The war in Iraq

¶ … current events and the war in Iraq. The writer discusses the importance of the events on a personal level and explains how they impact the life of the writer today.

I would be hard pressed to find anyone in America who does not know about the war going on in Iraq. The world was glued to the television as the war began and since that time there has not been a single day, in which the newscasters haven't discussed the events of the war, the future of Iraq, or the popularity ratings of President Bush. The war is important on many levels. It is the first step to letting terrorists know that they will no longer be tolerated. I support the war and the reason we began the battle, but hope we will continue to move forward in the effort to unseat terrorists and rebuild those nations which they have crippled. The war in Iraq is important because it will be our display to the world of our commitment to wipe out terrorists once and for all.

The war in Iraq began with a warning from our president that it was going to be a long one. It was hard for people to imagine because of the Desert Storm conflict that was over in a matter of days. The difference with this one is that Saddam did not willingly surrender. He hid, and had his sons and other trained terrorist leaders instruct troops to fight against us with everything they had. We answered that challenge with a strong armed cry that was heard around the world. It didn't take us long to defeat Saddam's regime but we still have work to do if we are going to be a leading example for the rest of the free world to follow. We cannot go in, destroy, take over and then exit, leaving the nation to pick up the rubble and try and rebuild. To do this would cause two problems. It would tell the world that when the U.S. comes it will leave the nation in worst shape than we found it. This will discourage other nations from allowing us to unseat their dictators. In addition the door would be opened for any terrorist thrill seeker to take charge. The people may be so desperate to survive that someone like Hitler could get a stronghold on the nation.

We must help the people of that nation pick up and rebuild but while doing that we must remain ever mindful of the anger toward Americans that is still present in that country. The current events of the war include daily reports of death and destruction. American troops as well as British troops are being killed almost daily by individual and local attempts to drive them from the country. We must become more vigilant in our guard and not become relaxed just because the big part is over. We must train the soldiers that are there to trust no one and to take all advances as possible attacks. The world is watching and we must lead by example and that includes not being duped into a false sense of security because we are bigger and stronger. The Soviet Union's war in Afghanistan is a classic example as is Viet Nam that small nations do not necessarily mean easy nations. As the reports continue to come in about casualties of American soldiers the American public is losing sympathy for the citizens of Iraq. It is important for the media to be responsible and remind the public that every act of violence is small compared to the many acts of friendliness that occurs in the streets over there each day. It is important to bear in mind that as sad and tragic as our losses have been the total count is very small when compared to how many are alive and doing their jobs.