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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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Who to Believe
To the editor: I’d like to shed some light on the question Martin McDonald asked (Letters, Sept. 8, 2004) about the story of an Iraqi man beaten to death by U.S. troops. It didn’t happen. That story appeared in an Arab newspaper, was investigated by U.S. and local law enforcement, and proved false. There are several English newspapers that print these stories without checking with the military, because they seem to prove their point that U.S. soldiers are evil. The military does check out these stories, and if substantiation is found, the matter is handed over to military investigators. How well that system works, I can’t be sure, but I know that soldiers are being prosecuted.
Why do you perceive that most Iraqis hate us? Maybe because most of what you see in the media is about the negative things that happen here. I’m not saying that G.W. Bush is the brightest guy in the world, but he’s the only one I’ve heard talk about how the average Iraqi now has more electric power, more schools, better sanitation services, more and better hospitals — the list goes on. What’s disappointing is when these basic improvements are attempted in places like Sadr City and the personnel — usually unarmed civilian contractors —come under attack. Then the Iraqi or American military is called in; half of the time, the situation spirals out of control, and that’s what you see in the media.
The fact is, most Iraqis don’t hate us. They just want to take control of their own country, and they know that they need American help. The ones who claim to hate us are in the minority, and some aren’t even Iraqi. These people cause problems because they know they can only win if you get loud and angry in America.
For an idea of the army’s side of the story, go to www.hood.army.mil/1stcavdiv/. Click on the Cav Country link or the Daily Charge link, for news via the 1st Cavalry Division based at Fort Hood. And check out other units’ web sites as well as your favorite civilian news sources.
Staff Sgt. Kenneth A. Pulliza
HHC 3BDE, S3
APO AE 09348
Baghdad, Iraq
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