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Thanks,
Soldiers!
Regardless of politics, the American military is doing a wonderful job in Iraq.
They rendered the Iraqi military impotent and toppled the Ba'athist regime quickly.
While there have been difficulties since, and there have been no huge stockpiles
of WMD found during American occupation, and the Iraqi people are resisting the occupation, there are several valid
reasons to support what the American military has done and is doing in Iraq.
This is a letter of appreciation to American servicemen worldwide. We haven't
forgotten you in Bosnia, Yemen, S. Korea, the Persian Gulf, Japan, Europe, and scores of other places around the
world where you put your necks out as our first line of defense. This is in support that what you do for us is
right and is appreciated.
Others may read, but it is to you, our dear soldiers, sailors, and airmen.
Point by point, the reasons are listed as follows:
1) WMD: While no huge stores of weapons have been found, there remains to
this day, as noted by UN and several intelligence agencies, a disparity between what Iraq has been known to produce
and what has been accounted for. What is most important is not what we have learned after Iraq was taken, but
what we were left to assume by Iraq's deception and failure to cooperate. One of the more accurate and unbiased
assessments is by the pacifist and long established Federation of American Scientist sites at:
http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/iraq/deception.htm
The responsibility for the West's inability in ascertaining Iraqi capability lies primarily with Iraq, which had
launched elaborate and costly programs designed to conceal their success at developing and deploying WMD, as noted
in many reports including the Dec. 2003 Carnegie Report.
One important notation: The pacifist Carnegie report has done a valuable job ascertaining facts. However, many
of their conclusions are readily debatable. For example, the Carnegie insistence that Iraq would turn over its
technology or equipment to powers beyond its control was disproven by the first widespread US conflict with Iraq,
when large deployments of the Iraqi air force were flown into Iran. Thus it can be construed that the Carnegy report
is more valuable as a source of data than as an analysis thereof. The opinion of this letter of support is based
on that assumption and tries to report facts, not opinions except as relevant to explain actions of others rather
than our assessment thereof.
The Carnegie assessment that there was no evidence of cooperation between Iraq and Al Qaeda post 9-11 will be addressed
late as another of several demonstrably errant conclusions of the Carnegie report.
While no large caches of weaponry have been found in Iraq, several disturbing and illicit programs were found in
development and deployment. This includes the drone deployment system found after the war and intermediate range
rocket systems such as the Al Samoud 2 missiles known to have existed at the beginning of the 2003 conflict. Other
finds as reported caches of "pesticides" reportedly ready to fire from mortars found in caches and identical
to nerve gas, and while the materials themselves remain elusive and therefore a matter of concern, paper trails
evidence that Hussien's search for WMD capability remained well funded and active. Even the Carnegie report recognizes
that the Iraqi agenda posed "a long term threat that would eventually need to be dealt with."
In invading Iraq in 2003, we believe our US military dealt with that threat before our losses would number in tens
of thousands rather than hundreds. Thank you, American soldiers, sailors and airmen.
2) Al Qaeda Connection: While there were perhaps no extensive cooperation
between Iraq and Al Qaeda after 9-11 and little evidence of extensive contacts before, there were troubling occurrences
that demonstrated the possibility of greater cooperation, including in planning future attacks. One troubling link
is through Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. May 24 Weekly Standard outlines the link between Zarqawi, Amer Al Azzizzi, mastermind
of the Spanish rail bombings, and Muhammad Atta, mastermind of the 9-11 attacks. Note Zarqawi is to some degree
an associate of Al Qaeda, to some degrees a competitor and not Al Qaeda member. But he has collaborated with Osama
bin Laden's network that it is a matter only of degree, and is part of that overall terror structure, even acting
at times on behalf of or in conjunction with Osama bin Laden.
This included Zarqawi's flight to Iraq after the American invasion of Iraq.
Troubling considering this is Atta's connection with Iraq. According to the National Review, Atta met with Iraqi
Ahmad Khalil Ibrahim Samir al-Ani, Consol and suspected intelligence officer, in Prague in 2001, an issue discussed
at a press conference by Czech Prime Minister Zeman. This was only six months prior to September 11, when Atta
was known to be working on 9-11. Later documents recovered from both Atta and al-Ani refer to the meeting via the
code word "Hamburg Student," Atta describing himself in one document as "Hamburg Student."
Al-Ani's predecessor, Jabir Salim, admitted after defection his role in trying to fund specific terrorist operations
against Americans prior to 1998. These activities were to take place on Czech soil, an act of war against the Czech
Republic, although many state Iraq was not a threat. Czechs from President Havel to their security operatives stand
by their accounts.
According to reports in the Weekly Standard and Wall Street editors, Uday Hussien's Fedayeen roster included lieutenant
colonel Ahmed Hikmat Shakir. At the same time he was listed at this position, he had a position arranged as a VIP
greeter at Kuala Lampur airport arranged by none other than intelligence officers at the Iraqi Malaysian embassy.
Five days after meeting with 9-11 hijackers Khalid al Midhar and Nawaz al Hamzi who met fellow conspirators Ramzi
bin al Shibh and Tawfiz al Atash, Shakir disappeared, from his job and from Malaysia.
There are many other confirmed connections between Iraqi operatives and the 9-11 operatives, and scores of captured
documents in a dozen countries, many now a matter of public record, too many to deny plausible assumption of conspiracy.
This is what our American soldiers, sailors and airmen went into Iraq to stop. Thank you.
3) Existing Military status: The status as a matter of record at the onslaught
of the American invasion as being a state of war, of conflict. Only Iraqi adherence to terms of surrender voided
this state of war, and Iraq was not in compliance. They were negligent in many areas, including rearmament, verifiability,
and were active in firing upon our airmen in a non-stop aggression. You our military ended this drain and quagmire.
Thank you.
4) Future Military concerns: Iraq had not developed nuclear capabilities.
But reports to the contrary, they continued their search for uranium, as reported even in the Carnegie report.
They continued acquiring chemical and biological technology and supplies as evidenced by both paper trails and
discoveries. They were actively working on delivery systems, and were engaged actively in confusing our knowledge
of their activities.
Losing a thousand, maybe many times that before this is over in the invasion and occupation of Iraq is tragic.
We mourn each loss, and regret it. And the loss of so many Iraqis is also horrible and tragic. But the loss of
tens of thousands, of hundreds of thousands, due to waiting until Iraq had acquired the fruits of their search
while attacking us through proxies would have been criminal.
And you, our soldiers, sailors, and airmen, stepped up to the task, and we thank you.
These are not all of the reasons that were considered regarding the invasion
of Iraq. And Iraq and the world being rid of a dangerous genocidal tyrant who caused the death of hundreds of thousands is a great accomplishment in itself. But the reasons considered in this letter were paramount. Our soldiers in Iraq have earned and do deserve our support.
In the end, it is fearful that the only true parallel to Vietnam will be the opinion of half the citizenry to our
soldier's sacrifice, that in one of their finest hours, they were belittled for political expediency.
Rather than sign on to that, we give our utmost gratitude to our soldiers, sailors and airmen, not only out of
the loyalty we do have, but also out of the knowledge that your cause is indeed just and is indeed right.
This site is in memorial to the fine job our American soldiers are performing in the theaters of Iraq, and to the
fine job our veterans have done in all of America's conflicts.
Thank you, soldiers, sailors, airmen, and vets. We salute you, and we love you!
R. Scott Stewart
And the vocal majority of the Upper Ohio Valley
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