Five good reasons our men are in Iraq?
96019
First of all, by saying 5, are you assuming there are already 4?  Is the mandate for proper military action 5 reasons?  Where do you find that rule?  Give me 5 reasons why Hitler should have been killed.  I can only think of a couple, but they are good enough.  Anyway, I could think of four, and these reasons should be adequate enough.  I'll give you five when you can give me five good reasons for even asking this question.  Fair enough?\n1) Several intel. agencies said Saddam had WMD's (not just ours).  Even though that intel. was a failure, Russia, your beloved U.N., Germany and France all knew he had them.  To NOT take military action (especially in the wake of 9/11) would have been an impeachable offense.  He used them on the Kurdish people, who says he wouldn't have used them again.  Hindsight is always 20/20.\n2) The mass graves.  Hundreds of thousands of bodies have been uncovered.  It is known that Saddam would throw people alive into woodchippers.  This was a sick bastard.  If you have any concern for human rights, you would take pleasure in our actions of dethroning this scumbag.\n3) The Iraqi military still needs further training before they can stand on their own two feet.  If we leave now, permanent chaos would ensue and every American death will have been in vain.  We must make sure this succeeds.\n4) A free Iraq is important to the peace and freedom of the Middle East.  An Iraq without Saddam is a Middle East with one less totalitarian dictator.  How is that worse than before?  It is not.  To say that this war is useless is basically to say that it would be great to put Saddam back into power.  Should we do that?\nPerhaps nobody heard the soundclip of the Iraqi woman at the voting booth (which is, in itself AMAZING and wonderful!) tell the media, "Praise God for America and for George Bush.  And if you don't appreciate what he has done, you can go to Hell!"\nOH WAIT -- HERE'S A 5TH: 17 broken U.N. resolutions.  17!
798645
you know, i think we have got some more important things to do before we leave iraq.we should make sure that the situation will not get bad when we leave iraq.you are right, the police and iraqi forces are trained but you know, the situation is so sensitive, we should be sure about iran, syria and other goverments who support terrorists and tell them not to be involved in iraq and its affairs and then we can leave with the honor of victory.( i am an iranian citizen and i respect the US soldiers very much and i know US as a country which i have always wanted to live in)
661743
I'd love to hear what our forces in Iraq think about this illegal immigration issue that is going on back home.  If any are on here, I hope they will speak up and tell us what they think.
376585
Hey kid, how's it going? I'd be glad to help you out.\n\n1. Operation Iraqi Freedom 2 (OIF2)\n2. Pres. George W. Bush\n3. Iraq (Mostly in and around Kirkuk)\n4. M-4 Carbine (rifle), M67 Anti-Personnel Fragmentation Grenade, and the M252 81mm Mortar System.\n5. Yes, we used Humvees. The actual designation for the vehicle is HMMWV which stands for High Mobility Multile Wheeled Vehicle.\n6. While serving in Iraq I held the rank of Corporal(E-4)\n7. I led a 5 man infantry mortar squad.\n8. The short answer is that we were asked to do a job so we did it to the best of our ability. The long answer: We helped alot of people out(Iraqis), and they let us know every day how much they appreciated us being there and how happy they were to be out  from underthe control and tyrany of a dictator like Hussein. I felt good about what we did in Iraq, and no amount of negative press will ever change that. I also feel that if we left Iraq now, before the job was finished, we would be letting the Iraqi people down and also saying that the men and women who given their lives, died in vain. I myself am not prepared to do that.\n\nHope all this helps. Good luck on the report and feel free to ask any others questions.
246893
Ask the Iraqui's.\n\nThey want us there.\n\nThe UN wanted us there.\n\nTherefore, everything you've said against the war or Bush is a Fairy Tale.
669659
I am an Army brat. My dad is now a retired Lt Col. I've been to Ft. Meade in Maryland, El Toro in California, Keflavik in Iceland, Ramstein in Germany (which I am now at stationed in the Air Force), Mildenhall in England, and Ft. Lewis in Washington. I'm glad that your dad is coming home to you soon. Hope he enjoys his short break from the desert. God bless!
1056621
Pancha,\n\nI have never agreed with a word you have said on this website, but I can answer this question for you. Don't listen that ***** enlightenment. That is the dumbest crock of sh*t I have ever heard. MOST vets will tell you that there time in the military was extremely rewarding and taught them many life skills. Everything I have in this world, I owe to the skills the Army taught me. The friends you make will be lifelong, and the bond you share will be unparalleled - especially if you deploy to Iraq with them.\n\nWe in the National Guard have a saying: If you haven't been to Iraq yet, you will be going soon. The figure is close to 75% of all National Guard members nationwide have been to Iraq. I am getting ready to go again in October.\n\nService in Iraq is not ANYTHING like the liberal media would have you believe. It is statistically the safest war the United States has ever deployed anyone to. With over 500,000 military members having gone and around 2400 have died, that means you have a 99.9942% chance of making it back to the United States alive. Pretty damn good odds in this soldiers book.\n\nWe are doing a lot of good things over there that you NEVER hear about.\n\n* The media would have you believe that everyday Iraqis don't want us there. Nothing could be further from the truth. They want us to finish the job and leave when it is done - not sooner.\n* The media would have you believe that Iraq is close to civil war. Again, this is untrue. The violence is merely painted in such a way as to give that illusion. Most Iraqis want peace and the opportunity to succeed - NOT civil war.\n* The media would have you believe there is a deadly "insurgency" in Iraq. By definition, an insurgency is filled with citizens of an occupied nation. Iraq is not occupied, and the "insurgents" are all from other countries. My unit was responsible for transporting prisoners last year and 95% of all detainees captured were from Saudi Arabia or Jordan or Syria or Egypt or Yemen or a host of other countries. Most speak English very well (a tip off right there that they are not Iraqi) and will tell you that most of the "insurgents" are foreign.\n\nDuty in Iraq is not bad, and most find it very rewarding. Many of the Guardsmen from my unit who just returned at the beginning of this year have volunteered to go back in October.\n\nHow soon after your Basic Combat Training (BCT or just Basic) and Advanced Individual Training (AIT) might you go? Depends on your unit. If they have not gone to Iraq or not gone in a while, they may be going soon. It is also possible you could get assigned to go with another unit if they need your Military Occupational Specialty (MOS - your job). This is the absolute WORST scenario. You would rather go with people you know, people you trust with your life. So, I guess the answer is you might get tapped to go just weeks after you graduate Basic and AIT or you might never go.\n\nEither way, good luck.\n\nm1a1mikegolf - Actually, you are incorrect. EVERY enlistment is for eight years. If Pancha signs for three years, five years will be done in the IRR (Individual Ready Reserve). This means that while she is not actively drilling with the National Guard, she is still subject to recall. But, yes, she can do a three year enlistment and then leave the Guard.
823483
I would like,  ..They were at home now...  \nI’m sorry,    I am crying..  \n My brother died in Iraq.\n The US Armed Forces are OUTSTANDING....
640915
sometimes i just don't know what to say. these people on here that just think we should up and leave, and honestly don't care as to why we're over there. my husband has been over there for 9 months, and he has another 3 to go, and everyday i am so proud because he puts his life on the line, and for a good reason. we are trying to build iraq up. we are not at a "war" with iraq, we are at a war with terrorists. if we weren't there then so many iraqi soldiers my husband has talked to would still be forced in saddam's army. if we left now we would be betraying those iraqi soldiers who need our help. we would be putting a bullet in their heads because the terrorists would seek them out first and they would all be dead. the iraqi army is not strong enough yet. they are slowly getting there, but they still need us. the country still needs us. some say we should not have even gone, well those people were blind because they needed a new government. this isn't just some little country that we decided "hey let's butt into these people's buisness" this was a country run by a terrorist who needed to be stopped. someone who was torturing his own people. I am the wife of an american soldier and I am proud that my husband along with many others are laying their life on the line for the united states.
647224
1.  Why haven't we found Osama bin Laden?\n2.  Why are the big oil companies not paying taxes?\n3.  Why are thousands of people dying in Iraq?\n4.  What's the story about the high turnaround in your administration?\n5.  How can you sleep at night?\n\nPretty self explanatory if you ask me.
1115129
The answer to the question of how good is the Iraqi army is going to depend on who you ask - and when they were there.\n\nBy our standards they suck.  By Arab standards they are pretty good.\n\nAlso remember that the Iraqi army is still in the process of being created.  They desperately need experienced leaders and the only thing that will get their leaders this experience is time.\n\nThey are getting better.  But this is a painfully slow process. (And there is no way to speed it up.)
951153
Have a huge 'draft' - any male over the age of 18 is automatically in the military.  Most of the 'bad' stuff happening, in Iraq, is from the insurgents entering from other countries.  These people need to be stopped at the borders and not be allowed in.  Once the insurgents are stopped - then maybe Iraq can be a country on their own again.
951122
To Win! To fight it in a practical fashion that keeps our casualties low. Since we are not gonna win this way to have some practical plan for orderly withdrawal before Saddam swings next spring. Then all Hell breaks out and the rest of it will look like a picnic.
715853
I served for 20 years and retired in '92.  One of the things we noticed during the run-up to Desert Storm was the number of people all over Europe, I was assigned to CINCUSNAVEUR support in London, who were screaming "Wait! We didn't know we might have to go to WAR!"  That was from people with 8 or 10 years in.  All we career types could say was "You're in the military, what did you think we were here for?"  If there is a good thing about the Iraqi conflict, which I opposed from the start, it is that our young service men and women have a clear understanding of for what they are signing up.  The young people who put their lives on the line for the rest of us are truly the best of our best.  I just wish our National Leadership valued them as they deserve.
792450
There is no 'Rosetta stone' answer for Iraq.. no easy answer. I think it is pointless to waste time on the 'woulda, coulda, shoulda' in the rearview mirror. Important what is at hand in the present. With that said, it achieves a great deal getting out. The most important - saving lives of both our troops and the innocents caught in the middle.\n\nThe question should be redirected (from the premise), 'What would be achieved by STAYING in Iraq?
817317
Currently, it's in Iraq.
627924
Thank you!  we should be happy if the Iraqi's build their government, so they can do things their way. Yes, they needed help. They didn't know how to build democracy, but America has backed off as much as they could. I want to visit Iraq someday and spend my money there as a tourist. If they form this government right, Iraq can get rich just from the tourism. Iraq is beautiful, they deserve to be able to show off the beauty and make money at the same time. I can't wait for the day to buy in their markets. Sit down in a cafe and drink coffee. Visit their Museums, swim in their waters, buy me some Delicious Iraqi food. I'm so excited that someday it will be safe. I love Jordan. and Dubai. Iraq will be like that and all the world will be spending their money there. I want to find out what kind of fish they have that I could fish for.