A Moment of Truth in Iraq

One of the saddest things about the Iraq War has been the political polarization back home. There is no doubt that it was an elective war and poorly executed. But some of our own countrymen want to see us lose this war. For many people it seems to be more important that they win the argument than for justice to prevail and Iraq be free. On the other hand, those who support the war must remember that critics were often right.

Without the critics we might never have made the great changes of 2007, and the war would be lost today.

Since December 2004, I have been with the combat Soldiers all over Iraq. I have been on countless combat missions, patrols, and meetings, spoken to Americans of all ranks and to Iraqis with incredibly diverse backgrounds. I wanted our side to win, but knew that neither mindless cheerleading nor mindless pessimism would help.

We can win this war. And if we do, it will be a victory of the same magnitude as the fall of the Soviet Union. It will not be a victory for the Republican Party. It will not be a victory for America and Great Britain and others “against” Iraq. It will be a victory for freedom and justice. It will be a victory for Iraqis and for the world, and only then will it be a victory for us.

A stable, reasonably democratic, and friendly Arab country will have been established in the heart of the Middle East. Al Qaeda will have been defeated not only militarily but morally, rejected by the very Muslims they claim to represent.

We can win. But we can still loose.

And if we lose, Iraq will be the worst foreign policy disaster in our history. Imagine Vietnam, then multiply it by al Qaeda and Iran.

This book covered a time in which our men and women in Iraq changed the course of history. They did it against the odds, contrary to all expectations. The American combat Soldier is responsible for this historic achievement. There are those who fought. And those who didn’t. Our Soldiers often said, “the military is at war. America is at the mall.” It has been our Soldiers’ choice, but they saw it as their duty. And so they lived through fifteen-month deployment, multiple combat tours, often re-enlisting instead of going home to their families, watching snipers shoot their friends, and IEDs tear bodies apart. Some came home on Angel Flights, morned by their families and comrades in arms, buried in flag-draped coffins while a bugle played Taps. For the rest of America, another dead Soldier was just a scroll on the bottom of the television screen – not even a name, just a statistic, or worse, another argument for surrender.

American combat Soldiers don’t want pity. They’re ready to fight to the end; they just don’t want it to be for naught. They have been fighting for two nations, one of which didn’t seem to notice. The Iraqis noticed.
Even as I write these final words from Mosul, with much fighting still ahead, the idea of bringing Iraq along into the community of responsible nations has never seemed more achievable than it does this morning.

The war isn’t over yet. Victory remains in question. The choice is ours, the time is now – for a moment of truth in Iraq

What are we going to do?

Insert by Journalist Michael Yon