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=Keep the Faith: A Letter from Iraq=

By Joe Roche
I'm in Baghdad, Iraq. I'm a soldier with the U.S. Army serving in the 16th Combat Engineer Battalion. The news you are hearing stateside is awfully depressing and negative. The reality is we are accomplishing a tremendous amount here, and the Iraqi people are not only benefiting greatly, but are enthusiastically supportive.

My job is mostly to be the driver of my platoon's lead Humvee. I see the missions our Army is performing, and I interact closely with the Iraqi people. Because of this, I know how successful and important our work is.

My battalion carries out dozens of missions all over the city -- missions that are improving peoples' lives. We have restored schools and universities, hospitals, power plants and water systems. We have engineered new infrastructure projects and much more. We have also brought security and order to many of Baghdad's worst areas -- areas once afflicted with chaos and brutality. Our efforts to train vast numbers of Iraqis to police and secure the city's basic law and order are bearing fruit.

Our mission is vital. We are transforming a once very sick society into a hopeful place. Dozens of newspapers and the concepts of freedom of religious worship and expression are flowering here. So, too, are educational improvements. This is the work of the U.S. military.

Our progress is amazing. Many people who knew only repression and terror now have hope in their heart and prosperity in their grasp. Every day the Iraqi people stream out into the streets to cheer and wave at us as we drive by. When I'm on a foot patrol, walking among a crowd, countless people thank us --repeatedly. I realize the shocking image of a dead soldier or a burning car is more sellable than boring, detailed accounts of our rebuilding efforts. This is why you hear bad news and may be receiving an incorrect picture.

Baghdad has more than 5 million inhabitants. If these people were in an uprising against the United States, which you might think is happening, we would be overwhelmed in hours. There are weapons everywhere, and though we are working hard to gather them all, we simply can't.

Our Army is carrying out approximately 1,700 convoys and patrols each day. Only a tiny percentage actually encounter hostile action. My unit covers some of the worst and most intense areas, and I have seen some of the most tragic attacks and hostility, such as the bombing of the United Nations headquarters. I'm not out of touch with the negative side of things. In fact, I think my unit has it harder than many other Army units in this whole operation. That said, despite some attacks, the overall picture is one of extreme success and much thanks.

The various terrorist enemies we are facing in Iraq are really aiming at you back in the United States. This is a test of will for our country. We soldiers of yours are doing great and scoring victories in confronting the evil terrorists. The reality is one of an ever-increasing defeat of the enemies we face. Our enemies are therefore more desperate. They are striking out more viciously and indiscriminately. I realize this is causing Americans stress, and I assure you it causes us stress, too. When I was a civilian, I spent time as a volunteer with the Israeli army. I assure you we are not facing the hostility Israelis face. Here in Iraq, we Americans are welcomed by most Iraqis. I'm not trying to sound like a big tough guy. I'm scared every day, and pray before every mission for our safety and success. This is a combat zone. We are in the heart of the world's leading terrorist birthing society. I remember well how families of suicide bombers who attacked in Israel received tens of thousands of dollars from Saddam for their kins' horrendous crimes. A generation of Iraqis was growing up in a Stalinist worship of such terrorism. They are no longer.

Instead, Iraqis today are embracing freedom and the birth of democracy. With this comes hope for the future. Yes, there are terrorists who wish to strike these things down, but this is a test of will we must win. We can do this, as long as Americans at home keep faith with the soldiers in this war. We are Americans, after all. We can and must win this test. That is all it is.

Joe Roche, a soldier in combat, wrote a persuasive letter to make our country and his homeland believe that war in Iraq is beneficial, despite all the “false” information the media is feeding us. Ever since “Operation Iraqi Freedom”, I feel our nation has turned upside down. The numerous amounts of soldiers we have sent to Iraq have not resolved anything; the only thing that has resulted from this war is a downfall in economy and the U.S. population. Most might agree that challenging Iraq was erroneous, but Roche’s letter begs to differ. Like Jackson, Roche’s strays away from the negative aspects of war and looks forward to the beneficial factors. “The news you are hearing stateside is awfully depressing and negative. The reality is we are accomplishing a tremendous amount here, and the Iraqi people are not only benefiting greatly, but are enthusiastically supportive.” Little did we know, our efforts “to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, to end Saddam Hussein’s support for terrorism, and to free Iraqi people” has turned out to be advantageous for the Iraqis. Progressively, we have restored schools and strengthened security. Behind all the hardships of the Iraq War, the reality and satire is America is actually lending a hand. “The reality is one of an ever-increasing defeat of the enemies we face. Our enemies are therefore more desperate.” Even though our "loss" in this war was a downfall, we came out victorious and Iraq did as well. Our victory brought hope and new life to their country; now they can possibly start fresh and be able to experience a democracy. Maybe God did not predestine our victory, but our economy, technology, and strengths act as fate, nature, and heredity, which assisted us towards success. Social Darwinism states that only the fittest will survive (heredity), and I guess the United turned out to be fittest in this situation. Roche’s ideas were expressed through a letter written during the war; many of the ideas and attitudes have shifted tremendously ever since the start of the war and 9/11. Because the outcome of this war has become reality, our nation has protested and shied away from war efforts. Everyday we are sending more and more soldiers to aid Iraqis; but at the same time we are losing more and more citizens. Our nation’s outlook has shifted to a stage of pre-depression and now resembles post Civil War- post Civil War was a period in which a fairytale or story became reality. Now that 9/11 occurred and Saddam Hussein has been penalized we are finally facing the truth about war. War has caused our country to “separate”- everyman for himself. People now concentrate the necessities they need to succeed and step ahead(self-ist). War has increased the level of racism and prejudice- prejudice towards Middle Eastern nations and those of color. We stray away from the truth, but because of this war we are at an inhumane state; security has tightened to the point where many high school dances do not allow simple articles such as gum into the venue or extreme security is needed at airports. Many believe that our nation today has transformed into a more helpful and caring nation- with community service and our service to the world- but our helpful actions occur because they benefit ourselves as well. Realism, naturalism, with a mixture of today's society creates our central post war theme- "self-ist."
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