A U.S. soldier in Iraq wonders: 'How many more must die?'
A letter from a US soldier in Iraq appeared in the Peoria (Illinois) Journal Star, and was
reprinted September 17 in the Los Angeles Times. Predmore’s denunciation of the Bush administration’s war on Iraq and the continued
occupation of the country is a sign of growing opposition to American war policy
within the ranks of the US military. His words also express the sentiments of
broader layers of the US population - and the lies upon which it has been based continue
to unravel.
TIM PREDMORE, A U.S. soldier in Iraq wonders: 'How many more must die?'
''Shock and Awe'' were the words used to describe the awesome display of
power the world was to view upon the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
It was to be an up-close, dramatic display of military strength and
advanced technology within the arsenal of the United States
and the United Kingdom's military.
But as a soldier preparing for the invasion of Iraq, the words ''shock and awe'' rang
deeper within my psyche. These two great superpowers were about to break the very
rules they demand of others. Without the consent of the United Nations, and ignoring
the pleas of their own citizens, the United States and Britain invaded Iraq.
''Shock and Awe''? Yes, the words correctly described the emotional impact I felt
as we prepared to participate in what I believed not to be an act of justice but of
hypocrisy.
From the moment the first shot was fired in this so-called war of liberation and
freedom, hypocrisy reigned. Following the broadcasting of recorded images of captured
and dead U.S. soldiers over Arab television, American and British leaders vowed
revenge while verbally assaulting the networks for displaying such vivid images.
Yet within hours of the deaths of Saddam's two sons, the American government released
horrific photos of the two dead brothers for the entire world to view. Again, a
''do as we say and not as we do'' scenario.
As soldiers serving in Iraq, we have been told that our purpose here is to help the
people of Iraq by providing them the necessary assistance militarily as well as in
humanitarian efforts. Then tell me where the humanity was in the recent Stars and
Stripes account of two young children brought to a U.S. military camp by their
mother, in search of medical care? The two children had been, unbeknown to them,
playing with explosive ordinance they had found and as a result were severely burned.
The account tells how the two children, following an hour-long wait, were denied care
by two U.S. military doctors. The soldier described the incident as one of many
''atrocities'' he has witnessed on the part of the U.S. military.
So then, what is our purpose here? Was this invasion due to weapons of mass destruction
as we so often heard? If so, where are they? Did we invade to dispose of a leader
and his regime on the account of close association with Osama bin Laden? If so,
where is the proof? Or is it that our incursion is a result of our own economic
advantage? Iraq's oil can be refined at the lowest cost of any in the world.
Coincidence?
This looks like a modern-day crusade not to free an oppressed people or to rid
the world of a demonic dictator relentless in his pursuit of conquest and domination
but a crusade to control another nation's natural resource. At least for us here,
oil seems to be the reason for our presence.
There is only one truth, and it is that Americans are dying. There are an
estimated 10- to 14-attacks on our servicemen and women daily in Iraq. As the
body count continues to grow, it would appear that there is no immediate
end in sight.
I once believed that I served for a cause: ''to uphold and defend the
Constitution of the United States.''
Now, I no longer believe; I have lost my conviction, my determination. I can
no longer justify my service for what I believe to be half-truths and bold lies.
My time is done as well as that of many others with whom I serve. We have all
faced death here without reason or justification.
How many more must die? How many more tears must be shed before America awakens
and demands the return of the men and women whose job it is to protect them rather
than their leader's interest?
Tim Predmore has been on active duty with the 101st
Airborne near Mosul, Iraq, since March, and has served in the military
for almost five years.
