Another Explosion

The night was quiet
Silence was broken by a
Suicide Bomber

A haiku about my night.

War in the eyes of Man

Someone recently asked me what I feel are the masculine aspects involved in WAR. I emailed them back and thought that I would share with you all my thoughts on this subject as well.

I think that war is about power and what is more manly than to kill with your own hands another being? History tells of bloody wars full of glory where we slaughter each other for some reason or other which seemed important at the time.

Men can't get enough of war (especially those controlling the war who never have to fight), the politicians and generals especially because they give the commands. Nobody questions them and they become gods even if only for a moment or for a single battle. War is about being right and ask any man if he would rather be right or understood and most of your answers from them will be that they would rather be right (myself included), what is more right to men that the old saying that might MAKES right?

The only men who seem to hate war are those doing the actual slaughter and whose hands run red from the blood of others, for they are really the only ones who know the true cost, not in dollars or equipment, but the price you pay with each piece of your soul, just look at how many homeless war vets you have out there whose souls are so shattered by the wars they fought that they can no longer function, now look and tell me if you can find a single homeless soul shattered politician or general who started that war? Nope? I figured.

I would vote for him

Here you have Paul Hackett was a major in the Marine reserves and who served in Iraq in places like Ramadi and Falloujah. He is running as the first Iraqi war veteran for a seat in Congress.

In the article it states that:

Hackett has criticized Bush's decision to invade Iraq and backs intensified training for Iraqi security forces by pairing them with U.S. troops. He condemns Bush's failure to ask Americans at home to share the burdens of war, complaining about politicians who "use the war to wrap themselves in the American flag."

Which is how many of us over here feel. You would be deceiving yourselves if you think that the majority of troops support this war as the right thing to do and even more surprised as to how many moderate democrats you will find in the military. Believe me, we would be having much less trouble over here if the 52 million or so who voted for Bush would decide to serve over here in Iraq.

Hackett shares another view of many of us over here actually IN Iraq:

"Anybody who served in Iraq has a better view of what's going on over there than a politician in Washington," said Hackett, a lawyer whose only previous political office was a stint on a city council.

I commend him and wish him the best. As for me? I have 6 more months over here, almost a lifetime...

Back in Iraq

Some of you are now relieved that I am back on the net blogging, others are perhaps angered, others still are excited and would like to know what will come next, and the rest are probably just sad that I am still around. To all of you, those who love me (my family and friends) to those who disagree with me, to even those that hate me, I would like to say that I am back in Iraq (I went home for 2 weeks to visit my family). The short time I was home was surrounded by the hell that is military travel. A week to get down there to Kuwait and another week to get back up here at the end of my leave. I will perhaps tell you about it some other time. To all of you who read my blog I want to thank you and let you know that I am back at it again. I have so much I want to share but seeing as how I just arrived back in Iraq today I will save it all for future posts. Take care and thank you for everything. Take care

Sgt Zachary Scott-Singley