The war in Iraq: Was it worth it?

Yesterday I was at a party in Ocala. I was talking to a WWII veteran, clearly a Republican, as most of the people there were. We talked about a lot of things and no one there had a good opinion of President Obama because of all the rumors they heard. Most of our friends are Republican, which is fine because they are nice people and deeply care about this country. The problem is, deeply caring does not translate into staying informed of the facts. They listen to people making all kinds of false claims and believe them because they are on a cable TV show or have a radio program. They trust the people they listen to assuming they are being told the truth even after they learn what they were told in the past was wrong.

The WWII veteran shocked me. The conversation turned into being about going into Iraq and what President Bush did. He is not well thought of and the veteran's eyes filled as he talked about the waste of life of our troops.

This happens all the time. The same people years ago, supporting President Bush, no matter what he did, ordered, did not do and did not order, blindly supported him, attacked others who did not support him, and now have come to the conclusion they were wrong. Now all the talk about supporting the President have vanished because there is a Democrat in the White House and Democrats have control over the House and the Senate. Now they still believe rumors they hear on cable TV and talk radio but it's about being against the President instead of drumming up "patriotic support" of him as President.

What happened to the days when facts were real and people could either support a politician or not support them based on what they do and what they stand for instead of what party they happen to belong to? I often wonder if any of the people in Washington today would be there if they didn't happen to belong to a certain party? How did everything become political in this country and take over the truth? How many will find they regret believing the wrong people telling them rumors instead of telling them the truth?

As I watched some of the videos on this article, I heard nothing new, read nothing new because I've stayed informed of the facts but it brought me back to the days when anyone saying anything differently than the people on cable TV and talk radio, were attacked and called anti-American, Bush basher, told they were against the troops and vilified. The truth was still the truth and some people dared to speak it. Now the doubters of the truth are realizing they were wrong but it's too late to do much about it.

There are still troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, still risking their lives, doing their duty, getting wounded, being redeployed over and over again but the truth behind both campaigns has not changed. What if the people who blindly support President Bush were aware of the facts years ago? Would lives have been saved? What if they listened to the reports about the wounded coming back to an overwhelmed VA unable to take care of them years ago? Would things have been fixed a long time ago so they wouldn't still be waiting to be taken care of properly?

Picking political sides is fine but picking our own version of the truth is not, especially when it comes to issues of war, sending men and women to risk their lives in our name. The truth does not change even though minds do. But between the beginning and the end there are lives lost and regret does not bring them back to life. It does not restore lost years away from family and friends. It does not mend broken bodies or suffering minds. Regret is only useful if we do something to make sure the same mistakes are not repeated. The problem is, the same people on cable TV and talk radio are still there, still talking about rumors instead of truth and the people listening still have not managed to understand the same people they listen to today, lied to them yesterday and very well could be lying today.

Talk radio and some cable TV shows are all about political gain and the problem is, the country pays for it as a whole. I stopped watching FOX as soon as I knew they were not telling the truth about an issue as important as sending men and women into combat and what happens when they come home. I stopped watching and listening to anyone when I knew what the real reports were but heard a spin instead from them. I strongly suggest that you do the same because regretting listening to the wrong people today may be too late when the next combat operation comes up and we have to decide to send the troops or not.

The war in Iraq: Was it worth it?
As the war draws nearest to an end, readers reflect on whether the U.S. should be in Iraq.
By Timothy J. Gibbons Story updated at 4:15 AM on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2009
The war in Iraq is 86 percent finished.

Just over six years ago - 2,339 days, to be precise - coalition forces invaded Iraq.

In the days that followed, troops swept through the country. Saddam Hussein was found and executed. Elections were held and governments formed.

At the same time, thousands of coalition troops, including more than 4,000 from the United States, were killed, as were an unknown number of Iraqi soldiers and civilians as well as fighters from other countries.

Now the war has entered its end game.

Just over a year from now, President Barack Obama has said, combat operations in the country will come to an end. While about 50,000 service members may stay for about 15 more months to handle training and other matters, the bulk of U.S. forces will be brought home.

Already troops have pulled out of urban areas, including Baghdad, with Iraqi forces taking charge of providing security in those areas.

What the coming year will bring is unknown.

The war in Iraq: Was it worth it

Soliders in Iraq
We want to talk to you about the war in Iraq. We're particularly looking to get in touch with soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen with ties to the Jacksonville area or Southeast Georgia (even if you don’t live here now) who have been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.