I am on my third tour to Iraq. I have a total of 26 months in country as of right now and well over 45 months overseas. Each passing day the thought of why I am here grows ever larger in my mind.
From Southern Baghdad in Dora and East Rashid during the Surge of 2007, Post Arrowhead Ripper operations in Baqouba in 2008, Last Al Qaeda stronghold in Iraq up in Mosul 2009 to Basra 2011, the last year of the war. I have pretty much been all over the country and seen many things that have changed my opinion of this place and it's people more than I can count. When I first came here I honestly believed in the mission and thought it produced results, which it did for the time being. However, we can only babysit these people for so long at the expense of our economy and soldier's lives.
I am not here to spit proven facts or numbers at you. This is purely opinionated words from a guy who spent some time in the sand box. Just about everybody has an opinion on this place and none of it is 100 percent wrong or right nor do I claim to be right on everything. I can only tell you what I have seen.
I think it is time we leave this place once and for all. Afghanistan as well. We have accomplished what we came here to do, we overthrew saddam, tried him and executed him. We setup and defended an Iraqi democratic Government that has the means and capability of taking charge of it's future and protecting it's people. It took well over 5,000 coalition troops to do it and 45,000 others wounded. I lost count of how many times I could of been part of those statistics. I know many of my friends are who had wives and new born infants whom they will never see grow up. We came here to do a job and we completed it. Why are we still here?
We have stood up the iraqi government with our own blood money and tax dollars, we have sacrificed our own lives and relationships for this government to stand on its own. We have trained them, gave them weapons, money, uniforms and advice. What more can be done? If they aren't capable by now, they never will be. It is time to cast them out into the wild.
It makes me so angry to see on the news about how the war is over here and the last combat troops have been pulled out. This is simply a ploy. IT IS NOT TRUE! The current ROE here restrains us from defending ourselves, however, still puts us out there in harms way. It is prime example of HALF ASS war.
It has to be either ALL IN or ALL OUT. Just like Afghanistan. When you engage in HALF ASS WAR, soldiers die, nothing gets accomplished. Osama Bin Laden is dead. We need to declare victory and leave Afghanistan as well. The mission there was to destroy al qaeda and capture or kill bin laden. It is done. All we seem to be fighting there now are locals and taliban. How could we have lost sight of our mission there? It will never end in afghanistan because that is their home. We have to leave eventually, we can not stay there forever. The Taliban can hang out in Pakistan forever. They will always return to Afghanistan because that is there home. When we leave, whenever we do, they will return regardless. If we continue to stay there and fight for causes UNCLEAR then we will suffer the same humiliation as the soviet union.
Right now is our oppourtunity to exit afghanistan with a victory. Iraq as well. There are more important things to be done at home like securing our borders from the Cartel and the unrest in mexico, right in our backyard. Nobody seems to care about that though. Where is the end game? We have accomplished everything we set out to do. Now we need to leave the table while the chips are up before we walk away with nothing later on. This cannot turn into endless war. Endless wars destroy nations and divides its people.
Just my opinion. Insight would be nice yall take care. :salute2:
From Southern Baghdad in Dora and East Rashid during the Surge of 2007, Post Arrowhead Ripper operations in Baqouba in 2008, Last Al Qaeda stronghold in Iraq up in Mosul 2009 to Basra 2011, the last year of the war. I have pretty much been all over the country and seen many things that have changed my opinion of this place and it's people more than I can count. When I first came here I honestly believed in the mission and thought it produced results, which it did for the time being. However, we can only babysit these people for so long at the expense of our economy and soldier's lives.
I am not here to spit proven facts or numbers at you. This is purely opinionated words from a guy who spent some time in the sand box. Just about everybody has an opinion on this place and none of it is 100 percent wrong or right nor do I claim to be right on everything. I can only tell you what I have seen.
I think it is time we leave this place once and for all. Afghanistan as well. We have accomplished what we came here to do, we overthrew saddam, tried him and executed him. We setup and defended an Iraqi democratic Government that has the means and capability of taking charge of it's future and protecting it's people. It took well over 5,000 coalition troops to do it and 45,000 others wounded. I lost count of how many times I could of been part of those statistics. I know many of my friends are who had wives and new born infants whom they will never see grow up. We came here to do a job and we completed it. Why are we still here?
We have stood up the iraqi government with our own blood money and tax dollars, we have sacrificed our own lives and relationships for this government to stand on its own. We have trained them, gave them weapons, money, uniforms and advice. What more can be done? If they aren't capable by now, they never will be. It is time to cast them out into the wild.
It makes me so angry to see on the news about how the war is over here and the last combat troops have been pulled out. This is simply a ploy. IT IS NOT TRUE! The current ROE here restrains us from defending ourselves, however, still puts us out there in harms way. It is prime example of HALF ASS war.
It has to be either ALL IN or ALL OUT. Just like Afghanistan. When you engage in HALF ASS WAR, soldiers die, nothing gets accomplished. Osama Bin Laden is dead. We need to declare victory and leave Afghanistan as well. The mission there was to destroy al qaeda and capture or kill bin laden. It is done. All we seem to be fighting there now are locals and taliban. How could we have lost sight of our mission there? It will never end in afghanistan because that is their home. We have to leave eventually, we can not stay there forever. The Taliban can hang out in Pakistan forever. They will always return to Afghanistan because that is there home. When we leave, whenever we do, they will return regardless. If we continue to stay there and fight for causes UNCLEAR then we will suffer the same humiliation as the soviet union.
Right now is our oppourtunity to exit afghanistan with a victory. Iraq as well. There are more important things to be done at home like securing our borders from the Cartel and the unrest in mexico, right in our backyard. Nobody seems to care about that though. Where is the end game? We have accomplished everything we set out to do. Now we need to leave the table while the chips are up before we walk away with nothing later on. This cannot turn into endless war. Endless wars destroy nations and divides its people.
Just my opinion. Insight would be nice yall take care. :salute2:
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