Future Herc Driver
About to start Tac phase in the Herc.
Wasnt sure if this was real, but it is a good statement about the current situation.
This letter was written by Lt. Kevin Brown, USMC, a Marine Cobra pilot
and
2001 graduate of the United States Naval Academy. He expresses a basic
thought that is becoming a common thread in emails sent by those serving
in Iraq.
Those who are serving there are smart enough to detect a basic fallacy in
the words of many. Simply stated, one cannot say that one is supporting
the troops in Iraq while saying that one does not support what they are
doing. In the words of Lieutenant Brown, "you cannot both support the
troops and protest their mission".
What they see coming is another version of Vietnam...eventually the
charade will be played to its natural conclusion and neither the troops
nor what they are doing will be supported. With the rug pulled out, they
will then become a latter day version of the Vietnam Veteran. Those who
had the Vietnam experience know exactly what I mean. It is our duty to do
our best to make certain that it doesn't happen to our successors. Which,
of course, is why this email, one that was provided by a major retired
Marine circuit, is forwarded to so many.
What they are also seeing is that a large segment of the public has
forgotten who attacked whom on 9/11 and who suffered more casualties that
day than were suffered on 7 December 1941.
JDL
Dad, you asked me what I would say to America from Iraq on 9/11 if I had
a podium and a microphone. I have thought about it, and here is my
response.
Your Son,
Kevin
September 11, 2004
Dear America,
"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men
stand ready to do violence on their behalf." -George Orwell
The Marine Corps is tired. I guess I should not say that, as I have no
authority or responsibility to speak for the Marine Corps as a whole, and
my opinions are mine alone. I will rephrase: this Marine is tired. I
write
this piece from the sands of Iraq, west of Baghdad, at three a.m., but I
am not tired of the sand. I am neither tired of long days, nor of flying
and fighting. I am not tired of the food, though it does not taste quite
right. I am not tired of the heat; I am not tried of the mortars that
occasionally fall on my base. I am not tired of Marines dying, though all
Marines, past and present, mourn the loss of every brother and sister
that
is killed; death is a part of combat and every warrior knows that going
into battle. One dead Marine is too many, but we give more than we take,
and unlike our enemies, we fight with honor. I am not tired of the
missions or the people; I have only been here a month, after all. I am,
however, tired of the hypocrisy and short-sightedness that seems to have
gripped so many of my countrymen and the media. I am tired of political
rhetoric that misses the point, and mostly I am tired of people "not
getting it."
Three years ago I was sitting in a classroom at Quantico, Virginia, while
attending the Marine Corps Basic Officer Course, learning about the finer
points of land navigation. Our Commanding Officer interrupted the class
to
inform us that some planes had crashed in New York and Washington D.C.,
and that he would return when he knew more. Tears welled in the eyes of
the Lieutenant on my right while class continued, albeit with an audience
that was not very focused; his sister lived in New York and worked at the
World Trade Center. We broke for lunch, though instead of going to the
chow hall proceeded to a small pizza and sub joint which had a
television.
Slices of pizza sat cold in front of us as we watched the same vivid
images that you watched on September 11, 2001. I look back on that moment
now and realize even then I grasped, at some level, that the events of
that day would alter both my military career and my country forever.
Though I did not know that three years later, to the day, I would be
flying combat missions in Iraq as an AH-1W Super Cobra pilot, I did
understand that a war had just begun, on television for the world to see,
and that my classmates and I would fight that war. After lunch we were
told to go to our rooms, clean our weapons and pack our gear for possible
deployment to the Pentagon to augment perimeter security. The parting
words of the order were to make sure we packed gloves, in case we had to
handle bodies.
The first Marine killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom was in my company at
The Basic School, and was sitting in that land navigation class on
September 11. He fought bravely, led from the front, and was killed
seizing an oil refinery on the opening day of the war. His heroism made
my
emergency procedure memorization for the T-34 primary flight school
trainer seem quite insignificant. This feeling of frustration was shared
by all of the student pilots, but we continued to press on. As one
instructor pointed out to us, "You will fight this war, not me. Make sure
that you are prepared when you get there." He was right; my classmates
from Pensacola are here beside me, flying every day in support of the
Marines on the ground. That instructor has since retired, but I believe
he has retired knowing that he made a contribution to the greatest country
in the history of the world, the United States of America.
Many of you will read that statement and balk at its apparently
presumptuous and arrogant nature, and perhaps be tempted to stop reading
right here. I would ask that you keep going, for I did not say that
Americans are better than anyone else, for I do not believe that to be
the case. I did not say that our country, its leaders, military or
intelligence services are perfect or have never made mistakes, because
throughout history they have, and will continue to do so, despite their
best efforts. The Nation is more than the sum of its citizens and
leaders, more than its history, present, or future; a nation has contemporary
values which change as its leaders change, but it also has timeless
character, ideals forged with the blood and courage of patriots. To quote
the Pledge of Allegiance, our nation was founded "under God, indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all." As Americans, we have more freedom
than we can handle sometimes.
If you are an atheist you might have a problem with that whole "under
God" part; if you are against liberating the people of Iraq, Afghanistan,
Asia, all of Europe (twice), and the former Soviet bloc, then perhaps the
"liberty and justice for all" section might leave you fuming. Our Nation,
throughout its history, has watered the seeds of democracy on many
continents, with blood, even when the country was in disagreement about
those decisions. Disagreement is a wonderful thing. To disagree with your
neighbors and your government is at the very heart of freedom. Citizens
have disagreed about every important and controversial decision made by
their leaders throughout history. Truman had the courage to drop two
nuclear weapons in order to end the largest war in history, and then, by
his actions, prevented the Soviets from extinguishing the light of
democracy in Eastern Europe, Berlin. Lincoln preserved our country
through
civil war; Reagan knew in his heart that freedom is a more powerful
weapon
than oppression. Leaders are paid to make difficult, sometimes
controversial decisions. History will judge the success of their actions
and the purity of their intent in a way that is impossible at the present
moment. In your disagreement and debate about the current conflict,
however, be very careful that you do not jeopardize your nation or those
who serve. The best time to use your freedom of speech to debate
difficult
decisions is before they are made, not when the lives of your countrymen
are on the line.
Cherish your civil rights; I know that after having been in Iraq for only
one month I have a new appreciation for mine. You have the right to say
that you "support the troops" but oppose the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
You have the right to vote for Senator John Kerry because you believe
that
he has an exit strategy for Iraq, or because you just cannot stand
President Bush. You have the right to vote for President George W. Bush
if
you believe that he has done a good job over the last four years. You
might even decide that you do not want to vote at all and would rather
avoid the issues as much as possible. That is certainly your option, and
doing nothing is the only option for many people in this world.
It is not my place, nor am I allowed by the Uniformed Code of Military
Justice, to tell you how to vote. But I can explain to you the truth
about
what is going on around you. We know, and have known from the beginning,
that the ultimate success or failure of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan,
as well as the future of those countries, rests solely on the shoulders
of
the Iraqi and Afghani people. If someone complains that we should not
have
gone to war with Saddam Hussein, that our intelligence was bad, that
President Bush's motives were impure, then take the appropriate action.
Exercise your right to vote for Senator Kerry, but please stop
complaining
about something that happened over a year ago. The decision to deploy our
military in Iraq and Afghanistan is in the past, and while I believe that
it is important to the democratic process for our nation to analyze the
decisions of our leadership in order to avoid repeating mistakes, it is
far more important to focus on the future. The question of which
candidatewill "get us out of Iraq sooner" should not be a consideration in your
mind. YOU SHOULD NOT WANT US OUT OF IRAQ OR AFGHANISTAN SOONER. There is only one coherent exit strategy that will make our time here worthwhile and validate the sacrifice of so many of our countrymen. There is only one strategy that has a chance of promoting peace and stabilizing the Middle East. It is the exit strategy of both candidates, though voiced with
varying volumes and differing degrees of clarity. I will speak of Iraq
because that is where I am, though I feel the underlying principle
applies to both Iraq and Afghanistan.
The American military must continue to help train and support the Iraqi
Police, National Guard, and Armed Forces. We must continue to give them
both responsibility and the authority with which to carry out those
responsibilities, so that they eventually can kill or capture the former
regime elements and foreign terrorists that are trying to create a
radical, oppressive state. We must continue to repair the infrastructure
that we damaged during the conflict, and improve the infrastructure that
has insufficient when Saddam was in power. We should welcome and
encourage partners in the coalition but recognize that many will choose the path of least resistance and opt out; many of our traditional allies have been
doing this for years and it should not surprise us. We must respect the
citizens of Iraq and help them to understand the meaning of basic human
rights, for those are something the average Iraqi has never experienced.
We must be respectful of our cultural and religious differences. We must
help the Iraqis develop national pride, and most importantly, we must
leave this country better than we found it, at the right time, with a
chance of success so that its people will have an opportunity to forge
their own destiny. We must do all of these things as quickly and
efficiently as possible so that we are not seen as occupiers, but rather
liberators and helpers. We must communicate this to the world as clearly
and frequently as possible, both with words and actions.
If we leave before these things are done, then Iraq will fall into
anarchy and possibly plunge the Middle East into another war. The ability of the United States to conduct foreign policy will be severely, and perhaps
permanently, degraded. Terrorism will increase, both in America and
around the world, as America will have demonstrated that it is not interested in building and helping, only destroying. If we run or exit early, we prove
to our enemies that terror is more powerful and potent than freedom. Many
nations, like Spain, have already affirmed this in the minds of the
terrorists. Our failure, and its consequences, will be squarely on our
shoulders as a nation. It will be our fault. If we stay the course and
Iraq or Afghanistan falls into civil war on its own, then our hands are
clean. As a citizen of the United States and a U.S. Marine, I will be
able to sleep at night with nothing on my conscience, for I know that I, and
my country, have done as much as we could for these people. If we leave
early, I will not be able to live with myself, and neither should you.
The blood will be on our hands, the failure on our watch.
The bottom line is this: Republican or Democrat, approve or disapprove of
the decision to go to war, you need to support our efforts here. You
cannot both support the troops and protest their mission. Every time the
parent of a fallen Marine gets on CNN with a photo, accusing President
Bush of murdering his son, the enemy wins a strategic victory. I cannot
begin to comprehend the grief he feels at the death of his son, but he
dishonors the memory of my brave brother who paid the ultimate price.
That Marine volunteered to serve, just like the rest of us. No one here was
drafted. I am proud of my service and that of my peers. I am ashamed of
that parent's actions, and I pray to God that if I am killed my parents
will stand with pride before the cameras and reaffirm their belief that
my life and sacrifice mattered; they loved me dearly and they firmly support
the military and its mission in Iraq and Afghanistan. With that
statement, they communicate very clearly to our enemies around the world that America is united, that we cannot be intimidated by kidnappings, decapitations and torture, and that we care enough about the Afghani and Iraqi people to give them a chance at democracy and basic human rights. Do not support those that seek failure for us, or seek to trivialize the sacrifices made here. Do not make the deaths of your countrymen be in vain. Communicate to your media and elected officials that you are behind us and our mission. Send letters and encouragement to those who are deployed. When you meet a person that serves you, whether in the armed forces, police, or fire department, show them respect. Thank the spouses around you every day,raising children alone, whose loved ones are deployed. Remember not only those that have paid the ultimate price, but the veterans that bear the physical and emotional scars of defending your freedom. At the very
least, follow your mother's advice. "If you can't say something nice, don't say
anything at all." Do not give the enemy a foothold in our Nation's public
opinion. He rejoices at Fahrenheit 9/11 and applauds every time an
American slams our efforts. The military can succeed here so long as
American citizens support us wholeheartedly.
Sleep well on this third anniversary of 9/11, America. Rough men are
standing ready to do violence on your behalf. Many of your sons and
daughters volunteered to stand watch for you. Not just rough men- the
infantry, the Marine grunts, the Special Operations Forces- but lots of
eighteen and nineteen year old kids, teenagers, who are far away from
home, serving as drivers, supply clerks, analysts, and mechanics. They
all have stories, families, and dreams. They miss you, love you, and are
putting their lives on the line for you. Do not make their time here,
their sacrifice, a waste. Support them, and their mission.
This letter was written by Lt. Kevin Brown, USMC, a Marine Cobra pilot
and
2001 graduate of the United States Naval Academy. He expresses a basic
thought that is becoming a common thread in emails sent by those serving
in Iraq.
Those who are serving there are smart enough to detect a basic fallacy in
the words of many. Simply stated, one cannot say that one is supporting
the troops in Iraq while saying that one does not support what they are
doing. In the words of Lieutenant Brown, "you cannot both support the
troops and protest their mission".
What they see coming is another version of Vietnam...eventually the
charade will be played to its natural conclusion and neither the troops
nor what they are doing will be supported. With the rug pulled out, they
will then become a latter day version of the Vietnam Veteran. Those who
had the Vietnam experience know exactly what I mean. It is our duty to do
our best to make certain that it doesn't happen to our successors. Which,
of course, is why this email, one that was provided by a major retired
Marine circuit, is forwarded to so many.
What they are also seeing is that a large segment of the public has
forgotten who attacked whom on 9/11 and who suffered more casualties that
day than were suffered on 7 December 1941.
JDL
Dad, you asked me what I would say to America from Iraq on 9/11 if I had
a podium and a microphone. I have thought about it, and here is my
response.
Your Son,
Kevin
September 11, 2004
Dear America,
"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men
stand ready to do violence on their behalf." -George Orwell
The Marine Corps is tired. I guess I should not say that, as I have no
authority or responsibility to speak for the Marine Corps as a whole, and
my opinions are mine alone. I will rephrase: this Marine is tired. I
write
this piece from the sands of Iraq, west of Baghdad, at three a.m., but I
am not tired of the sand. I am neither tired of long days, nor of flying
and fighting. I am not tired of the food, though it does not taste quite
right. I am not tired of the heat; I am not tried of the mortars that
occasionally fall on my base. I am not tired of Marines dying, though all
Marines, past and present, mourn the loss of every brother and sister
that
is killed; death is a part of combat and every warrior knows that going
into battle. One dead Marine is too many, but we give more than we take,
and unlike our enemies, we fight with honor. I am not tired of the
missions or the people; I have only been here a month, after all. I am,
however, tired of the hypocrisy and short-sightedness that seems to have
gripped so many of my countrymen and the media. I am tired of political
rhetoric that misses the point, and mostly I am tired of people "not
getting it."
Three years ago I was sitting in a classroom at Quantico, Virginia, while
attending the Marine Corps Basic Officer Course, learning about the finer
points of land navigation. Our Commanding Officer interrupted the class
to
inform us that some planes had crashed in New York and Washington D.C.,
and that he would return when he knew more. Tears welled in the eyes of
the Lieutenant on my right while class continued, albeit with an audience
that was not very focused; his sister lived in New York and worked at the
World Trade Center. We broke for lunch, though instead of going to the
chow hall proceeded to a small pizza and sub joint which had a
television.
Slices of pizza sat cold in front of us as we watched the same vivid
images that you watched on September 11, 2001. I look back on that moment
now and realize even then I grasped, at some level, that the events of
that day would alter both my military career and my country forever.
Though I did not know that three years later, to the day, I would be
flying combat missions in Iraq as an AH-1W Super Cobra pilot, I did
understand that a war had just begun, on television for the world to see,
and that my classmates and I would fight that war. After lunch we were
told to go to our rooms, clean our weapons and pack our gear for possible
deployment to the Pentagon to augment perimeter security. The parting
words of the order were to make sure we packed gloves, in case we had to
handle bodies.
The first Marine killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom was in my company at
The Basic School, and was sitting in that land navigation class on
September 11. He fought bravely, led from the front, and was killed
seizing an oil refinery on the opening day of the war. His heroism made
my
emergency procedure memorization for the T-34 primary flight school
trainer seem quite insignificant. This feeling of frustration was shared
by all of the student pilots, but we continued to press on. As one
instructor pointed out to us, "You will fight this war, not me. Make sure
that you are prepared when you get there." He was right; my classmates
from Pensacola are here beside me, flying every day in support of the
Marines on the ground. That instructor has since retired, but I believe
he has retired knowing that he made a contribution to the greatest country
in the history of the world, the United States of America.
Many of you will read that statement and balk at its apparently
presumptuous and arrogant nature, and perhaps be tempted to stop reading
right here. I would ask that you keep going, for I did not say that
Americans are better than anyone else, for I do not believe that to be
the case. I did not say that our country, its leaders, military or
intelligence services are perfect or have never made mistakes, because
throughout history they have, and will continue to do so, despite their
best efforts. The Nation is more than the sum of its citizens and
leaders, more than its history, present, or future; a nation has contemporary
values which change as its leaders change, but it also has timeless
character, ideals forged with the blood and courage of patriots. To quote
the Pledge of Allegiance, our nation was founded "under God, indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all." As Americans, we have more freedom
than we can handle sometimes.
If you are an atheist you might have a problem with that whole "under
God" part; if you are against liberating the people of Iraq, Afghanistan,
Asia, all of Europe (twice), and the former Soviet bloc, then perhaps the
"liberty and justice for all" section might leave you fuming. Our Nation,
throughout its history, has watered the seeds of democracy on many
continents, with blood, even when the country was in disagreement about
those decisions. Disagreement is a wonderful thing. To disagree with your
neighbors and your government is at the very heart of freedom. Citizens
have disagreed about every important and controversial decision made by
their leaders throughout history. Truman had the courage to drop two
nuclear weapons in order to end the largest war in history, and then, by
his actions, prevented the Soviets from extinguishing the light of
democracy in Eastern Europe, Berlin. Lincoln preserved our country
through
civil war; Reagan knew in his heart that freedom is a more powerful
weapon
than oppression. Leaders are paid to make difficult, sometimes
controversial decisions. History will judge the success of their actions
and the purity of their intent in a way that is impossible at the present
moment. In your disagreement and debate about the current conflict,
however, be very careful that you do not jeopardize your nation or those
who serve. The best time to use your freedom of speech to debate
difficult
decisions is before they are made, not when the lives of your countrymen
are on the line.
Cherish your civil rights; I know that after having been in Iraq for only
one month I have a new appreciation for mine. You have the right to say
that you "support the troops" but oppose the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
You have the right to vote for Senator John Kerry because you believe
that
he has an exit strategy for Iraq, or because you just cannot stand
President Bush. You have the right to vote for President George W. Bush
if
you believe that he has done a good job over the last four years. You
might even decide that you do not want to vote at all and would rather
avoid the issues as much as possible. That is certainly your option, and
doing nothing is the only option for many people in this world.
It is not my place, nor am I allowed by the Uniformed Code of Military
Justice, to tell you how to vote. But I can explain to you the truth
about
what is going on around you. We know, and have known from the beginning,
that the ultimate success or failure of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan,
as well as the future of those countries, rests solely on the shoulders
of
the Iraqi and Afghani people. If someone complains that we should not
have
gone to war with Saddam Hussein, that our intelligence was bad, that
President Bush's motives were impure, then take the appropriate action.
Exercise your right to vote for Senator Kerry, but please stop
complaining
about something that happened over a year ago. The decision to deploy our
military in Iraq and Afghanistan is in the past, and while I believe that
it is important to the democratic process for our nation to analyze the
decisions of our leadership in order to avoid repeating mistakes, it is
far more important to focus on the future. The question of which
candidatewill "get us out of Iraq sooner" should not be a consideration in your
mind. YOU SHOULD NOT WANT US OUT OF IRAQ OR AFGHANISTAN SOONER. There is only one coherent exit strategy that will make our time here worthwhile and validate the sacrifice of so many of our countrymen. There is only one strategy that has a chance of promoting peace and stabilizing the Middle East. It is the exit strategy of both candidates, though voiced with
varying volumes and differing degrees of clarity. I will speak of Iraq
because that is where I am, though I feel the underlying principle
applies to both Iraq and Afghanistan.
The American military must continue to help train and support the Iraqi
Police, National Guard, and Armed Forces. We must continue to give them
both responsibility and the authority with which to carry out those
responsibilities, so that they eventually can kill or capture the former
regime elements and foreign terrorists that are trying to create a
radical, oppressive state. We must continue to repair the infrastructure
that we damaged during the conflict, and improve the infrastructure that
has insufficient when Saddam was in power. We should welcome and
encourage partners in the coalition but recognize that many will choose the path of least resistance and opt out; many of our traditional allies have been
doing this for years and it should not surprise us. We must respect the
citizens of Iraq and help them to understand the meaning of basic human
rights, for those are something the average Iraqi has never experienced.
We must be respectful of our cultural and religious differences. We must
help the Iraqis develop national pride, and most importantly, we must
leave this country better than we found it, at the right time, with a
chance of success so that its people will have an opportunity to forge
their own destiny. We must do all of these things as quickly and
efficiently as possible so that we are not seen as occupiers, but rather
liberators and helpers. We must communicate this to the world as clearly
and frequently as possible, both with words and actions.
If we leave before these things are done, then Iraq will fall into
anarchy and possibly plunge the Middle East into another war. The ability of the United States to conduct foreign policy will be severely, and perhaps
permanently, degraded. Terrorism will increase, both in America and
around the world, as America will have demonstrated that it is not interested in building and helping, only destroying. If we run or exit early, we prove
to our enemies that terror is more powerful and potent than freedom. Many
nations, like Spain, have already affirmed this in the minds of the
terrorists. Our failure, and its consequences, will be squarely on our
shoulders as a nation. It will be our fault. If we stay the course and
Iraq or Afghanistan falls into civil war on its own, then our hands are
clean. As a citizen of the United States and a U.S. Marine, I will be
able to sleep at night with nothing on my conscience, for I know that I, and
my country, have done as much as we could for these people. If we leave
early, I will not be able to live with myself, and neither should you.
The blood will be on our hands, the failure on our watch.
The bottom line is this: Republican or Democrat, approve or disapprove of
the decision to go to war, you need to support our efforts here. You
cannot both support the troops and protest their mission. Every time the
parent of a fallen Marine gets on CNN with a photo, accusing President
Bush of murdering his son, the enemy wins a strategic victory. I cannot
begin to comprehend the grief he feels at the death of his son, but he
dishonors the memory of my brave brother who paid the ultimate price.
That Marine volunteered to serve, just like the rest of us. No one here was
drafted. I am proud of my service and that of my peers. I am ashamed of
that parent's actions, and I pray to God that if I am killed my parents
will stand with pride before the cameras and reaffirm their belief that
my life and sacrifice mattered; they loved me dearly and they firmly support
the military and its mission in Iraq and Afghanistan. With that
statement, they communicate very clearly to our enemies around the world that America is united, that we cannot be intimidated by kidnappings, decapitations and torture, and that we care enough about the Afghani and Iraqi people to give them a chance at democracy and basic human rights. Do not support those that seek failure for us, or seek to trivialize the sacrifices made here. Do not make the deaths of your countrymen be in vain. Communicate to your media and elected officials that you are behind us and our mission. Send letters and encouragement to those who are deployed. When you meet a person that serves you, whether in the armed forces, police, or fire department, show them respect. Thank the spouses around you every day,raising children alone, whose loved ones are deployed. Remember not only those that have paid the ultimate price, but the veterans that bear the physical and emotional scars of defending your freedom. At the very
least, follow your mother's advice. "If you can't say something nice, don't say
anything at all." Do not give the enemy a foothold in our Nation's public
opinion. He rejoices at Fahrenheit 9/11 and applauds every time an
American slams our efforts. The military can succeed here so long as
American citizens support us wholeheartedly.
Sleep well on this third anniversary of 9/11, America. Rough men are
standing ready to do violence on your behalf. Many of your sons and
daughters volunteered to stand watch for you. Not just rough men- the
infantry, the Marine grunts, the Special Operations Forces- but lots of
eighteen and nineteen year old kids, teenagers, who are far away from
home, serving as drivers, supply clerks, analysts, and mechanics. They
all have stories, families, and dreams. They miss you, love you, and are
putting their lives on the line for you. Do not make their time here,
their sacrifice, a waste. Support them, and their mission.
