The following is a letter to the editor in today's Fayetteville Observer. read it and decide for your self.

"Reaction proves Iraq a lost cause

It is rather Kafkaesque to see a photo of Iraqi troops wearing uniforms that we had produced for them, with equipment we trained them to use, chanting at us to leave their cities.

What would our dead brothers and sisters who have given their lives in the war on terror think of this sign of Iraqi "appreciation"?

The first step in a democracy or any other diplomacy situation is respect and common decency.

Up until I saw this photo, I was proud to say I helped mentor and train these "allies" of ours.

It isn't every day you see a photo that makes you think you wasted a year of your life living with, and training, and risking your life for these soldiers and their families day to day, on a lost cause.
Brian F. Ellis Hope Mills"


By the way, I wasn't familiar with the word "Kafkaesque" so I looked it up.

"#1 Of or relating to Franz Kafka or his writings.
#2 Marked by surreal distortion and often a sense of impending danger:"

Every foreign army must go home at some time or other. Look at the occasional outburst of "Americans go home" sentiment in Korea and Japan. Germany has been pretty good about avoiding such demonstrations, but they have occurred - -

Estimations run between 250,000 to 500,000 (Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom) Iraqis died when America came to town. No matter how you want to deal with that, I think the Iraqis have been pretty good over all about accepting America's presence... But there are probably a lot of Iraqi relatives who will never love us and would just as soon see us go - -

I don't think it's sad, and I don't think the lives of my friends and acquaintances were wasted over there, nor the 27 months I spent there. If Iraqis think and say that they are ready for us to go, then it is our responsibility to bow out honorably, and never mind what anybody is shouting in our faces. Let them have their independence, and make what they will of it. It is, after all, their God-given right, if you believe OUR Declaration of Independence.

Did any of you really expect gratitude??

From some yes but they will find out that you can not "give" people freedom they have to earn it.....will the Iraqi's?

Who can say...........