Five years have passed and 4,000 American lives have been lost since the conflict in Iraq began, making an invasion that was supposed to be simple and quick complex and difficult.While everyone has their own opinion about the war's worthiness and purpose, sometimes the only way to understand the heroism and human toll of a conflict is to listen to the people fighting it.
Read some of the blogs written by military service men and women and you'll get a brutally honest and fascinating look at what it's like to survive in a war zone. Sean Dustman, a military blogger and "corpsman with the Marines in SoCal on his fourth Iraqi adventure," writes:
"Between the [military press releases] and the mainstream media, there's a huge vacuum with thousands of stories that are left untold, plus an entire demographic of folk who spend a major portion of their lives just reading blogs.
Ignoring them would be a waste, and that's where people like me come in and fill a small corner of that news vacuum. We try giving you a glimpse of our lives and occasionally, you'll find a diamond in the roughness of cyberspace."
We looked around the web for some of the most compelling quotes from military blogs. Take a look, and let us know which ones you think we missed.
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Sunday 30 March
By JOHN ANDERSEN
GOD BLESS YOU ALL
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Monday 31 March
By Diana Lewis
In honor of all of those who put their lives on the line for our freedom, I challenge all who read this to support someone you know who is in the military by joining a network of caring people in 'Together We Can Change The World'. Just send me an email at help4success@comcast.net and I will send you the details.
Respectfully submitted by a mother whose daughter will soon marry a brave young soldier! I have already started something special for their future with 'Together We Can Change The World'. Support Our Troops!
Diana
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Monday 21 April
By FRED CAHILL
I THINK WE SHOULD LET OUR MEN AND WOMEN FIGHT THE WAR ,WITH NO HOLD BARED.HOWYOU WOUNL D LIKE TO COME IN FROM WORK. KNOW WHAT IS GOING TO BE TOMMROW.MAYTHERE BE AFINE WEDDING
Friday 30 May
By Roy
What war is REALLY like? Now while I'm a peacetime (Korean) Veteran, I have some idea what war is REALLY like; it's MORE than just the "good guys" and "bad guys" dodging each other's bullets, etc. The troops in Iraq (today), or in MY case, Korea, before thay even start squeezing off rounds, put up with hardships one never HEARS about in the news! Before they hit a roadside bomb (Iraq, for example), or landmines, in Korea, they eat DUST and lots of it (in my case, LITERALLY)!! Put up with the heat, or in winter (Korea) pulling guard duty, temperatures well below zero, let alone freezing!
Combine that with the ever present possibility of a strafing run by a North Korean MIG jet fighter while pulling guard duty!
I regret that I got to Korea (just below the 38th parallel) too late for the "fireworks"!
And this is just PEACETIME! And I don't consider myself a hero!
:-)
Tuesday 01 April
By Sean
Thanks for the ping, I was reading your article and thought to myself, oh yeah, I did write that. Most of my blogging is written in the moment, once the words go down, they are forgotten and left behind till I read them though someone elses eyes.
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Saturday 05 April
By Msgt(ret) Edington
God bless you all and thank you for what you are doing for our country. Don't worry about protesters, they aren't good enough to shine your boots.
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Friday 18 April
By CTG
For God's sake, can't you tell the difference between protesting the war and supporting the troops? I have done both, as have many thousands of others.
An immoral war that was founded on lies or stupidity or both (most likely) doesn't deserve an ounce of my support, but I wholeheartedly support the men and women who are there. In addition to protesting the war, I have protested their treatment when they return. This administration has turned it's back on the plight of our veterans, even moreso than Viet Nam, denying them decent medical coverage, basic services, and educational benefits. It is a disgrace, but that only reflects badly on the idiots in and around the White House, and not the brave men and women who are victims here, the ones who have given of themselves so selflessly.
I wish more folks could understand this distinction.
Saturday 05 April
By Becky
dang...
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Sunday 06 April
By pauldowdle
counting the days until our soilders can return home
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Tuesday 08 April
By I care
First time for comment but when I saw Msgt Edington wrote
Just had write.
Could not have said it better about protesters.
Thank OUR Troops.
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Tuesday 08 April
By ricardo
hey msgt edington, using my right given to me all my fallen friends and heros, I disagree with your line of thought even though you have every right to it. As proud vietnam vet of two complete tours 67/69 as a radio oper. in the 1st. recon batt. 1st. mardiv, I think our boys (and I use the term respectfully and lovingly ) should have been brought home long ago, very much the same as vietnam was. Our troops are still there because an egotistical president doesn't have the balls to either say he made a mistake, or lied ( probably both) so instead many of our finest young men continue to die while the only people who profit are arms manufactures and oh ya don't forget the undertakers. I love my country and respect each and every man and woman whom have ever worn the uniforms of our military including you, but we don't belong in another civil war that is turning into a mirror image of vietnam, just another locale. Once again, I thank you sir for your service to me and your country, and incase you haven't heard it enough or maybe ever, welcome home my friend, sincerly a fellow vet.
9
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Wednesday 09 April
By Sara
I don't believe in violence, but
Thank You to all our troops!
You guys & gals are "THE TRUE HEROES OF THE WORLD"!
Bless you all & peace be with you!
xoxo
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Friday 11 April
By Andi
I was deemed medically incapable of being a good soldier. That being said, I still firmly believer that my life today would be vastly different if it wasn't for the bravery and courage of our military men and women throughout the decades. I've had mixed feelings, recently, about the future of our country. I see those emails go around touting how great it would be if we would bring all our troops home and put them on border patrol, etc. to help enforce our imigration policies. Sometimes, I really think we should stop trying to be the police of the world. Other times, like now, I believe that much of the world would be forced to speak Arabic if we were not involved as we are. I ride with an amazing group of veterans and soldiers in the Combat Vets Motorcycle Association. My dad served three tours in Vietnam, which is how I am able to know the other great people I've met through this organization. Talking with them and other friends currently on in the military, serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, I am constantly reminded how great it is that the "work" our military men and women are doing is making huge strides for the common people in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is soooo unfortunate that today's news programs are so politically directed that they cannot air the countless good stories that occur in both Iraq and Afghanistan. All we get to hear "back at home" is the negative stories of death and destruction. THIS IS WAR, people! Whether we support it or not, it is not and should never be expected to be politically correct or neat and pretty. War is what it is for a reason. We probably could have been done with this war long ago if we weren't having to be so politically correct and worried about the outside impression that the actions give around the world.
Okay, I'm off my several steps of the soap box. I'm glad I found this blog.
God bless our military men, women and the families and friends supporting them from home!
Andi
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Friday 18 April
By GM
ASYLUM STAFF: Where did you hear that the war in Iraq was going to be "simple and quick"? NOBODY said that, EVER! Everytime I heard anyone in the administration talk about the war I heard them say, "this is going to be difficult" and "it may take many years to hunt down all the terrorists."
BTW, the U.S. invaded Cuba at Guantanamo Bay during the Spanish American War; we are still there. We also still have bases in Germany and Japan since WWII, and South Korea ever since the Korean war. What makes you think we were going to pull out of Iraq?
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Tuesday 22 April
By Ceil
I absolutely have to agree that not once have I heard any of our leaders in this administration or the miltary leaders say this will be a quick war. All I have heard them say was this would be a long war and I agree. If the American people don't wake up we will be speaking Arabic or worse yet, be killed.
I applaud our great service personell, I applaud their families. I too have had someone in Iraq who was wounded and of whom I'm proud of. God Bless you all.
Sunday 27 April
By H, Hanson
Yes we are still occupying Germany, Korea, and Japan, and it is slowly bankrupting the USA. Now we will be occupying Iraq indefinitly but it wont be like Germany. It will be like the Israeli occupation of Palestine. They will be resisting our occupation and trying to cause us as much pain and cost as possible from now on. The Palestinians have been fighting the Israeli occupation since 1948 and they will never stop. Iraq will be the same for us. The only way it will stop is if they manage to cause the total destruction financially of the USA like the Occupation of Afghansitan did to the USSR. So there you have it. We can destroy ourselves occupying the Middle East or we can find another way.
Tuesday 22 April
By Reed
Great comments, May God Bless you and those that serve our country.
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Friday 25 April
By Noel
Without a doubt, If we don't fight them there, we will have to fight them here. Thank God for the men and women who take the fight to them!
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Friday 25 April
By Fra15
It is time to bring these men and ladies home. What are we in in a never ending war we had enough of this in NAM
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Wednesday 30 April
By Amanda Oliver
I wanted to thank each and every man and woman serving our country. THANK YOU for protecting me
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