IN MY SHOES: Why Iraq Is Worth Dying For
J.B. Smith, now back home in NC with his family after serving in Iraq from December 2004 to September 2005 as an advisor to three Iraqi Infantry Battalions, published a letter on Townhall.com that was meant to be read by his daughter should he have been killed in the line of duty. Here, some excerpts:
Dear Blair,
Happy 26th birthday! I hope all is going well for you in work and life in general …
As you know, on Sep 11, 2001, planes hijacked by Arab Muslim terrorists crashed into the twin towers in New York and the Pentagon in DC and killed about 3,000 Americans …
Saddam Hussein had had contacts with Al Qaeda, although no specific evidence exists of a 9/11 - Saddam connection. Hussein had also pursued weapons of mass destruction and had used them in the past. Most likely, he would have had nuclear weapons if not for an act of unilateralism by Israel that knocked out his nuclear reactors. …
If removing a dictator with a large list of human rights violations can markedly increase our security at a minimal cost, it isn't an unreasonable course of action. …
As I write this, 60% of Middle easterners are under 25. Unemployment is over 25% in these countries and the governments are uniformly corrupt. … At one time the Middle East was the most advanced society on earth, and now it is just about the most backwards. Fanning these flames are the holy men who tell them that they are great and they would have their just rewards if not for the infidels of the West. …
If Iraq is a democratic nation now, or if Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi, Kuwait or one of the others has become democratic, then the war was worth it. However, if we pulled out because we lost too many soldiers and got out in an act of political expediency, then I did die in vain. …
Blair, please know that I am crying as I write this, thinking of never being able to hold you, never hearing you say in a clear voice "Daddy, I love you," never attending any of your events, never seeing you off to prom, never seeing you graduate, not being able to walk you down the aisle on your wedding day. …
Blair, I love you and continue to watch over you. Love,
Daddy.
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