Greetings from Iraq...
- Thread starter Dead Winter
- Start date
manuelgv
Back now...hopefully
Wandrail
I'm your Huckleberry
I don't know that thrashmetal is stationed in Iraq, I think he's just trying to make a joke. My Father actually just returned from a year in Iraq, and it certainly was trying for him as a US soldier, but he certainly would not say that for Iraqis every day is better than the next, quite the opposite.
Actually, I am in Iraq, but I cannot say where.
The saying "everyday is better than the next" implies that every day gets worse and worse than the day before. I think you misunderstood.
This place is definitely the biggest shithole on the planet right now, although I'm sure there may be worse somewhere...but none come to mind.
The saying "everyday is better than the next" implies that every day gets worse and worse than the day before. I think you misunderstood.
This place is definitely the biggest shithole on the planet right now, although I'm sure there may be worse somewhere...but none come to mind.
manuelgv
Back now...hopefully
Profanity
The Post Master
Raistlin1980
And justice for some
stormy
Sketcher
thats to bad man
Wandrail
I'm your Huckleberry
I understood what you meant, I was saying that it sucks constantly for the soldiers there, especially because they never know who is a normal citizen and who is working with one of the small terrorist units, so you can't really do much to protect yourself from a sniper's bullet or a roadside improvised bomb, but for the Iraqis there were actually fewer schools open, fewer jobs, less electricity, less clean water, and certainly you wouldn't see shia muslims (who comproise the majority of the populace) having any of the religious freedom they have been publicly enjoying prior to our actions there. Iraq was always a shithole except for in Hussein's palaces.thrashmetal78 said:
I see what you're saying. Yes, it's very difficult for the Iraqis here, and for us as well. It's true; you don't know who to trust...are they law abiding citizens, or are they terrorists? They could be both; citizens giving intel TO the insurgents. Trust no one. But as bad as it is, it's still better for the Iraqis than it was under Saddam. I've seen everything first-hand. All the arguments can be laid to rest now, as I'm against this war, but doing my duty because I abide by my word and fulfill my oath. So all the bickering and fighting in the forum should stop, because you guys have someone who's actually here, seeing it every day. There is no more room for speculation or conspiracy theories. There will be no more "My little brother's friend's sister's uncle's cousin's goldfish's roommate was there, and he said this...". I'm here, so ask me your questions. But be smart about it. Don't ask shit like "what do you do, where do you work, what base are you", etc. The fact of the matter is that it's still better EVEN NOW than it was under Saddam. A friend of mine told me that an Iraqi came up to him and thanked him and said it was the happiest day of his life because HE HAD A REFRIGERATOR FOR HIS FAMILY. A FUCKING REFRIGERATOR MADE THIS MAN THE HAPPIEST MAN ON EARTH! How bad WAS it under Saddam, if basic household appliances make people feel like they haven't a care in the world? As big of a shithole this place is, I must confess, it's the most beautiful desert I've ever seen in my life. I've never seen sunsets like these...the night sky is clear and beautiful, with the moon and stars seeming just beyond your grasp. Once this place gets back on it's feet, it's going to be amazing. Let's not forget the history too. Ur is here, it was the forefront of human civilization, right here in Iraq, intact for all to see. If we can stop everyone from killing each other, maybe this place will be the first decent country in the middle east, aside from Qatar. Qatar is the Disneyland of the middle eastern countries...wow.
I'm in the Air Force, that's why I'm here, Raistlin. I'm the lucky one, though. The Army here has it ROUGH...poor guys/girls. I'm confined to the base, even though we get attacked every fuckin' day. It's still better than patrolling the streets in a Humvee, only to get blown up by an IED along the road.
I can't wait to get back to Italy...
I'm in the Air Force, that's why I'm here, Raistlin. I'm the lucky one, though. The Army here has it ROUGH...poor guys/girls. I'm confined to the base, even though we get attacked every fuckin' day. It's still better than patrolling the streets in a Humvee, only to get blown up by an IED along the road.
I can't wait to get back to Italy...
KoichCPA
Banned
Wandrail
I'm your Huckleberry
I actually considered joining the military and going to Iraq when the shit hit the fan, but 1) I have asthma and they basically won't have me, and 2) my Dad dissuaded me. Although I and most Americans feel it was the right thing to do, even though you are not for the war, I have immense respect for you as a man of your word in your country's military service. Good to see the virtue of honor alive and well in the fighting men of the west. My Dad has had to inform a number of families of their losses from men who served under him, and I'm extremely grateful to God that he has returned home with his life. Despite differences I again respect you and appreciate your service immensely, and am glad to see you speak the truth about the situation over there despite your personal viewpoint about the war itself. Have you seen any of the work that was being done on the city of Babylon itself? Hussein fancied himself a new Nebuchadnezzar and I understand he was working to rebuild parts of the old city. I have always wanted to visit that country because it houses the Sumerian and Babylonian cities, and maybe in the future, when the country under rule by its people has become prosperous and a place of reason and peace I and lots of other people can do just that. The possibilities in my mind for the future of Iraq are immense in gaining peace and also understanding between the cultures of the west and the middle east.thrashmetal78 said:
How am I still alive? That's the question I was asked. This is proof of how the media is totally mindfucking everyone. It's not great here, but there are worse places to be, believe me. Iraq is not a bloodbath, contrary to popular belief. Yes, people die every day. One, two, five, ten on a bad day, maybe...MAYBE. That's out of about 200,000 coalition troops...and they aren't all dying in the same place. It's scattered all over here. You tend to forget all the domestic crime in many countries around the world, where THOUSANDS die every single day, yet it's not heard on the news. How many people die every day in NYC, L.A., and Miami every day? I guarantee you more than Iraq. But we tend to turn a blind eye to that. The press has blown this thing out of proportion and is bending their viewpoints to try and get everyone on board with the whole anti-war thing. Again, I'm not for the war...actually let me re-iterate. Saddam needed to be ousted. We were gonna hafta do it anyway, but I think that we didn't exhaust all areas of possibility before the invasion. That's my gripe. I think the pretenses were a little shady, even though the cause is honorable. Get everyone on board after all possibility for peace is exhausted, then invade. We kinda gave the finger to everyone and did it ourselves. I don't think it'll happen again.
Iraq is a beautiful country, this much is true. It's littered with garbage, burned and bombed out buildings, and terrorism right now, but it's truly a beautiful country. Only the populated places have the most terrorism and carnage...everywhere else is beautiful. Poor, but beautiful nonetheless. It's time to turn it over to the people, dammit. I hope they all vote against having U.S. occupation there and start running things themselves in this upcoming election in Iraq. That would be a slap in the face, in my opinion if they keep us here. "Oh, we hate you Americans and we want you all dead, but please stay here and protect us from our own people." That's a whoooole different argument that I'm not going to even get into now.
Iraq is a beautiful country, this much is true. It's littered with garbage, burned and bombed out buildings, and terrorism right now, but it's truly a beautiful country. Only the populated places have the most terrorism and carnage...everywhere else is beautiful. Poor, but beautiful nonetheless. It's time to turn it over to the people, dammit. I hope they all vote against having U.S. occupation there and start running things themselves in this upcoming election in Iraq. That would be a slap in the face, in my opinion if they keep us here. "Oh, we hate you Americans and we want you all dead, but please stay here and protect us from our own people." That's a whoooole different argument that I'm not going to even get into now.
Wandrail
I'm your Huckleberry
Yeah, I agree with you for the most part, although the bottom line was kind of that no one could be sure of Hussein because he had been playing these games and defying the UN resolutions for years, and after 9/11 we could no longer afford to ignore such a potential threat (and it was never called 'imminent' by the Bush administration). We also should remember that the same people on this side of the pond accusing this amdinistration of poor intelligence practices are alot of the same people responsible for totally neutering our intelligence agency over the previous decade. Its a fucking mess, that's one thing I can say for sure.
The media has been totally biased, sickeningly, almost criminally so. the good thing is people in this country have finally begun wising up, I believe. I do think we will begin turning things over to Iraq soon, but it has to be incremental, just as it was in Germany. And don't forget - we're still in Germany.
The media has been totally biased, sickeningly, almost criminally so. the good thing is people in this country have finally begun wising up, I believe. I do think we will begin turning things over to Iraq soon, but it has to be incremental, just as it was in Germany. And don't forget - we're still in Germany.
