Marine Major Ben Connable has written a fine editorial regarding how America’s military feels about the current situation in Iraq. Thanks to Stan for bringing it to my attention.
Open optimism, whether or not it is warranted, is a necessary trait in senior officers and officials. Skeptics can be excused for discounting glowing reports on Iraq from the upper echelons of power. But it is not a simple thing to ignore genuine optimism from mid-grade, junior and noncommissioned officers who have spent much of the past three years in Iraq.”
I’m proud to be one of those noncommissioned officers.
Today is election day. Iraqis are voting. A mortar just went off in the distance. So what? The insurgents are going to lose and Iraqis are going to exercise free will by voting. Today is a great day and even though I am nervous and wary, I am honored to be participating in this process. History is being made in this nation today, and it will ripple outward from Baghdad across the Middle East and further.
Tsunamis wipe out everything in their path. It is my hope that by being here, I have played a small role in creating a tsunami that will scour Iraq, cleansing it of head choppers, bombers and dictators. When I’m an old man sitting on my porch in North Georgia drinking chai tea with my wife and watching the sunset, I hope an Iraqi will be waking up in Baghdad free to pursue his dream of building a business, writing a book or inventing something new he dreamed about while I was wide awake and living free back home.
UPDATE: Please take a moment to read “Iraq: Getting the Whole Picture.” It’s well worth your time.