Here is an email I received in response to one of my essays.
He is writing about my essay 17 Reasons Not to Enlist.
Dear Roedy,
I have read your reasons not to enlist. I have no opposition to what your message is, but think you should get your facts right before you accuse soldiers of Murder, Rape and War crimes.
These are not just accusations but formal convictions. Further, I did not accuse all soldiers.
Yes it’s trun that innocents are killed in Combat, yes war is an affront to most of what civilised society should stand for. However, most of the soldiers that I served with in Iraq believed not why bush sent us there, but that Iraq needs help. Yes I feel my country lied to me, but the situation is this. Most Iraqi’s did not have any kind of help before we invaded. The average education level was one or two years at most. Near the Base I lived at we had alot of local Iraqi’s working for us. They were friendly and hard working we gave the children school books. We helped the families cure sickness by building clean water sources which they did not have. When we got there the local water source had raw sewage in it. Imagine drinking from your toilet after using it. Then poor it over your head and bath in it. We educated mothers on child birth increaseing the live birth rate by forty percent. We even helped the farmers by showing them better methods of irrigation and crop rotation. I participated in several major battles, took captives in raids and yes I had to do my job and as you put kill people. However, during the 15 months I was there not once did I rape or evening hear of it. Not once did I see or tolerate any mistreatment of local nationals by myself or the Soldiers in my squad. I am not an officer I am a Sgt. I work with the ones shooting and crying and dyeing.
You don’t even believe that fatuous crap. It is preposterous to expect others to. You murdered and laid waste and then have the gall to tell me your victims are better off for it. You are like some child molester excusing his crimes saying he was doing the child a favour. You are beneath contempt. If you want to know what life in Iraq used to be like, ask an ex-patriate Iraqi. They are 100 times worse off now. To realise just how nuts what you are saying is, consider the reverse. What would you think if France and Russia invaded the USA, killed kids, tortured people, leveled the cities and handed out text books and bubblegum in consolation. There is no way any number of textbooks would make up for the murder or rape of even one child.
Your essay says alot about how we are war criminals I ask you have you been to a war. Do you know what it is like to see death, ad not be able to do anything about. I am not talking about soldiers killing the Iraqi’s For years they have been killing each other. The Iraqi’s still live by the code of an eye for an eye tooth for a tooth. By that if a Shia kills a Sunny muslim them his family carries a vendetta. Thus suicide bombings and attacks to kill each other are common. The problem is this, you cant see the enemy they all dress the same. I was attatcked by children women and even a donkey that had a bomb placed in it. when the enemy uses such tactics it is hard to know who is the enemy.
If some country invaded the USA illegally, under false pretences, would you not feel 100% justified in using any means possible to evict the invader? You act as is you have some right to be in Iraq in the first place.
I imagine your response is we should not have gone there to begin with. Well fact is for right or wrong we did. Now instead telling people why they should not join what are your ideas of a solution. If the Army leaves Iraq we leave a very unstable violent situation.
Granted you have created a fucking mess with your invasion. However, more killing won’t improve the situation. Things need time to chill out. Iraqis managed their own affairs for thousands of years without American help. Besides, you have no right to force help on people who clearly don’t want it.
One where the whole world including your country could and will face. I am not saying we were right in our actions. Only instead of saying how many people are dying what is the sloution. Iraq needs a stable economy in order for it to calm down. how much have you invested in Iraqi business. How many school books, book bags, food supplies ect have you donated. How many tons of building supplies and roads have you built
I have done a hell of a lot more than you. I sold my fully paid for 4-bedroom house and everything I owned and donated the proceeds to help out the third world. All you have done is murder and destroy.
If you want to throw stones throw both the good and bad ones. I hope that this reply at least makes you see the soldiers side to this.
I do understand. Most of you soldiers are a bunch a highschool dropouts, dumber than shit, who could not get a real job, who believe the most ridiculous crap that your commanders tell you. You have lost the ability to think for yourselves. You are brainwashed dumb fucks who just do exactly what you are told and believe exactly what you are told to believe, not matter how silly. You did not ask to be born stupid and naïve. That is not your fault. But the fact remains you were and it has lead you to half-wittedly do the most horrible things.
Yes I suffer from post tramatic Stress. I injured, I lost friends and some were maimed for life.
The only people who benefited from your sacrifice were Exxon shareholders. It was a totally stupid thing for you to do. You will rot in hell for the rest of your life as it sinks in just how evil the things were that you did. I can see signs already you are having your doubts.
Iraq is a hell whole, but if the world does nothing to help these people I mean by economically and with security. then it will remain a hell hole. You even say it is so What are you going to do about it. I was ordered to fight and I did.
There is no draft. You volunteered to fight. You are thus 100% morally responsible for the consequences.
I also did things to try and find a reason for what we did. Something to justify why we were there. I feel I did some good and some bad, but at least I did something. I know my gramer is bad and my spelling worse. Thankyou for the time it took to read this
Signed an Average US army Sergeant first infantry division
Though I am furious with you for going to Iraq to take part in an invasion no more legitimate that Hitler’s invasion of Poland, my anger is not really with you, but with those who betrayed your gullible nature and fed you a line a bull to get you to commit war crimes. Everything you did in Iraq was illegal. Eventually you may go on trial for it, especially if you travel to a country that respects the International Court in The Hague. You are no different from Nazi soldier who was just following orders and even more contemptible, since you initially enlisted.
I have left your spelling uncorrected so others can judge your own level of education. Yes, some of you are graduates. Some even graduated from college. But the military is a job of last resort. It is a place for losers, the stupid and moral degenerates who want an excuse to kill and maim. It is also a place for the hopelessly naïve who believe the patriotic crap they are told. It is no more honorable a job than joining the Mafia. It is simply easier to get in and the pay is worse. The US military has done nothing to defend the USA since WWII (World War II). In the words of Major General Smedley Butler In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. You are no better than Hitler’s troops who fought wars of aggression and theft. You keep wrapping your self in the notion of defending the country which has not applied since WWII.
You like to point out that the invasion was illegal. Weather not it was is not up to me I have my opinions and wish it could have been avoided. However, as you said I did volenteer many years ago and have to follow orders thats what I do I am a soldier. You resort to calling us names and actually seem to get upset.
If murdering kids is not sufficient reason to get upset, I don’t know what is. You are so thick skulled. Just because you were ordered to kill does not get you off the hook. Have your never heard of Nuremberg? Where the hell do you get off expecting to be treated with respect after the revolting things you have done?
This only creates a defense and as for talking to EX patriot Iraqi’s I have several good friends that left Iraq before the invasion because the secret police were rounding up there families to be executed. They left before the war even started. Yes my country put sanctions on Iraq after Desert Storm. This helped to cause the current situation and as an American I do feel responsible, thus why I had no problems going to Iraq. Roedy you must see past the hype past the publicity. Not all soldiers enlist to Kill, most actually enlist to get money to go to college, becuase they cant afford it otherwise.
Needing money does not excuse your deeds. It is no different from earning money by joining the Mafia or earning money by carjacking. You don’t have to do that. You chose to. As in Nazi Germany, in the USA, becoming a hitman for the state is considered honourable. I don’t share that view.
You call us war criminals and say if we were in a free country we would be arrested. Funny I am in a forienge country opposed to the war. I have friends that work in the police, politzie and the Gendearme. Not once have they even bothered me with any such thing.
If you were a Nazi before WWII you would have had similar protection. Other countries are afraid the USA. Someday the USA will no longer be the only world superpower. It will likely happen in your lifetime. Then you will no longer be safe from prosecution. You did exactly the same things that Nazi soldiers did and they were hunted down even into their 90s. Whether you are prosecuted now or not, you are still a war criminal. Just following orders won’t cut it as an excuse. Ask the Nazis.
I have travelled to alot of countries in Europe and Central America again nothing. I have travelled to your country again nothing. Each of theese countries I have to show my mililtary Id card to get into so the police official across the desk knows I am a US Soldier.
You say I will go to hell and alot of other things that really well seem desperate. You cant point out facts and you seem to be loosing control by the end of your response to me. You say you have done more than I by selling your house as if that makes you better than me because you think I dont have one. Then you start asking what I would think about other countries attacking the US. Are you supportinng the insurgient forces of Iraq. If you are then you are a terrorist and I can accept it I you are. You are entitled to your oppinion and you know people such as me and my fellow soldiers have died so that you can have your little soap box about us. The Canadian army worked closely with the American military in many conflicts. Even the French are helping in Iraq, though without troops, they send people to help the Iraqi’s rebuild the oil production facilities. The Germans are training Iraqi security forces in Kuwait that will help to secure Iraq.
You forget the French, Russians and Germans strongly opposed the invasion. Remember when France’s Chirac exposed Bush’s lies at the UN (United Nations) which let to all that anti-French sentiment and freedom fries. The entire point of the war was to take the share of Iraq oil that the French, Germans and Russians were using. Of course, they are going to do whatever it takes to get it back. The USA is blackmailing them.
I dont think we as americans are entitiled to Iraq. I do think we could have done things differently. However, I challenge you to look deeper into what you have convictions about. I agree war crimes are horrible. Torture is horrible, murder is horrible. All of this is what we as Americans are trying to keep from happening. I don’t remember seeing an American beheading innocent people. I do remember my Commanding officer asking us to treat the Local people with dignity and respect. I also remember Joseph, an Iraqi carpenter that drove roughly fifty kilometers to work on our Base in Iraq. When I asked him what he though about us being there his answer was simple. Saddam very Bad Bush badd American soldiers good No matter what you can always find the bad in people, places or things. I challenge you to see the good. It is happening we are not all evil men doing the bidding of higher ups without thinking. Yes mistakes have been made and those in question were arrested tried and convicted as in the case of the Abu Giraff.
I hope that this time you can read my response without emotion complicating your thoughts. Anger leads to only to stirking back without thinking first. I sinced anger in your last response. If you then search the web, not the news media, find soldiers that will tell you of all their expeiriences. At first remember as humans we forget the better things and remember only the bad at first. Ask them about the Kids, helping people and then ask them about what their thoughts of the war are from a non biased standard. War is always sparks contradiction, this one is no different.
I have thought about this long and hard. Finally I get to talk to one of the cunts actually killing kids. I wish every conceivable evil upon you. Your sins are unspeakable. You don’t deserve civility any more than a child rapist would. Even if you did not rape or shoot or burn or bomb a child personally, you enabled those that did. You figuratively held the child down while others did the deed. You are an accomplice to murder, torture and rape.
Last, but not least, I thank you for your sacrifice to help those less fortunate. In a way I hope it has helped you feel better and I am sure it has made a difference in Iraq. Only in history can we be judged if what we did was right or wrong. About your convictions, remember it is the common soldier not yourself that defends your right to have and publish them. Even in Canada you sleep in your bed at night safe only because men and women like me Volenteered to serve their country.
Absolute bloody nonsense. Iraq was zero threat the USA or Canada. America invaded Iraq only because they have oil and you are helping Exxon steal it.
Thankyou for your response I wish you peace and good fortune even though you would have my head on a pike.
Come now. You are a killer. You can’t fool anyone with your phony politeness. Yet at the same time you are so dense it has still not yet dawned on you that you are a murderer and an accomplice to murder, torture and rape of entirely innocent people. Just because you did it in uniform does not excuse it. From my point of view you are no different that those animals on death row who raped, tortured or murdered children. The uniform does not cover up your crimes in my mind and neither does it in the eyes of international law. May you have the nightmares of conscience you so fully deserve!
Sgt Mcmillan
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