Clearing the air about intentions - an Iraqi citizen and a US soldier

A Letter to an American Solider!

I have been asked several times to give advice to an American solider heading from somewhere in the USA to somewhere in Iraq! I think this is a good time to write about this issue.

I am sure the Pentagon specialist Departments issue certain advices and clarifications to their soldiers about how to deal with the Iraqi people but this is not without pitfalls. This article explains some of the differences.

Above all, the American solider should ask himself or herself the following question: What is his feeling when his own country occupied by foreign forces irrespective of whether they liberated him from a tyrant or not? Just ask yourself this question and keep the answer with you soon when your feet touch the Iraqi soil! This will make you to understand the feeling of the people or some of the people whom you are going to meet there!

Next thing you have to know that you are in a different society than yours. Let me give you an example. If a foreign particle enters your body your immunity will isolate then attack it by special antibodies. Therefore, to avoid being attacked, this particle should behave genuinely as part of the body! You should not make yourself superior to the people there and should show that you do care for that part of the world and its people as if you are one of them.

If you try to change the faith or the belief of the people they will not accept it. You should show genuine respect to the women and they should not be searched by male soldiers but women soldiers and vice versa. The holy places should be respected fully.

I am sure the majority of Coalition soldiers dislike and share our feelings against the recent abuses of the prisoners. The majority of them have families: wives, children, parents, brothers, sisters and other relatives and friends that they like to go back to once and forever. This is a genuine human feeling irrespective of the political or boundary issues. You should make sure that you are there for a short time only and better to get few Iraqi friends rather than enemies because you may need to go back without your uniform at some time with your loved ones for a visit - hopefully to see a different Iraq with better roads, airports, services, etc and unemployment reversed from more than 85 per cent to less than 15 per cent.

Lastly let me tell you this story about a fool who was spoiled by his rich dad. He was totally dependent on his dad's richness, so was just a lazy little man! The dad asked his son to promise to fulfil three things after his death: first is to build a palace in each city; second to eat the tastiest food and last to sleep on the best furniture.

The son then spent his money trying to do all the above but lost it all to gambling and taxes and so on until he found himself in the street begging the people. One day a friend of his father's saw him in such a miserable state and asked him why? He said it was due to the fool advice of his father!

The man shook his head and said "it was your fool interpretation, and not your dad's advice. Your dad meant by 'palace' to keep a friend in each city because he or she will be there for you when you need him (the friend should not be dictator or tyrant). He also advised you that if you eat from your earnings and when you are hungry, the food, whatever it is, will taste nice. Lastly, if you work hard, then even if you sleep on the floor it will feel better than the mattresses of the Queen of England and the furniture of the Oval office of your President GWB!

I hope you will interpret my letter carefully and rightly!

Reply from an American Solider to Hammorabi

Below is a letter from an American solider in Iraq in reply about my letter to an American solider. I replaced the name with letters to keep his ID protected but I haven't changed anything else!

From: ** * ** ** **/*** <********@***********>

I am an American soldier and would like to comment on what you say in your letter.

I think what you are trying to ask here is, how we feel when we go into a foreign country ... regardless of the reason.

I know that I myself, and most of my friends all feel the same, have enormous respect for Iraqi civilians whether you see it or not. We believe that Iraqis are a very proud people of dignity and honour and whose ancestors created the foundations of modern civilisation. We believe that Iraqis are sacred in many ways; your ancestors are the subjects we read about in our most holy book, and whose words created the bible from which our religion is based. We believe that you are a very intelligent people who deserve above anything to have a healthy democratic form of government that respects its people instead of abuses them.

We believe we came to your country to liberate you from Saddam Hussein, we believe he was a very bad person. We believe we are there now to make sure you receive a healthy democracy that you can be proud of. We understand that we are not perfect, we are only human beings, we have made mistakes ... we also understand that as we realise our mistakes we will do everything we can to stop doing it wrong, and get it right.

We honestly do try to respect your religion and your customs. Sometimes it is not easy though - there are so many things about you that we don't know. Many things you see as disrespectful are done out of either ignorance or the lack of funds/personnel - please forgive us for this. We are not trying to be mean. Also, as for your holy places, we do try as often as possible to respect that too, but you have to admit, sometimes the people who are trying to ruin your chances for democracy use these places in very UN-holy ways.

Something else I am sick of hearing and reading that is not true: WE DO NOT WANT TO CHANGE YOUR RELIGION, WE DO NOT CARE WHAT FAITH YOU PRACTICE, IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHY WE ARE THERE, BEING MUSLIM IS NOT A HINDRANCE TO DEMOCRACY, BEING CHRISTIAN IS NOT A HELP, IT SIMPLY DOES NOT MATTER.

We are ALL disgusted by what happened in the prison, NO human at ANY time should EVER be treated like that. That was wrong and I hope the people that did that get far worse than what their victims received. Americans are not happy with what happened. The vast majority of us believe that the whole chain of command responsible should be punished appropriately.

You are correct, human beings are all the same in many ways, we have families, loved ones, fathers, mothers, and friends ... we all want one thing and that is to live in a world where we can wake up every morning in our own house, go to work and make enough money to feed our families, come home to our cute kids and beautiful wives, and go to bed feeling safe and happy.

We American soldiers are not completely stupid, we can imagine ourselves in your place, how would we feel if a Muslim nation invaded the states to free us from an evil dictator, and then seemed to turn out at times as bad as the evil dictator said they would be.

Honestly, we would not be that happy either.

Even though you may not LOVE us, please understand that we ARE there to help you. We get pulled quite harshly from our happy lives, from our happy homes, from our happy families, so we can go to a strange country of strange people and do a job that no one in the world seems to want. We turn on the news and we watch the whole world act like we are so bad and that Saddam was such a saint. We miss our families and our homes. We honestly HATE wearing these hot uncomfortable uniforms that were NOT made for your climate. We can't understand you when you talk. We honestly are interested in your culture, food, and history, but have to have this chance to learn about you ruined by people endlessly shooting at us, or shouting hateful things at us. All this and we still go there because deep in our imperfect but well-intentioned hearts we believe that you, no matter how bad you hate us, deserve a government that respects you and treats you well.

No matter how hard it is for us there, no matter how many of our close friends have to die, we will NOT give up until Iraq is returned to being a leader of science, education, and civilised ideals like it once was. Japan was once ruled by a tyrant, it was changed into a democracy and now is an economic world leader and a regional superpower, Germany was once ruled by a tyrant, it was changed into a democracy, and is now an economic world leader and regional superpower, I believe with all my heart that Iraq will be one of the greatest economic world leaders, a regional superpower, and the flagship of human rights and Arab progressiveness.

Nothing comes without a price, nothing comes in the snap of a finger ... please have patience, in the end you will all have won more than you can imagine or even dream.

*** ****
American Soldier