Home > Georgians@War > Archives > 2007 > April > 05
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Soldiers speaks out on anti-war sentiment
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tal Afar, Iraq - A majority of Americans backed President Bush when he ordered U.S. troops to invade Iraq. But in the fourth year of the war, public support for American involvement in Iraq has waned
U.S. military leaders argue that progress in Iraq will take time, anti-war Democrats in Congress are pushing hard to set a timetable for withdrawal of American soldiers.
Since 2003 when the war began, more than 3,200 American soldiers and at least 65,000 Iraqis —- soldiers and civilians —- have died.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asked Georgia Army National Guard soldiers stationed here in northwestern Iraq with Company H, 121st Infantry (ABN) (LRS) how they feel about anti-war sentiment back home.
Here are some of the answers the state’s citizen soldiers gave:
 |
| Louie Favorite / AJC |
| Wilder, Prater, Hutnick, Madden, English. |
“I sympathize with them [opponents of the war]. But if we don’t finish the job, we’ll be back here in 10 years.”
Spc. TIM WILDER, 36, a general manager with Comcast in Covington. Wilder was referring to the Persian Gulf War when the United States withdrew forces from Iraq, leaving Saddam Hussein in power.”
—-
I volunteered for this war so I’m in full support of what the president is doing. But I can see where the American people are coming from. We’re spending way too much money. There are changes being made but things are changing slowly. I think we need to be home soon, but not now. Maybe in the next two or three years.”
Spc. ANDREW PRATER, 20, of Newnan. He joined the Army after graduating from high school.”
—-
I can understand [public] concern for us. But at the same time, we should finish what we started here. We’ll cause [the Iraqi] people harm if we pull out now. We have a job to do.”
—-Spc. MATT MADDEN, 19, a student at Athens Tech
—-
“If you study history, you’ll find that this is exactly what Congress did in 1973 and 1975 [referring to the Vietnam War.] They couldn’t find a nice way to say we’re going home. So they said, cut the funding. I hate getting stabbed in the back like that. I think you have to give [overall U.S. commander Gen. David] Petraeus a chance. He’s the only guy who understands the situation. He thinks outside the box.”
Cpl. RYAN ENGLISH, 33, of Atlanta, a former Marine and Department of Defense contractor
—-
“It doesn’t affect me at all. What’s going on at home doesn’t come into play here. Having said that, I’m proud to defend ideas I may disagree with. It’s part of what we’re supposed to do.”
Capt. KENNETH HUTNICK, 42, a full-time Guard officer from Alpharetta
Permalink | Comments (52) | Categories: Moni Basu
Services »
