Troops Have Mixed Emotions

Mixed emotions among soldiers in Iraq
As Memorial Day approaches, some worry, others optimistic

Marines Steve Haas, left, of Ohio, and Staff Sgt. Lance Cpl. Mouad Belahoussine of Virginia, both assigned to the Third Brigade, 25th Marines, search men and boys from a family riding together in a truck outside Haditha, 140 miles northwest of Baghdad, Tuesday.

RAMADI, Iraq - Sgt. Shawn Biederman is simply trying to survive the next two months and make it home. His unit mate, Spc. Brent Short, has just signed up for a one-year extension.

As another summer of searing heat bears down on Iraq, many soldiers in this troubled Sunni-dominated region of central Iraq say they remain as committed as ever to winning the war, however long it takes. Others fret about missing newborns' first words or precious time with young wives.

Still others worry about the slow pace of creating an Iraqi force to relieve them, and say they aren't sure they are accomplishing anything real.

"We want to hand it over to them. But when it comes down to it, the (Iraqi police) we're hiring are all bad,"? said Army Sgt. Nicholas Radde, 21, of LaCrosse, Wis., as his soldiers took a break from the heat in the parking lot of an abandoned storage area.

Two years on
Despite two interim Iraqi governments, a national election and the graduation of thousands of Iraqi soldiers, U.S. troops remain the ultimate security force in most of Iraq, more than two years after the U.S.-led invasion.

Earlier this month, when U.S. Marines led a major assault against insurgents near the Syrian border and lost nine troops, the Iraqi forces played a secondary role.

As the elected Iraqi government tries to coax a wary Sunni Arab population into joining the new political system, American soldiers continue to raid homes, patrol neighborhoods and hurriedly train Iraqi soldiers "? the faster the better if they are to get home soon.

But a resilient Sunni-led insurgency has effectively stalled progress, killing thousands of Iraqis.

In Shiite- and Kurdish-dominated areas, some Iraqi forces are starting to operate independently, but at a frustratingly slow pace. In Ramadi, capital of Iraq's most troubled province, Radde and his soldiers have seen a tougher fight.

Our troops DESERVE better , Bush pushed this- get enough countries to clean this up- kill'em all - I feel that is all many of the group that stands against us understand or give our troops MORE freedom and firepower and the free reins to do the job , or get out. I know some Iraq civillians will be killed, but ALL our troops were civillians before this. Yeah some Iraqis are gonna say we deserted them, but after this amount of time ,if they ain't stepping out , they ain't going to. Bite it , take the cash loss, use the oil reserve, make synthetic oil plants, and screw ALL the Arabs. If they had to try to eat that oil, it would change their point of view. How long does our government think we can pay the price , even if they don't count the lives , without having to cut home defense ? Didn't I hear something about that in the pre-election speeches? Bush will save us from evil and Kerry will cut our Armed forces? Now just a short time after the elections , Bush has decided he can't afford all the military bases cause we are running short on cash- could it be the goofy "little for the many, much for the rich" tax cut raising it's ugly head? Stop hitting the snooze, it is time to smell the manure wagon- we need someone to run the government that will keep defense up finish or get out of Iraq and close the border. When I see the troops wondering what to do ,I know we are in trouble , because at this point in their lives service to this country, to me and you, is first for them. But now I see them wondering where the promises went. They kept their end of the stick off the ground, I'm giving the Fed my 28% , what is wrong? Bush said he had the answers? God Bless the Troops this weekend and everyday, and please enlighten our leaders. I know I'm not smart enough to run this country, but it looks like they aren't also. Let Iraq be a history lesson be this time next year. One more thought- the Iraqi offical that thought to spread the plan to surround Baghdad with 40,000 troops and set-up check points a day or so before it happened should be hunted down and hung as a traitor.

I think i remember saying when the one party quickly jumped out of the election hunt this is gonna turn into a civil war.
You cannot take and let one ruling party be in total control. If you do how do you have a democracy?
We may not have it all. We may not like how it works all the time. But without our political parties what would we have?
My only problem with what we do here, we play to many political games.

Our troops will be in Iraq for a long time. Yeah some may be withdrawn but this is our new Korea. And eventually i look for Iraq to be separated into in two countries. It's become a civil war now, as i and i think many others imagined it would when this happened.

Now there is one way to deal with it. Just as we did in our own civil war. Cut off the supplies and destroy the enemy and break their will to fight. But our government won't do that. It's a war on foreign soil. Yet in ways a declared war. So all i can say, we are in it for the long haul. Till someone says. Iran, Pakistan, and any other country who helps these insurgents, be prepared to be hit, and Iran if you want to make those nukes, be prepared to be bombed.
You know that may sound like ego or we are the people. But who else is going to. Like i said you don't give a kid a gun to play with. Well you don't give a radical nation a nuclear weapon to play with either, including the unsteady North Koreans.
As for Nato and the others, diplomacy, yeah if it works, and the countries aren't working to build their weapons while talking diplomacy. And after the little money laundering in the oil for food thing at the UN or Nato, um makes you question the honesty there.
But you know, we have a program called the navy seals, and what i understand their good about, destroying things, and you know, just flat out saying do it and we will blow your butt away, that does something to and has an impact.
About time we did that in Iraq, and just tell Iran and North Korea straight out, you want to talk or do you want to be destroyed?
Cold? Maybe, but how many more wars can we fight? Who else wants to see dad, mom, or son, or daughter take off to fight a limited war?
How much more US blood needs to be spilled? Hell look what we did for France to be told. We won't help in your war on terror.
Ask Libyia. I think a few bombings there really changed a few minds and hearts.
Our soldiers do deserve better, time we quit dying for idiots. And let them help or we move out and bomb away and just send in food and water, and let them rebuild if they want. We didnt' ask for 9/11. And we didn't ask for Iraq to harbor terrorist.
But you know were there now. And it's time to end it or declare it a offical new war and then end it with all out show of force.
I think the words have been ECHO'ED Loudly. No more Vietnams, or Korea's.
WE will finish the mission, OUR SOLDIERS will not die in vain ever again.
WELL THEY WON'T IF WE LET THEM END IT.

I kinda saw what was coming , and I'm getting tired. If they ain't gonna bring the troops home just let them kill enough to put enough fear into the people who support the attacks that the support STOPS. Only way it works. Keep bleeding the military in the middle east and teasing here and then we get another 9/11/01. Course without Bush the VP would be scared enough to tighten things up and he couldn't be much worse. Also time to think about where the REAL support is coming from, if Mac had gone way north in Korea the Chinese would have never gotten as far south as they did , same in Nam, mine Haiphong and bomb Hanoi at the start and the thing might have been different.