Observations from leave
I'm back in the sand again.
The last two weeks were great, I wasn't sure at first if I wanted to go home and see everyone again, only to leave, but I'm glad I did. There were a couple of things I noticed while I was on leave.
What bothered me the most was having to deal with so many people trying to tell me a) how Iraqis feel- "they hate Americans", "they don't want freedom" b) how the Army is doing- "we're losing the war", "there aren't enough troops there to fight it" c) what Iraq is like- "the cities are s destroyed"
And I'm stuck between two points... I understand that most people watch the news and take whatever they hear at face value, but sometimes I just want to scream at them, "When was the last time you spoke to an Iraqi person, witnessed our troops in action or visited an Iraqi city?" I know I can't be angry because they're just working with what they're told, but I think too many people these days just turn on CNN and let only what they hear there dictate their opinions and affect how they view the world.
Every news organization has an agenda- every single one. I believe it is our job as citizens to consult as many views as we can that are presented and to sort through different opinions to find some truth.
But even as much as I was surprised by the ignorance of some of the people I encountered, I was also equally impressed by how many people came up to thank me, shake my hand and buy me a drink while I was home.
When we arrived in Dallas, there were fire engines waiting as the plane taxied under sprays of water from the hoses. Men and women from the VFW were there hugging every Soldier as they got off the plane, thanking us and directing us to where we needed to be. As I walked through each airport, people stopped me in the hallways to thank me. A man bought me breakfast, another gave up his first class seat so I could ride up front. The airlines were wonderful and everybody was helpful.
Two very different worlds.
Did I want to come back?
Absolutely not. I was and am scared to death by the reports I read and watched of insurgents leaving Fallujah and moving to Mosul and of the fighting that has been going on there for several days now.
But I'm here. And knowing that I've only got a few more months here made it a bit easier.
As I sat inside last night, reading a book ("reading Lolita in Tehran", very good book by the way) and listening to the shooting and fighting going on very close, but not on our base, I thought about how I couldn't understand before how the people here had adapted to hearing bullets and explosions outside their homes every day, how it had become normal to them. But here I was, calmly reading a book while chaos erupted just under a mile from where I sat. People were dying at the very instant, and it still seemed so far away.
I don't think it effects me as much because this isn't my home. While I may have to endure the violence here, there's a good chance I will be returning back to my home where this doesn't happen.
But isn't that why we're here? Not only to help the Iraqi people, but to make sure things like this don't happen in our homes.
11 Comments:
I'm glad you had a good time on leave!
The reports I've read from Mosul are contradictory. In some, the rebels are pretty much in control of the whole town and in others, our GI's have everything mopped up (of course the reports actually range anywhere between those two extremes. What does the situation look like to you? In other words, what is the real state of affairs?
what a story...
good luck!!
Best regards from Chile
Roberto,
Found your blog on Lizzy's list before you had leave. Have been quietly reading, and Enjoying! Thank you for the insite, Here is another THANK YOU and long distance hug. Hang in there!
hi Buffbabe,
i found you through iraqthemodel,that is my favorite
site i found back in april,cause i was going insane
from watching our media..i thought,it can't be that
bad over there....
i turned off CNN about 5 months ago,no more CBS,
no more USA TODAY,cause they let michael ass moore
put his opnion in from the rep.national convention..
another site you may want to check out is
LITTLE GREEN FOOTBALLS
excellent host there!!!!!!
also michaelmoorehatesamerica.com
thank you for what you are doing!!!!!!!!
andrea/pajama's/minnesota
why the pajama's??
because after the rathergate broke someone called us
homoohobic rants of people blogging in their pajama's
from home,its my protest......
i had no idea about this blogging thing and i is A
loving it~~~~~~~
Not quite sure how I stumbled onto your blog, but I'm glad I did. I enjoyed reading your insights, and glad to hear you had such a great time on leave. I think you are correct...the general public watch a newsclip or a listen to a soundbite and use that to form their general opinion. I think it's very important to get your information from a variety of sources (be it BBC, CNN, CBC, or News24.co.za from South Africa for a completely different take again, or even some of these blogs). The more people take responsibility to be better informed, the better a world this would be. PS...Loved Lolita in Tehran as well! Another good one is Queen Noor's book although I can't remember the name right now.
Take care and stay safe!
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