Iraq: The Real Story

I spent yesterday cleaning, feeding, and even did a little shopping. A package is on its way to MAP, and I had time for tea with my aunt! In my "spare" time, I also did a little reading, including this article on FOXNews; Iraq: The Real Story by Oliver North. Now, I know he's a controversial figure. But even controversial people can say things that make sense. And what he says in this article, I've been hearing from soldiers for a couple of years. WE ARE DOING THE JOB. Listen to a little of what he says:

Despite a lightning-fast victory over the dictator's Army, Republican Guards and Fedayeen, the challenge of leaving Iraq better than we found it proved to be daunting and dangerous. Unfortunately, few Americans know what their countrymen in uniform have accomplished in the Land Between the Rivers.

On the way to Baghdad, American and allied forces were accompanied by more than 700 print and broadcast reporters. Once the dictator's capital was liberated, most of the media elites either headed for home or sequestered themselves inside the "green zone." There, they bought photos, footage and "news" from cameramen and "reporters" traveling with our adversaries.

Two points: of COURSE leaving Iraq better than we found it was "daunting and dangerous." We expected that; Bush "the Liar" didn't lie when he told us that in his announcements about what he was planning and what we were doing. But, I think, a generation raised on sound bites and Sesame Street can't handle paying attention for more than 2-3 1/2 minutes. Anything older is "history," and who needs to study THAT? They listen, they look away for a few minutes, turn back and say, "THAT'S still around? What up with THAT?" It nags in the mind that something exists that can't be controlled or handled on MySpace, and that makes them uncomfortable.
Second point: Our free, open and noble press BUYS photos footage and news? Whoda thunk? But I've been hearing about it for years, from soldiers and friends. And the exaggerations! John and I took a few days one recent fall to celebrate our 25th anniversary; we headed to Chicago. While there, we stumbled onto an anti-war protest. I know my eyes work; I saw maybe 500 aging hippies and kids trying to get out of Algebra marching down Congress Parkway. But, when they got to the Daley Center, (I must admit, we didn't follow) there were apparently 15,000 of them! Wow!

How about this:

The New York Times described those serving in our military as nothing but “poor kids from Mississippi, Texas and Alabama who couldn't get a decent job.” A U.S. Senator likened them to those who served Hitler, Stalin and Cambodia's Pol Pot, and a presidential candidate claimed that those who don't do well in school will "get stuck in Iraq." In 2005, after the press had been beating Abu Ghraib like a rented mule for a year, Newsweek invented a fictitious story about U.S. military guards flushing a Quran down a toilet — and precipitated riots throughout the Muslim world.

Now, I know my sons serve with attorneys, police officers, computer software designers, and other educated types. My oldest and youngest soldiers are college students themselves. I do know they also serve with poor kids from MI, TX and AL. In fact, some of their officers WERE poor kids from MI, TX and AL. Seems they couldn't get a better job, eh; and yet, they now think the one they HAVE is the best for them.
And there's that free, open and noble press again; inventing stories.

Ollie goes on to point out that, although our servicepeople ARE stretched and strained by this war, reenlistment rates have never been higher, and the branches are all meeting their recruitment goals. The "ineffective" Iraqi forces have grown by 100,000 in the past years, and now control about half the Iraqi provinces. One of the most exciting developments for me has been this one:

After we first reported on the “Al-Anbar Awakening” in December, 2006, the “Sons of Iraq” movement has crossed the Sunni-Shia sectarian divide and now has 91,000 members. In the same time-frame, attacks against Iraqi civilians and coalition forces have dropped by more than 70 percent.

Do you realize what this means? For Sunnis and Shias to cooperate is almost as far-fetched as...as...Swedes and Norwegians! Seriously, this is BIG, although not as BIG as attacks against civilians and coalition dropping by more than 70%!

To be sure, there is still much to be done, and maybe much of it is impossible. I know you've heard the figures these past few days. To date, we've lost 4000 soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines in this fight. (here for details.) That's 4000 too many. But they're still signing up and lining up to go and do this thing. And, as Mr. North says, The brave Americans we have documented deserve better than what they have gotten from the mainstream media and far too many of our politicians.