Words from the front-lines

“I’d like to punch him [Rumsfeld] in the gut. He treats us like we’re not human. He acts like he’s not destroying families.” – NCO, 4-24 Infantry Battalion, 172nd Stryker Brigade, Baghdad, Iraq.

“The world keeps turning and so does the fighting in Iraq. Yesterday, my soldier and friend was shot and killed. He is the first one in our platoon to be killed. His death has started an uproar of emotions in the platoon. … No one understands why we are here and what our mission is. This war is lost. We aren’t helping these people. We are just dying and getting injured.” – Sergeant Ryan Kahlor, Task Force 1-36, Hit, Iraq.

“Nobody is pro-American in this city. They either tolerate us or all-out hate us. If we do leave, the city will be a lot better and they’ll build it a lot better. … Nobody wants us here, so why are we here? That’s the big question. … If we leave, all the attacks would stop, because we’d be gone.” – Major Brent E. Lilly, Marine civil affairs unit, Hit, Iraq.

“It sucks. Honestly, it just feels like we’re driving around waiting to get blown up. That’s the most honest answer I could give you. You lose a couple friends and it gets hard.” – Specialist Tim Ivey, 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, Baghdad, Iraq.

“No one wants to be here, you know, no one is truly enthused about what we do. We were excited, but then it just wears on you – there’s only so much you can take. Like me, personally, I want to fight in a war like World War II. I want to fight an enemy. And this, out here, there is no enemy, it’s a faceless enemy. He’s out there, but he’s hiding.” – Sergeant Christopher Dugger, 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, Baghdad, Iraq.

“At this point, it seems like the war on drugs in America. It’s like this never-ending battle, like, we find one IED, if we do find it before it hits us, so what? You know it’s just like if the cops make a big bust, next week the next higher-up puts more back out there.” – Specialist David Fulcher, 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, Baghdad, Iraq.

“The first time somebody you know dies, the first thing you ask yourself is, ‘Well, what did he die for?’” – Specialist Joshua Steffey, 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, Baghdad, Iraq.