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 Saturday, September 29th, 2007
...learn firsthand what is going on in Iraq from U.S. soldiers themselvesDo we have the fortitude to stand behind our troops? And the fortitude to stand strong for them? The problem lies with our politicians in Washington who use the war in Iraq as a political football instead of realizing lives are at stake. The public then loses hope that the Iraq war is a winnable situation.We should be listening to the voices of those who see war firsthand and do their jobs with such determination, gusto, and selflessness. We can all learn from them. One brave and committed U.S. soldier writes to me: "I just wanted all my friends to know that true Iraqi's want the same things we do in the US. I'll give you another little insider story. There was an Iraqi soldier who was killed in action about 6 months ago. He was Sunni. The local mosque on the installation I serve at is Shia. The immam (like a priest or pastor at a Christian church) held a memorial service for this Sunni soldier even though the immam was Shia. He stressed that this soldier died for all of Iraq and he wanted to honor that sacrifice. What a story! There are signs that the Sunnis and Shias want to live in peace together, even though they disagree. I'm reminded of the struggle between the Catholics and Protestants in Northern Irleland and how after centuries of hatred, they are finding ways to peacefully coexist. The Sunnis and Shias need to do that too. With our help, if we are allowed to stay by the democrats, they will find a way. There is hope in the land. Please keep giving that word out." --Name Withheld This soldier sent another message: "As many of you know, I am in Iraq for a year as an advisor to the Iraqi Army basic training program. Many of you also know that I am very friendly by nature and have made many good friends among the Iraqi soldiers, NCO's and officers I've met. Some of my friends are Iraqi gate guards watching over our compound 24/7. This morning as I was leaving the compound with my interpreter, I stopped to talk to a group of off duty guards just hanging out. We know each other well and spoke for a few minutes. This is the month of Ramadan, one of the holiest of months in the muslim religion. They fast during the day and eat dinner after sundown. These friends invited me to share dinner with them tonight which they prepared especially for me. I just returned from dinner with them. I had my interpreter with me most of the time and we had a great time together. We spoke of our families and children and showed off pictures with pride. I was honored to be invited to share a meal with them and hope that because of me and others like me, they will see the US in a good light and share their thoughts and feelings with their friends and relatives. These people are much like us in the US. All they want is to live in peace with their families and be able to support them and care for them. I hope that our presence here will enable them to do that. I'm seeing positive signs that the leadership of General Petraius is starting to pay big dividends as the insurgents are on the run and disorganized in many places that have recently been hotbeds of violence. I will always remember this mission and these good people. May God grant them peace in the coming days." --Name Withheld *** This speaks volumes to the camaraderie between the Iraqi troops and U.S. troops. It speaks volumes as to how our troops view General Patraeus...as honorable and trustworthy. So when leftist groups attack Gen. Patraeus, they are attacking our troops on the ground as Patraeus is their "brother in arms." Another brave soldier lost his life in Iraq on September 19, 2007. I became informed of Sgt. Eddie Jeffers earlier this year when he wrote Hope Rides Alone. Sgt. Jeffers then described an irritation that many U.S. soldiers are experiencing; irritation from watching the incessant politicking of the Iraqi war back in the U.S. He begins his article by explaining the feelings that surge through his body...his reaction to his surroundings as he faces the possibility of attacks daily: "I stare out into the darkness from my post, and I watch the city burn to the ground. I smell the familiar smells, I walk through the familiar rubble, and I look at the frightened faces that watch me pass down the streets of their neighborhoods. My nerves hardly rest; my hands are steady on a device that has been given to me from my government for the purpose of taking the lives of others."... "...There are the demons that follow me, and tempt me into thoughts and actions that are not my own...but that are necessary for survival."... "...But even thousands of miles away, in Ramadi, Iraq, the cries and screams and complaints of the ungrateful reach me. In a year, I will be thrust back into society from a life and mentality that doesn't fit your average man. And then, I will be alone. And then, I will walk down the streets of America, and see the yellow ribbon stickers on the cars of the same people who compare our President to Hitler."... "...People like Cindy Sheehan are ignorant. Not just to this war, but to the results of their idiotic ramblings, or at least I hope they are. They don't realize its effects on this war. In this war, there are no Geneva Conventions, no cease fires."... "...The enemy is becoming the very people whom we defend with our lives. And they do not realize it. But in denouncing our actions, denouncing our leaders, denouncing the war we live and fight, they are isolating the military from society...and they are becoming our enemy." Sgt. Jeffers does not say that America as a whole has turned on the troops, but he simply wants us to take a look at our actions and how they may have an effect on troop morale. He does not like the fact that America has simply opted for a quick way out of the Iraq war. "America has lost its will to fight. It has lost its will to defend what is right and just in the world," he continued. Jeffers moves on to question in his article, the anti-war protesters. He wonders where they are when soldiers come home and need care. As Sgt. Jeffers closes his article, he implores Americans to stand up and be fighters: "We are the hope of the Iraqi people. They want what everyone else wants in life: safety, security, somewhere to call home. They want a country that is safe to raise their children in. Not a place where their children will be abducted, raped and murdered if they do not comply with the terrorists demands. They want to live on, rebuild and prosper. And America has given them the opportunity, but only if we stay true to the cause and see it to its end. But the country must unite in this endeavor...we cannot place the burden on our military alone. We must all stand up and fight, whether in uniform or not. And supporting us is more than sticking yellow ribbon stickers on your cars. It's supporting our President, our troops and our cause." (read more of Sgt. Jeffer's compelling article Hope Rides Alone below) In a show of support and honor to his son, Sgt. Jeffer's father David took time to share with the public what he and his son talked of when he was still serving our country. David leaves behind some thoughts for all of us to meditate on: "...As 'Hope Rides Alone' spread across this country and out beyond our boundaries beyond our shores, The Ride was no longer alone; it was a stampede of many a sleeping patriot, the true but hidden citizen who had been long lulled to sleep as though some magic spell had been cast over our country. The response was beyond all imagination. I told my wife Karen that I was naïve enough to believe Eddie’s article could spark a revolution. A revolution where people finally say 'ENOUGH!' and 'NEVER AGAIN!' will we stand by and watch our brave men and women castigated by the unpatriotic, unworthy, uncaring, unloving, un-Americans who love power and hate all that is good about America. We said, and are saying, and will forever say to these pitiful politicians, psychopaths, pacifists, pinkos, and pathetic performers of Hollywood and the Left, 'You will not exact defeat on our country as you did with Vietnam!'"... "...Eddie did not want us dishonoring his life and service like so many have done. He wanted what he stood for to carry on even if he was killed in action."..."...Many of you are angry that Eddie has died all the while the enemy within continues to relentlessly disgrace our military and our Commander-in-Chief. More than one person has asked me how we answer this. How do we counter this obvious attack on the survival of our country? Simple, we use the Ronald Reagan strategy; the strategy he used against the Soviet Union and communism. Reagan said: 'Here's my strategy on the Cold War: We win, they lose.'"... "...For me it is personal; it always has been. I will not let my son die in vain. People have been so sweet and say Eddie will never have died in vain, but he can. He can if we do not fight back; if we do not win. Eddie was on 'modern day crusade to exterminate evil' and I will change one word in our fight against the enemy within. We will not exterminate any political opponent, but we can and we must eliminate them from having any control over our country." (read more of David Jeffer's thoughts in Hope Rides Eternal below) All of us should be fully thinking of U.S. troops as they are the ones in harm's way. We need to make every effort to uplift them when we can. We need to be thankful that there people who would selflessly put their lives at stake for others to live a better life. Remember that U.S. soldiers are ordinary Americans like you and I. These soldiers, however, have answered the call to be brave to the core. They are willing to stand in the face of danger and keep pressing on no matter how dark it seems and will serve their country. Will you not serve them and have their back when they need it? Stay positive America! Related Reading Hope Rides Alone, article by Sgt. Eddie Jeffers Real Deal in Ramadi, article by Sgt. Eddie Jeffers Hope Rides Eternal, article by David Jeffers, father to Sgt. Eddie Jeffers
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