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WILL THEY EVER TRUST US AGAIN? -- LETTERS FROM THE WAR ZONE |
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Part III. Letters from Veterans (of past wars) "THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR THIS WAR " FROM: Anonymous I am writing this letter as an irate veteran who spent twenty-five years as an infantry drill instructor in the United States Army Reserve. I take it very personally that many of the thousands of soldiers who I trained for combat have been sent into the hell of a war zone with little thought given to what that means. I have no way of knowing how many of those fine soldiers have mental problems, missing limbs, lost vision, other serious medical problems, or have lost their lives. We know that the number killed is now near 900, the number wounded near 7,000 to date, and one in five have mental problems because of their tours. The odds are, some of those are my soldiers. I spent those years serving my country by trying to instill honesty and integrity in my soldiers, as well as teaching them the many skills of armed combat. I was also their counselor, their teacher, their mother, and their father. For this president to have the gall to send those soldiers into combat simply because he and his comrades wanted to do so is obscene. The lie that he repeats daily is that Saddam Hussein would not allow the weapons inspectors to do their job. Bullshit! There were over 400 UN inspectors in Iraq going anywhere they wanted to go including the presidential palaces, when Bush pulled the plug and invaded a sovereign nation, breaking international law in the process. I pray that the number of Americans going to see Fahrenheit 9/11 quadruples by the time of the election. Thank God, somebody has stood up for our soldiers and their families left suffering here at home. This phony war represents the biggest military mistake ever made in the history of this country, and my soldiers are dying because of it. That is not to mention the untold thou- sands of innocent Iraqi civilians killed by the weapons of war. There is no excuse for this war. There is no excuse for this president or his minions. Those outstanding individuals who serve this country do not deserve to be thrown into the path of roadside bombs, rocket-propelled grenades, machine-gun fire, and small-arms fire based on lies. Trust me, these weapons kill just as easily as a weapon of mass destruction. Yet this president sent our soldiers into combat thinking they would face weapons of mass destruction. What kind of person would do that without exhausting every possible alternative and taking all of the time in the world instead of rush- ing headlong into a war with no end? Now you know why I am furious! "PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW" FROM: Sally Drumm Dear Mike, I spent 20 years of my life in the Marine Corps. You nailed it when you said the volunteer force would do their jobs and do them well as long as they are not sent into harm's way unnecessarily. I had wondered if any of the troops in Iraq know what they are fighting for. After seeing your film, I know they will know the truth. Thank you. I am glad the people seeing your film will have to face their defense by the poorest of the poor, who are kept that way so the ranks can be filled generation after generation. I appreciate you showing the footage of Iraqi citizens suffering and dying because this is the reality of war that has been missing from American media coverage. People need to know. Thank you for reaching without fear or hesitation into the American soul. You have told the truth that so badly needed to be told about the dysfunctional Bush administration. You have done justice, and your doing it makes me feel good about being part of this country for the first time since the 2000 election. I hope you never give up or give in. "I CONSIDER THEM MY BROTHERS" FROM: Paul Mullen Mike, I'm a former infantry officer in the U.S. Army. I finished my service on March 19th, 2001 (exactly two years before the invasion of Iraq). I have a lot of friends over there. I would, in many cases, consider them brothers. I saw your movie and saw the footage of the soldiers. It was so real to me ... how they spoke and acted. I felt as though I knew every one of them. After I left your movie I have never cried so hard as an adult. Every time I turn on the news, these days, I'm haunted by the idea that I may see one of my brothers lying dead on a Baghdad sidewalk. Your movie was the most painful media viewing I have ever had to endure. Thank you for making it for us. "NOBODY LOVES PEACE LIKE A SOLDIER " FROM: Bob Schaefer I joined the army when I was 17 years old, back in 1972. I did it because I was patriotic, and, well, kinda dumb. In my time in service, jt was an interesting period where the last of the draftees finally got out, and it was just us volunteer types left. And I think it was a very good thing when the all-volunteer army finally took hold. It was a careful balance of people who lacked opportunity getting the chance of a lifetime to be somebody important. On the other side of the balance was the army's commitment to take care of its people. It's worked well, now, for 32 years. Implicit in that balance was the old Drill Sergeant's motto, "I'll never ask you to do anything that I wouldn't do myself." (Envision a powerful, muscular, black drill sergeant in front of a 140-pound weakling.) The volunteer army is based on trust. We trust the heads of the four forces to never ask us to do anything that they wouldn't do themselves, or haven't done themselves in the past. We trust them to be the wise soldiers that they are, soldiers who don't invite war. Nobody loves peace like a soldier, they say. I am afraid that history will write that one of the biggest casualties of this Bush debacle will be the armed forces, in particular the all-volunteer army. It was a delicate thing of beauty and balance, which unfortunately has been upset by a few wild-eyed chicken hawks. I don't want to mention any names -- Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz. But you know what? I think I still have an inherent sense of trust that, ultimately, officers of wisdom and judgment will prevail. This has to be a temporary thing. It's a two way street. The army brass knows that it has to take care of its people. Right? However, I think we're also to the point where the brass have to stop complimenting the emperor on his new clothes. If someone in the brass would just have the conviction to stand up and say something, it would go a long way to helping restore the trust between the enlisted men and the Pentagon brass. In the silence, soldiers in Iraq gather rocks as they go out on patrol, for the inevitable rock fights they will have with children. Meanwhile, the United States is building the largest embassy in the world in Baghdad. Who's going to step forward and say "up" is "up" and "down" is "down"? "I CALL MYSELF AN AMERICAN" FROM: Ray Perkins After seeing Fahrenheit 9/11, I sent an email to the White House. The White House director of communications Colby Cooper stated in an official White House email response that "Iraq was the central front on the war on terror." Just when and why did this exactly become policy? Was it perhaps all the WMDs that Iraq had or the thousands of al Qaeda training camps supposedly in Iraq? I recall that Iraq's WMDs were President Bush's reason to the world to go to war in Iraq. I think that if Iraq really had WMDs, the invasion would have been justified because it would have been a clear and repeated violation of UN Resolutions. I have not seen any valid or clear connection between al Qaeda and Iraq. Could it be because there was not a credible connection? Going to Iraq has hurt the war on terrorism, and the world is starting to realize that. The leadership of this country lied to us. We have found nothing! Is it just me, or do you realize that Osama bin Laden is still walking the face of the earth? Almost three years later and you still don't have him? You shouldn't be reelected on that point alone. Makes me sick to think about it. "We the people," Independents, liberals, and right-wingers alike, want his head on a platter. The world is not, and will not, be a safer place after Iraq. We have most likely created many more Osama bin Ladens, and will be fighting them long after we have tried to forget about the Bush presidency. Correct me if I am wrong, but I don't recall any Iraqis being on the planes that flew into the Trade Center. I do recall many of them being from Saudi Arabia. It probably wouldn't be "prudent" to look at that, would it? It would most likely hurt the Bush family business to take a hard look at the Saudis and put the screws to them. I am neither a Republican nor Democrat. Like many former veterans, I call myself an American. I prefer decisions in Washington to be made for the good of all Americans, and not for the good of one political party or another. For four years of my life I put on a military uniform every day, like millions before me, and stood a post to protect freedom. Being an American, you are born with God given rights, but being a veteran means that you have earned them, for yourself and for others. Mr. President, I am evoking my First Amendment right to express my displeasure of your leadership. I hope that exercising my First Amendment right is not a violation of your Patriot Act. There is nothing patriotic about it, and it is a contradiction in terms. Hopefully the Patriot Act will be repealed someday, at the expense of my tax dollars. I did not spend four years in the army putting up with training, formations, road marches, eating MREs, freezing my ass off, heat exhaustion, living in tents, bugs, digging hundreds of fighting positions, missing my friends and family, getting shot at, learning how to kill other human beings, etc., etc. I did not spend four years in the army to watch another soldier ask for his mother while he sucked his last breath to have you take my freedoms from me or other Americans. I have always been proud to be an American, but lately, after all you have done, I feel ashamed. You have not made America safer or the world a better place to live. Also, American credibility is forever tarnished in the eyes of the world. That will be your legacy, Mr. President, and many books will be written about it. As President Truman once said, "The buck stops here," and "here" is at your desk, Mr. President. Come this November I think "we the people" will be asking for our change. "YOU CALL THIS FREEDOM?" FROM: Z.M. Being an air force veteran I would like to add to what you have said in regards to supporting our troops. Many of our troops are being taken advantage of by a military recruiter who has lied to them in some form or another. Military recruiters prey on young, vulnerable men and women, constantly lying to these new recruits, filling their minds with false information such as, "You'll never go to war," or "You can leave whenever you want in the military; it's up to you." These lies are told to young men and women each and every day, young men and women who are looking to remove themselves from a below-average home life, young men and women who are looking to get out of small-town America and see what the world has to offer them, young men and women eager to serve their country because they see this war glorified on TV every day. I'm not sure who is ultimately to blame here, but what needs to be understood here is that young men and women are being taken advantage of by these glorified car salesmen with short haircuts on a daily basis, and for what? Just to put another dime in Curious George's pocket. To say that our troops are involved in this war "because they want to be" is a false statement as it obviously does not apply to all troops. You call this freedom? "I FELT SOLD OUT" FROM: Lori L. Dear Mr. Moore, Your movie was moving, breathtaking, and bitterly sad. My tears flowed. More importantly, I have been awoken. I plan to be MUCH MORE ACTIVE in politics now that I have been shown what the media doesn't tell us. I spent seven months at Desert Shield/Storm; it was miserable, frightening, and a joke. An absolute joke. I, and many in my unit, thought it was a sham that we were there and that oil was the price for our lives. I felt sold out. Our servicemen and -women are dying for a lying president who would rather golf than deal with reality. A man who doesn't know an honest day's work, let alone the experiences of war or serving his own country. How dare he let thousands of soldiers die for this sham of a war. I am sad to say such things of the leader of our dear country, but our country is not the same country for which I gave years of my life back in the Desert Storm era. We have lost international respect, dignity, and honor. "WE AREN'T ALWAYS IN THE RIGHT" FROM: Bill Cordeiro Michael, Thank you. I wanted to say that right off the bat to let you know how I feel. As a former U .S. Marine, I take a lot of pride in saying I am an AMERICAN. I've never been into politics until recently, and your movie has made me so disgusted at the way our country is being controlled. Honestly, I don't give a crap about what politicians are doing, as I believe most of them are full of BS, which is really no surprise to anybody. However, when I hear of my brothers and sisters dying in another country for which there is no purpose it straight PISSES ME OFF. I know what it's like to be 19, in the military, and completely obedient to orders. These heroes will not challenge the tasks laid before them. They will risk everything they have because they believe blindly in their leader. A leader who in my eyes is becoming more and more "the Enemy." Never have I ever disliked a president in office. Never have I ever even cared what was going on in our government. But it doesn't take a genius to figure out something is wrong when every time you turn on the news, you hear about two or three more U .S. troops killed. I spent two of my Christmas holidays in Kuwait. I believed in us helping Kuwait in the 90s. We ad an honorable purpose for being there. If I were called to active duty today to serve in IRAQ, I'd enjoy nothing more than to tell Bush directly to KISS MY ASS! Michael, on a personal note to you, I've never read your books. I've never seen your Columbine movie. Many of my friends don't like you, mostly in part because you are a liberal. I don't care if you worship frogs as a religion, but I know this: After all the negativity that people around me have portrayed about you, I applaud what you have done for me and this country. I hope your movie has an extremely huge impact on this country and opens everyone's eyes to the fact that, yes, we (our country) can be the bad guy. We aren't always in the right. "I LOST MANY TO VIETNAM" FRO-M: Thomas Young Dear Michael, In 1967-68 I was a high school kid who looked for every war protest in every city in California just so I could smoke a joint, check out the chicks, and have fun. I did not know what a big deal Vietnam was until just before I turned 18, when I began to realize that "The Dirty Little War" in Southeast Asia was about to hit home when a friend went missing and turned up on a hospital ship off the coast of Vietnam. He had gotten loaded on LSD and joined. We picked him up in San Francisco, California, and that's when we saw what the protests were all about. But was it ... In 1970, with a draft number of 263, there was no chance of me going off to war any time soon, But something clicked inside me. My friend who came back was a veggie, and others were dying. I had to find out what the fuss was all about. Two years later, after two tours in Vietnam, on my way to my new military assignment in jolly old England, I was a total wreck. A drunk, a very sick man, and no longer a teenager, but a man who had aged beyond my years. Now I saw that war as something horrific and terrifying. Looking for a joint or chick at a protest rally was no longer an option, but stopping the war was, when I was sober, but not while in the military. I had discovered a war that had taken my soul and left me empty inside. A war that took many a friend, either in a body bag or in their minds. I lost many to Vietnam. Today I am well. It took many years of hard drinking, a couple times in prison, world travel, and more, but finally I found my soul and took control of my life once more. I was helped by my fiancee and best friend, my lover and writing partner, and today we share the anger and pain of a new war. Now I watch another time and another place, Iraq, and I shake with rage. In 1991 I knew that George Bush I was a liar about Kuwait and Saddam's invasion of that country. Then came Bush II, and I tried to warn everyone about the lies and deceit of the son. I sent letters to soldiers telling them about Vietnam and the difference between hell and war, that both were places that would rob you of your soul. No one listened. Bush invaded, and we are going on two years of war in Iraq . "WE MADE THIS COUNTRY AND WE FOUGHT FOR IT" FROM: Ed Hi Mike, I'm reading your book and also your web page. I'm impressed and it's not easy to impress a 73-year-old. I've seen just about everything, and you appear to have what it takes. I am a two-tour veteran of the Korean War (whoops, I mean police action). Had a destroyer blown out from under me killing many young men like the ones you speak of in Iraq. This whole thing over there goes beyond reason, except what you write about. Yeah, I saw your big moment on TV and you became my hero. That took real guts. We are very proud of you. I have spent 50 years trying to get the VA to live up to their contractual promises only to get shoved off into deliberate indifference and slow-walked until I wear out. Can you imagine what these wounded and harmed young people are going to deal with when they get home -- if they do? They will be ignored, shoved aside, and forgotten. If you are rich and connected, you wouldn't be in the service in the first place. We made this country, and we fought for it. Let's take it back. |