Collateral Damage?

It's August 1990, and I'm a 22 year old punk kid trying to figure out how to be an adult without growing up, and Saddam Hussein decided he wanted to expand his empire and invaded Kuwait. Being born in 1968, Vietnam was a selection of songs, some cool movies, and brief sections in history classes I remembered from high school. As I watched the buildup of troops and war seemed imminent, I heard person after person telling me that war in the Middle East would be just another Vietnam. But what does that mean? The predominant explanation I heard was fighting a war in a country where trying to differentiate your enemy from your ally was brutal, where your enemies don't fear killing themselves or their countrymen to kill you, and where the terrain does not allow for traditional warfare. Then the draft talk started, along with talk of a long, drawn out war. This was all new to me, and I found myself glued to the news.

January 16, 1991, Operation Desert Shield becomes Operation Desert Storm. Despite numerous attempts to get the madman to withdraw from Kuwait, he insists on ignoring diplomatic efforts and ignoring economic sanctions. The ensuing aerial assault was like nothing I could have ever imagined. President George W. Bush used ther term "Shock and Awe" when we began the invasion of Iraq, but it was this military, under his father, that truly showed "Shock and Awe". It was a constant assault that robbed our enemy of not only their ability to fight, but their will as well. Even the vaunted Republican Guard, Saddam's elite fighting machine, was relieved to surrender to our ground troops when they began marching on Iraq. 12 countries sent naval forces, 8 countries sent ground forces (ah, a true coalition) and the costs of the war were actually shared.

During this process, I worked in the meat department of a local grocery chain. I quickly became the "store correspondent" for all matters Gulf War, as sleep was not even a thought when I could sit up and watch Wolf Blitzer and Bernard Shaw break down the day's events, and when I could watch Gen. Schwarzkopf give those brilliant briefings with that purely American swagger of confidence in a plan well designed and even more beautifully executed. I would come in each day and "brief" my co-workers on the precision bombing of strategic targets, and, when necessary, on casualties suffered by our coalition heroes. I was so proud inside that we had obviously learned so much from the debacle in Vietnam that we would NEVER put our troops in that situation again. I thought of this conflict not as a war in any sense, but rather an object lesson to those in the Middle East who would challenge our allies or innocent nations anywhere in the world.

A little over a month later, it was all over. The white flag went up and Kuwait was free again. 293 American soldiers gave their lives, 458 more were injured. A tremendous sacrifice no matter how you measure it, but compared to the horror stories I had heard leading up to this conflict, it left me wondering if people just underestimated the power of our new military. I was left feeling like these "third world" nations were good at killing each other, and good with suicide attacks, but when it comes to war, they were no match for "civilized" nations.

"The cost of the war to the United States was calculated by the United States Congress to be $61.1 billion. About $52 billion of that amount was paid by different countries around the world: $36 billion by Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf States; $16 billion by Germany and Japan (which sent no combat forces due to its constitution). About 25% of Saudi Arabia's contribution was paid in the form of in-kind services to the troops, such as food and transportation. U.S. troops represented about 74% of the combined force, and the global cost was therefore higher." Wikipedia "Operation Desert Storm"

Fast forward now to September 11th, 2001. Like most of you, I watched in utter horror and complete sadness as our nation was brutally attacked by cowards using commercial jets as their weapons of choice. Over 3,000 civilians from over 90 countries lost their lives in these attacks. It was quickly determined that Osama Bin Laden was responsible, with his network of coward terrorists, Al Qaeda. This savage group of sub-humans was headquartered in Afghanistan. President Bush wasted no time. It was on now. Remembering how we dismatled this type of "fighting force" in 1991, I watched eagerly to see us bring these animals to justice, dead or alive. The "War On Terrorism" was declared. On October 7th, 2001, military action began in Afghanistan as "Operation Enduring Freedom". It's mission, "capture Osama bin Laden, destroy Al-Qaeda, and remove the Taliban regime which had provided support and safe harbor to Al-Qaeda."

From the beginning this was clearly a different type of conflict. It was not a blow by blow of a complete onslaught of military force. We were capturing some high ranking Al Qaeda operatives, including some who had allegedly been part of the plot to carry out the attacks on 9/11. But Osama Bin Laden? Nowhere to be found, still broadcasting messages. Al Jazeera could get footage of him, but we couldn't find him anywhere. Coalition forces removed the Taliban from power, and a new democratic government was formed by the end of 2001. Okay, this is more like it. It should be all downhill from here.

2002 saw predominantly diplomatic work being done in the heart of Afghanistan, as the Taliban and Al Qaeda had retreated to the Pakistan border to take refuge in the deep caves of the vast mountain ranges. The idea was if we could establish a strong democracy in Afghanistan, and train a free military there, we would have a powerful ally in the region. Seemed logical enough.

In 2003, Americans began hearing of another threat in this War on Terror, a name we were pretty familiar with, Saddam Hussein and our good friends in Iraq. "He is an imminent threat to our way of life", "He possesses weapons of mass destruction, and must be stopped from using them." I thought to myself that Hussein must really be an idiot. Here we are 12 years removed from pummeling him into submission with minimal resistance, still reeling from the loss of 9/11, and he wants to go another round? My thought at the time was, let's not leave him in control this time, let's finish this. The United Nations did not see it this way. Many of our allies did not see it this way. There were reports that no hard evidence of weapons existed, that there was no substantially confirmed link between Iraq and Al Qaeda. We all knew, however, that this guy was a lunatic who had killed his own people, a tyrant who saw himself as the potential ruler of the world. The U.N. sought stronger sanctions, requiring Iraq to allow inspectors to resume their routine inspections. This was not enough for us. It was a "with or without you" moment for us. President Bush determined we were going to war in Iraq, and on March 20, 2003, "Operation Iraqi Freedom" began. "We will be greeted as Liberators", and "This will be quick and efficient" were a couple of the statements made by senior officials at the time.

Let's fast forward one more time, to today, April 23, 2009. The Taliban have increased their insugency in Afghanistan, but more troubling is their expansion of power in Pakistan. Osama Bin Laden is still at large, and if Al-Qaeda is neutralized, it is because our intelligence is better and our guard is now always up, not because of our brillaint military strategy in Afghanistan. And what about Iraq? Almost 6 years since President Bush made the infamous "Mission Accomplished" speech aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln on May 1, 2003, we are essentially an occupying force in daily danger. The tribal feuds have escalated, and Al-Qaeda, basically non-existent in Iraq when the war started, has a presence there, albeit limited. Iran, always a nuisance, has become a legitimate threat now that it's mortal enemy, (aside from us) Iraq, has been divided and weakened. It is estimated that 4,276 American soldiers have made the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq, with 4,137 of those occurring AFTER the "Mission Accomplished" speech. Officially, 31,193 additional soldiers have been injured since the war began. By comparison, 679 American soldiers have given their lives in Afghanistan. That brings the total American (this doesn't count our coalition brothers and sisters) casualties for the "War on Terror" to 4,955. That is 66% MORE lives lost than on 9/11. Osama Bin Laden is still free, and the Middle East has become more volatile than ever. Those who defend this "strategy" will say that we have not been attacked in over 7 years. I argue that we have not been attacked because we have foiled the attacks through intelligence, not through military victory. And what of the attacks on our allies, like Spain and England? Is not an attack on our allies the same as an attack on us?

How about cost? As of October, 2008, the Congressional Research Service estimates that the AMERICAN cost for this war is $831,000,000,000. That's right, 831 BILLION DOLLARS.

I supported strongly, with vengeance and arrogance in my heart, the invasion of Iraq. To some extents, I could have been told we needed to invade Libya, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, or even Kuwait, and after the horrors of 9/11, I may have signed on. I was so, so wrong. The difference is I was not leading this nation at the time. I could afford to be wrong. How much of what has happened since 9/11 would we consider "collateral damage"?

To our soldiers, including my own nephew, awaiting his next tour, I can only say I am deeply sorry, knowing all the while you don't ask for my apologies. I can only hope that soon you will be home for good, knowing all the while you go willingly when asked. YOU ARE ALL HEROES!!

Over 18 years have passed since I first heard people warning of a "Vietnam in the Middle East". I no longer ask what they mean. Now I wonder how we could possibly have done it again.