US Soldiers Disillusioned
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
IF AN ordinary foot soldier can see the signs of impending doom, then why can't his Commander in Chief? American soldiers on the ground can see very clearly the result of the Bush junta's illegal invasion and war in Iraq.
Despite their enormous fire power, the US military forces were not well prepared for counter insurgency warfare. They have the fire power, but they are dealing with an invisible enemy who sees only Paradise when faced with a firing gun barrel. It must be very disconcerting for members of the US military, because the President's careless attitude towards dying flies in the face of everything Uncle Sam has told them about the 'cowardly enemy.' Military members are told by their President that they are heroes who will discover great courage under fire and that they will return conquering heroes. It's a storyline straight from a Hollywood war movie.
I'm not sure Bush believes his weasel words. I'm not even convinced he can yet find Iraq on a map or still has any idea where he is sending the men and women in BDU (battle dress uniform). And you know something else? I really don't think he cares. They are cannon fodder, expendable, and there's always plenty more green card soldiers prepared to fight because they have been sold the American dream. Except when they get to Iraq, they very quickly realize they've been sold a pipe dream, a living nightmare.
Some are lucky. They do return. Others are killed in action and, perhaps they too, could be considered lucky by the soldiers who end up with horrific injuries from which they will never recover. Hundreds of these injured soldiers are suffering from the equivalent of 'shaken baby syndrome, where their brains have simply been mashed while their bodies have been shaken like jello in a Robocop mould of body armor.
Iraq has descended into a Vietnam where the American soldiers find themselves embroiled in a uncertain war. They know there is no win-situation, and they are being demoralized daily by snipers and resistance fighters they can't see, but the sound of 'Allahu Akbar' makes their flesh crawl with fear.
Don't for one minute think I am glorifying any section of this disgusting war. But the reality is American, as well as British, soldiers have lost the battle for hearts and minds, and in the process they are losing their own. It is tragic. But of course in the rarified atmosphere of The White House, President Bush and his neo-cons are as blind as bats to the suffering of their own men and women. As America's investigative journalist Seymour Hersch pointed out this week, Bush and company are planning to nuke Iran. Does no one tell Mr. President that his ground troops have simply had enough of this pointless war in Iraq, not to mention those under fire in Afghanistan? Both deployments are bogged down in a swamp of fear, confusion, and insecurities. The glories of war have bypassed the once-gung-ho soldiers. They no longer want to 'kick Iraqi or Afghan ass.'
Their romantic notion of the illegal war in Iraq has been replaced by the harsh reality ... they are in an un-winnable war.
Of course I will be accused of being unpatriotic, maybe even a traitor to the West. I am neither. I am simply a realist who has been through the killing fields of Iraq and Afghanistan and seen the chaos and devastation for myself. It was clear to me before "Shock and Awe" that the Iraqi people would resist and resist on an enormous scale.
History also tells us that the Afghan people will never accept occupation of any kind.
Now it is all too clear for those troops on the ground unlike those sitting in The White House with their rose-tinted spectacles. Need proof? Look at the hundreds of US soldiers who have marched across another border, almost waving a white flag. These war-weary soldiers are hoping to find sanctuary in Canada and are now seeking political refugee status there, arguing that violations of the rules of war in Iraq by the US entitle them to asylum. It is a good argument and one which makes sense.
A decision on a test case involving two US servicemen is due shortly and is being watched with interest by fellow service members on both sides of the border. At least 20 others have already applied for asylum, and there are an estimated 400 in Canada out of more than 9,000 who have deserted since the conflict started in 2003.
Asylum seeker Ryan Johnson, 22, from California, headed for Canada when he discovered he was due to go Iraq in January 2005. "I had spoken to many soldiers who had been in Iraq and who told me about innocent civilians being killed and about bombing civilian neighborhoods," he told the London-based ‘Guardian' newspaper. "It's been really great since I've been here. Generally, people have been really hospitable and understanding, although there have been a few who have been for the war." He is now unable to return to the US. "I don't have a problem with that. I'm in Canada and that's that."
Toronto lawyer Jeffrey House has confirmed that an increasing number of soldiers are seeking asylum. "There are a fair number without status and a fair number on student visas," he said, and under UN guidelines on refugee status they were entitled to seek asylum.
The first test cases involve Jeremy Hinzman, 26, who deserted from the 82 Airborne Division and Brandon Hughey from the 1st Cavalry Division. A decision on their applications is due within the next few weeks. If they are turned down, the case will be taken to the federal appeal court and the Canadian supreme court, according to Mr. House, a process that would last into next year at least.
All deserters, past and present, are placed on an FBI wanted list. Earlier this month, Allen Abney, 56, who deserted from the US Marines 38 years ago during the Vietnam war, was arrested as he crossed into the US, a journey he had taken many times before without problem. He was held in a military jail in California for a few days, then discharged.
"They have resuscitated long-dormant warrants," said Mr. House. "I know 15 people personally who have crossed 10 or more times without problems, and then all of a sudden they are arresting people. It seems like it would be connected to Iraq."
If that is the case what do you think President Bush's plans to strike Iran will do? If the US foot soldiers start deserting in even larger numbers, then Bush may be forced to bring in compulsory military service. I wonder how his twin daughters would feel about fighting for Uncle Sam, then. They are just the right age.
Maybe all those war-mongering neo-cons wouldn't mind sending their own children out to the front lines for God and Greater Glory? They do it with other peoples' sons and
daughters, so why wouldn't they do it with their own? Hmmm. Suddenly going to war doesn't seem such a good idea, does it? Well, not if your latest recruits are called Jenna and Barbara Bush. Perhaps their daddy ought to go down on to the front lines with all the enlistees he conned into signing up. The view isn't as pleasant as that from the White House lawn, but at least it's real.Kilde: http://www.dailymuslims.com