Why US will run out of Iraq
Nov 11, 2003
LETTER FROM TORONTO<br><br>DO you want to know why the Americans will pull out of Iraq like scared camels before a desert storm? The answer stares back from the newspaper photos of the 12 men, 6 of them primly attired in ceremonial US military uniform, 4 in combat fatigues, one in a wedding tuxedo
LETTER FROM TORONTO
Opiyo Oloya
Do you want to know why the Americans will pull out of Iraq like scared camels before a desert storm? The answer stares back from the newspaper photos of the 12 men, 6 of them primly attired in ceremonial US military uniform, 4 in combat fatigues, one in a wedding tuxedo and one in a t-shirt. When the pictures were taken, the men’s facial expressions never hinted that their lives would end tragically, far from home, in October 2003 in Iraq. These were men you would love to have as your neighbour, a son, a husband or a brother.
Young, friendly with the future full of promises, it’s hard to imagine what their last hours had been like.
But one thing is certain — Americans are dying almost every day. The 12 soldiers were lucky because their faces were printed in the newspaper — the other 24 died faceless, nameless and without glory except in their hometowns where they were buried quietly.
October 4 — Sp Const James H. Pirtle, 27, of La Mesa, New Mexico, killed when a rocker-propelled grenade hit his Bradley Fighting Vehicle in Assadah, north of Baghdad, was the 4th US soldier to die in October. In his military fatigue and beret, a small, determined mouth frames Pirtle’s handsome face.
October 6 — PFC. Kerry Scott, 21, of Mount Vernon, Washington, was one of three US soldiers killed on this day in separate attacks in Iraq.
In the picture, he is just a smiling boy in his neatly pressed army uniform.
October 9 — Pte Sean A. Silva, 23, of Roseville, California, was killed when his patrol was ambushed near Baghdad. The young man with the soft and kindly facial demeanour was one of three Americans killed on this day in Iraq.
October 12 — Sp Const James E. Powell, 26, of Radcliff, Kentucky, died when his Bradley Fighting Vehicle was blown up by an Iraqi anti-tank mine.
October 16 — Lt-Col Kim S.
Orlando, 43 of Ft. Campbell, Kentucky and Staff Sgt. Joseph P. Bellavia, 28 of Wakefield, Massachusetts, along with a third soldier were killed by armed Iraqis at a mosque near Karbala. Col Orlando looked like the kind of man you would turn to when in a tight spot—completely dependable and reliable, he could not save himself and his two soldiers.
Last week alone, America lost as many soldiers as it did during the entire month of October. The bloody carnage began on Sunday, November 2, when a US Chinook helicopter carrying troops to Baghdad Airport was brought down by a ground-to-air missile, killing 16 soldiers. The killing of American troops continued throughout the week, culminating on Friday with the shooting down of a Black Hawk helicopter near Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit, leaving six Americans dead.
All told, the embolden Iraqi insurgents killed 37 Americans last week, bringing the total to 151 killed since the end of war in May.
October 17 — a homemade device near Baghdad killed Spc. Michael L. Williams, 46, of Buffalo, N.Y., the oldest American soldier to die in Iraq last month. In the picture, the man with thick eyebrows and trimmed moustache looks so laid back and easy-going.
October 18 — PFC John D. Hart, 20, of Bedford, Mass. and Lt. David Bernstein, 24, of Phoenixville, Pa. were killed in an ambush near Taza. The pictures of both men were likely taken at their graduation from military college. Hart is a smiling, clean-shaven boy on the brink of manhood. Bernstein, a square-jawed sportsman, was clearly going places in the military.
October 20 — Staff Sgt Paul Johnson, 29, of Calumet Michigan, was killed by an explosive device in Fallujah. In the photo, the serious looking Johnson looked the type that would quickly rise through the ranks.
October 24 —- Sp. Const. Artimus D. Brassfield, 22, a determined young black soldier from Flint, Michigan, was killed in a mortar attack in Samarra. On this day, the US soldier was one of three Americans killed by enemy fire.
October 26 — Lt-Col Charles H. Buehring, of Winter Springs, Florida, was killed when RPG exploded at the Rasheed Hotel in Baghdad. On this day, the enemy almost bagged US deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz who was staying at the same hotel. Buehring, clearly the most decorated and probably most likely to have risen to the rank of general in the US army, was not the only casualty that day —-two other Americans were killed in separate incidents.
Though President Bush insists on “staying the courseâ€, you don’t have to be a four-star general to know that America is bleeding in Iraq. This past weekend, in frustration, American forces bombed empty buildings supposedly used by the Iraqi enemies, but for anyone watching, it was an empty gesture likely only to encourage snicker from the wily foes. The bottom line is that America must decide quickly whether to stay to die or turn tail while the going is still good. For, as time passes, the Iraqi fighters are only getting better and more sophisticated at killing American soldiers. Despite what President Bush says, the reality is that good, young American men are dying needlessly in a war that should never have been fought in the first place.
Opiyo Oloya
Do you want to know why the Americans will pull out of Iraq like scared camels before a desert storm? The answer stares back from the newspaper photos of the 12 men, 6 of them primly attired in ceremonial US military uniform, 4 in combat fatigues, one in a wedding tuxedo and one in a t-shirt. When the pictures were taken, the men’s facial expressions never hinted that their lives would end tragically, far from home, in October 2003 in Iraq. These were men you would love to have as your neighbour, a son, a husband or a brother.
Young, friendly with the future full of promises, it’s hard to imagine what their last hours had been like.
But one thing is certain — Americans are dying almost every day. The 12 soldiers were lucky because their faces were printed in the newspaper — the other 24 died faceless, nameless and without glory except in their hometowns where they were buried quietly.
October 4 — Sp Const James H. Pirtle, 27, of La Mesa, New Mexico, killed when a rocker-propelled grenade hit his Bradley Fighting Vehicle in Assadah, north of Baghdad, was the 4th US soldier to die in October. In his military fatigue and beret, a small, determined mouth frames Pirtle’s handsome face.
October 6 — PFC. Kerry Scott, 21, of Mount Vernon, Washington, was one of three US soldiers killed on this day in separate attacks in Iraq.
In the picture, he is just a smiling boy in his neatly pressed army uniform.
October 9 — Pte Sean A. Silva, 23, of Roseville, California, was killed when his patrol was ambushed near Baghdad. The young man with the soft and kindly facial demeanour was one of three Americans killed on this day in Iraq.
October 12 — Sp Const James E. Powell, 26, of Radcliff, Kentucky, died when his Bradley Fighting Vehicle was blown up by an Iraqi anti-tank mine.
October 16 — Lt-Col Kim S.
Orlando, 43 of Ft. Campbell, Kentucky and Staff Sgt. Joseph P. Bellavia, 28 of Wakefield, Massachusetts, along with a third soldier were killed by armed Iraqis at a mosque near Karbala. Col Orlando looked like the kind of man you would turn to when in a tight spot—completely dependable and reliable, he could not save himself and his two soldiers.
Last week alone, America lost as many soldiers as it did during the entire month of October. The bloody carnage began on Sunday, November 2, when a US Chinook helicopter carrying troops to Baghdad Airport was brought down by a ground-to-air missile, killing 16 soldiers. The killing of American troops continued throughout the week, culminating on Friday with the shooting down of a Black Hawk helicopter near Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit, leaving six Americans dead.
All told, the embolden Iraqi insurgents killed 37 Americans last week, bringing the total to 151 killed since the end of war in May.
October 17 — a homemade device near Baghdad killed Spc. Michael L. Williams, 46, of Buffalo, N.Y., the oldest American soldier to die in Iraq last month. In the picture, the man with thick eyebrows and trimmed moustache looks so laid back and easy-going.
October 18 — PFC John D. Hart, 20, of Bedford, Mass. and Lt. David Bernstein, 24, of Phoenixville, Pa. were killed in an ambush near Taza. The pictures of both men were likely taken at their graduation from military college. Hart is a smiling, clean-shaven boy on the brink of manhood. Bernstein, a square-jawed sportsman, was clearly going places in the military.
October 20 — Staff Sgt Paul Johnson, 29, of Calumet Michigan, was killed by an explosive device in Fallujah. In the photo, the serious looking Johnson looked the type that would quickly rise through the ranks.
October 24 —- Sp. Const. Artimus D. Brassfield, 22, a determined young black soldier from Flint, Michigan, was killed in a mortar attack in Samarra. On this day, the US soldier was one of three Americans killed by enemy fire.
October 26 — Lt-Col Charles H. Buehring, of Winter Springs, Florida, was killed when RPG exploded at the Rasheed Hotel in Baghdad. On this day, the enemy almost bagged US deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz who was staying at the same hotel. Buehring, clearly the most decorated and probably most likely to have risen to the rank of general in the US army, was not the only casualty that day —-two other Americans were killed in separate incidents.
Though President Bush insists on “staying the courseâ€, you don’t have to be a four-star general to know that America is bleeding in Iraq. This past weekend, in frustration, American forces bombed empty buildings supposedly used by the Iraqi enemies, but for anyone watching, it was an empty gesture likely only to encourage snicker from the wily foes. The bottom line is that America must decide quickly whether to stay to die or turn tail while the going is still good. For, as time passes, the Iraqi fighters are only getting better and more sophisticated at killing American soldiers. Despite what President Bush says, the reality is that good, young American men are dying needlessly in a war that should never have been fought in the first place.