This Thanksgiving will be a lonely one for me, however there are many things I am thankful for. Lists are played out but today I will make an exception as I would like to name a few things:
My beautiful wife Tara who has stood by me through all the deployments and through all my nightmares.
My son Jake who is so smart and who never lets me forget that I am a child at heart.
My daughter Linnea who is so caring and pretty and who's imagination has no bounds.
I am also thankful for all of you who have offered your support during my year here in Iraq and I want to also thank Hurria (who's name means freedom in Arabic) for taking time out of your days to visit my humble blog and offer your opinions as the single Iraqi to do so. I often disagree with you, but I have great respect for you. You come to my blog and discuss an occupation which effects you daily in a way much more personally than it does me.
19 comments:
Happy Thanksgiving Zach. I wish you the best and know that prayers will be said all over the world for your safety and that of others like you that cannot be home with their families.
I am thankful for people like you who defend our freedoms and risk your lives so that we may enjoy ours. May God bless you and keep you safe.
Happy Thanksgiving, Zach. Thanks for your blog which I just found today. Thanks for your service. Thanks for your amazing photos. Be safe and well and come home to your family soon.
Hey Zach,
Happy Thanksgiving. Hope you all have a nice dinner. I hope the violence lets up soon over there. So much going on. You'll be home soon.
Take Care,
Margie from New York
Hurria,
Most of us want our guys home almost as much as you want them gone. We just have to convince our fearless leader of this. The tide is turning over here. You can feel it. It won't be long now.
Zack, keep safe over there.
Hurria, you keep safe too.
With the most of respect, Hurria, are you 100% sure that this is going to be the end of violence? You have no fear at all of even more violence with no american troops left and iraqi security forces not competent?
Blu Jay;
Perhaps it's just me but I think what Hurria is saying that all we or rather our current administration and their "Keystone Kops" Cabal can do by staying is make matters worse and that there is the possibility that even the insurgent attacks will cease or be tempered by the opportunity for all Iraqis to get down to the business of rebuilding their world. A rather ornate and advanced world it was by the way. Though the genuises who designed and built those magnificent Mosques and all of the glorious sites in Iraq which are mostly now rubble, don't work for Halliburton and therefore may be a little rusty and have to stretch and get back to what they all did best before we stuck our big ILLEGAL noses in their lives. These were not cave dwelling third world refugees but, Doctors, Lawyers, Architects, Engineers, Scientists (Who were busy with things other than building chemical weapons, Why build them. We gave them Daddy Bush gave them all they could ever need)
This is not a people who do nothing but sell bananas and Goat's. Sadly that is the vision that all too many of our own backward ignorant American citizens think of all Middle East Countries. They think we invented the wheel and everything else in the world and everyone else is one hundred years behind us.
I believe in life in other Universes and I can tell you that they probably look at us here in America and think the same, the difference being that the Aliens would be right.
Hurria is obviously a brilliant person with great insite into not only politics but Human nature and all to wise to miss what a grossly high number of Americans did in November of 2004. That in this Country about which we SHOULD be concerned and this Country's policies only. That would perhaps have saved us from to quote Teresa Kerry "FOUR MORE YEARS OF HELL"
How anyone thought that we couldn't possibly have been better off with the Three Stooges in office rather than Bush a Man we may never know as incredibly stupid or evil personified.
I must laugh at all of his "Christian" supporters because while I believe in God and am the most spiritual person I know. I have studied enough about all manner of theology, philosophy, and alternat vies on life, death, the universe and our purpose in it and one thing I know for sure. That book comprised of probably 95% fairy tales called the Bible describes someone remarkably like Bush as the Anti Christ of Revelations. Though I myself don't see the Charismatic personality.
Start noticing the fact that you will never meet more judgemental, negatively critial and damning people than many so called Christians especially the Born Agains and Evangelicals or Fanatics the word I prefer.
The God Allah, Yewah, Jahovah, "I AM" is one and the same force. We are all praying to the same God to help us kill people who are all praying to one God. I imagine he must just answer the prayer phone and set it down on the desk and go about his business letting the rambling go on.
We need to elect a Democratic Congress and Senate next year more than anything and then we need to vote ourselves a Democratic President. Or a Chimpanzee if must be. That would be an improvement of IQ of I believe 1000%
But most of all. WE NEED TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS WE HERE IN AMERICA ARE DYING FROM!
We have neither the resources, the lack of our own problems nor the right to be involved in any other Country and their policies. If they want a Dictator who is cruel and a Maniac who was or is capable of keeping the radical terrorists out of his Country as Hussein did rather than the hornets next and Pandora's box we or rather Little George and his boss DICK opened.
I almost could say I can't wait until I pass from this world of illusion to the real world where there is nothing negative, nothing but love and upward spiritual mobility, just to find out what the Karmic ramifications of their actions are, those who have participating in this criminal treasonous act that has cause thousands upon thousands of deaths of innocent people. Notice I said people not soldiers though my heart aches every night when I meditate in my way of prayer and try as hard as I can to imagine myself in the boots of our dear courageous troops who are serving their country against the better judgement of their own opinions because unlike our President, they are to a Man or Woman, incredibly good at what they do. They take orders and do as they're told in the name of protecting their fellow Americans and the world at large (Those who WANT our help)I support them, love them as though I were related to each one and I WANT THEM HOME WITH THEIR LOVED ONES! They are each and everyone a hero just for enlisting. That was the day each one becomes a Hero in my opinion. By merely signing those papers and committing themselves to something that sure ain't the Boy Scouts of America.
Lastly I must remind any who are still either stupid or mentally disfunctional enough to still back this idiot presidency and his pack of theives, that our President and Vice President did not serve. Worse, Cheney who in my opinion is more responsible for this debacle took FIVE deferrments to avoid serving the country that he now thinks all Boys should. As long as they are not the Sons, Daughters, Neices, Nephews or Grandchildren of anyone in Government.
I am disgusted. I have never posted here before but have been an avid reader of Zach's blog for over nine months and find his words humbling and am awestruck at the strength of character of this Man of iron with the soul and eyes of a poet, but after reading a good deal of posts here over the past few nights, I could keep quiet no longer.
God, Allah, Jehovah, Yaweh,
I AM,
Bless everyone, especially the homeless of the world no matter the circumstances and most of all the children with most special attention to those our President has orphaned.
Hurria,
As a fellow arab< I feel your pain & always thought that the US had no business in going to Iraq. But, you cannot take it out on Zack & his fellow soldiers, he & the others are doing their duty whether its right or wrong otherwise they would be court martialed. We in the USA can keep up the pressure on our government & encourage them to bring our troops home but unfortunately we have dug in too deep. We have to at least make sure that Iraq can rule itself & then, get the hell out of there.
Zack, I hope you had a happy thanksgiving under the circumstaces & be comforted that you will be with your family really soon. You & your fellow soldiers are in my thoughts & prayers.
Halla
Hurria, in today's blog, Zach was a true gentelman and addressed you in a respectfull way. Can you not put your hostility aside and show some grace and dignity and give an equally respectfull reply, just once? You have completely ignored his address to you. One way the greatness of a human being can be shown is by the ability of enemies to set aside their differences, even if momentarily, and treat each other with respect.
To the last person who posted before...
Zach is really a true gentleman, one of the few of his kind
Hurria is beig so hostile because her country was invaded and the occupiers are not helping the people over there, perhaps the Iraqi people will only kissing American damn ass when Iraq really gets better and it'll not happen in few years, so tell to Hurria how she can be happy by seeing her loved country being destroyed by foreign occupiers and by her own people?
Since I started to visit Zach's blog, I always had respect and agree almost totally with Hurria's comments probably because I'm not an American if I was American I would probably disagree with Hurria and say to her what Americans love to say...
I always enjoyed your posts Zach, you're great writer.
Hugs to Hurria and To Zach, I hope Iraq will be one day one good place to live, I hope America eat her own shit one day too
Fabi, I know why Hurria is hostile and I am not asking her to be happy. I am just asking if she can set it a side for just one moment and find one honestly nice thing to say to Zach in return - at least kindly acknowledge his address to her.
i sure don unnerstan why all them arabs're mad at thuh meriKKKins. it ain't the meriKKins fault they're all over there ruinin iraq, an ghanistan an syria and iran an the rest. an it ain't them poor meriKKKins fault they're fillin up their gizzards with toxic foodstuffs. it's them bad butch guy's an ther ugly, immoral guvernment's makin' 'em do it. anyway, happy merry thanksgiving to all.
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duhh
great job, yanks
http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/
"Give Zach a break at least. You should re-read my 2nd to last diatribe. I'm on nobody's side. I wish Kane and Abel had gotten along and everyone since.
What do you want that we the people or Zach and the enlisted Men can do for you. THAT THEY CAN do? What?"
Aye Aye Jayteee!!!!! I second that motion.
Hurria, We have a couple of sayings in the USA that applies here.....
1) you are barking up the wrong tree!
preaching to the
2) you are preaching to the choir
.....most of us agree & want Zack & his fellow soldiers to come home
Halla
yo jaytee,
want some suggestions? you could start by limiting your intake of aspartame and fux news and reflect just a wee bit.
its very simple, really, what "innocent" zack and all his "innocent" buddy soldiers can do. inform their superiors that a week from today they are laying down their weapons and will shoot no more. there will be consequences. how many of these "innocent" soldiers are "heroic" enough to do this?
read up on the nuremberg trials. all your poor "innocent" gi's, saddened to be away from family, are guilty of war crimes. the big fish swim free, the little ones are too dumb (or not "heroic" enough) and get eaten up by circumstances.
now lets all think of the socioeconomic and political aspects of this heroic decision. duh
THANK YOU for what you are doing! My family and I never want to take for granted the bravery and sacrifice made every day by people like you, so over the Thanksgiving weekend we volunteered with a non-profit organization called Operation Gratitude. It was our small way of giving back and showing our support to the troops serving overseas. Please check out www.opgratitude.com and read some of the email 'thank you' letters that have been posted there -- it's very heartwarming!
No one tries to answer that question, Hurria? I'm surprised. Specifically, I am thankful that Zach and so many others have willingly volunteered to fight in the war against terrorism. They're fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan right now so terrorism won't once again make it to our shores like it did so horribly on 9/11. Have our efforts to bring freedom to the Iraqi people been perfect? No. Have mistakes been made? Yes. But freedom isn't free, is it? It's extremely costly, and people like Zach are willing to pay the price of putting themselves in harm's way and of being away from the comforts of home and loved ones in order to do this important work.
Hurria, you and I obviously see things very differently. To me, our disagreements highlight how wonderful it is that we are both free to openly express our opinions, criticisms and -- in your case -- even unkind, judgmental ("ignorant, nauseating platitudes") hate speech without fear of any punishment. Even so, I didn't post a comment on Zach's blog to cause any trouble or stir up a political debate. I simply wanted to express sincere thanks for his sacrificial service. I answered your question and you don't like my answer -- oh well.
Writing from the point of view of someone looking in from the outside, I have to say that Hurria and Zach are the only people who can tell us what is going on over there... we can only read and make our own judgements based on the facts that are presented.
As any of you know from reading Zach's postings, a lot of what Hurria is writing is correct - whether we want to accept it or not.
I also don't think she is personally trying to tell Zach to hop on the next flight out of the country... she is telling the US Armed Forces to GET OUT in general.
There are a lot of people outside of the US that think that Americans are living under the rule of a dictator who, day by day, is destroying the reputation of its good citizens and making the world a MORE DANGEROUS place. I wasn't half as afraid after 9/11 as I am now that a terrorist attack is going to affect the lives of my family. I live within a couple of hundred miles of the US border and I now have to worry about dirty bombs, nuclear power plant sabotage, etc. I wouldn't have had to worry if US government policy didn't include p--sing off the entire Muslim world.
Before criticizing Hurria you should think about the same scenario happening in your own country. What if China decided it couldn't sit back and watch the US destroyed by the Bush administration anymore and decided to invade and remove the 'dictator'... and then help you set up a 'nicer' government, but remember, none of the Republican party could be part of the new government and your entire army command had to step down, and they issued a set of 'baseball' cards with the faces and stats on Rice, Rumsfeld, Cheney, etc. with 'shoot to kill' orders, and they enlisted the help of the Iranian, Venezuelan, and North Korean army to help keep the peace during the transition and George Bush had to hide out in a root cellar in northern Idaho.
Also imagine that your soldiers (your sons and daughters) were shipped to Iran to a military prison where you had absolutely no contact with them for YEARS at a time. Even if all of that happened and you were 'liberated' do you think that the Democrats who are given power of the government and the new 'fledgling' armed forces would just go along with it? Do you not think you would FIGHT to your dying breathes to rid your country of the occupiers... even if you absolutely hated George Bush and his administration? Would you not sacrifice your own lives (by any means including suicide bombings) to make the lives of your children better? It is a scenario that can go on forever....
NO, I don't think that George Bush is the Anti-Christ or that he is even as 'personally' evil as Saddam Hussein but he has ordered the deaths of tens of thousands of Iraqis and Afghans but just sending the US to war in these countries... just because he can remove himself from the situation personally, does that make him any better?
Zach... you are a good man in a bad place and I do hope that you safely return home soon... with the rest of your force.
Hurria... I don't know if you are Sunni or Shia and, as the example above indicates, it doesn't matter, I just hope that you can create a safe country for your family in the future.
For Everyone Else... I think this was meant as a place to voice your opinions but remember that you don't have all of the facts... none of us do... and it is best not to lash out at others, just make your point and hope that it affects someone positively at the other end.
Zach,
thanks for a great blog. I hope you get home safe and soon.
Regards from London
Ivan
Hurria,
I want to go back to something you wrote a few days ago:
2. Since March, 2003 the American troops have continued to commit more violence than all other violent elements combined.
3. Since March, 2003 the American troops have committed the overwhelmingly greatest magnitude of violence, destroying neighborhoods, towns and cities, creating hundreds of thousands of permanent refugees, and killing and maiming tens of thousands of Iraqis.
4. The overwhelming majority of the violence not committed by American troops is directly provoked by them and directed against them, their Iraqi proxies, collaborators, and other elements of the occupation.
The moment the American troops leave Iraq the violence they commit will cease immediately. That means the majority of the violence, and the greatest magnitude of violence will cease. In addition, the majority of the other violence - the violence that American forces provoke - will cease.
While I can see the point of some of your other posts, and do not necessarily disagree with what you are saying, I would like to know some facts about it. For example, could you substantiate with numbers your claim that the majority of the violence is either committe by US Troops or directed at them. To me, it would seem that quiet a lot of the violence is directed against the Iraqi people rather than US troops. In brief, when making arguments like that, it would be good to have facts rather than impressions, opinions or beliefs.
Secondly, while I agree that the occupation of Iraq was a plain stupid thing to do, I am not convinced that US troops leaving now would really make things better like you say. Then again, neither your nor I know this for a fact and will have to wait and see.
Finally, blaming everything on the US somewhat pervets the issue. Again, I agree that what is happening now can be traced to the invasion, but you seem to ignore the damage done to ordinary Iraqis by the insurgents of all kinds that are roming Iraq. And please don't go on and say the obvious - if there was no invasion this would not have happened. I don't read your comments regularly, but I am struck by your lack of condmenation for those people that drive a trcuk packed of explosives into a market place for example. That US troops are doing some nasty things should not excuse insurgents! Or is your thinking more down the lines of "at least they are being killed by their own people"?
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