For many, safety is still top priority
‘The real question is, how do we leave [Iraq] and still protect our country?’ said Robert Brooks, wounded Iraq veteran.
Area residents say that five years into the Iraq War the issues uppermost in their minds are keeping America safe, protecting and supporting the troops and bringing them home as soon as possible.
How and under what conditions the U.S. should end its involvement in Operation Iraqi Freedom, which began March 19, 2003, produced many different reactions from people interviewed for this story including former military personnel, parents of sons currently in the military, a member of a military family and a casual observer.
They also were asked: Is progress toward peace and winning over the Iraqi people being made? And, has the military action in Iraq prevented more terrorist attacks in the U.S. homeland?
Robert Brooks, 23, of Youngstown
Brooks, a retired Army sergeant, was seriously wounded May 25, 2006, seven months into his third tour in Iraq. His unit was returning from an operation when attacked by insurgents. It took 45 minutes to subdue their attackers and get medical care.
Brooks suffered a severe concussion and multiple shrapnel wounds, including to the right eye, face, neck, back, and right knee, and is 100 percent service-connected disabled. He received a Bronze Star and two Purple Heart medals.
“There is no right or wrong answer as to when the U.S. can leave Iraq. The real question is, how do we leave and still protect our country?” Brooks said.
He said the war has not lasted longer than he expected.
“Militarily, we knew it was going to be pretty quick, but we knew it was not going to be a quick fix in winning over the people. I believed there would be a lot of insurgency activity because many of their military were giving up and going into hiding and becoming insurgents,” he said.
Nonetheless, Brooks said he saw progress in winning over the Iraqi people while he was there. Comparing when he arrived with when he left, he said the Iraqi people had a lot of freedoms they didn’t have before — not just voting rights, but human rights. These were simple things, he said, like satellite dishes and outside entertainment. And, he said, there was no more torture going on, unless it was by insurgents.
“We were 100 percent right to invade Iraq. The American people knew what we were doing and where we were going, and now don’t like it because of all the politics going on,” he said. “We are going to be there a while longer because those people have built up so much anger against us. But, they are using so much time and energy defending themselves that it keeps them from attacking here. We have not had any more terrorist attacks in U.S. since [Sept. 11],” he noted.
“We [the troops] believe we are protecting our country. If I were not 100 percent disabled, I’d be back over there right now. I didn’t have to go (back to Iraq), but I went because it was the right thing to do,” he said.
George and Lydia Hammar of Youngstown
The Hammars’ son, Army Maj. George L. Hammar IV, is in Iraq now. They think the war has lasted so long because of too much politics and not enough diplomacy.
“Our diplomatic efforts need to be improved upon before we will be able to withdraw completely,” they said in an e-mail.
However, they do believe a lot of progress has been made toward peace in the Middle East, noting that some areas are better than others. For example, where their son is stationed, power has been returned to the Iraqi army, and the U.S. and Iraqi military work together to ensure that the area remains as peaceful as possible.
“Our son said the people of the region are happy to be able to farm again and live in relatively peaceful conditions. Now this peace must be sustained,” the Hammars said. “Peaceful conditions would have to be maintained for a year or more before U.S. troops could be completely withdrawn. It takes small steps to accomplish such a massive task.”
The Hammars said the U.S. invasion of Iraq was justified to protect the freedoms we love and enjoy in this country. They noted specifically that terrorist attacks on U.S. soil have been prevented, they believe, because of the Iraq War.
The Army is doing an outstanding job, and they said their son is very proud of the efforts and successes the U.S. has made.
And they are proud of him.
“He is in Iraq making sure we here at home remain safe and free,” they said.
Timothy L. Wagner of Youngstown
Wagner is a former social worker and now a writer. He was drafted but could not serve in the military because he is deaf. His father served in the Air Force, and his older brother graduated from the Air Force Academy and retired as a colonel.
“We can argue endlessly about whether going into Iraq was right or wrong, but too often we lose sight of the failed intelligence that led¬†both [Presidents] Bush and Clinton, and many other leaders around the world¬†to believe Saddam was a serious threat¬†due to weapons of mass destruction,” he said.
Wagner said he strongly believes the U.S. must maintain a military presence in Iraq and the Middle East because of the political turmoil in that part of the world, the nation’s strategic interests, and the need to keep its commitment to the region.¬†
A long-term presence in Iraq sounds frightening, but that doesn’t mean the U.S. will be in active combat forever. The U.S. was in Germany and¬†Japan for more than 60 years after World War II and has been in South Korea for more than 50 years in a war that¬†has no formal truce ending hostilities.
“I do not believe that any president will fully withdraw from Iraq or Afghanistan in the short term, although a reduction in troops is certainly in our best interests,” Wagner said.
Also, Wagner said that “from all that I know and hear,” Iraq is finally beginning to stabilize. It may seem like forever, but five years in world affairs is not a long time.
Wagner said he also believes that the U.S. actions in Iraq and Afghanistan have shielded the nation from domestic attacks by concentrating the focus of the terrorists on those regions and by disrupting their base of operation.
“I wish we could have avoided all of this, especially when you consider the dead and injured. But, I do not believe we can abandon the situation as it now stands, and neither can the next president, whoever that maybe,” Wagner said.
Susan Skrzynski of Boardman
Skrzynski is a benefits counselor at the Mahoning County Veterans Service Commission, and a 25-year Army veteran, including a tour in Iraq. She retired as a sergeant first class in October 2007.
The Iraq War has not lasted longer than she expected. Trying to reform a country into a sovereign/civil nation takes time, Skrzynski said. Still, she sees a reason for optimism: There has been much progress in the Middle East, it’s just unfortunate that the media does not report on the positive things that are being done, she said, only concentrating on the negative.
Skrynski supports withdrawing American forces when the time is right, “whenever that may be. But, if we must leave a small contingent force in place, then so be it.”
Regarding the U.S. invasion of Iraq, she said as a soldier she had a job to do. “I supported my country 100 percent in fighting for what I believe in, which is keeping American safe,” she said. “I’m not sure if it [the Iraq War] has prevented any more attacks on the U.S., but it made people more aware of their surroundings and to not take life and the liberty that we have for granted.”
Ray Ornelas of Lowellville
Ornelas served in the Marine Corps and fought in the Korean War. He is involved in veterans organizations at the local and state levels.
Ornelas said the Iraq War has lasted much longer than he expected, and he does not see progress toward peace in the Middle East.
“I thought we were supposed to take Saddam out and then let the Iraqis rule their own government. I believe all we are doing is spinning our wheels at the cost of young men and women, and billions of dollars that could have been used to care for our veterans of the past.”
Ornelas also thinks the U.S. made a mistake in invading Iraq: “How would we react to another country coming over here and taking our president out?”
However, Ornelas said the U.S. military is “doing a terrific job under the conditions, where any little wrongdoing may mean a court martial. Either let these young men and women do what they were trained for, or else let’s get the hell out of there. Let us protect our United States and our people and forget about protecting the world.”
Ornelas is skeptical about whether the Iraq War has prevented more terrorist attacks on the U.S. He believes there is a possibility of increased [terrorist] activity before too long.
WENDY GUNYULA OF WEST MIDDLESEX, PA.
The loss to the United States — in lives, money and respect worldwide — makes Wendy Gunyula an opponent of the war in Iraq.
“I am adamantly opposed to the loss of life for no good reason,” the 63-year-old secretary said. “My question is, ‘How can we undo all the harm that’s been done?’ I don’t know if anyone can stop it. Pandora’s box has been opened.”
Gunyula said because of the war, any good the U.S. had done in the world has been undone.
“Aside from the terrible and tragic loss of so many young American soldiers, all for the control of Iraq’s oil reserves I believe, the money spent on this war in Iraq is so desperately, desperately needed here at home,” Gunyula said. “The waste is absolutely sinful, and what really gets my goat is when people say, ‘Well, if you’re anti-war, you must not support our country nor our troops.’ I say, ‘Way wrong.’ I love this beautiful country and the opportunities we have here — how fortunate for me to have been born an American.”
Mark and Linda Brown  of Mercer, Pa.
The Browns are instrumental in organizing the Mercer Memorial Day 500 Parade in Mercer, which honors military personnel and veterans.
“We are in total support of our troops, but avoid the political confrontations that seem to arise daily between the Democrats and Republicans about how the war has been handled.¬†We have talked to many military people and have received much positive feedback about the conditions in Iraq that never seems to reach the media,” the Browns said.
alcorn@vindy.com