Does it ever boggle your mind when you hear or read reports concerning insurgent attacks on the United States Military or on Iraqi citizens how many times Americans are quoted as complaining about the insurgents not fighting fairly? The insurgents wait on the side of the road until one of our military trucks go by and then they detonate a bomb or shoot from behind a bombed out truck? Like we expect the insurgents to warn us before they ambush us.
I heard one of our military explain how he lost a leg. He was the driver of the second truck in a convoy and they came upon a group of men working on the road. The soldier explained how after the first truck made it past the work area he felt better but when he drove over the area it exploded. What are our leaders thinking, sending a convoy down a road that has not been secured?
Then there was the soldier killed when he drove his vehicle under a bridge and was shot and died. Since when do you drive under a bridge in a war zone that has not been secured?
It was reported today that four Iraqi policemen were killed while they were sleeping in their car. According to the news report they had been on duty all night and were waiting on their replacements. Their weapons were in the back of the vehicle. Excuse me!!! You are in a war zone your weapons are in your hands at all times. You do not sleep unless you have someone on guard. Never! Never!
Apparently neither our military or the citizens of Iraq know what it means to be in a war and have other people looking to kill you at all times. There is no place for Rest and Relaxation in war zone.
The United States is so far superior to any other military from any other country our leaders both civilian and military appear to believe we are invulnerable. Our military leadership are careless in their thinking and sloppy in their performance and as a result more people are dying than would be expected in similar situations.
Part of the blame falls on the citizens of the United States. We permit our leaders to use our military as pawns in useless situations while we, citizens, carry on as if nothing is happening. And then complain when one of our soldiers does something that we consider unacceptable although we were not there and have never faced similar situations. We, citizens of the United States, are more than willing to send an 18 or 19 year old boy to Iraq, arm him to the teeth, put him in a situation where he does not know who is on his side and who is the enemy, and then condemn him for trying to stay alive or for losing his temper or for being scared and acting scared or for acting like an 18 or 19 year old boy. Our Constitution allows our Federal Government to govern America, not the world. It is not our responsibility to determine how other folks govern themselves. One columnist wrote " One would have to be a moron or entirely ignorant of the Muslim world to expect that you could impose that system on Iraq at gunpoint." The term system refers to our installing our form of government which is a Republic not a Democracy on Iraq and Afghanistan.
I don't know about you but deliver me from "I'm from the Federal Government and I'm here to help."
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