Let’s not mince words to open this up. The “war on terror” is a buzz topic that is largely ignored by the administration that started it unless there is a convenient time to bring it up. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, which are described to be a part of the effort, are just wrong.
One of the Independent’s writers has gone back to Iraq in June or July for her second tour of duty. Another member of the Independent who is also a member of the armed forces has the possibility of being shipped to one of the countries we are currently fighting in. Other members of the Independent also have family over in Iraq. Anyone who has friends or family in the armed forces understands the dread of knowing that there is the possibility that the people you know may not come back alive. In a growing number of cases, some even around campus, there are people who are/were friends with or are family of soldiers who have been either wounded or killed in action.
We would like to believe that the people who have died or been wounded had done so in the pursuit of a higher cause. We would hope that the causes would be freedom from tyranny and just measures taken against those who would prey on the weak and fearful. However, these causes that soldiers would and should be willing to lay down their lives for are not causes for the wars we are in. They are merely the by-products that are hoped for in the acts of war that we have gone through.
So what exactly is the purpose, the causes of our current wars? They are fixing past mistakes that were made during the Cold War. We combated the spread of the Soviet Union by installing Saddam Hussein’s party in Iraq, arming and training different warring factions of Afghanis, including the Taliban, in Afghanistan as well as training and funding what would become Al-Queda. All we have been fighting, all people have died for is a late attempt at damage control that has yet to completely succeed. American civilians have been lied to repeatedly about this.
Does this make the soldiers condemnable for the actions done and the amount of civilian casualties that have piled up since the start of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan? No. What the people who are willing and brave enough to volunteer for in the military had joined up for was the preservation of American ideals and protection of the dream of America. Yes they are soldiers when they sign on, but first and foremost they are Americans. They sign on to preserve and protect a dream that has been trampled on repeatedly by the government through what is soon to be eight years of George W. Bush as President and Commander-in-Chief. While they are working, even in wars that there is disapproval of, they deserve the best of supplies that would protect and help them come back alive. They deserve our loving respect and our support. While they are there, send care packages and letters of support to keep their spirits up. Every little bit helps. Just a little searching online will probably yield results on how to send these care packages. You can also try talking to those who have already been abroad for the fight. They would probably know just as well.
Returning to the topic at hand, where is the honor in wars to fix past wrongs when there are other problems that the military strength being used for that would be more appropriate if we wanted to be policing the globe? What about Burma? Darfur? There are definite current atrocities being committed that an armed American presence might help. We ignored the obvious problems because of the War in Iraq, which was started under false pretenses. We ignored the obvious problems because of mistakes made by the CIA in Afghanistan and the Middle East in the past.
What can a regular civilian do? Do what there have been people doing since the outbreak of these wars. Stand up and tell the government to stop serving what gives them the most money (Corporations) and start serving the interests of those who elected them. Tell them to bring back our friends, family members, and our fellow Americans.