Soldiers Experiences

The soldiers that are deployed in Iraq encounter many challenging situations on a daily basis. They have to watch out for civilians that are against there presence being in there country. Also they have to be observant of people shooting from hidden holes in the wall, bombs and attacks on there life. I also read about soldiers that have been injured due to the war. In one particular story that I read, it was about a soldier that was injured. Although he was injured he stayed in the Iraq with his unit. Instead of being outside in combat with the rest of the soldiers he was restricted to being away from arms way. Reading about the soldiers experiences gave be an understanding about what occurs while they are away at war. I was unaware of the challenges that they face on a daily basis. I now know partially what the soldiers go through while they are in Iraq.

A Veteran's Recounting

Blog titled Thursday, 11 January 2007 10:29 P GMT-07 in www.wordsmithatwar.blog-city.com is by a veteran who just came back from Iraq a few months ago. He tells how, “I spent the first six months of last year amidst the chaos and ironic monotony of war. I can still hear the prayers coming over loudspeakers, the distinct sound of artillery fire, whether it is incoming our outgoing, the darkness of the desert sky at night.” But now he’s back from war. “And now I can sit here in the comfort of my own home, my two kids and my future asleep upstairs under glow-in-the-dark solar systems, flanked by super heroes and princesses on glossy posters. And I can smile at the prospect of tomorrow.” He continues talking about his experiences. “I find that war certainly made me appreciate life all the more. War made me more alert, more grateful, more driven, and more humble. In a way I am now part of those paintings of soldiers hanging in the hallways of libraries on military bases, in the VA hospitals, in military museums and government buildings.” He ends the Blog by saying “Thank you, as always, for reading.”
And includes the quote by Samuel Johnson: "To improve the golden moment of opportunity, and catch the good that is within our reach, is the great art of life." Samuel Johnson

What strikes me about this blog is the optimism of the writer. He writes from a positive optimistic perspective as opposed to most other war blogs which focus on the negative aspects of war. He is also writing from America not Iraq, six months after he has returned home to his wife and children. I chose this blog in particular simply because I appreciate the warm, positive, happy aura of the posting.

Now I know................

Reading these blogs has made me understand what is really going on with the soldiers psychologically, emotionally, and physically. Many of the soldiers expressed their thoughts and feelings about the war and have suffered a great deal. The first blog Trueman’s Journal he writes about the death of his friend Wise and his life as a civilian. Reading his blog I'm able to understand what my brother might be going through emotionally and psychologically. The quote that stood out to me the most was: “When you live in a combat zone, if your mind isn’t there on that street then the next upturned rifle might be your own. In war, to dwell on the dead is to endanger the living. Still, they’d had their chance to grieve and for most that was enough to carry them through the deployment.” http://www.livejournal.com/users/rebelcoyote
My brother has been serving the military for about 15 years he first went to the marines and then went to the army. Throughout his time in the military I’ve seen positive changes; he’s more disciplined, loyal to his family and kids, keeps his promises and overall as they say “it made a man out of him”. The only time I saw that the military really made him a cold person was after his first voyage to Iraq. When my aunt died I couldn’t understand why my brother was so cold about it. They were so close and she practically raised him until the age of five. He was more sensitive before he went to Iraq and I think being there and experiencing the things that he experienced may have affected him emotionally and caused him to maintain this military concept that trueman explains. Even trueman shows this when he writes about the time he visited his friend’s grave, he couldn’t express his emotions however he was able to find his comfort in his own “soldier way”.
Many of the soldiers are mourning for the death of their fellow soldires, commanders and friends. In the second blog we have read “The Crew of Alpha 3/2” the speech that is posted for the death of the five soldier in a way is disturbing to me.“You led by example, you fought the good fight, you ran a good race. Well done and be thou at peace. We, Able Company and the entire Panther Battalion will carry on your fight so that your death will not be in vain. We will continue to take the fight to the enemy. We will continue to close with and destroy our nation’s enemies so that your memory will live on forever”. http://www.adayiniraq.blogspot.com I feel as he is saying to continue to kill more people in order to justify the death on the five soldiers and more. The nation’s enemy the he is addressing also includes innocent children, women and men. Continuing this war is not only killing our soldiers but innocent Iraqis. Is that Humane? The soldiers are sent to Iraq regardless of their views on the war and by the commander stating that “collectively we know that without Alpha 3/2 we must go on, for that’s what they would want us to do.” The commander is assuming this because the soldiers don’t have a voice of their own they must comply with whatever decision the military makes for them. Even while they are dead they still making decisions for them. How free are our soldiers?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Eva Lugo

The solider entry i read was the one whose best friend Wise died. I really felt bad for the solider because being in Iraq and losing the closest person to you during that time must be really horrible. I disagree with him though, in one part when he said that America and its programs are helping the Iraqi people. We as Americans may feel we are helping them, but maybe they feel they were fine. I mean that is their culture and religion. We wouldn't like it if like some country comes in and starts changing things. Yeah! the schools and programs are great but to assume that EVERYONE in Iraq loves the changes is very close minded and self fish. I feel that we are helping the Iraqis but some of them don't want it. Overall I admire the solider for all that he went through and it is good to see that he is alive and home.

Civilian Soldiers: Middle Ground

There is so much written about the horrific nature of war. I myself have never and don't ever wish to partake in that universal constant of history, but I greatly respect those who do so I don’t. The root of the conflict between soldiers and orders is that they aren’t considered citizens, when in my opinion they deserve the right more than anyone. The functional purpose for this separation between citizens and soldiers is clearly for the development of a strong military. All the things that go on during basic training could never happen to citizens without a court case, and the sacrifice of opinion and in some ways humanity only makes the soldiers ever nobler.
The military is clearly a tool, used to do great things, but not always positive things. If the personal opinion of every soldier were considered it would be the equivalent of a heavy-handed bureaucracy, and nothing would get done. Yet it is still disappointing that the bravest of us, the ones who actually fight to defend our freedom, can’t enjoy the spoils of their own war, if they even wanted to be there in the first place. The military is a tool and tools do not decide how they are used, but they also don’t have a voice, and our soldiers do.
The greatest thing about the modern phenomena of solider blogs is that soldiers can have their voices heard. Though still infantile, we can get an idea of how the soldiers themselves fell. Though they can’t complain to their CO’s and change things in that manner, they may just be able to reach the entire world, and ask the voters to empower someone who they believe will use the tool of the military more effectively. This is a new level of freedom for soldiers that strikes a great middle ground, and the restriction of this freedom would be tragic.

War are Politics

Dear Journal:

Today I read a couple of blogs from the American Soldier in Iraq. There was one that got my eye, "Submerged in a River in Egypt". This blog made me think about the War, and if it's really a War about Terrorism or a Republican and Democratic power War. Buck Sargent say that George W. Bush is doing this country just like what "Uncle Tom's Cabin did to Slavery", putting it out in the fields to work his labor and his hands stay clean. He goes on talking about "I've noticed a trend among people who persist in calling for a return to the draft, then always seem to be well past service age or you don't see too many of these placards being hoisted on College campuses, but what these artists fail to realize is that contrary to popular belief the Military draft is still very much alive. As of 1973 it's been entirely optional. I agree with Buck Sargent opinion about the War being for a Political stand and not for terrorism or American safety, because I come to realize that the area in which the War is being fought has nothing to do with the 911 accident or people that started it. (http://www.bucksargent.net/2007/03/submerged-in-river-in-egypt.html)

Open your eyes America!

As I was reading Truman's journal, I noticed that on December 1st, 2005, he wrote of a solider he saw that was so young that it shocked him that this soldier is a veteran. But it was not that that caught my eyes for I know many young men and women I graduated from high school with who are soldiers. Three have returned home; one is on his way back again, one have lost a leg and the other does not know her fate as to whether she'll be sent back or not. No it was not that that cought my eye. Rather, it was this statement, " I suppose that although everyone is aware that there is a war going on and that that that war is fought by an army which is composed primarily of young men, it's so far removed from the context of our daily lives that it's strange to meet someone who was actually a part of it" (http://rebelcoyote.livejournal.com/). There is so much truth to this sad statement. We hear that we are at war, but there is no way that we can feel the true intensity of the situation that we are placed in because it is not all around us. It's on the news, but its not next door. When we meet a soldier who is fresh from war or have been wounded in the war, it almost seems surreal. But imagine if you lived in Iraq; this war is next door, it's down the block, its on your front steps; and everyday you wake up to the sound of bombs and the fear of not knowing when your block will be the next on the news. No this reality is not our mentality. We hear it, but we do not see it, at least we DO NOT REALLY SEE IT. But they do; The soldirs, the iraqi civilians and soldiers, they are the ones living this tragedy every day. Its like a desease; they just dont know when their time will be up, it can be the next minute, tomorrow, tonight!!!

American Citizen Soldier: Humming the Haifa Street Blues

He ponders the question "what does it really mean to win in Iraq?". He discusses his frustration with the question because the people that tend to answer it hardly know what they're talking about. He states that the real question lies in whether or not the Iraqi security forces can stand on their own - or in other words whether there has been any progress made while the troops have been there. The overwhelming answer to this is not really. Despite this he does say that "its encouraging to see them finally transition to uparmored Humvees from under armoured Toyotas". He speaks about the concept of pride and that it is important to Iraq to change their former impression because "honor" is very important in Iraqi culture. Firing older generations from certain positions hasn't necessarily sat well with the culture was seen as problematic due to the fact that it involved the concept of honor, however keeping them would have made things worse. He speaks of the Iraqi police force where "many have no concept whatsoever of their duty to society as officers of the law". Many of the people appointed to these jobs seem incompetent. Some of the Iraqi police force have been the criminals as opposed to the ones catching the criminals. They have not been held accountable for their actions in Iraq as well as their lack of action. He says the problem overall lies in the fact that they are more fixated on quantity as opposed to quality. He ends with the fact that as a result of these issues, while being in Iraq "were not only getting what we pay for, were getting what we've been failing to pay for as well". http://www.bucksargent.net/2007/01/humming-haifa-street-blues.html

Personal thought about the soldiers in Ireq War

After I read the blogs which are written by an American soldier in http://www.soldierlife.com/category/mobilized/ , it proved to me that my thoughts towarded the Ireq War are absolutely correct. Soldiers' injuries and deaths are expected. Besides that, families' cares are necessary for the soldiers. The feelings and moods of the soldiers should be very serious as what I was expected. However, it is just the opposite in the reality. The soldiers seem to take everything easy. They play games and watch movies during the free time, enjoy the war life even though they get injuried, and keep contact with their families happily by receiving every package from them, etc. All of these made me feel that the soldiers are not on a war but on a trip. Are they crazy? Are they not care about their lives? I don't think so. They just don't want their families to worry about them, exactly like Helen Z. Smith's story that we read in the course pack. In fact, I believe that nobody would like to have a war that makes thousands of soldiers died, and therefore millions of people lost their sons, their husbands and their fathers forever. From this, I learn to treasure life, and treasure people around me. I hope that the war will end soon and God Bless America.

My Response to American Soldiers' Voices

I have read through some of the readings on the blogs written by American soliders, who are either still on the battle or staying at home for recovery. Their daily soldier life experiences really struck me. I always gain a feeling of proud whenI am reading their journals about soldier lives, even though there are not only gains but also great amount of losses. However, my feelings toward the soldier lives have been changed after I have read the journal named "There are no men in black here". www.soliderlife.com/2006/02/11/there-are-no-men-in-black-here/ I could feel the soldier's helpless mind just like i was actually experiencing his life. When he asked himself that "what are we truly fighting and why i ask myself", i felt so sympatic on him, since he was also doubting the value of the Iraq war just like we were. It seemed that he was not willing to kill people when he said, "They are the fathers of the children who love you". "There are no heroes here; we just do what it takes to come back alive". This line tells me that he preferred coming back home to killing people in the war. Similar to the ones relating to war that we've read in class, people were not truelly enjoying the war. Instead, they had hateful attitude toward the war. They didn't even expect the war although it sometimes did some good.

my thoughts

this is the reading. http://http://www.soldierlife.com/2006/02/11/there-are-no-men-in-black-here/#comments

reading this passage only made me agree more that sending the troops home is the best thimg to do. we are in a country with people who dont want us there and are ready and willing to fight with there everything to get us out. The soldiers are risking there lives every day and dont know why. some citizens in Iraq are welcoming like the kids who run along side the RVs and ask for candy and balls, and some are ready to fight.being unsure of life or death is only o.k when ther is a purpose, there is no purpose for being in Iraq.

Something I never realized

Honestly, I was always convinced that the war in Iraq was a horrible and disastrous occurrence. I believed that people were dying for absolutely no reason and that the war on Iraq was not progressing. However, after reading this article I finally gained perspective on why Bush actually let these soldiers go out into another country and fight to save people of another kind. I now know that these fighters had a purpose and it was a worthy one. “It took [him] a long time to come to terms with my role as a soldier in Iraq, but with time, [he] came to realize that although the method was flawed. […] [They’ve] made great strides in getting the country back on it's feet and no one can deny that the Iraqi people will be better off now than they were under Saddam.” It is now clear as can be why President Bush and his administration longed for these brave warriors to enter a world in which they were unprepared. It taught them to become more courageous and strive to help other forms of ethnicity in the world.
In the work, “Not so Quiet,” it deals with a young girl who enters the war unwillingly. In class we have discussed how her parents perceive the war and what is actually going on from her point-of-view. However what was extremely different is that this girl was young and did not really gain the support she needed from her family and others no in the war. She was facing many gender ideology issues at that time and was not taken seriously when she told her family that she hated the war. I see here how this courageous soldier did all he could for the people in Iraq and gave it his all in fighting the war. He did his best and knew what eh was doing was for a good cause. Most importantly, this soldier has the world’s support at his feet. We all believe that one day the world will come at people because of these brave men who have risked their lives to save this country and even other ones too. “[They] have no choice but to finish the job [they] started. Anything less would be disastrous for the Iraqi people, anything less would mean that every person who's died there, did it for nothing. Wise didn't die for nothing.”

Post Comment ( link for November 11, 2003) http://rebelcoyote.livejournal.com/49236.html?mode=reply

What Would You Do?

I read A Day In Iraq (http://www.adayiniraq.blogspot.com/) and it was very interesting. The blog I read was titled The Crew of Alpha 3/2 written on Monday, November 13, 2006. This blog was written by Michael a former soldier who served in Iraq. The blog’s purpose was to remember those men who died. Michael includes the Commanders speech who highly spoke of the soldiers who lost their lives. He praised them yet didn’t realize that these young men died without accomplishing anything. Yes, the soldiers are in war fighting! But why are they there? Does Bush really care for the justice of Iraqis? Shouldn’t we try solving real issues such as global warming? (Just a few questions to think about) Seriously, how pathetic does his speech sound: “They died so others could live free and today we collectively mourn their loss. We lost some or our nation’s greatest resources, young men who had the courage to serve their country, young men who answered our nations call to duty.” I do believe soldiers are heroic for fighting for this country. But I don’t agree with the war. Needless to say with Bush’s intrusion. So many young American soldiers die everyday in Iraq. And for what? How many more need to die? This is similar to what we read in class Not So Quiet. People need to realize “war is dirty. There’s no glory in it,” (Helen Zenna Smith). It’s funny how many Americans speak down on Iraqis. Call them terrorist. Yet think about what how you would react if someone came intruding into your homeland…

Summary Eternal youth for the price of a mortar round and My good bye

As I read the posting about the vet. watching this other vet. and could not believe of how young he looked to be a vet. This just showed that our young youths are going to war for the slaughter. Our teens who are our friends are dying for Iraq so call freedom or is it for greed?

For the other posting the sad thing is to say good bye to a love one when they died right next to you in combat knowing that you can just watch them die in front of you. i think we all lost the meaning for this war and because of this we are losing our love ones for the lost cause.
Kk

The Strength and Resolve of Our Soldiers

Honestly, I don’t even know what to say here. Whenever I think of war, I think of how those who fight it knowingly risk their lives to the hands of Death for every step they take on the front lines. It’s definitely not pretty, but then again, that is the nature of war. I decided to head to www.soldierlife.com to find an entry that would catch my interest. One of them did in only 5 seconds (No, I am not joking). Titled, There are no men in black here, and entered on February 11, 2006, our anonymous Soldier vividly described what is more or less a typical day serving on the Iraqi front.

What I got from reading it was this: If you’re looking for a simple one-shot solution that’s gonna end the war, tough luck! The title of the entry was a clue to this. He describes the area he’s assigned to as torn up from either old or recent IED explosions and how he can’t let his guard down on something as simple as a turn considering the possibility of a hidden IED somewhere. He also describes that on one hand, the people (particularly the men) look at him and his fellow soldiers as if they were dirt, yet on the other hand, the children wave and shout out to them lovingly. As I read deeper in, this soldier expresses that this war is no joke and how the “debate” over this war back in the States is nothing compared to what the Iraqis are going through. By the time I finished reading this entry, this one soldier made it clear that he’s simply going to do what he’s has to on the Iraqi front as long as he has to, a great show of strength and resolve soldiers like him have.

No, I am not going to reveal my stance on this front of the war, and to me, what opinions people have on the Iraqi front doesn’t matter. What does matter to me is how are our soldiers doing out there. This is why I actually liked this assignment: I always wanted to know what the soldiers had to say and how they felt about the Iraqi front. I will continue to show support for the soldiers that make it possible for our freedoms and rights to survive to this very day, regardless of any circumstances.

Source: http://www.soldierlife.com/2006/02/11/there-are-no-men-in-black-here/

horrors of the war

The two entries that I read are http://rebelcoyote.livejournal.com/57700.html and http://thunder6.typepad.com/365_arabian_nights/2006/01/last_days_at_th.html#comments. Both entries left me speechless. I watched so many programs on television and never really got the kind of information that I got from these entries. They are so much more personal and I think that's what makes it so much harder for the reader. I was almost in tears when I read Trueman's entry. Just the fact that he is so young is what gets to me. At this age he already knows so much more about the reality of the human kind than a lot of us will know in our entire lifetime. He had to see his best friend die in front of him and could not do anything to help him becuase he was injured himself. A lot of us forget that every soldier that passes away there's a family and his friends who have to suffer his loss. We could honor a soldier for his duty and his life but we cannot give his family and friends what they need. Trueman had to leave when he was supposed to be studying in college and when he came back he could not attend college because he could not afford it. I just find it so unfair that a young soldier is not provided with the financial support that he so desperately needs to have a life that he had to give up to fight for his country.
The second entry was striking in a different way. The soldier feels relieved to be out of the war zone. We feel his happiness through his words and we also feel his sorrow. He lost friends and he made friends and he was bound to them with an invisible thread. I don't think anyone can break these threads. From his entry you can see how much he learned about friendship, courage and valour and how much he values them. I just wonder when he came back how did he adjust to the normal life again.

Warblog summary

I chose to read Truman’s blog at http://rebelcoyote.livejournal.com/2003/11/17/. I found his entry to be very informative. Upon reading his entry you come to see that even though he believes the war is flawed, he still likes the idea of serving his country. “I came to realize that although the method was flawed, the result was freedom for the people of Iraq for the first time in 30 years.” (rebel coyote)
In this entry he tells the story of how he lost his best friend Wise, in a surprise attack while patrolling in a humvee. He gives meaning to every soldiers death, and gives a first hand experience of what is really going on in Iraq. What most people over look is the amount of progress being done their.
Most people think that absolutely nothing is being accomplished with our troops being in Iraq, but he proves the media wrong. He mentions the community center that his unit created to give Iraqi children something to do.
Reading this entry shows that while he thinks the war is being fought for the wrong reasons he Is still willing to fight to bring freedom to those in need.

The War

The blog I chose is http://www.soldierlife.com/2006/02/11/there-are-no-men-in-black-here/, and it basically describes a daily life of a soldier in Iraq. Not only do most people in the United States doubt the war, but most importantly the ones which are in the heat of the battle oppose it as well or at least are asking the same questions as we are; What are we fighting for? and Who is the real enemy? So many soldiers lost their life for an unknown cause, but they are still fighting--not by their own choice. The war is now their life, until they return home.

Iraq War

The blog I choose was http://www.wordsmithatwar.blog-city.com . This blog really stuck me. I was amazed how he was able to take this experience and make the best of it thats why his blog left an impresssion on me. He currently is writing a book on his experiences that by the end of this year will be in a barnes and nobles bookstore. I believe believe he is somebody who knows how to benfit from his writings because he knows how to grab the readers attention. He keeps you interested by actually thanking his readers and giving them plenty of other links to learn more about his experiences in the war. He describes being a solider as something only a solider would or could understand. This definition that he gives seems coorect because I don't think that unless you are a solider you could understand what it is like. And most importantly he seems to be appreciating his life much more. He also seems to be taking the role as a father to his daughter and son much more seriously and realizing that they are the most important things in his life. He was defintly an inspriation because he actually made you appreciate life because you realize all the horriable things going on in this world and how good it is to life here in America. Since the war isn't going on our land.

Different views of War..

I read different blogs starting on May 5, 2004 up to Dec. 26, 2005 from Trueman’s journal. Then I read some other blogs from the American soldier’ page because I wanted to compare their different views of war and also if the war affected them in any different way.
As I read Trueman’s journal, http://rebelcoyote.livejournal.com/55594.html I was very impressed to find out that soldiers felt safer on foot then by cars because they would be easy target on cars. It should be very frighten to feel that every time you get into a car the vehicle could explode in any minute. However, what struck me the most was that Baghdad wasn’t a war zone, but soldiers were still dying in there. This means that they were never prepare to fight because they wouldn’t know when someone would attack. Truman describes that “there wasn't a single time they went out that he wasn't aware that every bush and pile of trash they drove or walked by could have a bomb in it; unfortunately the last time, one did.” It is very impressing that although Baghdad was one of the parts of the country that was dangerous, it wasn’t a war zone. In the other hand, he describes that they were friendly with the kids and “their day to day life wasn’t a battle.” I guess it doesn’t feel so awful to describe that way of living during a war.
It is very sad to read that he wasn’t able to overcome Robert, his friend’s death. “For two years, this haunted me. In my mind, I’d left Robert there in Baghdad that day.” It is an awful feeling to read that this is reflected in a large number of soldiers that went to war or still in Iraq. Robert was only 21 as well as Trueman which shows that most of the soldiers that were in war were very young and inexperienced.
As I read the American soldier journal, http://www.soldierlife.com/2006/02/11/there-are-no-men-in-black-here/ there was a difference in the way each of them talked about war. Trueman showed that he was frightened of war and he wanted to get out from it as soon as possible. In the other hand, the American soldier reflects patriotism as he says, “Every mission is different than the last and we ensure and do what we have to do to come back into the wire safely. Sometimes we all don’t make it back but we will still stand with the strength to go back outside the wire the very next day.” He describes that it is normal to lose someone at war but they are out there to fight for their country and that’s what they will do. He also reflects that they have to kill the enemy in order to survive. He feels that they have to do what they have to do and they shouldn’t feel so sad about it. This blog reflects Smith, “Not So quiet” in which she reflects at the end of her experience, a debate between B.F and Edwards because Edwards disagree with war and thought it was dirty and awful. In contrast, B.F believed that we should fight for our country, kill the enemies and do our bit.
- Daniela Piure

My Thoughts

Samantha Jean-Francois

Before I read the blog www.livejournal.com/users/rebelcoyote I thought so negative of the war, mainly because as a citizen of the United States we as a nation was never informed of what was exactly was going on inside of Iraqi. The governemnt tries to censor all the event happening in Iraqi. The war is still portrayed as a negitive idea and it is sad to hear about all the soliders dying. However its nice to know the military is helping in buiding schools, bringing computers, and giving electricity to the country. But why did we (United States) have come with forces to bring all these positive things to Iraqi? Why do young men and women have to risk their lives? All the money that was spent on this war could have been used in improving all third world countries also. Not to fight to get some oil.