Posted on 03/11/2026 4:39:47 PM PDT by DoodleBob
The war began March 19, 2003, with an overwhelming show of American military might, described by the unforgettable phrase “shock and awe.” Within weeks, the United States achieved the primary objective of Operation Iraqi Freedom, as the military operation was called, ousting the regime of dictator Saddam Hussein.
Yet the military campaign that began so auspiciously ended up deeply dividing Americans and alienating key U.S. allies. As Americans looked back on the war four years ago, 62% said it was not worth fighting.
…
In a pivotal moment in the Iraq debate, Powell presented what he described as “facts and conclusions, based on solid intelligence” to show that Iraq had failed to comply with UN weapons resolutions. “Leaving Saddam Hussein in possession of weapons of mass destruction for a few more months or years is not an option, not in a post-Sept. 11 world,” Powell said.
….
Yet the war continued for another eight years. Public support for the use of U.S. military force in Iraq, which rose to 74% during the month that Bush gave what became known as his “Mission Accomplished” speech, never again reached that level.
(Excerpt) Read more at pewresearch.org ...
Also I forgot to add this to the items above:
“The group name Buffalo Springfield was derived from the brand name of a steamroller parked outside producer Barry Friedman’s house, where band members Stephen Stills and Richie Furay were staying in Los Angeles. The name was taken from the Buffalo-Springfield Roller Company.
Wikipedia
Wikipedia
+2”
INCORRECT.
Weapons of Mass Destruction was a disinformation "term of art" created in the USSR in 1937 to try to stigmatize any weapons system being built or employed by an enemy that they could not match in the effort to motivate the enemy nation's populace to exert pressure on the government not to use such a weapon for humanitarian reasons.
And in 1937, there were NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
Thank you for your service.
I visited Iraq in ‘03-’04 and ‘08-’09. Army.
Just after the heat broke in late July, I harvested dates from the palm trees. Plump, sweet, and juicy. Everyone thought I was crazy climbing the trees and hacking off the fronds with a Ka-bar. Once they were rinsed with no dust, it was a sweet treat.
We were led to believe that Iraq was on the verge of a nuclear weapon (sound familiar?) and that they would welcome us as liberators from a tyrannical dictator and the war would be over in 2 weeks. And that the country would become Christian and a democracy and a beacon for the entire Middle East.
then G W MORON forbade US troops and contractors from preaching the Gospel in Iraq (because it might offend Muslims!) And after we toppled Iraq in 2 weeks, G W MORON announced we were staying to rebuild, after campaigning on “no nation building!”
“Islam is a religion of peace!” - G W MORON
What an embarrassment that I ever supported that worthless POS.
I have a huge amount of respect for the job you guys did over there under those conditions.
When I read your account of eating dates, in my mind I immediately thought of someone wearing all that hot gear in 113 degree, dusty, and pulling those dates down from that tree.
Must have been great, if you were exerting yourself in that heat, your body probably craves calories, and chewing on that must have been grand!
Thank you again.
Guys like you might not know it from reading on this forum, but there are a lot of us who appreciate what you did and how well you did it, and regardless of the political BS introduced by many, think you guys rate up there near the top in quality and heart with any forces we have put into the field in any war.
Damn proud of you guys.
Good article. Kudos to Pew.
Iraq harbored and assisted the original Ayatollah Khomeini and his extremist followers, precisely because the Iraqi government wanted to use Khomeini to destabilize Iran.
Then Iraq took in Abu Sayyaf and his followers.
Then Iraq aided the head-chopping Islamic terrorists in the Philippines.
Then Iraq took in the guy who arranged to meet up with two of the future 911 hijackers in Kuala Lumpur, who were attending a planning session to bomb the USS Cole in Yemen.
Then Iraq took in Zarqawi, the founder of ISIS, who ran a smuggling route through Iran, Iraq, and Syria, and allowed him to set up shop in Baghdad with a bunch of Egyptian terrorists, more than a year before the US invasion.
And of course both Iraq and iran were involved in all of this, because the enemy of their enemy is their friend.
Not feeling sorry about thumping Saddam and his Baathist buddies or about thumping Ayatollahs and their minions.
In the end the War in Iraq was NEVER about the belief that Saddam was working on nukes or additional biological or chemical weapons, it was about his defiance of the will of the international community to inspect and confirm for themselves that Saddam had no such programs.
That was a stalemate that could only ever have had one of three outcomes:
#1. Saddam admits IAEA inspectors and gives them free and unfettered access.
#2. America and her allies blink.
#3. America and her allies invade Iraq so they can see for themselvces once and for all what Saddam was willing to take such a disproportionate risk to keep hidden.
It was the same game of brinkmanship he had played against his neighbors for decades. Only this time, Dubya called Saddam’s bluff and it cost him his kingdom and his life.
And good riddance to bad rubbish.
You’re too kind.
Summers were hot. Often 115-120F in the summer, reflected heat from city pavement, humidity from the rivers and canals.
Sixty to 80 pounds of armor, kit, weapons, and ammo.
Iraqis loved rumors! One of them was that our vests contained miniature air conditioners. That was the only way they could fathom or explain US troops patrolling on foot in the mid-day heat.
The first time I heard that one, I had just come into an enclosed space to meet with some pro-US Iraqis. It was very hot. I had already sweat through my t-shirt, uniform top, and into my vest. One of them mentioned that it was a good thing we had those air conditioners, otherwise we’d be passing out.
Challenge accepted.
I doffed my vest and kit and put it on the Iraqi. I said, there is no air conditioning. Their mouth hung open. Between the weight, the heat, and the fact the vest was dripping with sweat, they were gobsmacked.
After that, word spread through the neighborhood that the A/C rumor was a lie. The Americans were just THAT TOUGH!! Hoo-Wah!
I did the same thing a couple more times in the following weeks.
We gained a lot of Wasta that day. ‘Face’, ‘influence’, ‘respect’.
Hahahahaha! That is absolutely hilarious! I’ll bet you wished they had little air conditioners in your vests, though...
That said, I am amazed at the way the human body adapts.
The Shackleton Expedition was trapped in Antarctica for a full year, and those guys became so acclimated to cold weather, that when it reached 25 degrees Fahrenheit above zero, they simply couldn’t sleep because it was too warm for them!
I’m not sure the human body can adapt enough for the middle east with that equipment, stress, heat, humidity.
Coming back on the base, in nominal safety, we bought ice cold Cokes from an Iraqi cart vendor outside the gate. Come in, drop our kit to t-shirts, sit on a grassy hillside in the shade, and cool off.
An AQI suicide bomber blew up the fella and his cart some months later. For ‘supporting the infidels’. No more icy sodas.
Often, we’d go see the medics/Corpsmen for IVs. Maybe a bag (1L) or half a bag (500ml). When there was electricity, the docs had very cold refrigerators. Nothing like a refreshing, chilled, bag of ringers to cool the body down.
It is interesting that you and others like you lived a life over there that many people in this country simply have no appreciation for or even any conception of.
I guess those who lived it...know! And you know who you are...:)
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