Pain, death, suffering, failure and misery get the limelight in the mainstream press. And stories like U.S. Army instructors teach leadership skills to Iraqis get completely ignored. I guess teaching loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor and personal courage aren’t worth reporting.
Kem said training in the Iraqi army must be more than just tactics and strategy. “You also must teach respect for other people and other viewpoints and why that is important,” he said. “Iraqis also have to understand what their constitution says and what it guarantees. The military needs to understand not only what (the Iraqi constitution) says, but why it says that. It’s really a remarkable document.”
For every negative story you hear coming out of Iraq, please remember there are at least 1,000 positive stories happening you aren’t likely to hear about, because they don’t sell as well.
Anne (Elizabeth?) points out that she has seen articles noting positive developments in Iraq, including this one from February’s New York Times. My more alert readers will remember February as the month that occurred four months in the past. Meanwhile, if you search Google or Yahoo News for current events, the headlines are filled with stories like Allegations against U.S. troops mount. The U.S. has three incidents spanning the last eight months that are currently under investigation. The insurgents commit multiple atrocities daily. Last time I checked the average was around 80 attacks a day. Multiple car bombs, kidnappings, beheadings and executions every single day. That’s a little perspective for you while we let our military justice system sort things out.
We’re held to a higher standard and we should be. But I would love to hear more of the good guys side of things. There are lots of good guys quietly doing their thing and they deserve to have their stories told. In fact, I’m bumping this post for a few days. If you know an individual or group of servicepeople who deserve recognition, e-mail me. I would be honored to tell their story here.