Thoughts from a Soldier

Written by my husband, September 11, 2008.
As I sit here and think about all that has gone on the last 7 years since September 11th, 2001, as I prepare to say goodbye to all I have known for the last 20 years (retiring from Army), as I prepare to welcome what will come over the next 50, I feel many emotions about the tragedy that day and what has occurred within our country since then. This country is a “live in the now country”. We rarely see images of that day or any other tragedies from the past in the media anymore. Why? Is it because we don't want people to have to remember what happened? Is it too traumatic even after 7 years? What this country needs to do IS remember. We need to be angry, in a good way. We need to remember all the innocent lives that were taken, the acts of bravery from that day and since then from our military.
I am sick and tired of hearing from people who haven't served bash what we are doing in Iraq and Afghanistan. Nobody ever wants to hear what I, the soldier, thinks about being over there. Nobody wants our opinion. Well here is mine anyway. We NEED to stay in Iraq until they are able to take care of themselves. There are countless numbers of good people in that country. Who believe in a good life, want to be free to celebrate their beliefs, which are not ALL radical. They want to raise their children, they want to make a living in safety. They want to be able to enjoy the same things we enjoy. Yet all we see on TV is the negative stories of soldiers dying, terrorists acts on innocent civilians and moaning and griping from media personalities who think they have the market on intelligence on why we should leave. What we don't see is all the good stories about the difference we have made, that we are making and that we can make. All the “Thank You’s”, hugs and friends, YES friends we have made there. Too many people sit here in the safety of their expensive houses, behind a computer, making money for nothing and pass down judgment and decisions about too much. The people in Iraq that I have met, which has been a lot, work their butts off. No, they don't have the best work ethic and their quality is poor at times, but they work like slaves for crap wages. A couple hundred a month...maybe to support the WHOLE family tree. Why is their work ethic and quality that way? Because they were ruled by a tyrant for over 3 decades who would kill people on site for not getting done quick enough when working on a project. He would feed innocent people to the lions and tigers he kept in his personal zoo at one of his many palaces. Yes I have been there, seen the animals and even lived there. This man, who some feel was poorly accused, not tried fairly or whatever, was a cold blooded murderer and to you I say do yourself a favor and read about the genocide in that country, the stealing from his people he did and tell me he didn't deserve what he got. Tell me we didn't have every right to go into that country and free those people from oppression. Who else was going to do it, the UN. What a joke.
The Clinton years put us in a bad situation. They made us weak. Pulling out of Somalia in 1993 after what happened with our soldiers, the first Twin Towers incident, the USS Cole and so on, did nothing but open the flood gates for people like UBL, Usama Bin Laden, to do what they did. We can lower the flag to half staff all over the country, at schools, federal buildings etc. for college kids killed by a nutcase on a campus here in the US but we don't lower it for our soldiers who die every day. We care about saving trees and fluffy the puppy more than we care about the lives of unborn children and orphans and widows. The elderly are a thought in our rear view mirror. We care only for what makes us feel good right now. Why did we get so patriotic, religious and tender after 9/11 only to find the flags that were on all our cars laying on the highways months later? Why don't we stay that way? Because that was yesterdays news. What is tomorrows news? Obama? I pray not. McCain may not be the perfect choice but Obama is the worst. After all we have put up with, I will not vote for a man who will not say the pledge of allegiance or wear the American Flag pin on his suit because of his beliefs. NO THANK YOU!!! I find it ridiculous that we as a country would entertain that idea? Would we have considered him a good candidate if Sept. 11 would have happened just prior to an election with his Muslim background? I don't think so. Maybe he feels running now is an option because so many have just put on their blinders to what is going on and has gone on in the world, in our cities and states. I mean why not? It doesn't directly affect anyone individually does it?
We need THE God in our lives, our cities and states, in our SCHOOLS!!! If we continue to take God out of everything where he is needed, we have NO RIGHT to complain when it all goes downhill. Unless you are with the rest of us in the Christian faith, pushing and driving to keep God where he needs to be. To my knowledge there has never been any such thing as a law or amendment, article of anything talking about the separation of church and state. It is a political agenda of ridiculous faithless politicians and law makers. My desires as a Christian man raising a Christian family with Christian values is much less important in the eyes of today’s society than those of other practices. I am proud to be an American, a Christian and a soldier. I am proud of what we are doing in Iraq. I am proud we are the front running country that is trying to help everyone and make the WORLD a better place. Our country is what it is or isn't because of what we do as Americans for our country. It is our responsibility to help our country as its citizens. Not the responsibility of the uninterested government officials. Make a difference, get Jesus in your life and let him take charge of your lives. Then get responsible, be a light somewhere and help be part of the solution to make this country what it needs to be to lead this world. No other country can do it!!

Added later: After doing further research I have come to find out that some of the remarks that I wrote about Obama are inaccurate. I do appologize if I offended anyone with these remarks.