http://www.thebluestate.com/2007/06/us-soldier-we-a.htmlUS soldier: We are not making progress
Each day, you hear the news about the grim security situation in Iraq, while the right-wing says the exact opposite is happening. Enough with the media and the pundits. How do the soldiers feel? Here is an excerpt from letter by US Sergent Jason Walker in Baghdad:
The truth from a soldier from the ground in the middle of Baghdad. We are not making progress. I can tell you from the last time I was here in 05 that we are fighting a whole new beast. Instead of a few individuals from a different land we are now fighting the whole country.
The streets are empty. The people that supported liberty and freedom have long been killed or have moved. I cleared a group of houses the other day that was at least 50% abandoned. The only people that seem to want us here are the people we put in power.
...All this being said it's not the fight for freedom that upsets me. If I saw citizens dragging terrorists in the streets and wanting Liberty I would gladly give my life for that cause. That is not the case at all. The people keep their mouth's shut and therefore the Terrorists leave them alone. Thats all they want anyway.
Well a Army is held together by a "cause" . A cause to hold the soldiers together, a cause to give them some cause for sacrifice. Four of my close friends gave that sacrifice the other day. Death is part of a soldiers life. It is the accepted risk. The price for Liberty. The hardest part has been justifying thier sacrifice. Is so many good many lost worth the freedom of a country who doesn't really want us here. I say no.
The letter went on to ask for the help of every political blog in getting this message out to as many people as possible.
3,559 US troops have lost their lives since the war began. So far, President Bush's troop surge has exposed even more US soldiers and put them at risk. Despite the added effort, Baghdad is still the least safest place in Iraq, while nearby suburbs have seen a dramatic increase in violence.