From the blog:
QUESTION: I check out your blog everyday...not sure how I found it, but it's great to get a perspective that you would never get unless you knew someone in Iraq. I have two questions for you:1) Personal question: You joke about your recruiter a lot and the duty you pull (as every military guy I ever have known does) - but do you feel like you're making a difference for Iraq? For America? We'll probably not knowfor years, but I'd like to know what your (and maybe the general opinion) over there is. 2) Aside from the Iraq's on your FOB, what is your view of the Iraqi citizens opinions of what is happening and their view toward you? Do they seem thankful? Do you think they feel like they have a chance to actually make their country better? Do you sense hope? I also want to add that I truly respect what you are doing.Thanks....be safe. And thanks again for sharing your thoughts. -Allen
ANSWER: 1.) I personally think we're making a difference for the better here for these people. I don't know what it was like here when Saddam was in charge, but all the Iraqi's that I've talked to tell me it sucked. Do I feel like I've made a difference for America? I don't know. 2.) Every time I leave the FOB and hit the streets here in Mosul, may cargo pockets get filled with gifts from the Iraqi people. Fruits, breads, candy's, toys, whatever. Yea, there's a lot of people who also hate us, but you don't know their story. Its hard to explain, but I'm senescing a lot of pride with the Iraqi people now that the country is theirs again that wasn't there in the past. A lot more flags up and the ICP's and ING's are doing a really good job out here now policing this country and they seem like they really do care. I have a lot of faith and respect for the ING's and ICP's, those guys have one of the hardest jobs out there, cleaning up iraq, and they are actually are doing a lot of good.
QUESTION: First, the vast majority of Americans are very thankful for the great job you and your fellow soldiers are doing in Iraq. Next, continue to keep your musings real. Your stories about your experiences in Iraq are great. You don't need to use error free grammar. Your writings about Iraq are more interesting than those of Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw and Peter Jennings combined. Lastly, if you don't mind, I have a few questions. 1.) Friends of mine who oppose GW Bush and the war don't have a moral problem with anti-war protesters who publicly protest during ongoing conflict. I find this to be very problematic. I think it is fine to protest before conflict begins, but I have a problem with protesters who take a public stance once soldiers' feet are on the ground. What is the general opinion of you and your fellow soldiers regarding public protestations against the war after battle begins? I don't think this type of behavior influences most soldiers to do their job with less professionalism. Yet, I can't imagine it doesn't have some negative impact on your psyche. Do most soldiers perceive these public protesters as less patriotic?
ANSWER: The University here in Mosul had a huge Anti-America protest a couple months ago. 100's and 100's of young students protesting us being here. I asked my Kurdish friend who lives in Mosul what he thought of all the protesters and with a look of disgust he told me that the protesters are just ignorant and uneducated on what's really going on with Iraq. Sometimes I feel that way about our protesters back home. On a raid once I found some old Iraqi newspapers from back in the Saddam era, and he would always print photographs of all the anti-war protests in his papers, I guess to make it look like EVERYBODY in America was against Bush and the war. Me personally, we have the right to assemble and protest whatever we want to protest. If they want to protest before the war, go ahead, if they want to protest during the war, go ahead. It doesn't bother me and I don't think about them. I know this sounds like a total brainwashed answer, but my job is not to think about them and have them effect my job, my job is to my job. If people want to protest the war because they think it's an unjust war, that's fine, that's what makes America, America, we have that freedom to do that. A lot of the soldiers here are totally gung ho 100% for this war, which is fine, but whenever we sit around smoking and talking about the war, if I even bring up a argument that even remotely questions us being here and the legitimacy of this war, I'm usually called a liberal communist pinko from California. Which I'm not.
ping
It's only my opinion...but after reading the excerpt you posted, I still say he doesn't take a clear stand on whether or not he actually supports the war.
From the blog:
"The soldiers I know who are voting for Bush are voting for him because they support him 110% on his Global War On Terrorism, and there is no shadow of a doubt that we did the right thing coming to Iraq. They feel Bush is doing a great job so far out here. A lot of the guys remember what happened to the military the last time a Democrat was in office. The guys I know who served in the military during the Clinton years, tell me all sorts of horror stories about the budget cuts. How they couldn't get any good training done, because they had no money for ammunition or anything. In training, if they ran out of bullets to fire, they would yell "Bang! Bang! Bang!" or yell "Budget Cuts! Budget Cuts! Budget Cuts!" to simulate shots being fired. Since Bush has been in office, we've never had those kinds of problems and there has been nothing but improvements in the military, we've had a couple small pay raises, and the quality of life has gone extremely up for people in the military.
And then there's people like me, who, even though he's kind of a nut, just might vote for Ralph Nader, just because he's the F-U vote."
Lets hope he listens to the 110% behind Bush guys and votes for what's right.
Hey! Just like our media!
Its hard to explain, but I'm senescing a lot of pride with the Iraqi people now that the country is theirs again that wasn't there in the past.
I don't know if people heard but
Nabil's Blog
Iraqi sports news and my daily diaries
http://nabilsblog.blogspot.com/
Amazing Boys
The Iraqi just made and qualifies to the semi finals, when they beat Australia 1-0, I can't tell you what happened in Baghdad when the scored the goal, when they just score it the commentator just yell and shut GOAL GOAL!, and he end his yelling by crying, he cried when the match ended, because Iraq haven't qualify to this round over his whole history, and when we scored the flying bullets covered the sky, it was about 8:30 PM in Baghdad time when we scored our goal so they just stop and get back to see what will happen in the last 19 minutes but nothing changed, Iraq won and the history open his hand for them, the team which has been beloved by all the Iraqi people even the people who don't care about football they saw that game and get out to street and celebrate the moment of joy, I want to tell you what happen in MY street when the match was over, its like a hundreds people went out and holding the Iraqi flags with them and just yelling and crying in the street but of course with shooting bullets because this has become a tradition that when the Iraqi team win a match they have to celebrate by shooting bullets, I can hear the sound of the bullets now and its about 90 minutes from the time which the match ended.
Now let me describe the match: The first half:
The first half was so quite, each teams wanted it to end and the result is draw, but as I saw two failed chances to Australia, Iraq didn't do anything in the first half, except some few shy attacks
.The second half: Australia began this half very heavily they did a lot of good attacks against us but Nour Sabry the incredible goal keeper just saved a lot of shoots against us, but Iraq re arranged his forms and they start to attack and by a corner kick for Iraq Hawar Mullah Mohammed play it but the Australian defenders kick it away but Mahdie Kareem kick it back to the penalty area by his head, and the ball just came to Emad Mohammed and by a double kick he scored our goal. And we won and our Olympic team become one of the best 4 teams in the world.
WAY TO GO IRAQ.
Olay Olay Olay Olay Iraq.