The USO tour traveling through Iraq visiting our brave men and women in uniform had along with them as part of the entourage three special guests who lost loved ones in the September 11th terrorist attacks in New York.

Christy Ferer whose husband Neil Levin was the Director of the New York Port Authority.

Ginny Bauer who lost her husband David.

Jon Vigniano, a former marine who lost his only sons Jon, a firefighter, and Joe, a policeman.

Christy wrote a very moving article for the Air Force News that you must read. Excerpt:

But this time I was shaking because I was to present the recovered WTC steel to Gen. Tommy Franks (U.S. Central Command commander). I quivered as I handed him the icy gray block of steel. His great craggy eyes welled up with tears. The sea of khaki fell silent. Then the proud four-star general was unable to hold back the tears which streamed down his face on center stage before 4,000 troops. As this mighty man turned from the spotlight to regain his composure I comforted him with a hug.

Sgt Hook out.

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A couple of weeks ago I posted an entry with some thoughts on taking responsibility and our propensity to blame others for our own shortcomings which lead to a thread (rhyme intended) in the comments that was a little off subject. A reader upset about our involvement in Operation Iraqi Freedom and the extended tours our servicemen and women are having to fulfill asked this question:

Are their deaths just the price to be paid for liberating a country that clearly doesn’t want us there?

To which I answered, Yes.

I’ve lost some good friends in this war on terrorism and I have still many more in both Iraq and Afghanistan who tell me that the people there are immensely grateful to America for liberating them. I’ve been to other countries where the PEOPLE, the oppressed, the suffering, the yearning, could not convey enough how thankful they were for our assistance. My trust in my comrades coupled with my own experiences, give me pause when I read, a country that clearly doesn’t want us there?

Clearly, the contrary is true.

Of course the mainstream media for the most part focuses on comments made by unhappy soldiers who have been separated for long periods of time from their loved ones and political statements criticizing the decision to go to war in the first place, instead of reporting on the war itself and the battles being won daily.

After traveling through Iraq with the Deputy Secretary of Defense, Paul A. Gigot of the Wall Street Journal discusses this issue far better than I ever could. Its worth reading the whole article, but the closing paragraphs really caught my attention:

The one word I almost never heard in Iraq was “WMD.” That isn’t because the U.S. military doesn’t want, or expect, to find it. The reason, I slowly began to understand, is that Iraqis and the Americans who are here don’t think it matters all that much to their mission. The liberation of this country from Saddam’s terror is justification enough for what they are doing, and the main chance now isn’t refighting the case for war but making sure we win on the ground.

“So I see they’re giving Bush a hard time about the WMD,” volunteers a Marine colonel, at the breakfast mess in Hilla one morning. “They ought to come here and see what we do, and what Saddam did to these people. This was a good thing to do.”

I’m sure I’ll get some arguments to the contrary on this just as Lt Smash has so in the spirit of pre-emptive strikes, read what the Lt has to say in response to such criticisms.

The decision was made to fight, to defend, to liberate. Nearly EVERYBODY was on board with that decision. It is too late to criticize, especially if you voted Yay. The battlefield is still tumultous and the focus needs to be on seeing this mission through to the end, for if we don’t, 8, 10, maybe 12 years from now we’ll be having the same conversations. It is quite clear that the Iraqi people want us there and they want us to finish what’s been started. Let’s get it done right and keep America safe. Sgt Hook out.

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