Then, Now, And What Is Coming

I was against the war in Iraq even before we invaded. However, I was a US Army infantryman during that time and didn't have the luxury of resisting the war because of my personal politics. My thinking at the time was "I'm a soldier" and I didn't join the Army to be a "war resister." Soldiers don't get to pick their battles when they are on active duty. Instead of refusing deployment and going to jail I took my chances on the battlefields of Iraq. I saw first hand what a terrible mistake it was to invade and occupy that country. I was lucky enough to make it home. And ever since I got back I have given 100% of my time and effort to ending the war, bringing the troops home, and giving the Iraqis back their country.

For some my efforts are just not good enough. The radical left accuses me of complicity with Bush and being a "war criminal" for serving in Iraq. The radical right accuses me of being a traitor, a terrorist sympathizer, and they call for me to leave the country because I have been fighting for an end this illegal and immoral war.

I realize that I can't please everyone. But I strongly believe that if everyone thinks I'm doing something wrong -- I must be doing something right. That is the philosophy I live by these days.

As an Iraq veteran to be effective you must speaking truth to power. To do so your message has has to come from the heart. All the power you have comes from your personal experience from the "front lines." That is the lesson we need to teach to others who speculate, pontificate, and claim to be experts on a situation that they can not fully grasp. For example, I'm speaking of the architects of this war who had absolutely no idea what they were doing when they used "peer pressure" to doop our impressionable president into this war due to his lack of ability to think for himself.

As an Iraq veteran I have no reluctance whatsoever when it comes to calling this war exactly what it is. The war in Iraq is a fatally flawed and failed neoconservative experiment that backfired in our faces.

Let's take a look at the results.

* Nearly four thousand American troops killed in action
* Over 30,000 troops seriously wounded
* An uncountable number of innocent Iraqi civilians are dead
* An active and continuous civil war between multiple warring factions
* An Iraqi government controlled by religious tribal leaders who resent the US occupation
* Mass recruitment for terrorist organizations worldwide
* Sunni and Shia militias and tribes killing US troops
* Insurgent groups killing US troops
* Terrorists from all over the Middle East flocking into Iraq to kill Americans
* Iran using their Shia proxies in Iraq to promote their agenda
* The Saudis using their Sunni proxies in Iraq to promote their agenda
* Turkey moving closer to invading Kurdish territory
* Mass regional instability
* A divided nation here at home
* Hundreds of billions of dollars spent on a war without end
* Threatening war with another neighboring country

George W. Bush calls this the "freedom agenda in the Middle East." He has done nothing but send American troops to their deaths for his lies. He has brought no freedom to the Middle East. He brought only death, destruction, pain, and suffering to the Iraqi people and the families of American troops who have have lost their lives in this unnecessary conflict. And I won't apologize like Congressman Pete Stark (no offense to him). He was right the first time!

In closing I want to bring to your attention an event and a call to action.

This Saturday we will have another chance to mobilize the masses in Philadelphia to demonstrate to President Bush and Congress that "we the people" know the reality of the situation in Iraq. And that we will not stand for it. If you are in within driving range please come out and stand in solidarity with your fellow Americans to END THIS WAR.


Thank you,
John Bruhns
Iraq Veteran

Comments

[RobertPaul]

Thank you Sir for your service.

I only wish that it had been in the service of someone who truly deserved it.

That BushCo is evil is beyond a doubt. That they are advancing their agenda toward a hopelessly muddled image of global domination is only becoming apparent.

Please have a good life, sir and know that there are others who are attempting to minimize the damage brought about by this corrupt regime.

No ONE deserves the country that BushCo has led us to become.!

[altohone]

I applaud your service Sgt. Bruhns, but ask you to consider the larger picture in order to achieve desired results.

Most Americans view Iraq as a failure, but the neocons see success.

- We control the oil resources.

- We avoided creating another Germany or Japan... something that allows us to maintain leverage and control.

- We've installed a government in Iraq willing to work against the wishes of the Iraqi people, allowing us to attack the victims of Saddam while placating Saudi Arabia and other Sunni monarchs and dictators fearful of Iran.

- Most of the money spent went directly to US corporations... financial backers of the GOP/DLC machine that started the war.

- The "How we got where we are" argument has been swept under the rug in favor of "what we do now". No accountability for the criminal manipulation of intelligence, the media, or for violations of national and international law.

- The leading Democratic candidate helped enable the war, and has promised to keep 60,000 troops in Iraq. The GOP/DLC cadre is set to maintain power even after the next election, and fulfill the neocon goal of a 50 year Korea-type occupation.

- Failure to "win" allows Bush to maintain wartime powers and ignore the Constitution.

- Propaganda efforts shift blame for lack of success while providing casus belli for neocon agenda to attack Iran.

- potential War against Iran distracts from real problems we face while providing framing for another fear-filled militaristic presidential campaign favorable to GOP spin.

- Increased recruitment by the radicals provides further justification for the GOP/DLC agenda.



I strongly urge you to recognize that a win by Democrats does not equate with a win for those who oppose this war.
The anti-war movement must not accept definitions of "ending the war" that allow the neocon agenda to continue.
The movement cannot allow a focus on Iraq to hide the bi-partisan framing of the Global War on Terror that is the root cause and ongoing policy of Americas neo-liberal imperial ambitions and the resulting negative effects.

[loslobo]

I feel for you I really do. I was a marine in the early eighties. I remember Ronnie got the hell out of dodge when the barricks in Beruit blew up (and promply invaded club med). Bush is going nowhere except to Iran.

This war is about oil. The dems have sadly admitted we are there for the long haul. Until every drop of oil is gone. I wish I could give you hope, but I see none. Maybe if congress got their head out of their ass and impeached these madmen, they could find the courage to leave Iraq. But many more will have to pay the price for big oils utter control of energy policy for the past forty years, and this administrations treasonous acts and greed that have devastated America's standing and security.

[Ben Dixon]

I agree that for the sake of the Army and the sake of the larger war on terrorism, we need to end our campaign in Iraq. Iraq is not and never will be a democratic nation, and to stay there and try to rebuild that country with no more than 150,000 troops is a fools errand that distracts us from fighting muslim terrorist.

[wldnswmmr]

Regardless of what others may call you, I call you an American who cares about his country and put his life on the line to do his duty. It is not your fault that the Commander in Chief violated his oath of office and international law to cynically abuse your patriotism. Your courage now in resisting the war continues you upon an honorable path, and I thank you for all you have done and are doing. Your list of the negative consequences of this war is the most complete I have ever seen, and it derives added credibility from your first hand knowledge.

[jaf]

Thank you for your service Mr.Bruhns. No doubt, you will take written fire from both right and left in this comments section. Whether or not I agree with everything you say, I appreciate the information.