they've watched how many thousands of hours of tv and movies where death is red puffs on the chest and nothing more. zap, next show.

tell em to shoot. you gots you an instant army. the twin tours is a theatre farce played out on the american nascar public. and they really bought it.

americans can say whatever they want about abu grahib and fallujah and elsewhere but the decisions come right from the top. of the pentagon, of the white house, of the congress and government. and they've been working for years to get it as part of their culture. and it started along time ago. i was active duty us army in 83, fort jackson. they had us singing the c-130 moving down the strip song, where we be gonna be killin raghaids, sand niggers, A-raabs. (usa niggers trainging to kill sand niggers. rich, no?) it was 1983. gooks were before. anyone who was in us military will tell you it was like that. yes, there were good times and comaraderie and teamwork, but it was about killling. ragheads.

when daddy butch declared the national sanctity of (white american) human life day in spring 1991, i filed CO, so sargeant i know a bit about CO. in the meantime it took 'em 6 months, almost to the day, to get the numbskull american public to go to the daddy butch war. the cognitive dissonance was too much for me. and i worked as a cog for the evil machine in a hospital. imagine what those poor suckers now are livin through in iraq. it is pathetic behavior from a civilization who considers itself (or once considered itself) the model of the planet.

hurria, i had an idea. what IF? 1- iraq and iran and the saudi's guarantee the gas guzzlers in usa they'll have every last drop of petroleum in their soil till its gone, agree on the price and paymet terms etc. with guarnatees and safeguards for everyone. and 2- iraqis set the price for reparations.

first condition is1 they take they're weapons and DU garbage back home to wyoming ar wherever they're dumping it. and 2 usa promises the world community it wont mysteriouly sink or lose teh shipment en route to a surprise "terrorist attack" while its enroute.

in turn usa has to promise to keep their big dang warfare noses out of asia and europe. stay home, pick on the amer-indians again if they need an outlet for the military hormones. use limited nuclear weapons on the black hills, or detroit. they'll save on the shipment of supplies and troops and long tours away from home. they can keep their stuff at home and blow up the san fernando valley. or cleveland. then reconstruct those places. they leave iraq for the iraqis.

could you as an iraqi live with that?

but what can one expect from a country with songs like BUBBA SHOT THE JUKEBOX, "said it was justifiable homicide".

peace and safety to you, hurria and zach and snag and kristin and all the other wingnut anonymous people like me.

Anonymous said...

Baghdad body count (by Robert Fisk of the UK "Independent")

Hurria - you probably know this already.

Everybody else - it might help you to see what is going on in Iraq right now.

Peace.

taff

Anonymous said...

I know that an increasing number of Americans are against this war. But why are there so few of them on the streets protesting? Is it because, contrarily to what happened during the Vietnam war, there is no draft? Some people are pressing Hurria to tell us what she is doing for Iraq, but why don't they ask Americans what they are doing to get the US forces out of Iraq? Don't you think that a few million Americans demonstrating against the war could contribute to a quicker end to the fighting?

The Seriously Ill said...

Zack,
Another blogger friend of mine led me to your site. I was at first put back when I read "You get to shoot and kill people too." Actually, I was horrified, then I read the entire post and I understood the horror that you experience when you "must shoot and kill people."

I am lucky that in my 16 years in the service, I only experienced "low intensity warfare" in the Amazon jungle of Colombia. It was a cakewalk compared to what I am sure you are experiencing. But I still have nightmares of the terror of gunshots in the night and attempted breaches of the perimeter. We only had one casualty and that was a fragging incident between a Colombian conscript and his officer. As I said, it was a cake-walk.

I am so impressed by your thoughtfulness and insight. It is thinking men like you who make me proud to be a veteran. Yes I support all the troops. I don't have to support a war that will kill thousands more to suppport the troops.

If you haven't yet, you should get a copy of
On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society
by LTC Dave Grossman, a retired Army psychologist. I wrote a paper on the ethics of killing in law school and used this book as the basis of my paper.

Once again, thank you for all you do.

Anonymous said...

"Hurria said...

There were no death squads roaming the city before the U.S. soldiers blasted their way into the country"

Iraqs Death Squad didn't have to roamed the streets, they owned them!

Anonymous said...

Mike Cry-A-Thon...

Why are you so ignorant?....
Maybe its because you don't actualy READ!

Its the "Cybercast News Service"

Which you would have known if you would have READ and not ASSumed!

Anonymous said...

Excellent writing style. As an awakening writer and perhaps future blogger, I am very impressed. Regardless of whether someone agrees with your politics, it would be very hard to question your ability to write (putting thoughts on "paper" for all to see).

My prayers go out to you. I never thought we should be over there in the first place, but that was not a popular opinion when King George II made his case for invasion. Now suddenly other Americans have decided it was a mistake too. The American people seem to me like sheep, they follow whoever bleats the loudest (few still think for themselves), and when the tough gets going they get to whining.

Anonymous said...

Anonyloser: You're not very bright, so I'll forgive you for misunderstanding. I was referring to the fact that that website has a very clear and obvious "Conservative Christian" bias.

Hurria: The Kurds _want_ their own country, though, and many of them do not consider themselves to be Iraqis at all.

Anonymous said...

Having started reading milblogs within the last month I find this one is in the minority. Having read many blogs from people claiming to be from Iraq I find
hurria's opions to be a minority. Guess it's true birds of a feather stick togather.

Have fun Bush bashing. The MSM will love you for it.

Anonymous said...

Right On The Mark, Tom!

Stick around and pluck a few feathers.

Anonymous said...

Hi Tom, What other blogs would those be? From what I have read of Iraqi views, Hurria is firmly in the majority. I have also found that the majority of US soldiers who have served in Iraq have views similar to Sgt. Zach's.

Why is it that whenever anyone questions Bush or Cheney or Rumsfeld, suddenly it's "Bush Bashing"? Sometimes it seems if Bush said the sky was green, there is a small but very vocal cadre of Bush supporters who would go around denouncing anyone who had the gall to say it was still blue...

As surely as the sky is blue, this war was a terrible mistake.

If Hitler had held back from invading Russia in 1941, he probably could have held onto France, and possibly even defeated England. Instead, the Germans opened up a two-front war that exhausted all of their military resources within 4 years and they were defeated.

The US is now fighting in both Afghanistan and Iraq, and we can't afford it. The Iraq invasion was a mistake.

I support the troops, not the Carlisle Group, Haliburton, or Exxon/Mobil. The trouble is, the people running those companies seem to think that what is good for them is good for America. They have all done very well for themselves during the past four years. Unfortunately, the same is not true of all Americans. Just ask Cindy Sheehan.

Please direct me to some other Iraqi bloggers whose opinions differ significantly from Hurria's.

Anonymous said...

You know the answer, you just don't like it. Not that anyone likes war, but we started this and now we must see it through. To what end? Well that is the $64 question, as many have, and will continue to point out. This constant criticism does not help any. Imagine yourself taking a road trip with the kids, and they are constantly asking, "are we there yet?" now consider that you may not be sure of were you are going, or may even be lost. Do you still think that the constant nagging will help any? If so you can take my kids along on your next road trip.

But then we are all adults here, and you might say that you should know where you are going and plan accordingly. But then again how many of us can say that we have never gotten lost? We all know that the situation is different in Iraq and the stakes are much higher. Of course we should ask questions, but do we really want to constantly nag? Some will say yes, because it benefits them in the next election. Is it really good for America though? Ask some VietNam Vets what they think of leaving things unfinished, or one of the survivors of pol pot's "Re-Education" camps.

Or should we just stop the car and walk? The answers Are forthcoming. Whether we stop & ask for directions or not, we usually make it to our destination.

Anonymous said...

Hurria,

The Messopotamian who doesn't believe your rhetoric of Doom & Gloom. or your claims that we should be getting out now.

Hammorabi knows there is in fact a flow of insurgents into Iraq. Maybe you want us to get out to make room for them?

Anonymous said...

Are you saying the man featured in the video is truly not a terrorist?

Wow, Imagine that another right wing organization. If you read the testimonial quotes form users like:

- January 2, 2004, Max Boot, The Weekly Standard & Los Angeles Times, "With Friends Like These…"
- January 28, 2004, Brit Hume, FOX News Channel
- February 26, 2004, Josef Joffe, Chief Editor of Die Zeit (Germany)
- March 11, 2004, Natan Sharansky, Israel's Minister for Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs, Minister without Portfolio
- March 16, 2004, Herbert I. London, President of the Hudson Institute
- March 18, 2004, Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post Pulitzer Prize Columnist
- March 24, 2004, Claudia Winkler, The Weekly Standard
- April 14, 2004, R. James Woolsey, Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (1993-1995)
- April 15, 2004, Chris Demuth, President American Enterprise Institute
- April 17, 2004, Robert Fulford, National Post (Canada)
- April 19, 2004, Louise Ellman, British MP
- April 22, 2004, Martin Peretz, Owner and Editor-in-Chief of the NewRepublic
- April 25, 2004, Jeff Jacoby, Boston Globe
- June 9, 2004, Carl Gershman, President of the National Endowment for Democracy
- Ambassador Krister Kumlin, The General Secretary of the Stockholm Forum, The Office of the Swedish Prime Minister

Even if they were all right wingers, you might think they would have caught on to bad translations eventually.

Are there any other Arab speakers here that would like to translate, Perhaps Kate can translate for us then? Why not verify for us the content?

Rubbish Indeed!

Anonymous said...

Hurria,

"Virulent, Unrelenting racist hatred of, and desire to demonize, Arabs."
Maybe now you know how the Jews feel!

Case Closed!

Anonymous said...

Hurria's comments,
"There is a word for someone who agonizes about having killed and destroyed and maimed and willingly keeps doing it. That word is hypocrite."

Shut the hell up hurria. Zack cant exactly stop what he is doing in Iraq and leave when he wants. You need to actually read all of his posts.

Anonymous said...

Amen Tyler!

Anonymous said...

Hurria,
Oh yes brilliant, it would really screw himself over and his family. Just like the others have done.
You just cant quit and walk away.
Its not that simple.

Anonymous said...

Hurria said...

" And as an added bonus, they are guaranteed to return to their families alive and whole."

Yeah, after a boner of a bonus in Leavenworth for 8-10 years.

Anonymous said...

I think Hurria is writing more on this blog than the actual blogger. Such dedication deserves a Blog of its own. Hurria...please...a blog of your own? Go for it. You have so much to say...and, it would seem, a lot of time.

Anonymous said...

Jake,

She probably knows that no one will visit it.

Anonymous said...

Hurria, What are you doing to improve your life in Iraq now compared to what you could have done under Saddam Hussein's regime?

You spoke earlier of having the right to post here. When did that start?

Finally, do you think Iraq is the first country to be ravaged by war (or subject to some other form of destruction) and rebuilt?

I agree with the other poster here. You should start your own blog.

Anonymous said...

"ummmm - yes, you can. People have done it and are doing it. They pay a price for it..."

See your still acknowledging that you cant simply walk away. There is dire consequences.

Anonymous said...

Im sick of all these "story of a tired soldier" blogs.

If you dont like it you know what to do.

What di you think would happen when you join an army that likes to invade countries for unevidenced reasons.

Anonymous said...

I would say either way you have to suffer dire consequences. You just have to pick which you can live with.

Anonymous said...

"Ask some VietNam Vets what they think of leaving things unfinished"

Last I heard Vietnam wasn't doing so badly. But the Vietnamese could only start building their country once the Americans were gone. BTW, what did Americans leave unfinished in Vietnam? The fact that some Vietnamese were still alive?...

Unfortunately, what I have seen in my 63 years of age (and I also lived in the US) is that Americans (I should say Anglo-Saxon peoples in general) tend to be pretty ruthless. Is it an accident that aggressive postures are presently taken mostly by Americans, Britons and Australians? The callous attitude to "colateral damage", the barbarous killing of an innocent Brazilian in London, the historical disposing off of indigenous peoples in the US and Australia, are all signs of brutality that lead to situations like those seen in Iraq. Predators should be put in cages. The only solution in Iraq is for Americans to leave as soon as possible. Preferably leaving unfinished whatever they are trying to do...

BTW, I do not hate Americans. I hate American policies, and I very much regret that Americans who share those feelings of mine do nothing to stop this madness.

Anonymous said...

SGT. Singley,

Can you tell me what an ARMY is for?

Anonymous said...

" Should by "nor am I" "


Should BE "nor am I"

Jay Denari said...

we started this and now we must see it through.

This attitude is exactly the same one cold warriors were promoting if we ever got into a war with the USSR: keep the war going regardless of the consequences. In their planning, that meant, if necessary, unleashing nuclear war rather than facing conventional defeat in Europe... when, of course, nuclear war IS defeat for everyone.

Not much has changed, because the people calling the shots are mostly the same: Cheney, Rumsfeld, etc. Although nukes are probably not in the cards, the attitude is very much perpetuated by the grandiose "war on terror" BS. It was insane then, and it's insane now.

Anonymous said...

This was an email sent to me..

VERY INTERESTING -

1. The garden of Eden was in Iraq.

2. Mesopotamia, which is now Iraq, was the cradle of civilization!

3. Noah built the ark in Iraq .

4. The Tower of Babel was in Iraq.

5. Abraham was from Ur, which is in Southern Ira q!

6. Isaac's wife Rebekah is from Nahor, which is in Iraq.

7. Jacob met Rachel in Iraq.

8. Jonah preached in Nineveh - which is in Iraq.

9. Assyria, which is in Iraq, conquered the ten tribes of Israel.

10. Amos cried out in Iraq!

11. Babylon, which is in Iraq, destroyed Jerusalem.

12. Daniel was in the lion's den in Iraq!

13. The three Hebrew children were in! the fire in Iraq (Jesus had been
in Iraq also as the fourth person in the fiery furnace!)

14. Belshazzar, the King of Babylon saw the "writing on the wall" in
Iraq.

15. Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, carried the Jews captive into
Iraq.

16. Ezekiel preached in Iraq.

17. The wise men were from Iraq.

18. Peter preached in Iraq.

19. The "Empire of Man" described in Revelation is called Babylon,
which was a city in Iraq!

And you have probably seen this one. Israel is the nation most often
mentioned in the Bible. But do you know which nation is second? It is
Iraq! However, that is not the name that is used in the Bible. The names
used in the Bible are Babylon, Land of Shinar, and Mesopotamia.
The word Mesopotamia means between the two rivers, more exactly between

the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The name Iraq, means country with deep

roots.

Indeed Iraq is a country with deep roots and! is a very significant
country in the Bible.

No other nation , except Israel, has more history and prophecy
associated with it than Iraq.

And also... This is something to think about! Since America is
typically represented by an eagle. Saddam should have read up on his
Muslim passages...

The following verse is from the Koran, (the Islamic Bible)

Koran (9:11) - For it is written that a son of Arabia would awaken a
fearsome Eagle. The wrath of the Eagle would be felt throughout the
lands of Allah and lo, while some of the people trembled in despair
still more rejoiced; for the wrath of the Eagle cleansed the lands of
Allah;
and there was peace.

(Note the verse number!) Hmmmmmmm?! God Bless you all Amen !
I BETTER NOT HEAR OF ANY ONE BREAKING THIS ONE OR SEE DELETED This is
a ribbon for soldiers fighting in Iraq. Pass it on to everyone and
pray.

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