by James Glaser
March 25, 2003

I feel it is disingenuous for the leaders of our Armed Forces to get upset with Iraq for "cheating" in this war. Iraq is using guerrilla tactics. People are fighting without uniforms and some are faking surrender to get Americans into an ambush.

This is a war and we are the aggressor. America has attacked Iraq, we are in their homeland where all of their wives and children live. Just what the heck do they think Americans would do if the roles were reversed.

We have to remember that we are the Super Power in this world. Any country we choose to attack is going to be inferior to our Military. We spend many many times more on weapons to kill people, than any five or six nations, let alone one third world country. Nations that we attack are going to be inventive in their defense, they have to, for any chance of success. What is so strange is that our Military seems to be totally unprepared for these tactics and to resort to calling Foul.

When you think about Iraq, they are really quite pitiful in comparison to us. Twelve years ago we destroyed their Air Force and Navy. For all of these last twelve years we have continued to bomb Iraq weekly enforcing north and south "no fly' zones, and we put an embargo on the country that guaranteed they could not rebuild their defenses.

Iraq is using at least 15 year old technology in their defense against us. Except for lucky shots our air power is pretty much untouchable. Iraq's Tanks are old Russian models whose weapon range is not even in our tanks league. As has been reported, Iraq spends less than ½ of 1% of what we do on weapons to kill people.

Yes, Washington claims that Iraq has Weapons of Mass Destruction, but you have to remember that America invented almost all of these and any that Iraq still has, we gave to them. Also Iraq knows if they use these weapons we will obliterate them.

Now it is true that I did not want George Bush's War, but I was a Marine and it hurts me deeply to see fine young Americans being wasted in an attack on a country we should be able to squash like an ant. What has happened is our leadership from the President on down to the Field Grade Officers have underestimated the effect a war has on a population that is defending their homeland.

If you know that your wife, mom, dad, and your children are behind you, you can then fight like their is no tomorrow, because there isn't. Even if we win this war, what the heck will that do? Those people in Iraq will hate us until we are forced to leave. Hey, we did this already in Vietnam and we lost. For just how many years are we ready to sacrifice fine young Americans again?

After we "win" this one, we will have years of trying to convince the Iraqi people that we are really good people and we only killed thousands of their people for their own good. The Iraqi people are third world people not dumb people. You kill a guys mom and I don't care how good your reason was, he is not going to follow your lead.

It is so hard for me to defend this war because I feel it is not Iraqi men that our killing our Marines and soldiers, but George Bush. Make no mistake about it, this is George W. Bush's War. George has rolled the dice on this war and if it turns out in our favor he gets a second term, if not he is history. Marines and soldiers go, fight, and some die where ever we send them, that is their job. Even when we send them to kill people in a country that has never attacked America, they go.

For years I have heard those in power say that Marines and soldiers fight for our rights to free speech or our right to liberty and that is bullshit. Anyone that has been in combat knows you fight for the men in your squad. You fight to stay alive. You might, in a big battle fight for your Company, but more likely you are fighting for the guy next to you.

If you are a foreign country and you come seven or eight thousand miles to attack my family here in Minnesota and I will use everything I learned in Vietnam to stop you! If I have to "cheat" and ambush your ass that is just what I will do. I am sure there are Veterans in Iraq my age and older that fought Iran and the USA in the last Gulf War that out and out hate Saddam Hussein, but are now cleaning off their old rifle or going down to the local Armory and picking up new weapons and ammunition to defend their country.

Many of these men fighting could not care less if we took out Saddam, but their children and grandchildren are there too. Can you even imagine how hard you would fight if your father and uncles were leading you.

I hope and pray no young American ever finds out. Just maybe if George W. Bush had the guts to fight in his dads war we would not be in this one.

Post Script: I just heard General Tommy Franks on the radio saying that those Iraqis that are "cheating," not playing war by the rules, and are ambushing our troops are all Muslim fundamentalists and fanatics that are loyal to Saddam. The man just cannot understand that men and women will defend their children and spouse with their life. It scares the heck out of me when I realize that a man this short sighted is leading our Armed Forces.