Bush’s latest address on war unwavering
Just the other day, in an effort to kill a few minutes before I went to sleep, I decided to click on my 12-inch TV. It’s a junky old thing with a bunny ears antenna and a broken volume button, but it serves its purpose. With the help of that antenna, I can pick up the Armed Forces Network that is broadcast to troops serving throughout Iraq. They broadcast CNN, FoxNews, ESPN, and a variety of other things at different times during the day.
At this particular time, it happened to be CNN broadcasting President Bush’s White House press conference. Of course I took immediate interest, since I figured the topic of Iraq would probably come up more than once during the conference, and I was right.
Although my status as a soldier does not allow me to engage too much in political commentary, allow me to share my thoughts. You see, considering my surroundings and circumstances, I hear a different tune than perhaps the rest of the American public. I listened for certain things, and I’m directly affected by certain policies that were talked about. I would say the most significant difference in what I heard is based on who the president is to me. He’s not only the president of the United States, he is also my Commander in Chief. And although the relationship is many echelons removed, he is, in fact, my leader.
What he had to say, I found to be reassuring and motivating. He was firm and unwavering, as well as very confident in our ability to succeed in Iraq. To me, that’s what I want to see in a leader. Imagine if he would have said, “Hey I don’t really know what’s going on in Iraq, who knows if we’re going to win this thing? I guess we’ll just keep trying and if things don’t look good, we’ll go ahead and pull out.” If that would have been the case, my immediate reaction would be, “Man, the president doesn’t even know if we’re doing it right, what the heck am I doing over here?”
If he were to waver, it would be damaging to the soldiers’ morale, as well as embolden the terrorist groups operating here in Iraq. I would hope people can see that connection.
I guess I just share his vision, and I know it’s not a popular one. In fact, according to the CNN polls, 84 percent of Americans don’t share the vision. In this case, I’m fine with being in the minority. I will say it clearly so you know: the way to battle this terrorist ideology is to spread freedom and democracy in the areas that breed terrorism. I know this is true, because I see it happening here in Ramadi. In April, there will be more than 700 new Iraqi police on the streets here. Do you know why? It is the result of extensive efforts by coalition forces and the cooperation of local leaders.
I wish you could see the hours spent by soldiers and Marines to build up the Iraqi security forces. And the reality of it is that it is hard, dangerous work and no one is denying that.
Al Qaeda has declared Iraq the battlefront of their war against the West. They spread their propaganda and intimidate the locals right here in our area. This is not the time to waver and give them even a single inch of ground in this fight.
I know very well this is not a popular conflict, and you can think what you will about what I’ve had to say. It’s just good to see that our leadership, right up to the very top, is not going to let us down by showing an ounce of weakness.
Sgt. Jared Johnson plans return to USU when his deployment to Iraq is completed. Comments or questions about his column can be sent to jaredj@cc.usu.edu.