Real American Hero?

Dbones

Real American Hero?



Two enemies, two different versions of a hero, a crisis in the homeland precipitate war in which both must act. Since 9/11/01 the world has had new heroes created by the American war machine, one is their wartime president George Bush jr. and the other is the everyday soldier who is dying everyday over in Iraq. Which of these men deserves to be called a hero? The soldier dodging bullets in Iraq or the American politician sending them over to fight his war? Both American heroes but why…
Since 9/11 the world has been a very different place, Al Qaeda terrorists took over several planes and attacked the world trade center and the pentagon and managed to demolish the WTC and kill over 3000 people. While no one would question the retaliation against Usama bin laden and the Taliban in Afghanistan as they had perpetuated a war crime against America George Bush jr. would not be successful in finding the leader of the terrorist cell Usama Bin Laden. Bush would later attack Saddam Hussein saying that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq that threatened the American population. Iraq may have supported Al Qaeda but the main reason that bush attacked Iraq was in my opinion unfinished business from his father’s reign as president. Iraq is a country smaller than Texas what possible threat to America could Saddam have?
Bush has created a very god enemy to fight in his own words calling his war the war on terrorism, if there is no country to attack then you can attack any country saying that is harboring terrorists. “Any sign of weakness or retreat simply validates terrorist violence and invites more violence for all nations” (War on terror, Toronto sun). Theoretically any country that the American government deems a threat can now be attacked by the American war machine. The war with Iraq has revealed little in the way of weapons of mass destruction and has done little to prevent terrorism as American soldiers are attacked everyday and die every day in Iraq.

George Bush jr. was elected in 2000 in an election that many considered a tainted victory because of the Florida recall, less than one year later his presidency and his country would be threatened by the biggest act of peacetime terrorism since Pearl Harbor. He would act swiftly in dealing with the terrorist threat. After victory was declared in Afghanistan and a new Afghanistan government was set up, President Bush would go to the United Nations asking for support to attack Iraq because he had intelligence reports saying that Saddam Hussein’s regime had weapons of mass destruction and were supportive of Al Qaeda cells.
The U.N. and many countries refused to support or endorsed Bush’s actions against Iraq including Russia, Canada, and France. He would attack Iraq after giving a 48 hour ultimatum for Saddam to surrender to American authorities in the gulf. Iraq would be bombed and ultimately Saddam would be ousted from power by the American military. First Saddam’s sons were killed fighting the American soldiers and then Saddam himself would be captured hiding in a hole in the outskirts of Iraq. President Bush would declare victory over Iraq after Saddam was removed from government power. One year later there are still American troops in Baghdad and the rest of Iraq and the country is still occupied by American military rule. Terrorism will never be eradicated in the world and the Presidents reason’s for attacking Iraq are now being questioned by many American critics of the Bush regime. “There aren’t any good target’s in Afghanistan and there are lots of good targets in Iraq” (Iraq a target, Toronto sun). The media has reported the president had an agenda about Iraq before the attacks on 9/11.

American soldiers are being attacked in Iraq almost everyday and not a week goes by where at least one American soldier isn’t killed in Iraq. these soldiers are normal enlisted men who joined the united states army to serve their country and defend it from harm, many of these men are reservists called up to active duty in a manner that has not been seen since the 70’s and the era of the Vietnam war. Many of these soldier’s are members of the National Guard and have little experience with actual combat. These men dodge bullets and suicide bombers everyday. Long after the president declared they are still at war with the militant members of Iraq’s population. These soldier’s are sent to Iraq to help restore a peaceful regime to Iraq, but members of terrorist cells threaten them everyday. These are the men and women that got their hands dirty fighting a ground war against Iraq while the president sat in the white house directing the attack with his generals. These are the men that the president sent to fight and some to die over in Afghanistan and in Iraq. Saddam Hussein has American soldier’s blood on his hands but so have President Bush and his military advisors. When history is written President Bush, Usama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein will be remembered for their roles in the war and because America is currently seen as the world leader President Bush will most likely be remember as a hero. He took a country under attack and defended it with military power to end several oppressive regimes and to remove several terrorist threats to his country.

What of the average unknown soldier, the ones dying to make this world a safer place? Are they the true heroes of this war on terrorism, George bush jr. has yet to attend on serviceman killed in Iraq funeral services why is that? Is he too busy debating military strategy with his advisors?
These men are soldiers, many of which will never be remembered by more than a handle of family and friends for their service to this country. If they should die in Iraq or another far away place fighting this war on terrorism do they get more than their fifteen minutes of fame in an American newspaper and television news report? Who remembers them? War is hell, anyone who has actually seen combat can tell you that, the movies and televisions shows on TV can not match the actual violence when you are a soldier with a gun fighting for your country and a man with a gun fighting For his country, his beliefs, or what he perceives to be freedom is shooting at you and trying to kill you. These Iraqi people are fighting a war of what perceive to be a war of occupation by American forces, and the average American solider is over to do his duty and to fulfill his job obligations.
Both are only doing what they have been told to believe by their superiors. The American soldier is immortalized as hero in literature and movies because the Americans have always had an impact in every war they have fought even the ones they have lost i.e. Vietnam.
These men are called to duty and have many issues to deal with. They face death square in the face everyday in Iraq and have to deal with orders they may not necessarily agree with but comply with because they are soldiers and they have sworn an oath the flag. They have issues at home with their families because they are so far away in an area from their families, payroll issues because the system has been unable to cope with widespread call ups to extended periods of active duty and deployment to places in which personnel qualify for a variety of special pay and allowances, particularly in combat zones (Herbert R). These men are fighting a war that the rest of the world does not agree with. They are American soldier’s doing their duty, if they are lucky enough to go home and have a peaceful life with their families and have the country in which they love not be threatened by terrorism again these men will be somewhat at peace with the wartime experience.
To have problems being paid by the American government, and have the Iraqi peoples constantly attacking American soldiers is a lot for the young men and women to worry about. The country is asking for extraordinary – in some cases, supreme- sacrifices from the military, and then failing to meet its own responsibility to provide such basic necessities such as pay and health care (Herbert, r.). If this war on terrorism is indeed a war and a duty of every American and indeed every free citizen in the world shouldn’t the government make good on payroll and health care? You send a young man to war and then relegate his name to a file; he’s an American serviceman, one of many. These are the men that fight our wars in the name of freedom. These are the men of legend. The average man who are the war movies are based on. They may be for the most part nameless soldiers remembered by a few back home but they are the true hero’s of this war on terrorism.

Bush may be remembered as a great leader and the names of our American soldiers will fade into the sands of time. But who is the greater hero? Both have there qualities, both have done there duty to serve their country in a time of war. Both will be remembered for a single war on terrorism but for different reasons. The man dying in the streets of Iraq is the greater hero for being in the combat zone and possibly dying just doing his duty while the politician sits in his white house and makes decisions based on his military advisors. The President is in no real danger of dying from an Iraqi freedom fighter’s bullet or an Al Qaeda terrorist attack. The American soldier faces that very real possibility everyday.


Work’s cited:
Herbert R. Slow military pay stings. (2004, march 16) Detroit Free Press
p. 7a
War on terror a duty. (2004, March 20) The Toronto Sun
p.31
Iraq a target since 9/11? (2004, March 20) The Toronto Sun
p.31