Team effort fuels success in Iraq
Commentary by Maj. Rich Doyle
Air Education and Training Command Office of the Inspector General
6/8/2004 - RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) -- Like many of my Air Force teammates, I recently returned from a four-month deployment to Iraq where we are helping to rebuild a nation ruined by a tyrant and to transform it from a bastion of terror to a free democracy.
I consider my experience supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom to be one of the most worthwhile endeavors of my career, so I was very surprised by the pessimistic attitude regarding OIF among my family, friends and co-workers.
After a couple of weeks of watching the news, I realized why the bleak attitude exists. The news we hear concentrates on the tragic setbacks and perceived shortfalls of our efforts, while minimizing our successes.
I realize my experiences as an Air Force safety officer in southern Iraq differ vastly from Army and Marine counterparts in Baghdad and other cities. I don’t pretend to know the dangers and hardships they have experienced to ensure our security, but I saw plenty to be encouraged about.
We are winning this phase of the war on terror. We are not fighting this war alone. Progress is being made every day, and we are doing the right thing.
We are not alone in trying to give the Iraqi people a reasonable chance at a stable, peaceful and democratic future, a future that rejects tyranny and terrorism. There are dozens of nations involved in OIF. I personally worked with or met troops from Italy, the Netherlands, Korea, Japan, Poland, United Kingdom, Romania, Ukraine, Spain, Nicaragua, Singapore, Estonia, Fiji and Portugal. I realize the United States is providing the vast majority of the manpower, but other countries are doing what they can.
When a small country like Nicaragua sends more than 700 troops, a significant portion of their entire military, you know the mission is multi-national. When Romanian and Ukrainian troops provide security in southern Iraqi cities, that demonstrates unprecedented cooperation with former Warsaw Pact adversaries and shows an effort to work as a team.
When the Dutch send three CH-47s, 25 percent of their heavy helicopter fleet, that demonstrates unity and resolve. When the Japanese air force delivers humanitarian aid, their first overseas military deployment in almost 60 years, it is clear other countries are committed to the cause.
Our allies are doing what they can militarily, politically and economically and their contribution should not be dismissed as token or insignificant, especially when they are dying alongside our own troops.
The overall situation in Iraq continually improves because of the sacrifices of coalition military members. Every day electrical power generation and distribution improves. Every week oil production capacity improves. Every month more trained Iraqi police hit the streets to improve security. Commerce is increasing, infrastructure is being rebuilt and healthcare systems are being established.
The country has an interim constitution and is in the process of establishing a judicial system. None of this would be remotely possible without the security and assistance provided by coalition troops.
There have been recent setbacks, but those pale in comparison to the progress that has been made over the past year. We cannot allow a few hundred or even a few thousand religious extremists or regime loyalists to deter us from keeping 25 million people free and allowing a stable democracy to take hold in that turbulent part of the world.
The vast majority of Iraqis are better off today than they were a year ago. Most appreciate our efforts and want us to finish the job of helping to establish a democratic government. You can’t expect a country that has been at war for a generation and led by a cruel dictator for decades to change in a matter of months. To cut and run would only embolden terrorists world-wide and cost more lives in the long term. A stable democratic Iraq enhances the entire world’s security.
Together we have made significant progress in Iraq and must not let setbacks weaken our resolve.
On an individual basis, every American can be a part of this battle. We can support the families of those who are deployed overseas, and we can stand alongside those who know the loss of a loved one. We can visit the wounded now recovering in stateside military hospitals or at least contribute to any of several funds that support them and their families.
And we can all pray that America will be delivered from the scourge of terror, whatever its source |
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