Finish the job in Iraq

The fifth year anniversary of the Iraq War has approached and passed us. People across the country have protested the mark of this event. These people march with their banners and signs, forgetting the reasons we went to Iraq five years ago.

People remember their grocery lists when they leave the house. They remember to get their oil changed in their cars. They even remember a birthday card for their second cousin twice removed.

What people forget is the fact that there are troops in Iraq fighting for their country. Anti-war protesters remember one day, the anniversary of this war, and they bring their banners out and protest it. They forget the fact that these troops, mere boys, are over there in that hot hell for our sakes. These boys are burying their friends and seeing things no one should ever have to see.

In Syracuse, N.Y., people did a mock Baghdad street scene. People were lying dead in the street, some wearing camo and some covered with white sheets as if dead. The first thought that came to my mind when I heard about this was, “What a huge disgrace.”

First off, making a mockery of the soldiers who are dying for our country is a disgusting and vile act. The protesters have no idea as to the troops’ conditions, yet they protest anyway because they live in ignorance and comfort. Their capacity to understand what the soldiers are going through is limited. When holding a sign, “End the War Now,” they forget about why we are in Iraq and the people involved.

As a child, I was raised to finish whatever I started. To follow through with my actions and act as an adult would. It is funny to me now, seeing all of the people protesting, telling our country they want us to just walk away. I guess these people were not taught the same ethical standards by which I was raised.

Our country needs to finish the job in Iraq. Troops were sent over there to get rid of the risk of terror to our country, to instill a democratic state and to help the people who faced nothing other than death and destruction under the Saddam Hussein regime. For the sake of humanity, as well as our own needs, this had to be done.

Though our presence will not be needed forever, we cannot just walk out and leave them to fend for themselves. For success, a support system in Iraq is necessary, a system that is developed and controlled (for a time) by the U.S. military.

The United States is the hegemonic power of the world, and so we must act like it. This type of power needs to maintain control or lose their control. No one here, regardless of their protests, wants us to lose the power we have as a country. Our structural system and individual lives would be different than they are today. We would be like any other country on the globe, and no one wants that. They would be lying if they said otherwise.

So here is an idea: Either get actively involved in the process or stop complaining. If you are not a part of change then you are a part of the problem. Stop protesting every day that marks something significant in the Iraq War and remember the troops who are in the Middle East. Those men and women are there to fight for democracy, justice, and for our protection. They are maintaining our hegemonic power. Those that stand against them show nothing but an ignorance and disgrace. Let our soldiers finish the job.