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My Fellow Americans,
I've been corresponding for a few months with a soldier in Iraq. His last letter
touched me so much I had to stop what I was doing and pray, after which this letter
poured out, which I feel compelled to share.
He had written to me that he was going to have to stop his charity work with the
kids of Baghdad. Apparently his supervisors had forbade him to continue passing out
chocolate bars and being friendly with the children. Here's a soldier -- a really
nice guy from America who is trying to do something over and above and beyond the
call of duty to promote peace (the success of which would get him home sooner) --
and his superiors are stopping him.
He's sent me pictures of kids who've pushed aside their brother or sister to be by
his side for the camera shot, kids who've been the happy recipients of chocolate
bars or whatever else he can find, kids who will be tomorrow's leaders and best hope
for this region of the world. And his superiors are worried and pulling the plug
on his unofficial peacekeeping detail.
He writes that he has "trusted Iraqis" who will continue his mission but
that he will be unable to continue doing it himself. To give the benefit of the doubt,
I'm guessing his superiors feel it's a safety issue...kids could walk up with a bomb
on them. He's just as likely to get blown up by a car bomb, but I guess that's "acceptable
risk."
My question is this: Is he really defending the freest nation in the world if he's
afraid he'll get into trouble for revealing his journal entries to me? He writes
that fellow soldiers have already gotten into trouble for sending out pictures that
have depicted the truth of what's going on there. I sadly had to agree with him about
the very real possibility that he might indeed get into trouble, because I've read
too many accounts where someone disagreed with the president in public and lost their
jobs and/or been arrested. Where is the freedom these brave young men and women are
dying to protect?
I see yellow bumper stickers everywhere -- "SUPPORT OUR TROOPS" -- and
I've not spoken to anyone, no matter where they sit on the political fence, who doesn't
applaud the bravery it takes to go risk your life (especially when there's no clear-cut
plan to succeed). Doesn't "supporting our troops" mean doing everything
in our power to give them what they need to succeed in their mission and getting
them back home safely and expeditiously into the arms of their loved ones?
Ultimately we, the people, have to decide as a majority how we want our public servants
to answer this question. And it seems to me that we, the people, ought to be able
to obtain ALL the facts at our disposal and openly discuss this information, perhaps
in the context of town hall meetings, that all of our representatives have to watch!
Isn't that how democracy is supposed to work? Forget big money interests and "party"
politics. Let's you and I decide this election and support our troops by exercising
our most solemn duty -- to get as much information as we possibly can through all
available sources (how many servicemen and women have been deployed?!)
Let's remember one important thing: The first Americans fought hard for this precious
thing we call freedom, and we have no less difficult a task to preserve it.
Sincerely,
Cynthia L. Clifford, Kansas City, Mo.
creativecindy@yahoo.com |
| January 2005 |
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