Caught this on Yahoo News (my choice of premiere, unfiltered, high quality news)...
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – U.S. troops pulled out of Baghdad on Monday, triggering jubilation among Iraqis hopeful that foreign military occupation is ending six years after the invasion to depose Saddam Hussein.
Iraqi soldiers paraded through the streets in their American-made vehicles draped with Iraqi flags and flowers, chanting, dancing and calling the pullout a "victory."
Read the whole thing here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090629/ts_nm/us_iraq
I agree that this is a good thing. It answers the doubters (both in the US and in Iraq) of whether we are serious about this pullout. Heck, any one who has spent 5 min talking with anyone who is in Iraq now or has been there in the past year could tell you as much that we are turning things over and getting the heck out of Dodge.
But what bugs me not just a little bit is when the guys you defeated, then built back up, trained, and pushed towards getting a plan to take over their own country, now drive around in the Humvees that you (the American public) bought them (and are having a helluva time teaching how to maintain) and say that it is their "victory."
Just a minor irritation of course. Totally irrational, I know.
I love the ending of the article: "'They did a good job getting rid of that tyrant, Saddam, and we thank them for that, but it's really time for them to leave,' said Talib Rasheed, 70, sitting outside in one of Baghdad's leafier suburbs. 'Maybe they could leave us some electricity?'"
ReplyDeleteIt is frustrating, the demands never end, and I think a thankless job. Add to that the pressure to leave both domestically and internationally, and I can definitely see how you wonder why you're there at all.
But you guys can see the difference you're making (even if it's taking a ton of time) -- and that's why you guys persist.
At the least, I think it's amazing that you're there witnessing this shift in person. Very cool experience. Thanks for continuing to write Maj C and sharing it with us.
Ah, history is written that we Americans moved in to dispose of a tyrant, then restore the self-governing power. Hail to the armed forces and thank you for being part of it! They sowed and you reaped the joy, Major C. What a privilege!
ReplyDeleteI hope and pray that the ethnic and sectarian fractions would see the greater good and demonstrate that they deserve the hard won "victory".