View Full Version : A father's explanation to his son about the war in Iraq
Got this from another forum I goto a lot, I thought it was interesting...
Sent: Friday, October 15, 2004 6:18 PM
Subject: FW: Fw: Why we are in Iraq?
This is a poignant story and if you don't understand why our troops are in Iraq after reading it then close your blinds and wait for the knock on your door.
A Military Story -- Don't Close Your Blinds!!
The other day, my nine year old son wanted to know why we were at war. My husband looked at our son and then looked at me. My husband and I were in the Army during the Gulf War and we would be honored to serve and defend our Country again today. I knew that my husband would give him a good explanation.
My husband thought for a few minutes and then told my son to go stand in our front living room window.
He said "Son, stand there and tell me what you see?" "I see trees and cars and our neighbor's houses." he replied.
"OK, now I want you to pretend that our house and our yard is the United States of America and you are President Bush." Our son giggled and said "OK."
"Now son, I want you to look out the window and pretend that every house and yard on this block is a different country" my husband said. "OK Dad, I'm pretending."
"Now I want you to stand there and look out the window and pretend you see Saddam come out of his house with his wife, he has her by the hair and is hitting her. You see her bleeding and crying. He hits her in the face, he throws her on the ground, and then he starts to kick her to death. Their children run out and are afraid to stop him, they are screaming and crying, they are watching this but do nothing because they are kids and they are afraid of their father.
You see all of this, son.... what do you do?"
"Dad?"
"What do you do son?"
"I'd call the police, Dad."
"OK. Pretend that the police are the United Nations and they take your call, listen to what you know and saw but they refuse to help.
What do you do then son?"
"Dad.......... but the police are supposed to help!"
My son starts to whine.
"They don't want to son, because they say that it is not their place or your place to get involved and that you should stay out of it," my husband says.
"But Dad...he killed her!!" my son exclaims.
"I know he did...but the police tell you to stay out of it. Now I want you to look out that window and pretend you see our neighbor who you're pretending is Saddam turn around and do the same thing to his children."
"Daddy...he kills them?"
"Yes son, he does. What do you do?"
"Well, if the police don't want to help, I will go and ask my next door neighbor to help me stop him." our son says.
"Son, our next door neighbor sees what is happening and refuses to get involved as well. He refuses to open the door and help you stop him," my husband says.
"But Dad, I NEED help!!! I can't stop him by myself!!"
"WHAT DO YOU DO SON?" Our son starts to cry.
"OK, no one wants to help you, the man across the street saw you ask for help and saw that no one would help you stop him. He stands taller and puffs out his chest. Guess what he does next son?"
"What Daddy?"
"He walks across the street to the old ladies house and breaks down her door and drags her out, steals all her stuff and sets her house on fire and then...he kills her. He turns around and sees you standing in his window and laughs at you. WHAT DO YOU DO?"
"Daddy..."
"WHAT DO YOU DO?"
Our son is crying and he looks down and he whispers, "I'd close the blinds, Daddy."
My husband looks at our son with tears in his eyes and asks him..."Why?"
"Because Daddy.....the police are supposed to help people who needs them...and they won't help.... You always say that neighbors are supposed to HELP neighbors, but they won't help either...they won't help me stop him...I'm afraid....I can't do it by myself Daddy.....I can't look out my window and just watch him do all these terrible things and...and.....do nothing...so....I'm just going to close the blinds.... so I can't see what he's doing........and I'm going to pretend that it is not happening."
I start to cry.
My husband looks at our nine year old son standing in the window, looking pitiful and ashamed at his answers to my husbands questions and he says..."Son"
"Yes, Daddy."
"Open the blinds because that man.... he's at your front door..."WHAT DO YOU DO?"
My son looks at his father, anger and defiance in his eyes. He balls up his tiny fists and looks his father square in the eyes, without hesitation he says: "I??ll DEFEND MY FAMILY DAD!! I'M NOT GONNA LET HIM HURT MOMMY OR MY SISTER, DAD!!!
I'M GONNA FIGHT HIM, DAD, I'M GONNA FIGHT HIM!!!!!"
I see a tear roll down my husband's cheek and he grabs our son to his chest and hugs him tight, and says... "It's too late to fight him, he's too strong and he's already at YOUR front door son.....you should have stopped him BEFORE he killed his wife, and his children and the old lady across the way.
You have to do what's right, even if you have to do it alone, before it's too late." My husband whispers.
THAT scenario I just gave you is WHY we are at war with Iraq. When good men stand by and let evil happen son, that is the greatest EVIL of all. Our President is doing what is right. We, as a free nation, must understand that this war is a war of humanity. WE must remove evil men from power so that we can continue to live in a free world where we are not afraid to look out our window so that my nine year old son won't grow up in a world
where he feels that if he just "closes" that blind, the atrocities in the world won't affect him.
"YOU MUST NEVER BE AFRAID TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT!
EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO DO IT ALONE!"
BE PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN! BE PROUD OF OUR TROOPS!! SUPPORT THEM!!!
SUPPORT AMERICA!! SO THAT IN THE FUTURE OUR CHILDREN WILL NEVER HAVE TO
CLOSE THEIR BLINDS..."
This should be printed in every newspaper and posted in every school in America. Of course that won't happen so we'll use the internet.
If you can read this, thank a teacher.
If you are reading in English, thank a soldier.
AnguishedBlade
11-04-2004, 11:04 PM
Are you trying to stir up something?
Naw, oops, some of the comments in there aren't mine, I just copied it from clubrsx.com
AnguishedBlade
11-04-2004, 11:22 PM
It looks like pro-war propoganda to me. In your face controversial. It's so controversial.........
It's pissing me off.
[ "You have to do what's right, even if you have to do it alone, before it's too late." My husband whispers. " ]
[ "My son looks at his father, anger and defiance in his eyes. He balls up his tiny fists and looks his father square in the eyes, without hesitation he says: "I??ll DEFEND MY FAMILY DAD!! I'M NOT GONNA LET HIM HURT MOMMY OR MY SISTER, DAD!!! ]
I saw this statement more like this.....
[ "I'm going to gut and mutilate whoever I think or suspect is not doing what I think is "right" in my view, because I'm an American, and America is ALWAYS right! When I'm finished with my "enemy" I will spit on his pathetic face and burn his pathetic body and dance on his grave!" ]
"THAT scenario I just gave you is WHY we are at war with Iraq. When good men stand by and let evil happen son, that is the greatest EVIL of all. Our President is doing what is right. We, as a free nation, must understand that this war is a war of humanity. WE must remove evil men from power so that we can continue to live in a free world where we are not afraid to look out our window so that my nine year old son won't grow up in a world
where he feels that if he just "closes" that blind, the atrocities in the world won't affect him."
WHAT!? WAR IS AGAINST HUMANITY! YOU KILL TO PREVENT KILLING?! Bullshit. You kill the bullshit politics behind the war that starts it before it starts, otherwise you killed the purpose of preventing killing. Whoever wrote this shouldn't dare tell ME who or what is right, and who or what is wrong, I have a sense of judgement and THAT'S UP TO ME TO DECIDE, AND YOU HAVE NO FUCKING SAY ON IT. I wouldn't exactly consider capitalism true FREEDOM , because if you mess up once, or can't keep up with competition, you'll be opressed by the corporation, like a desperate woman who has no choice but to turn to prostitution and has to suck some guy who will pay her enough money to put bread on the table to feed three kids. How does this guy even know who America considers an enemy is exactly, and irrevocably evil? That's one of the causes of a war, you assume someone is doing something bad, because you don't like the way he rules, or even the way he looks.
Yeah, and I sure would love to live in a world where some guy think's he's the righteous one, and I'm EVIL, and I'm the ignorant bitch, because I didn't want to get involved in violence.
Sorry about my language, but this totally goes against my thoughts.
Kinael
11-05-2004, 12:17 AM
Eh, it relies a bit too much on our conception on good and evil, but I think the allegory makes some powerful points.
For record, I posted it because I thought it was interesting.
Anyways, to the point, I agree with Kinael. Despite being heavily biased (AB makes very valid points), this e-mail definately has its merits.
phlyRy
11-05-2004, 10:07 AM
it's propoganda no doubt. it tries to draw parallel to what saddam has done to killing people in the neighborhood. it also suggests that saddam is a threat to the us...which was debated... the scenario makes saddam seem like he's going on a very present rampage, which is not the case. i guess that's the play on good and bad that you two are talking about.
AnguishedBlade
11-05-2004, 10:22 AM
it's propoganda no doubt. it tries to draw parallel to what saddam has done to killing people in the neighborhood. it also suggests that saddam is a threat to the us...which was debated... the scenario makes saddam seem like he's going on a very present rampage, which is not the case. i guess that's the play on good and bad that you two are talking about.
You're right, it's the other way around now. Bush wants to spread democracy and capitalism to the Middle East.
JFA_bobguy
11-05-2004, 12:09 PM
I think this illustration better suits the justification of the war in Afghanistan than the war in Iraq.
Everyone knows my stance on this issue. I'm not devoting military resources unless I see "what's in it for me"?
<-- watchinig too much Sopranos
[add]
Frankly, since world opinion is so damn against American involvement in anything, f*** it, sure. We'll be isolationist until it threatens our economic interests or we see something we can gain from it. Hell, who gives a crap about Africa? If world opinion suddeningly believes we should enter Africa to stop a genocide or feed the hungry, what's it in for America? We have everything lose, money, our troops, etc...
MacPhisto
11-06-2004, 10:53 PM
Anguished: You're right, it's the other way around now. Bush wants to spread democracy and capitalism to the Middle East.
Whose democracy? I can't seem to find it.......
Now capitalism...... that's everywhere.
Kinael
11-06-2004, 11:04 PM
Democracy means a system that is friendly to the US, haven't you heard????
Yeah, give or take. Democracy means an American dictatorship. Let's be realistic, is that so bad? Shit, more power for us!
Okay look people. Look how far our blend of democracy and American capitalism has gotten us. America *is* the only pole of power. The American economy is the largest economy in the world, accounting for twenty percent of the world's GDP. Alright, let's look at the Middle East. Those dumb**** are enough retarded to blow up their own power plants and utilities, which is fine with me considering it saves me work for "divide and conquer". Jesus.
phlyRy
11-07-2004, 01:08 AM
Well maybe they hate America so much but know that they can't win so they figure they'll make it difficult to put their stuff to use.
AnguishedBlade
11-07-2004, 02:38 AM
Yeah, give or take. Democracy means an American dictatorship. Let's be realistic, is that so bad? Shit, more power for us!
Okay look people. Look how far our blend of democracy and American capitalism has gotten us. America *is* the only pole of power. The American economy is the largest economy in the world, accounting for twenty percent of the world's GDP. Alright, let's look at the Middle East. Those dumb**** are enough retarded to blow up their own power plants and utilities, which is fine with me considering it saves me work for "divide and conquer". Jesus.
That's really biased.
JFA_bobguy
11-07-2004, 03:26 AM
That's really biased.
Biased or not, the facts still remain. The Middle Eastern nations seem to have no qualm over their own kind blowing themselves up to cause higher death rates.
I'm sorry, when you try to suicide bomb people, the death toll should be....
10 Americans dead, 1 suicide bomber dead
.... not ....
1 American dead, 1 American wounded, 25 Iraqi dead, 50 injured, 1 suicide bomber dead
AnguishedBlade
11-07-2004, 02:14 PM
I'll have to check that fact out for myself.....
For now I'll have to stick to what I said, because if that was the case, then why is suicide bombing so sucessful in Israeli crisis?
Kinael
11-07-2004, 02:45 PM
What do you mean by successful?
I'm not saying suicide bombings are completely ineffective. I'm saying there are a lot more effective ways of combating the enemy, such as guerilla warfare (e.g. hit and run). Okay look, you suicide bomb, you're dead, you can't carry out any more attacks. That isn't a very effective method of combat.
AnguishedBlade
11-07-2004, 06:41 PM
The guys that bombed themselves actually killed an amount of Israelis and it seemed that U.S and Israel got the message?
We're talking about Iraq dude, not Israel.
MacPhisto
11-08-2004, 12:17 AM
For the record, when I asked 'whose democracy' I was being sarcastic. We don't have true democracy in the US, we have a capitalistic colonialist empire. .... To Eric that may be a good thing. To me... well. I'd have to get out my soapbox.
<-- Proud to be a Capitalistic Pig :D
Kinael
11-08-2004, 01:43 AM
Well it's not really colonial by any measure. Hegemonic is more apt a description for the U.S.. I won't deny the U.S. the status of empire, but a colonial one it is not.
MacPhisto
11-09-2004, 11:43 PM
Sure, call it hegemony if you want. I think what the United States does, intentionally or no, is like an insidious form of colonization. Not only do we have a preponderous influence over our neighbors, it seems as if our culture is designed to "seek and convert or destroy that which does not compute" to put it briefly. It was that form of 'mind' or cultural colonization to which I was referring: turning the world into Pepsi drinking McDonalds scarfing Levi wearing masses of American capitalist drones. And to hell (literally) with anyone who refuses to accept that standard.
Faith
11-10-2004, 05:27 AM
man I have problems with that allegory. For one thing it assumes that the entire world are americans who are living by the same cultural and moral code in the same enviorment. the first thing that allegory bashes is the middle eastern treatment of women which is not limited to Iraq. It's not like Iraq is an island country that beats up its women for fun while all the countries surrounding it are full of good old folks who square dance and eat kfc. I don't approve of the middle eastern treatment of women but its important to understand that they are not living in the modern age where intellect rules. In those countries brawn decides the fittest. In such a social enviorment of course the weaker ( ie women) people will be mistreated.
Anyway this allegory pisses me off because it assumes that the entire world has as much diversity as an american middle class neighborhood.
Kinael
11-10-2004, 02:00 PM
Sure, call it hegemony if you want. I think what the United States does, intentionally or no, is like an insidious form of colonization. Not only do we have a preponderous influence over our neighbors, it seems as if our culture is designed to "seek and convert or destroy that which does not compute" to put it briefly. It was that form of 'mind' or cultural colonization to which I was referring: turning the world into Pepsi drinking McDonalds scarfing Levi wearing masses of American capitalist drones. And to hell (literally) with anyone who refuses to accept that standard.
Well you have to admit that many people either succumb or absorb American culture volutnarily. McDonald's, Hollywood, and MTV are pretty shitty but people eat them up anyway (even in Europe). I think that speaks more about a person's tastes (i.e., their tastes suck) than about American cultural assimilation.
That is of course confined to popular culture. There are many great things in American literature, poetry, music, etc.
MacPhisto
11-11-2004, 12:11 PM
Well you have to admit that many people either succumb or absorb American culture volutnarily. McDonald's, Hollywood, and MTV are pretty shitty but people eat them up anyway (even in Europe). I think that speaks more about a person's tastes (i.e., their tastes suck) than about American cultural assimilation.
This is a phenomenon heavily studied by postcolonialists. Why do we learn to love the culture of those who dominate us? i.e. why do people cultivate these tastes in the first place?
Kinael
11-11-2004, 04:05 PM
If you have any insightful journal articles or something on the subject, I'd like to read them :X
Though I'd surmise that unless a colonial power is particularly brutal in its occupation, the habitants will eventually forget and adapt.
MacPhisto
11-12-2004, 03:19 PM
Homi Bhabha and Franz Fanon are good foundational reads in this subject. They focus primarily on 'actual' colonization and its cultural effects but the theory can be extended metaphorically into 'cultural colonization.'
Kinael
11-12-2004, 05:46 PM
Thanks!
http://forums.clubrsx.com/showthread.php?t=214260
letter from a friend to his dad.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From the fight in Falujah....
Email from Dave - Nov 19, 04
Dear Dad -
Just came out of the city and I honestly do not know where to start. I am afraid that whatever I send you will not do sufficient honor to the men who fought and took Fallujah.
Shortly before the attack, Task Force Fallujah was built. It consisted of Regimental Combat Team 1 built around 1st Marine Regiment and Regimental Combat Team 7 built around 7th Marine Regiment. Each Regiment consisted of two Marine Rifle Battalions reinforced and one Army mechanized infantry battalion.
Regimental Combat Team 1 (RCT-1) consisted of 3rd Light Armored
Reconnaissance Battalion (3rd LAR), 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines (3/5); 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines (3/1)and 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry (2/7). RCT-7 was slightly less weighted but still a formidable force. Cutting a swath around the city was an Army Brigade known as Blackjack. The Marine RCT's were to assault the city while Blackjack kept the enemy off of the backs of the assault force.
The night prior to the actual invasion, we all moved out into the desert just north of the city. It was something to see. You could just feel the intensity in the Marines and Soldiers. It was all business. As the day cleared, the Task Force began striking targets and moving into final attack positions. As the invasion force commenced its movement into attack positions, 3rd LAR led off RCT-1's offensive with an attack up a peninsula formed by the Euphrates River on the west side of the city.
Their mission was to secure the Fallujah Hospital and the two bridges leading out of the city. They executed there tasks like clockwork and smashed the enemy resistance holding the bridges.
Simultaneous to all of this, Blackjack sealed the escape routes to the south of the city. As invasion day dawned, the net was around the city and the Marines and Soldiers knew that the enemy that failed to escape was now sealed.
3/5 began the actual attack on the city by taking an apartment complex on the northwest corner of the city. It was key terrain as the elevated positions allowed the command to look down into the attack lanes. The Marines took the apartments quickly and moved to the rooftops and began engaging enemy that were trying to move into their fighting positions. The scene on the rooftop was surreal. Machine gun teams were running boxes of ammo up 8 flights of stairs in full body armor and carrying up machine guns while snipers engaged enemy shooters. The whole time the enemy was firing mortars and rockets at the apartments. Honest to God, I don't think I saw a single Marine even distracted by the enemy fire. Their squad leaders, and platoon commanders had them prepared and they were executing their assigned tasks.
As mentioned, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry joined the Regiment just prior to the fight. In fact, they started showing up for planning a couple of weeks in advance. There is always a professional rivalry between the Army and the Marine Corps but it was obvious from the outset that these guys were the real deal. They had fought in Najaf and were eager to fight with the Regiment in Fallujah. They are exceptionally well led and supremely confident.
2/7 became our wedge. In short, they worked with 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines. We were limited in the amount of prep fires that we were allowed to fire on the city prior to the invasion. This was a point of some consternation to the forces actually taking the city. Our compensation was to turn to 2/7 and ask them to slash into the city and create as much turbulence as possible for 3/1 to follow. Because of the political reality, the Marine Corps was also under pressure to "get it done quickly." For this reason, 2/7 and 3/1 became the penetration force into the city.
Immediately following 3/5's attack on the apartment buildings, 3/1 took the train station on the north end of the city. While the engineers blew a breach through the train trestle, the Cavalry soldiers poured through with their tanks and Bradley's and chewed an opening in the enemy defense.
3/1 followed them through until they reached a phase[line deep into the northern half of the city. The Marine infantry along with a few tanks then turned to the right and attacked the heart of the enemy defense.
The fighting was tough as the enemy had the area dialed in with mortars. 3/5 then attacked into the northwest corner of the city. This fight continued as both Marine rifle battalions clawed their way into the city on different axis.
There is an image burned into my brain that I hope I never forget. We came up behind 3/5 one day as the lead squads were working down the Byzantine streets of the Jolan area. An assault team of two Marines ran out from behind cover and put a rocket into a wall of an enemy strongpoint. Before the smoke cleared the squad behind them was up and moving through the hole and clearing the house. Just down the block another squad was doing the same thing. The house was cleared quickly and the Marines were running down the street to the next contact. Even in the
midst of that mayhem, it was an awesome site.
The fighting has been incredibly close inside the city. The enemy is willing to die and is literally waiting until they see the whites of the eyes of the Marines before they open up. Just two days ago, as a firefight raged in close quarters, one of the interpreters yelled for the enemy in the house to surrender. The enemy yelled back that it was better to die and go to heaven than to surrender to infidels. This exchange is a graphic window into the world that the Marines and Soldiers have been fighting in these last 10 days.
I could go on and on about how the city was taken but one of the most amazing aspects to the fighting was that we saw virtually no civilians during the battle. Only after the fighting had passed did a few come out of their homes. They were provided food and water and most were evacuated out of the city. At least 90-95% of the people were gone from the city when we attacked.
I will end with a couple of stories of individual heroism that you may not have heard yet. I was told about both of these incidents shortly after they occurred. No doubt some of the facts will change slighly but I am confident that the meat is correct.
The first is a Marine from 3/5. His name is Corporal Yeager (Chuck Yeager's grandson). As the Marines cleared and apartment building, they got to the top floor and the point man kicked in the door. As he did so, an enemy grenade and a burst of gunfire came out. The explosion and enemy fire took off the point man's leg. He was then immediately shot in the arm as he lay in the doorway. Corporal Yeager tossed a grenade in the room and ran into the doorway and into the enemy fire in order to pull his
buddy back to cover. As he was dragging the wounded Marine to cover, his own grenade came back through the doorway. Without pausing, he reached down and threw the grenade back through the door while he heaved his buddy to safety. The grenade went off inside the room and Cpl Yeager threw another in. He immediately entered the room following the second explosion. He gunned down three enemy all within three feet of where he stood and then let fly a third grenade as he backed out of the room to complete the evacuation of the wounded Marine. You have to understand that a grenade goes off within 5 seconds of having the pin pulled.
Marines usually let them "cook off" for a second or two before tossing them in. Therefore, this entire episode took place in less than 30 seconds.
The second example comes from 3/1. Cpl Mitchell is a squad leader. He was wounded as his squad was clearing a house when some enemy threw pineapple grenades down on top of them. As he was getting triaged, the doctor told him that he had been shot through the arm. Cpl Mitchell told the doctor that he had actually been shot "a couple of days ago" and had given himself self aide on the wound. When the doctor got on him about not coming off the line, he firmly told the doctor that he was a squad leader and did not have time to get treated as his men were still fighting. There are a number of Marines who have been wounded multiple times but refuse to leave their fellow Marines.
It is incredibly humbling to walk among such men. They fought as hard as any Marines in history and deserve to be remembered as such. The enemy they fought burrowed into houses and fired through mouse holes cut in walls, lured them into houses rigged with explosives and detonated the houses on pursuing Marines, and actually hid behind surrender flags only to engage the Marines with small arms fire once they perceived that the Marines had let their guard down. I know of several instances where near dead enemy rolled grenades out on Marines who were preparing to render
them aid. It was a fight to the finish in every sense and the Marines delivered.
I have called the enemy cowards many times in the past because they have never really held their ground and fought but these guys in the city did. We can call them many things but they were not cowards.
My whole life I have read about the greatest generation and sat in wonder at their accomplishments. For the first time, as I watch these Marines and Soldiers, I am eager for the future as this is just the beginning for them. Perhaps the most amazing characteristic of all is that the morale of the men is sky high. They hurt for the wounded and the dead but they are eager to continue to attack. Further, not one of them would be comfortable with being called a hero even though they clearly are.
By now the Marines and Soldiers have killed well over a thousand enemy. These were not peasants or rabble. They were reasonably well trained and entirely fanatical. Most of the enemy we have seen have chest rigs full of ammunition and are well armed are willing to fight to the death. The Marines and Soldiers are eager to close with them and the fighting at the end is inevitably close.
I will write you more the next time I come in about what we have found inside the city. All I can say is that even with everything that I knew and expected from the last nine months, the brutality and fanaticism of the enemy surprised me. The beheadings were even more common place than we thought but so were torture and summary executions. Even though it is an exaggeration, it seems as though every block in the northern part of the city has a torture chamber or execution site. There are hundreds of tons of munitions and tens of thousands of weapons that our Regiment alone has recovered. The Marines and Soldiers of the Regiment have also found over 400 IEDs already wired and ready to detonate. No doubt these numbers will grow in the days ahead.
In closing, I want to share with you a vignette about when the Marines secured the Old Bridge (the one where the Americans were mutilated and hung on March 31) this week. After the Marines had done all the work and secured the bridge, we walked across to meet up with 3rd LAR on the other side. On the Fallujah side of the bridge where the Americans were hung there is some Arabic writing on the bridge. An interpreter translated it for me as we walked through. It read: "Long Live the Mujahadeen. Fallujah is the Graveyard for Americans and the end of the Marine Corps."
As I came back across the bridge there was a squad sitting in their Amtrac smoking and watching the show. The Marines had written their own message below the enemy's. It is not something that Mom would appreciate but it fit the moment to a T. Not far from the vehicle were two dead enemy laying where they died. The Marines were sick of watching the "Dog and Pony show" and wanted to get back to work.
Dave
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