Interview with a Soildier – Is this war worth it?

With all the gloating from President Bush yesterday about the progress made in Iraq, I decided to talk to one of my professors who in Septemeber returned from Iraq to find out what is really happening over there. Are we winning? is there really a threat e.t.c

Here it goes

First of all, thank-you for the invaluable service provided for this country.

  

Q. What did your job in Iraq involve?

A. Helping to formulate missions, intelligence gathering and logistics.

Q.  Were you out on the field?

A.  Yes, our job entails training the Iraqi army. We were actually embedded with them and went out on joint missions, patrols or as show of force for example, based on intelligence about an ID (improvised explosive devices) maker, in a certain area, we would go out and see of that person was there and capture them. 

Q.  What were your first impressions of Iraq?

A.  I arrived in Iraq during the middle of summer and my first impression was how does anyone deal with this blazing heat (120 degrees plus) Q. Did you always want to be in the military?
A.  No.  My desire to be in the military began to peak as the need for financial assistance to attend college increased.

Q.  If there was a war going on at the time you signed up would you have still joined?

A.  (He laughs). On the personal side, no. I understand that I’m a solider and it was not a responsibility that I wanted to get out of but on the human side, you realize that in times of war people are going to die. It was a duty and I wouldn’t shun my responsibility.

Q. Is there a need for this war?

A.  I think there is a need for it but I don’t think its being fought on the right front. It has created something that wasn’t there in the beginning. There are other fronts that should have had more concentration or focused on first like Afghanistan and the border of Pakistan. But there is a need now because terrorists like Al Qaeda are in Iraq.

  

Q.  Are we winning this war?

A.  It depends on your measuring stick for success. In terms of the military, violence has decreased but at what cost? It’s a bit of a catch 22 in terms of the cost of American lives and money. Some people may also gauge from the reduced amount of terrorist attacks. It depends on how you measure success. I don’t even think the surge will be over until this summer. There will be something like 160 000 troops up from 125 000 to 130 000 troops.

Q.  What was your greatest fear while in Iraq?
A.  Fearing for my life.

Q. What do soldiers in Iraq do to relieve stress or entertain themselves?
A.  They try to communicate with family, workout, watch movies, read, etc…  Anything to keep their minds occupied.

 

Q. Some presidential candidates are saying that they will start withdrawing troops as soon as they get in office but many voters are under the impression that this would completed within a year. Is this realistic?

A. Some of the candidates are saying as early as 90 days I also heard some saying that they would start putting timetables on the Iraqi courses. I think that makes sense especially since this is the 5^th anniversary of the war. One year logistically may be difficult. The Presidential candidates want a substantial amount of troops withdrawn and I can agree with that.

Q.  What do you think would be the effects on Iraq of a withdrawal?

A.  A drawdown in phases could lead to co-existence in a civil way with the 3 dominating religions i.e. the Sunni, Shea and the Kurds. If drawn down is done too quickly, there is the potential for one group to dominate an entire region. If done strategically it could work out well if not it could lead to violence and bloodshed.

Q. Do the Iraqi people feel better off without Saddam?

A. It’s hard for me to really answer that. During my tour I had a chance to interact but it was not really educational we were thinking in a more combative mode. I did hear sentiments both ways. I’ve seen rallies in the street with people happy that Saddam was captured and eventually executed but I’ve heard people also say the opposite. It depends on the particular group. The group that was oppressed did not want dictatorship

In light of the contrasting opinions between the Democratic and Republican candidates, many argue that the race for the presidency will be a race to either stay in or get out of Iraq.

 

 With this said, on voting day, it will be the American people that will decide the fate of the Iraq war.