Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Common Interests questions for sandman re iraq

I've been thinking about the war on terror a lot lately, and I'm sort of bothered by the fact that everyone I've heard speak on the issue doesn't seem to have any first hand info, or really anything more than an opinion, so I was hoping to pick your brain a little bit. If you'd rather not think about it, I understand.


First Question:
The way I solve problems is to find the cause of the problem, and then try to do something about that cause. So when thinking about terrorism, my first thought is to wonder why so many people hate the US so much, and are willing to die for that? I've heard people say its because "they hate the freedom we enjoy" but frankly I think that's a cop out, not a real answer. Sandman, did you get the chance to talk to any Iraqi people while you were stationed there, and did you talk to them at all about this?

Second question:
How were you recieved by the civilians in iraq? I really don't trust the news footage in either direction. What was the overall feeling towards you from the Iraqi civilians?

Third question:
Do you think the war on Iraq has made us more safe from terrorism? Although it is possible that we rooted out a terrorist hotbed, any kind of military action is bound to stir up anti american sentiment. do you think the benefits will outweigh the costs?

sorry about the lengthy post, but this is stuff I've been kicking around in my head for a while, and haven't really figured out what i think about the whole deal. Thanks in advance.

I spent some time in Iraq running convoys to Bagdhad during the war so I can help with some of these questions.

1. I haven't talked to a whole lot of Irai people but I have spent quite a bit of time in various Middle east countries (Kuwait, Saudi, Bahrain, Turkey, Oman and a lil iraq time) Of course most of the people I have talked to worked or were in direct contact with the military so they aren't going to come out and say they hate you too much. Seems to me the biggest issue these (and many others around the world) have is they feel like we are trying to push our "Western Ways" off on everyone else. I think a large amount of the world views the U.S. as ethnocentric; they feel our attitude is "We're the best and you should all try to be like us so we're going to help you become like us." Of course, it's impossible to speak for a world, or even a nation of people...that's just my opinion and view based on the people I have talked to and interacted with.

2. When we were running convoys through Iraq I was surprised how many people were so happy to see us. I'm not sure if it was because they wanting food or something from us or just real happiness but we had a lot of people trying to run up to us and thank us. It was a bit scary because you never knew if one of those kids was coming with a bomb strapped to them. All I know is it felt good seeing so many happy children that seemed to appreciate what we did for them. There were others that kind of gave you a look that said "Infidel go home" as well though. It's really hard to tell who's acting like they love us just to get close to get info and who actually does appreciate what we have done.

The third question can really be answered by anyone and is totally opinion based and will lead to another 50 page thread of stuff that has already been said tons of times on these boards.

I'd be interested to see what Sandman has to say as well as a comparison to my experiences and also to see if things have changed much since just after the war when I was over there. I'm sure some of those joyful people are now turning against of because we're still there. Anyway...my $.02

hehe.... how to answer.....

Well, when I first got there, I felt really sorry for the people. We had all these kids coming up to us, just asking us what our name was. They would run alongside our trucks, holding on to my hand, asking what my name was. You could see their faces light up when you told them.

But after a while, it got to be that all they wanted was a hand out. They got too used to us giving away free food and water.

I think, in the beginning, they were really happy to have us there, but now just want us gone. They do not want to be forced into having a foreign type of government.

The sad truth of the whole situation is that these people have known nothing but war and terror all their lives. That's all they understand. That's all they want to understand at this point.

Point: while giving them a free hand out, you have to keep your eyes open. They will steal from you at every opportunity.

They are fair weather friends only. As long as you are doing something for them, or they can benefit from maintaining a relationship with you in some form, then they will gladly be your friend. However, when it comes time to reciprocate the favor, you are usually out of luck.

I think the main reason there is so much hate directed at the US is religion. Fundamentalist religions see us as a great Christian crusader, imposing our will and our religion on them. They flat out hate us for this. However, don't make the mistake of assuming that their intentions are noble. Most of those who oppose us on religious grounds are simply using religion as their vehicle to powerful political positions. They care nothing for following their own edicts, nor those written down centuries ago in their own texts.