Soldier's Account of the War in Iraq

texasrebel211

Active member
I don't think this was posted here before since I got it from a really good guy in a gun forum I am apart of, so here it goes:


"Well, I am still here in Iraq, and with reguards to this war, I can say I have seen and done some amazing things.

I've seen both cowards and heroes both young and old
Been both confident and terrified, both at the same time
I've grown to love and hate people with a fierce passion
I've given food to the starving, and water to the thirsty
I've seen the pain and uncertainty in a man, woman, and child's face right before they died
I've seen the terror in a man's face when my weapon was pointed at his head
I've looked a man in the eyes right before I put a sandbag over his head
I've tasted the burn of OC/pepper spray as I sprayed a man in the face
I've learned Arabic from a 12 year old girl who was my friend
I've waved hello back at so many passing cars, I felt like I was famous
I've been on TV 4 times, then watched the media tell lies about us
I've been in 3 papers, and was amazed at the innacuracy of my story
I've seen dozens of marriages fall apart on both ends
I've seen Iraqis cry, they were so happy that we were here
I've had Iraqis swear me up and down because I had to search them
I've heard the launch of mortar rounds as they left the tube
I've seen those same mortar rounds blow up around me and my friends
I had a friend show me pictures of his kids, and get killed the very next day
I've heard the pop-pop-pop of gunfire, and then the ping-ping-ping as it hit around me
I've seen people afraid to pull the trigger, and not kill...and I've seen people kill when they shouldn't have pulled the trigger
I've seen men in the cross hairs of the scope mounted on my rifle and I've pulled the trigger so they will never ever be seen again
I've laid countless hours on my cot trying to sleep but couldn't, because the helicopters were to loud, explosions were to close, their was to much gunfire
I've taken prisoners, guarded prisoners, and released prisoners
I've lost weight because my stomach couldn't handle the food here
I've knocked on people's doors, kicked down people's doors, and almost shot off someone's door
I've sat on a rooftop for 53 days straight looking for bad guys, and learned what patience really is
I've lost all sense of privacy, but grew closer than a brother with my squad and platoon
I've cleaned my weapon more than I have cleaned my clothes, because it was more important
I've learned to appreciate all the things I once took for granted
I've never worked so hard and got paid so little in my life, but even still worked harder
I've watched videos of Nick Berg getting his head sawed off his body while he screamed, and never wanted to kill so bad in my life
I remember when a young kid that called us "sadiq-i" (friend) brought us food each day at a checkpoint, and remember when a suicide bomber killed him and 18 other people days later
I remember a crazy lady telling me lies to waste my time for no reason
I remember a pretty girl secretly waving hello to me so nobody would see, fearing ridicule
I remember the screams of people when a restraunt exploded with innocent people inside
I'll never forget the smell of burning flesh for as long as I live...ever
I've seen Iraqi people fight alongside us one minute, then fight against us the next
I've captured dozens of weapons, some of which were gold plated
I've been in a car accident that would've killed me if I wasn't riding in an armored hummer
I've smiled and scowled, laughed and yelled at different crowds of people
I've seen a 13 year old prostitute bring money home to her father to live
I've smelled the crisp air of a new morning, and the soot and stench of cordite the next morning
I've been so hot, that I stopped sweating and my body started to shut down
I've been so tired and worn out, but still couldn't sleep for days at a time
I've seen people accidently shoot their weapons and almost kill people, and I've seen people intentionally shoot their weapons and kill people
I've never counted or carried so much ammunition in my life, and I've been around the world more than once or twice with the military
I've sat back and enjoyed an ice cold Coke, and other times I've called on the radio begging for a resupply of water and food because we were starving literally
I've seen guys "baby" their weapons, and I've seen guys treat them like hell, fully knowing it was the only thing that might save their lives
I've said "I hate here" a thousand times, and heard it said a million more times
I've seen a platoon leader curl up in the fetal position out of terror during a firefight, and a private in that same platoon fight like a savage for his life
I've seen a medic choke-up and not be able to do his job, and an infantryman next to him bandage up a wounded child
I've had kids throw rocks at me because I didn't have any chocolate candy to give them
I almost shot a 14 year old kid that pulled a gun on another kid, the toys look very real here
I've seen kids play in a virtual minefield of explosives and ordinance like they were at Disneyland
I've heard shots fired and hit the ground, ducked, jumped behind cover, and flat out ignored them
I've seen "new guys" in units come here so scared they point their guns at everything they see
I've been on missions so long, that I've come back to my FOB (base camp) with a full beard
I've sat up late at night waiting for a friend to come back from a patrol that got hit, like a parent waits for their child who's been out all night
I've made best of friends with a 17 year old kid, and a 47 year old man, and talked to both like we were old highschool buddies
I've cleaned my friend's blood off of his equipment, and turned it in because he was killed in an explosion hours before
I've seen enough different people's body parts, that I could put them all together and make a completely new body with them
I've laughed and joked with Australian soldiers, had conversations with British soldiers, and drank chi (tea) with Arab soldiers
I've seen how well our bulletproof vest work, and they do stop bullets
I've read the bible and figured I am in, or near the 'Garden of Eden'; but it hardly looks like paradise to me
I've seen fisherman fishing, kids swimming, boats and dead bodies floating in the Tigris River
I've asked myself dozens of times "Why am I here", but I know the answer, and I know if asked...I'd come back again no question
I've missed my family and still do, and I regret not spending as much time with them as I should've before I left
I've figured out who my real friends are back home, because they have taken the time to write me a letter or an e-mail
I felt sold out by my chain of command because I made a decision to shoot, and sat through an 'inquisition' for making a judgement call that I would again
I've gone on my 2 weeks of R&R and enjoyed the downtime, however was anxious to get back to this strange place
I've been to far too many memorial services of our fallen brothers, and choked up everytime, even if silently so nobody could tell
I've seen an enemy sniper cause so much pandamonia, that without a shot being fired the sniper was winning a psycological victory over us
I've traded 'war stories' with my best friend who worked in the private sector up north through countless e-mails
I've been disgusted by the double standard that I have seen day in and day out
I've lost a friend to an enemy sniper's bullet and felt helpless
I've been given a urinalyses test because people were doing drugs over here
I've seen the Iraqi people respect the military, and I've seen them totally disreguard our presence and "walk all over us"
I've searched a car we stopped in sector and found an Oklahoma license plate in the trunk with '04 tag stickers on it
I've felt my stomach knot and my heart skip a beat when a vehicle speeding by, cut his wheel and came directly at me...I was going to be blown-up for sure I thought
I've been terribly sick, but continued to work and patrol through it...mission first
I've gotten packages and letters from people I don't know, and a smile was brought to my face each time
I've had my comfort zone tested and violated by these people time and time again
I've had Iraqis throw fireworks at me on New Years, thinking it was funny that I couldn't tell it wasn't a gunshot
I've come to the conclusion that some soldiers here will return home by the grace of God, and other soldiers will come home simply because the man to the left or right of him did their job
I've seen lousy soldiers awarded medals for no reason at all, and other soldiers who rightfully deserved recognition for gallantry under fire passed over with not even a pat on the back
I've seen the clear difference between competence and arrogance in my leadership"
 
godofthunder9010 said:
No idea if its been posted before, but its great!! Is this you are someone else that wrote all of it?
I don't think it was posted here because I got this from the actual guy in another gun forum I am apart of so he wrote it.
 
that line about being infront of a tribunal 'inquisition' questioning whether he should have shot or not makes my blood boil.

Thank god I'm not in the military because if someone tried to pull that :cen: with me I think I'd say something very untowards in that little get together.

How can you go back and do that to a soldier?
 
Lord, give them the strength to hold on a little longer. I can remember being mad enough to kill but I regretted it afterward. This letter just brings that dreaded feeling back anew.
 
wow, that was really powerful...i loved it and it's probably the most ablanced piece about the war i've read to date
 
A soldiers account

It is a brilliant insite into the mindset of todays soldiers in Iraq.
Very, very deep.
 
People think the US military is over stretched and our soldiers are miserable but thats false... Today while I was waiting in the subway line on post I heard a soldier saying he had been to Iraq 3 times and he was on a waiting list of volunteers to go back. There are actually soldiers who will switch units just to go to Iraq. My boss for example is a tank commander who has been a tanker since the mid 80s and hes gona switch over to infantry so he can go to Iraq.
 
That was something else, all I can say is God bless those guys over there.

I'm glad we have the guys from over there tell it like it reallly is, instead of having to rely completely on the media and their "news" about what's going on over with our troops.
 
gladius said:
That was something else, all I can say is God bless those guys over there.

I'm glad we have the guys from over there tell it like it reallly is, instead of having to rely completely on the media and their "news" about what's going on over with our troops.

Oh no, don't believe the troops what do they know? It's a quagmire, it's the next vietnam, it's Bush's war, we're losing, they don't want us there, we can't win.

We need an emoticon for puking on the media.
puke.gif
Media
 
I think I speak for all men that war is a highly attractive prospect in the respect that there's nothing more thrilling in life than destroying the life of a human being who directly threatens your own and there is nothing more devastating than destroying the life of a human being by accident thinking they threatned you.

I think that's why the soldier says he likes the place strangely, he likes the sheer thrill, the adernaline rush, but he justifies mentally by assuming that he's doing the Iraqi people a service which can be questioned to no end.

It's a double edged sword for most soldiers regardless of nation, unless your the guy in that video where you go "Oh dude!" after you wiped out a group of people from 50,000 feet, then you're just messed up.

But what troubles me most about this war is that it is not a war in defense of the United States, it is instead a war of agression to secure future oil to maintain America's standard of living, guised as a war of defense.

But the universe has a neat way of balancing things out in the end...
 
Jim Goose said:
I think I speak for all men that war is a highly attractive prospect in the respect that there's nothing more thrilling in life than destroying the life of a human being who directly threatens your own and there is nothing more devastating than destroying the life of a human being by accident thinking they threatned you.

I think that's why the soldier says he likes the place strangely, he likes the sheer thrill, the adernaline rush, but he justifies mentally by assuming that he's doing the Iraqi people a service which can be questioned to no end.

It's a double edged sword for most soldiers regardless of nation, unless your the guy in that video where you go "Oh dude!" after you wiped out a group of people from 50,000 feet, then you're just messed up.

But what troubles me most about this war is that it is not a war in defense of the United States, it is instead a war of agression to secure future oil to maintain America's standard of living, guised as a war of defense.

But the universe has a neat way of balancing things out in the end...

Got a source for that? Better yet, do you even have a clue what your talking about? Yea we are there for their oil but our gas prices have sky rocketed since we invaded. Perhaps your confusing the US with France, Russia, or Germany with their "Oil for food" program..
 
If you want me to get ahold of neo-conservative plans for world domination, I can't do that, but I believe it wouldn't be too hard to find some plans that have been published publicly

i'm going by the sometimes supressed history of US foreign involvement that seems to suggest that they like oil very much.

Like the CIA/british toppling of a publicly elected socialist leaning Iranian president in the 50s who vowed to kick out imperiliast oil companies and consolidate Iranian oil for Iranians, and then installing a monarchy that finally resulted in a student backed revolt.

Like giving Iraqis vital intelligence and satellite imagery during the iran-iraq conflict and strategically positioning fleets to protect outbound Iraqi oil shipments.

Like Donald Rumsfield shaking hands with Sadam during that same conflict in the 80s;

reagan.jpg


I just find it hard to believe that everyday Joe/Jim American really cares much about the plight of the Iraqi people than they do their S.U.V.

Ofcourse it would be very hard to find documents that say "We invaded Iraq for oil" for obvious reasons, but judging by history i think it's a safe assumption that America's dependance on oil is very high and as such would be a high priority, and as a priority it can only grow as China increases its oil demands.

Alternative energy sources can go only so far to fulfill the needs of suburban america.

Sure, oil prices are "high" right now, but in the big picture in a few decades, they'll be no where near as high as they would be if Iraq wasn't invaded and shipping oil directly to the US. It's basically get the dirty work done now instead of later when you would have to contend with a bigger stronger China.
 
I disagree with so many of your views and points Jim Goose that I do not know where to start.

I guess oil is the reason you believe that we are in Iraq. Sure getting Iraq to export oil to the US will help the citizens of the US, I will not deny that. However, I am here in Iraq now and do you have any idea how often the pipelines are attacked and the flow of oil is stopped for days and sometimes weeks? If we were here only for the oil don't you think that we would be guarding the pipelines and movement methods better? The soldiers are not watching the oil to ensure that America gets a share of it, they are out in the streets, building schools, hospitals, power plants, water purification plants, and delivering food, clothes, and heaters to those that have none of those items. Then on their way to deliver these items or build these facilities they get hit with RPG's, SAF, Ides, and car bombs. Do you really think that we would go through all of this to just give the perception we are trying to rebuild a nation if all we wanted was the oil?

My suggestion would be to do some research into the 'Oil for Food' program and see who the money/oil hungry nations are. What resources do those nations have in the rebuilding of Iraq. How much money on average will each country make from that program?

I absolutely despise the fact that people will not look at what is actually happening in this country. I will stand behind my belief that we are not here for oil. Maybe that is only because I am here and can see a lot of the truth.
 
I think what you're doing as a soldier on the ground is admirable, you are risking your life trying to better the lives of strangers.


There's no doubt you guys are trying to win the hearts and minds of the public because doing that means a stable Iraq that can govern and secure itself and it also means you guys can go home.

But at the same time, the reasons of your gov't for sending you there are questionable to me.

What I'm trying to figure out is why else the US administration decided to invade Iraq and I can't come up with a better answer than securing middle eastern interests and oil supplies for many years to come. You don't just devote that many billions of dollars to occupying a country unless it ends up paying off at some point. Let alone devoting the lives of so many soldiers to suspected reports of WMDs. Nations also don't invade another country to remove a dictator so you can bring freedom and prosperity to people.

If the people of Iraq is what Bush and the neo-cons really think about before they sleep, maybe his dad wouldn't have left the Shiites and Kurd rebels with ak47s to meet Iraqi gunships after the first gulf war. Or maybe the US would have just finished the job then and there.

If the US administration truely believed in freedom and prosperity for the disenfranchised, Rwanda wouldn't have happened and the US wouldn't have left Somalia after losing a few marines. Hell, there are a lot more nations in Africa that could use America's help than Iraq. It's my opinion that Iraq is part of a long term plan layed out by the US administration to finally solidify their interests in the middle east for generations to come.

But hell, I could be wrong, because the Iraqi shiites are going to take control at the present rate and they have close ties to the Iranian shiites who control the theocracy there, so it still doesn't make sense. oh well :shock:
 
I should have been more clear, I appologize, I am not soldier. I am no longer in the military but am serving in the civilian sector. I do however see what is going on here that is why I have such strong feelings for the troops on the ground. Nothing is worse for them than not having the support of the people they are fighting for, but more importantly the people of their own country. Service members need to have a just cause to fight so hard and I believe underneath all of the oil and media BS we are truly here to rebuild and stabilize this country. Of course their will be benfits down the road, but not just for the US. Every country fighting here will reep the rewards of stabilizing this country and so will the countries that are not helping.

I guess we will just have to agree to disagree and let time tell the tale...
 
Rotty261 said:
I guess we will just have to agree to disagree and let time tell the tale...

Sometimes that's the best thing to do.. :)
I just wish more of our members could read, learn, understand and follow that sentence.. :?
 
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