Why They Sacrifice
SFC Leland Lesher forwarded emails he had received from SSG Troy Haley (NYARNG). For those who receive most of their information about the Global War on Terror through the distorted lens of the mass media, Troy's emails provide an insightful, often moving take on the real story in Iraq.
In his letters, SSG Haley sometimes laments the negative coverage that is being fed to most Americans. In particular, he finds it sad that families at home may never know of the deep and abiding good their soldiers are doing while overseas. He comments, "I can only say that slowly and surely we are winning this war... Freedom is now becoming a Muslim word... There is a real possibility of peace in the Middle East, and that will be a great legacy of the soldiers that have been lost...", and in a later message, "This war is being won. Despite what some talking head on TV may say. Every day, little victories take place... Every day, a new Iraqi stands up and decides to stay in the fight."
He even tells the story of one Iraqi translator and that man's decision to stand against those who would destroy his nation's chance at freedom. The Iraqi came to SSG Haley to resign from his job as an interpreter. Interpreters are often targeted by insurgents and the man was understandably afraid. However, since arriving in Iraq, Troy's unit had lost 12 soldiers and no interpreters, so as Troy put it, "I was not as sympathetic as he had hoped I would be."
SSG Haley spoke with the man for over an hour and showed him the unit's memorial wall where they had hung pictures of each soldier who had been killed. As Haley explained, "The only way this country, this nation is ever going to succeed in this fight... was for the Iraqis to take up the fight, and to protect their homeland. I told him the men on this wall gave him and his nation a tremendous gift and because of their sacrifice, his nation had an opportunity to be free."
After the interpreter left, Troy felt he had failed and wondered, "How was it that Americans could have the courage and commitment to give this country their freedom, the commitment to fight and die here, and their own people are not willing to put forth the same commitment? I asked what the hell are we here for? ... I was very angry. I was tired of losing our men."
He was surprised when, a little over a week later, the same man returned and asked to speak with the SSG.
"He had tears in his eyes... he could not live with the idea of other men fighting for his freedom, while he had done nothing. He decided that it was better to stay and fight, and even possibly die, than to let the insurgents win."
Before leaving, the Iraqi said, "Thank you, brother, for coming here", and hugged Troy. Buoyed by this incident, SSG Haley wrote, "It was a little victory, but a victory the same and the insurgents- they lost another fight, and the fight they keep losing, one Iraqi at a time."
On another occasion, SSG Haley writes about the soldiers who had died while deployed. He saw in the list of their names the diversity which helped create our great nation.
Troy comments, "The names show how our nation has overcome so much to unite and be a nation of free people... The names show the power of democracy. The names reflect so many people from different backgrounds, upbringings, and places coming together for the common good of humanity. For no other nation on earth has sacrificed her sons and daughters for the good of other nations like America.
He concedes that this will not be an easy war to win.
"We face an enemy with no moral character, no courage, no honor and no respect for human life... They use women and children as cover. They look at our commitment to take the moral high ground as a weakness." This, he goes on to say, stands in stark contrast to the efforts US Soldiers go to in order to ensure the safety of innocents.
"We protect life, even at the risk of our own, and that story is often missed in a quick press release to satisfy some news editor's desire to get a quick reaction. Most of the articles tell the news, but not the story. The news is an event, but it does not paint the picture, it does not tell the story of the honor our soldiers display every day on this battle field... The news does not tell the story of a soldier risking his life to ensure that before he engages a target, it is legitimate... The risk soldiers take to go back and assist Iraqis when they are hurt. The news does not tell the story that soldiers always assist and help people and ask for nothing in return...
The insurgents blow a bomb in front of a school, we rebuild it.
Insurgents kill us one day, we help people the next.
We temper our anger with professionalism and on the moral high ground. This is the story in Iraq."
