Should Our Soldiers Stay In Iraq?

Should Our Soldiers Stay in Iraq? 1

Should Our Soldiers Stay in Iraq?

What is a Soldier? Definition of a Soldier: one engaged in military service and especially in the army; an enlisted man or woman; a skilled warrior Merriam-Webster (n.d.) Retrieved September 19, 2007 from http://www.m-w.com/. Many young men and women join the Armed Forces to protect the United States, to be patriotic, education purposes or a new career. When he or she calls a soldier skilled warriors what does that stand for? A soldier that is trained to fight the enemy at all cost. Many of our soldiers are dying in Iraq in a war that should never have begun. Entering into the military is by volunteering, could anyone imagine what it would be like if it was by draft! Why should it be the decision of one man whether or not we go to war? War should be a decision by many such as, congress, house speakers, senators, generals, etc. The United States is setting up the soldiers for failure by allowing one man to make the decision of entering a war. President Bush has gone into Iraq under false pretense and now the soldiers are suffering for his mistakes. How long are the people of the United States going to sit back and watch the soldiers being murdered for a war that should not have began in the first place? The debates have been stretched out sufficient amount of time already in Congress, so when will there be a change? Soldiers in the Army have a lengthy tour lasting twelve to fifteen months. Top officials with the Army have made the deployment to Iraq a fifteen month tour now until June two thousand and eight. Michelle Roberts (2007, August). Army: 15-month tours

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likely for all who deploy until at least June, 2008. Stars and Stripes, pp.1. America when will we take a stand and free our soldiers from a war that should not have been started? Let our soldiers leave Iraq!

The Iraq invasion started March of two thousand and three was conducted by the United States and several other countries such as, United Kingdom, Poland, Australia and Denmark. President Bush had told the United States that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, assisted Al Qaeda in terrorism and we needed to free the Iraqi people. Many of the United States allies disagreed with the invasion of Iraq. Wikipedia (n.d.) Retrieved September 30, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/. This war began over false deception and the war continues in Iraq.

President Bush was aboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln on May 1, 2003 above his head read a sign “Mission Accomplished”. The president also states the United States Navy placed the banner on the boat he had nothing to do with the banner. Actually the White House made the banner. Bash, D. (2003, May) White House pressed on “mission accomplished” sign. Retrieved August 30, 2007, from www.cnn.com. Regardless who made the sign the fact remains on May 1, 2003 the administration announced “mission accomplished” and with said, four years later we are still in Iraq with additional casualties.

The men and women of the Armed Forces joined voluntarily for various reasons

such as, education perks, serving their country (not necessarily in war) or a steady pay

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check. Soldiers are proud of doing their job but the administration is selling them out. How is the President going to say that the mission was accomplished and still have the soldiers in Iraq? Since the invasion of Iraq the military has spent at least one million tours in Iraq.

The deaths in Iraq has left many families without love ones, reshaping communities and dividing a nation. The Human Cost of War. Newsweek, Vol. 149, Issue 14. Retrieved September 30, 2007, from EBSCOhost database. As of September twenty ninth two thousand and seven the death toll in Iraq has reached a high of 4,103; included in this number is one hundred and seventy from United Kingdom. The amount of wounded soldiers in Iraq total is 36,943 as of August 31, 2007. Iraq Coalition Casualty Count. Retrieved September 30, 2007, from http://icasualties.org/oif/. The American people, Congress, and the administration are aware of the statistic and everyone is doing nothing to rectify the situation in Iraq. The United States has given the Iraq government sufficient amount of time to get their objectives together.

The War in Iraq has affected our Soldiers in ways that we may never know or understand. One out of eight soldiers is diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder; most of the time is not reported out of fear of demotion or harming their career. PTSD was once called shell shock or combat fatigue. 1in 8 returning soldiers suffers from PTSD. Retrieved August 27, 2007 from www.msnbc.com. Reading in Newspapers many soldiers are diagnosed with PTSD which have committed suicide or fight the thought of committing suicide. There are so many soldiers around

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my family who prays everyday they will not have to return to Iraq. Some of these soldiers were for the war at the beginning but serving two tours over in Iraq changed their mind. After talking to countless men and women of the armed forces stationed in Iraq at least once, believe the Iraqi

people would rather have the United States out of their country. Researchers have seen that alcohol misuse rose twenty one percent one year after soldiers returned home from Iraq. Divorce rates increased from nine percent to fifteen percent after time spent in combat. Shane III, L. (2005, December 9). Researchers: Alcohol misuse, divorce rates higher among returning troops. Stars and Stripes. pp. 1. There are various effects on soldiers