By: Timothy Hanrahan
Posted In: Opinion
Photo credit: Timothy Hanrahan
Inside a Marine’s observation post in Iraq’s Al Anbar province.
Photo credit: Timothy Hanrahan
Marines from Sierra Battery, 15thMarine Expeditionary Unit provide forward observation against an insurgent mortar attack.
Fighting in a war isn’t easy. I should know, I’ve been there. Coming home isn’t exactly a piece of cake either. After serving five long years in the United States Marine Corps, I feel exhausted and exasperated. Myself and fellow veterans are often left flabbergasted by the lack of attention the Iraq Wars sees. One common saying many Marines have is, “America is not at war, the Marine Corps is at war. America is at the mall.” Many service members feel that Americans go about their daily lives without stopping to think that there are people overseas fighting and dying for their benefit. Most military personnel and veterans alike look upon the so called “Greatest Generation” from World War II as the ideal attitude Americans
should have. Sadly, it seems that Americans today have a very limited outlook on not only Iraq and Afghanistan,but also world affairs in general. According to the 2006 National Geographic-Roper Survey of Geographic Literacy, only 37 percent of people ages 18 to 24 could locate Iraq on a map. Even more ghastly, nine out of 10 of those surveyed within the same age group could not find Afghanistan on a map. Sadly, these people are able to vote. How are veterans supposed to believe Americans when they evoke the almost defunct slogan “support our troops” when they cannot even find the countries in question on a map? Geography isn’t rocket science. Coming home from Iraq over two years ago, I was constantly inundated with questions from civilians in my own age group like “Why should I care?” and “I don’t support the war, so I don’t care what happens.” Americans should care about these wars because not only is human life being extinguished, but also billions of dollars of tax money is spent on them. There is no question about the justification for the war in Afghanistan, but Iraq is a different story. Personally,I don’t think you can find a man or woman in America who believes that the war was fought for the reasons that were originally proposed. No weapons of mass destruction exist and there was no link to Saddam Hussein and Al-Qaeda. Therefore, if there are no weapons and Saddam was not in bed with Bin Laden, we should just leave Iraq right? This is completely and unequivocally wrong. The United States has a moral responsibility to fix the damage we have caused. To leave a country that is in economic shambles and is torn by sectarian violence would be even more egregious than the initial invasion itself. All politics aside, the Iraq War should be about minimizing the loss of human life and maximizing the quality of life for all Iraqis and we cannot achieve these goals if we prematurely withdraw from the conflict. So what’s the solution to this apathy towards these wars? First, Americans should educate themselves about the location and cultures of these regions. Since we live in a democracy and have the power to destroy the world with a push of a button, Americans should be obligated to be aware of foreign affairs. Next, Americans should learn about Islam and the reasons behind the attacks on Sept. 11. Unless we get to the root cause of the problem, how can we work on a solution to this downward spiral of hate? Third, talk to a veteran. He or she probably will forget more about Iraq and Afghanistan than most Americans will every know in their lifetimes. When all is said and done, if America becomes more knowledgeable about these wars, the American people will be able to not only determine the right time to pull out of Iraq, but also pressure the government to deliver better results in Afghanistan. If we fail to acknowledge Iraq and Afghanistan while letting less than 1 percent of Americans handle the problem, we will continue to descend into this myopia that we all have become accustomed to.
