From Midnight in Iraq comes one marine's response to an email he received from a journalism student about his perspective on the war in Iraq.
Kathryn,
Thank you for the email. I will be happy to field your questions, as this is a vastly interesting and controversial topic. I speak for myself and myself only.
What is your attitude (and that of other soldiers in Iraq, as far as you know) to homefront protest against the war or non-support of the war?
I believe free speech is a vital and healthy tenet of our society. When the drafters of the Bill of Rights sat down to make a list of things the .gov should absolutely not touch, free speech was #1. The right to keep and bear arms was #2, by the way, and I’d hate to see this country trample on the First Ammendment as it has the Second Ammendment. You can never please all of the people all the time. If you ever see that happening, you may very well be in the middle of a dictatorship, and while DougS says “there are worse things than a dictatorship,” I would certainly hate for it to be me. The bottom line is that I think it’s fine that people protest the war. I don’t happen to agree with their opinion, but part of respect is being able to disagree with someone.
Do you equate that to non-support of the troops?
I have met several people who have told me “I am against the war, but I support you.” It’s hard for me personally to wrap my mind around not supporting a war yet supporting those who execute that war, but it does appear possible. I have yet to met anyone hostile towards me or my Marines because we are warfighers. I have read their articles on blogs and in newspapers, so I know they do exist, but the vast majority of dissenters tend to carry the “I support the troops, but not the war” attitude. I think this may be a product of trend. How many protesters have the gall to actively oppose our troops when most of their peers do not? September 11th made it trendy to be a patriot, and much like everything else in American pop culture, nobody wants to get caught with their own ideas that no one else agrees with. Do I equate protesting the war with non-support of the troops? No. Do I scrutinize the motivations of war protesters and wonder what they really believe in those deep, dark places they don’t like to talk about at parties? Yes.
Does support of the troops require unquestioning support of the mission?
Nothing should ever be unquestioning. Even military orders given to us by our commanders are only to be executed if they are “lawful orders.” It’s up to the individual to determine whether an order is lawful. I think I expounded on this enough during the previous question. I think it is possible for someone to support our troops but not support their mission.
How does opposition to the war at home make you and other soldiers in Iraq feel?
I can only speak to what I think about the situation. I understand there will always be dissenting opinion to any decision made by anyone. I deal with it everyday. When someone doesn’t like one of my decisions my standard question in return is ‘OK, do you have a better idea?” My personal opinion is that opposition to the war doesn’t bother me. I think it’s naive and narrow-minded. What should we have done? Do they really want us to pack our bags and pull out tomorrow? Do they understand that will leave this job undone, for another generation. Thomas Paine once said “If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.”
Is it demoralizing?
Well, it certainly doesn’t build morale. However, I am fine with people disagreeing with me. I also don’t mind that not everyone in the world wants to be my friend. In the words of Doc Holliday: You know, if I didn’t think you were my friend, I don’t think I could bear it.
Does it make your job more difficult?
I am very separated from any protest against the war, and it is unable to affect my job. Furthermore, my wife is as resolved as I am, so I do not have to deal with any dissenting opinion on the homefront. I can pretty much deal with anything else. To let a few war protesters in the states affect the execution of my job would be lunacy, and I would consider myself weak because of it.
Additionally, last week many Wisconsin counties held referenda regarding whether or not the U.S. should withdraw from Iraq? What is your opinion about this?
My opinion? Did they also discuss corporate marketing strategies? I’m guessing Bill Gates and Steve Jobs made it a point to attend. Perhaps they have an opinion on whether I should put my left boot on first or my right? The way this system works is simple: You elect a representative that best reflects your personal values. That representative votes on your behalf. If you can’t elect a representative that shares your values you either move or accept the fact that your opinion may be in the minority. The way it DOESN’T work is by random counties in a random state holding a referenda on national military policy and thinking anyone gives two shits. Let General Pace and the rest of the Chiefs of Staff do their job. Let the Commandant do his job. They get paid plenty to do it, have been doing it for 30+ years, and are vastly more qualified than you, me, and any county commission in Wisconsin. If these county referendums would really like to do something useful perhaps they could send me some cheese. I’m a fan of smoked Gouda.
Your comparison to the Vietnam era protests is interesting. In “On Killing” Dave Grossman explores the effects of these protests in depth. He concludes that they contributed heavily to the dramatically increased numbers of PTSD that is present in Vietnam veterans. He contends that the inability of society to help these veterans cope with having to kill their fellow man caused the psychological train wrecks that are often present in veterans of that war. I am not 100% convinced of his theories, but it does present some interesting food for thought, especially for the protester who actively DOES NOT support our troops. One thing that comes to mind is the final scene in James Webb’s book “Fields of Fire” where one of the characters (I think it is Senator) gives a speech about the war and returns to find his car defaced. I am certainly laisse-fare about the war protesters, but my opinion might change if I returned to booing, spitting, and accusations. I also can’t accurately predict how I would feel if I was a parent who lost a son or daughter in the war. It might change my opinion. However, a good perspective of one’s place in the universe may also be in order. I joined the Marine Corps because I believe in values that are bigger and more important than myself. The Declaration of Independence states that all men are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. It doesn’t state “all Americans,” but “all men” (all of humanity). Because of what we’re doing over here millions of people will now come closer to enjoying those inalienable rights that were suppressed from them for so long. I hope that if I fall my loved ones will know that my death served a greater good, and I hope they would be level-headed enough to view the issue through an untainted lens.
I like this guy.
