Iraq Debacle

2014-06-12T06:14:55-04:00

For any OIF veterans on RallyPoint. What's your thoughts to what is going on in Iraq recently? With Isis Militant group(ties to Al Qeda) from Syria taking over cities such as Mosul, Tikrit, Fallujah, maybe eventually Baghdad! Myself having served multiple tours in these parts of Iraq. It angers me having fellow brothers and sisters in arms loose there lives there. Just for the Iraqi Army to basically cut and run according to the media. And now have tanks, armament, etc. fall into the hands of these militant groups really disappoints me. Seems like it was all for nothing! What are everyone elses thoughts?

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 12 at 2014 6:28 AM

2014-06-12T06:28:09-04:00

Iraq was a country held together by fear of Saddam. It was never a "country" in the real sense of the word. Like much of the middle east, it's just a collection of factions placed inside of artificial borders. Afghanistan is the same way - the southern and northern halves don't even consider themselves the same people.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 12 at 2014 7:17 AM

2014-06-12T07:17:48-04:00

Is there anyone out there that didn't know this would happen?

Response by MSG Martin C. made Jun 12 at 2014 7:53 AM

2014-06-12T07:53:16-04:00

MAJ Dews hit it on the head. It was never going to work the division amongs it's population is to deep, the mentality is so old and rooted in tradition that we modern society fail to comprehend. To think that out the blue we would come in and create a foward thinking society was foolish. Places like Quatar, Jordan, Dubai and Saudi Arabia are held together because of the ridiculous amounts of revenue from oil once that black gold is gone it will be a different story. I lost several friends in Iraq and it was not for nothing they went to Iraq as Soldiers following orders and they did that with honor they are above all that mess.

Response by 1SG Michael Blount made Aug 9 at 2014 3:06 PM

2014-08-09T15:06:18-04:00

SSG Private RallyPoint Member - I don't believe what we did was for nothing (it BETTER NOT BE), but the Iraqis made this mess. Let them figure out the solution. I hope and pray the solution does not include American ground troops in that sewer. I rooted out the rats in Fallujah once. I'm not doing it again.

Now, having established my opposition to going, I WILL deploy if ordered - let's make that clear.

Second - I don't think American troops will do much to re-establish order there. The problem is Maliki. As soon as he took over, he started death squads, etc and has basically become as bad as Sadaam. Even al-Sistani has publicly stated that Maliki has to go. That's not a problem to which an American troop presence is suited.

Response by Cpl Michael Strickler made Aug 10 at 2014 1:34 PM

2014-08-10T13:34:27-04:00

I am really not sure how to respond to this. I understand your call to action for the people of Iraq, but it is unfortunately not that simple.

Even if a nation overthrows its government that is no assurance that a nation will begin to prosper or that that prosperity will last. Though we have many freedoms in our country we are by no means the best roadmap for other nations to follow. I do not pretend to understand everything wrong (or right) in our country, but I do know that a number of things that we can easily fix for the better of our own future that we do not because it will be hard for us today and we would rather put off these issues until they arise.

And please do not say that people in this country are willing to die for one another, because it is not true. America's extent of dying for one another ends with fundraiser dinners and 'walks for the cure' until it affects them personally... Then they are all for whatever it takes. I do not mean everyone falls into this category of course... it may be close to your 10/90 percent ratio above.

I think that your heart is in the right place, but the way you are putting your message out there is easy to misinterpret. I love our nation and would want to live no place else, but we are far from perfect and have many more issues than other nations. While no one nation will ever be perfect, unfortunately we are far from #1 on many, many issues.

And most of all, the United States of America did not earn its freedom by itself. We had help... we were just more daring in our declaration than most. Good 'ol American arrogance and egotism.

Response by Sgt Mark Ramos made Aug 12 at 2014 10:02 AM

2014-08-12T10:02:28-04:00

I'm not an OIF veteran but I'd like to make a big picture observation. There are multiple components to this problem and it's important to put them all in the correct column. As I see it the barbaric slaughter of civilians, women, and children is a humanitarian crisis. The US can play a lead role in a worldwide effort to help. But, their lives are not more important than ours so risks and exposure should be minimized.
Next are the national interest and security concerns. ISIS/ISIL is a regional threat now, but will also be a homeland threat in the not too distant future. They saw what happened to al Qaeda when they came at us directly. So they gather strength and numbers as they build their caliphate and threaten our global interests. They must be swiftly eliminated. They are a direct threat to US interests and must be dealt with accordingly.
Finally, there are the regional political issues. Power struggles and fighting between local factions is their problem. As long as it stays local, and doesn't fall into the previous two categories then our military should steer clear. Any deal making or horse choosing is the purview of the State Department and CIA (without the CIA dragging in military assets). If they want to break into 100 different tribes then that is their business.