Forwarded with Compliments of Free Voice of America (FVOA): Accurate
News and Interesting Commentary for Amerika's Huddled Masses Yearning
to Breathe Free. NOTE: Thanks to William Mandel for this. --
kl, pp
US Soldiers to America: "Bring Us Home Now!" Part Two
http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Articles8/Shaft_US-Soldiers2.htm
by Jay Shaft
Coalition for Free Thought in Media
Dissident Voice
October 14, 2003
The following interview was with a Sergeant First Class in the United
States Army. He has been deployed both in Afghanistan and most recently in Iraq
in Fallujah and in Kirkuk, which have been the heart of Iraqi resistance
and attacks on US forces.
He has asked to be called Trooper 1 in all transcripts of these
interviews. I have taken as much caution as possible to preserve his
identity so
that he is not punished, and so that his family will not feel any
reprisals from
the US government. His biggest fear is that his family and friends will
consider him unpatriotic and not supportive of the US as a country.
CFTM-- "Hey, how's it going today? You feeling any better since I talked
to you the last time?" (CFTM Editor's Note: The first time I tried to get
this interview he broke down in tears and could not compose himself enough to
talk about what he had gone through. It is a very humbling experience to
have a grown man put his head on your shoulder and cry like a small
child. I have had this happen almost every time I have started to have these
soldiers talk about the horrors of Iraq and relieve some of the built-up pain,
hostility, and sense of loss.)
Trooper 1: "I think I can make it through this time. I really had it
finally hit me the other day about how many of my friends I saw die, and
all the other terrible shit I saw. I am starting to cry right now thinking
about it all over again. You must think I'm a big fucking baby breaking down
like this."
CFTM-- "Man there is no shame in feeling pain and hurt. I don't think
any less of you for it. In fact you might need to cry it out and get rid of
some of the hurt. No matter what you say or how much you cry, I will not
think any less of you. This is what I want people to read about, the fact that
a battle-hardened soldier is so devastated by what he has gone through."
Trooper 1-- "Thanks man, you don't know how much it means that you don't
laugh at me or think I'm a pussy. I had a fucking combat support REMF
(rear echelon mother fucker) laugh at me when I was coming home. I was on a
MAC (Military Airlift Command) flight and this asshole that had been in
Doha, Qatar and not even seen any combat was making fun of me. I almost killed
him, if it hadn't been for the loadmaster I probably would have strangled
him with my bare hands or stuck him with my knife. I was not in any mood
to take some non-combat, skate duty piece of shits harassment or laughing.
I put my life on the line and this fucker W! is gaming on me."
CFTM-- "So he actually had the nerve to make fun of you when you cried
over all the buddies you lost? Wow that took a lot of guts on his part. Did
that happen to you more than once?"
Trooper 1-- "No that was the only time, but it really pissed me off and
I still am kinda mad at that jerk. But everyone else was real supportive
and I was flying with a bunch of guys who had been in some serious firefights
and been ambushed and attacked a whole bunch of times. That one guy almost
got his ass kicked by about 30 hard ass, salty dogs. Hey let’s change the
subject. You want me to talk about how bad it was there and I got to get
it off my chest."
CFTM-- "My first question is whether you are going to be able to get any
counseling if you need it? I have been told by several guys that it has
been cut off for all reservists. Have you been offered any therapy services
or PTSD counseling?"
Trooper 1-- "Well I am in a real weird situation because I am still
considered active duty even though I am home right now. I am only going
to be here for a month or so and I think I will either be training guys
about to go over, or else return to Iraq or Afghanistan myself. I have tons of
combat experience and training and there is a shortage of cadre that can
train the reservists that have just been reactivated. Some of those
units haven't been fully activated since Desert Storm.
"I think I can be of better use to those guys than going back over to
fight again. I had my share of that and I don’t know if I can handle it again.
I lost it a couple times and if it hadn’t been for my bro who gave me some
good tranquilizers I might have lost it completely. I want to make sure
the new reserves are ready for the fight and know exactly what they are in
for."
CFTM-- "Not to put to much stress on it, but do you think you will need
counseling or therapy? I think it is important for Americans to know
just how bad it is mentally for the troops."
Trooper 1-- "Yeah I think I will need some kind of PTSD support or
seasons. I am having terrible nightmares and I have flashbacks when I hear loud
noises, and if a car back fires or I hear a firecracker, I am down on
the ground in combat cover ready to shoot a rifle I still think I am
carrying. I was in combat situations for over two years without any
break except for
a two-week R and R at Christmas. I am not ready to be back stateside, but
here I am.
"There are going to be a lot of guys coming back home who are used to
being on high alert 24-7. It is hard to stand down after being shot at
everyday for months on end. There really is no moment in Iraq where
there is a
relaxation time. It is impossible to get even an hours time to be stress
free. You always have to be on alert or guard mount because the Iraqis
will attack you when you least expect it.
"Hell they caught us with our pants down a few times at first, but we
got wise to that and never let our guard down after the first few ambushes
and rocket attacks. Even on full alert they still killed a bunch of us and
wounded a god awful number of our soldiers."
CFTM-- "How many guys did you lose in Iraq and how many did you have
wounded and evacuated? Also did you ever hear about the wounded dying
after they
were airlifted to Germany or a hospital ship? The reason I ask is that
an officer with a MASH unit said if the soldier died outside of Iraq they
weren't counting it as a combat death. I heard that is one way they are
keeping the combat death count down and hiding some battle deaths
after they are
airlifted."
Trooper 1-- "God man you really ask the painful questions don’t you. If
I didn’t know you were doing this to expose the real truth and try to
bring us home, I would have to kick your ass for making me feel the
hurt all over
again.
"Man we lost so many I started losing track. I didn't want to think
about it after a while and I pushed it out of my mind when I didn’t
have to make
out reports or change our strength maintenance figures. We lost over 300
guys to death or severe injury when I was there, and that is only the ones I
know about. There were times when I was out on some scout missions and we
lost guys from the main battle group and the reports would be done by the
time I got back to the unit.
"I was there when my best friend got it though. I almost wish I had been
out on a patrol or scout mission because I wouldn’t have had to hold his
head up while he coughed up his own guts. He took three 7.62s (AK-47 rounds) to
the abdomen and it took him a long time to die. It felt like hours, but it
was probably only ten or fifteen minutes at the most. It just felt like an
eternity while he fought for his life. We couldn’t get a dust off (evac
chopper) vectored in enough time, he died about a minute before the
chopper landed. That almost blew my mind right out. It took me a week before I
could stop shaking and freezing up.
"I had been in the same unit as him from the beginning of my first
permanent party assignment. I had served in different units for a while, but we
ended up in the same brigade in Afghanistan. He was in another company as a
platoon sergeant and we fought side by side across Afghanistan and Iraq.
I can't believe he caught it like that. I mean this war is really
meaningless and all about oil. So my best friend bought it for some
rich guy like
Dick Cheney or George Shultz!
(George Shultz is the former President of Bechtel Corp,. and still a
serving board member, and former U.S. Secretary of State under Ronald Reagan.
For some real dirt on Bechtel's connections to the Pentagon and State
Department check this out-- Bechtel's Friends in High Places
http://www.corpwatch.org/issues/PID.jsp?articleid=6548)
"I know it is supposed to be our duty to fight for this country and die
if necessary, but this Iraq war is total bullshit. A bunch of Bush's
buddies, and even Bush himself are getting rich as hell off of us dying and
getting hurt. I could see the reasons we are in Afghanistan and I did my duty
there, but this is completely different. Iraq is not safer or any freer under
our rule. The people hate us and want us to get the fuck out of their
country and leave them alone.
"For every one of us that dies for no reason the whole country ought to
get out and protest and riot. That is one thing I've seen the Iraqis do very
well. When we kill some of their people they come out by the thousands
and make it known that they are pissed and won’t tolerate it any more.
"That is what all the American people need to do. Every time the
Pentagon gets one of us killed they need to riot and protest in the streets. If
they did that maybe Rumsfeld and those assholes like Wolfowitz and Perle
would think twice about letting another one of our troops die in combat. Maybe
they would bring us home. Until the American people stand up and say "NO
MORE DEAD SOLDIERS!" they will keep butchering us like sheep!"
CFTM-- "Okay, well I guess that answers any questions I was going to ask
about how you feel about the current regime lining their pockets at the
expense of our troops lives. One thing I was going to ask is how you
feel about the fact that there is only one US Senator or Congressman that has
a son or daughter serving in Iraq or Afghanistan?"
Trooper 1-- "I think every goddamn senator's son or daughter that is
military age ought to be forced to go over to Iraq and serve in a
front-line unit. If the leaders of America are going to send us over
to die for oil
and a bunch of fat cats to profit from our deaths, then they should send
their own fuckin’ sons and daughters. No one should be able to get their kid
an exemption or enable their child to get out of doing what they say is our
duty.
"If it's our duty to die in Iraq, Afghanistan, or any where there is a
battle against US forces, then their children have a duty to serve and
die too. I don't think it's fair that none of the sliver spoon in mouth
fuckin’ little spoiled brats are dying for this country. Everyone of the guys I
was with came form either a poor or middle class working background. None of
them had the colleges and trust funds given to them. I don't think a lot
of our guys would be serving right now except for the lack of any other
future that looked brighter.
"Most of them got sucked in when they were in high school and knew they
couldn't afford to pay for college or just didn't want to go. Some guys
knew they weren't smart enough to go to college, but the Army can always find
a place for you."
CFTM-- "You had told me about an incident where you were told to fire on
Iraqi protesters who were throwing rocks at your unit during a hug
demonstration. Can you give me some details about that and who ordered
you to fire into the crowd?"
Trooper 1-- "I will talk about this a little bit, but I don't really
want to. There was more than one time we were told to fire into a crowd of
protesters or during demonstrations. I will tell you about the one time
I talked about already and you can make it out any way you want. I just
watched a show about something like we went through, I think it was
Frontline (it was Frontline) and really got the picture of how bad it
must have been for the Iraqis that have been fired on during protests.
"I don't want to go into to much detail about this because it is still
being investigated by the Army. The situation briefly was that there was a
large crowd of demonstrators gathered to protest an incident from the day
before when another unit had shot into a crowd of protesters. There had been
about 20 killed the day before, but we never heard a total body count just
some reasonably accurate sounding numbers.
"We were on the ground on one side of a large square where the main body
of the protesters had gathered. They were yelling and screaming at one of
the appointed Iraqi council members and getting very out of control. They
were mad at the fact the council had not denounced the Americans and told
them to leave Iraq. It was getting very ugly and I was spit on and
struck in the
helmet and about the head and shoulders by a small group of women. Let
me emphasize that again, we were being attacked by a group of women and
maybe three or four men.
"As far as I could see they had no firearms or bombs. They did have
rocks and pieces of paving stones and asphalt. As the crowd got more and more
outraged, more US troops started arriving, which seemed to anger the
civilians even more. We were a real living symbol of all their hurts and
injuries that had been inflicted on them by our bombs, missiles, tanks,
artillery, and guns. For the first time since the war started they had a
target for all their hate and anger right there in front of them. I
don't know who started the rock-throwing but after the first one was thrown
the whole crowd started throwing their rocks and whatever scraps and trash
they could find in the vicinity.
"I got hit by several rocks in the face and head and then the rest of my
body was hit a bunch of times. As far as I could tell the first gunshot
was from an American M-16. I know the sound of our rifles very well and I
can tell the sound even in a full-scale firefight so the sound of one shot
was very clear to me. I know it was not an AK-47 or 74. There is no way it
could have been a 7.62mm round. They have a much lower sound and the
Kalashnikov rifles make a distinctive clack as they are fired.
"I have heard those rifles fired so many times I know the sound in my
sleep. It was one of our guys that got nervous and cranked off a round. After
the first shot we heard someone screaming on the radio to open fire. A few
of our guys started firing and then most of the rest of us started
shooting. At some point in the confusion I heard an AK open up and
then another one.
It didn't sound close, but we couldn't really tell.
"That is all the details I really feel right giving you. I know one
thing though. The commanders later claimed we were fired on from the crowd.
That's bullshit and a bunch of us know it. It started with a bunch of angry
women and some men throwing rocks, and it ended with at least 15 dead and over
30 wounded. I saw a small girl laying on the ground with a hole in her head
and some more wounds in her back and side. She did not have anything to do
with the crowd, she was down the street trying to find food or something.
"That's all I'll give you on that. I don't want to get in any trouble or
have anyone think I helped kill innocent people."
CFTM-- "Well I think I got enough for this interview. I really want to
thank you for doing this, I know how much they have tried to stop you from
speaking out. I know about the threats and intimidations they have used
to keep you guys quiet.
"Anything else you want to say as a final statement to America?"
Trooper 1--"Yeah I really want to make sure they don't think I am
unpatriotic or a traitor. I did this because of how bad it is over
there. We are getting slaughtered and wasted for nothing. If there was a real
reason to be over there anymore I would go right back. There is no reason right
now, they say we are rebuilding Iraq, but I didn’t see it.
"Every time I hear Bush or Rumsfeld or anyone else like Paul Bremer talk
about all the progress we have made I picture all the Iraqi kids going
hungry. They would mob our convoys trying to get our M.R.E.s or the
emergency relief food packs we carry for them. Iraq is going to hell
and all the little kids are starving and dying from their injuries they got
during the war.
"There is not enough medicine or antibiotics to keep them from getting
gangrene or stop the diarrhea they get from bad water. Most of the
people are drinking sewage or water contaminated with shit or oil. Months later
and they still haven't fixed the water supply or helped them get parts to
fix the pumps. I saw kids dying every day because they had the shits so bad
they wasted away to nothing.
"My best friend is dead and so are a whole bunch of my friends and
fellow soldiers. I just want to say one more thing to America.
"Get us the fuck out of Iraq! Don't let another one of us die or get
injured. How many disabled vets and dead fathers and mothers do you want
on your conscience? How much more blood can you get on your hands George
Bush??? How many more Iraqis do we have to kill and then live with their
blood on our hands?
"Bring us home now!!! Tell your Senators to stop giving Bush money for
this carnage. If you demand that we come home they will have to listen. At
least I hope they would, they are supposed to have our best interest at
heart!
"Fuck you George Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell, Paul
Wolfowitz, Paul Bremer, and all then rest of you sorry assholes! Why
don't you come fight this war if you think it's right?"
=============================================================
Jay Shaft is editor of the Coalition For Free Thought In Media. He can
be reached at: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Articles8/Shaft_US-Soldiers2.htm
