US troops from the 3rd Infantry Division guard one of the compounds of Baghdad's international airport with a .50 caliber machinegun. US Army Captain Douglas Hoyt from the 3rd ID said, 'I told a group Iraqi men the other day that I pray for them all every day.'(AFP/File/Romeo Gacad)
Two years on, one US soldier tells his story
BAGHDAD (AFP) - The euphoria of liberation that followed the toppling of Saddam Hussein on April 9, 2003 rapidly evaporated to give way to concerns over security, health and a lack of basic daily necessities.
For US soldiers who were in the vanguard of the operation to depose the Iraqi dictator the problems of daily reality in post-Saddam Iraq have become inescapable.
US Army Captain Douglas Hoyt from the 3rd Infantry Division took part in the storming of Baghdad and returned to the capital for a new stay of duty in March.
In a rare insight into the private thoughts of a top US soldier, he told AFP in an email how Iraq has changed over the past two years and of his hopes and fears for the future.
"I drive on the streets and walk through the area now and the smells are mostly the same. I do not smell as much death, but the rest is the same. It is still a dirty Third World city.
"The power is only a little more reliable then when I was here last. Not as many generators on the streets powering the area but the power is still unreliable. The sewage is still just as bad also. I have seen some improvements in fresh water distribution. Roads are getting better. A lot of the trash is getting cleaned up, or consolidated rather.
"When I left the first time, there was still widespread looting. Everyone was a thief just trying to get their hands on as much as they could to sell or use later. There were more people begging for food and water then. Many people were homeless.
"Now two years later, I still see them as criminals. Only this time it is extortion and kidnapping for ransom, and killing for money. Everyone is just trying to get more for themselves on every level of society. I have seen very few altruistically motivated people. The few I have seen I have embraced. The people are still thankful that we ousted Sadam Hussein.
"I remember standing at a checkpoint two years ago and listening to a man tell me that he was very thankful for our ousting Saddam, but at the same time he warned me that we should not stay. He said that the people of Iraq can love us for what we did but still fight us for staying.
"I think that this is exactly what happened while I was away for two years. All the resistance to the coalition was acceptable to the people of Iraq.
Now they have taken a new perspective. Now I feel safer riding around in my Humvee and standing on the street talking to people.
"After the election they have seen our true purpose here. They realize the insurgency is no longer true Jihad. It is now only criminals being paid to kill and destroy the future freedom for Iraq.
"These men we now fight will kill a man for less then 10 dollars, and spend the money on whiskey and other non-Muslim activities. They are tired of the death. So, for now I think they will remain passive or even help rid us of this criminal insurgency. This is what they tell me.
"I have hope that by maintaining the moral high ground we can teach these people some level of altruism. I fear about when we are asked to leave by the legitimate government, and if we do not agree on a timeline to leave, we will once again be fighting the Mehdi Army and other groups.
"I hope that before we leave we can improve the standard of living for everyone. I hope they will embrace the freedom and equal rights for everyone. We shall see.
"I told a group Iraqi men the other day that I pray for them all every day. I told them this was my hope and prayer.
Iraqi children run up to a US soldier from the Army's 3rd Infantry Division on patrol to shake his hand along a street in Baghdad. US Army Captain Douglas Hoyt from the 3rd ID told AFP that he hopes he can help improved the standard of living for Iraqis.(AFP/File/Marwan Naamani)