"The War in Iraq, WMD's and DMB"

As of April 16, 2004, 689 American Servicemen have died in Iraq.

No, freedom isn't free.

On March 20, 2003 following a bombing barrage of unprecedented magnitude, American forces invaded Iraq. With overwhelming reasons for war, our Commander-in-Chief George W. Bush gave the "go-ahead."

I already know what you are thinking - oil, the search for the elusive weapons of mass destruction and political reasons.

But what about liberating the Iraqi people?

Innocent Iraqi civilians had been living under a dictator whose regime rivaled the horrors of Stalin and Hitler.

What about their freedom?

Please tell me that Americans are not so conceited that they can ignore the violation of the most basic right that all people should enjoy. The only true humanitarians are the men who have fought, and are still fighting, for the freedom of the Iraqi people.

By not supporting the war in Iraq, you are supporting the terrorist organizations that train and base themselves in Iraq. You are supporting the genocide of Saddam Hussein's former regime. And even worse, by not supporting the soldiers, you are turning your back on the very people that keep you free.

In my head I can still hear the raspy voices of my Marine Corps drill instructors. I can still hear the heavy stomping of boots and the motivated screams coming from platoons of recruits training to become U.S. Marines. I can still see the faces of my fellow Marines hiding in fighting holes, looking for an imaginary enemy in the hills of North Carolina.

Most of these men are the ones still trying to give the same freedom, which we enjoy here, to the Iraqi people.

How can anyone oppose this?

Yes, Bush said we were looking for weapons of mass destruction - but we're still going to liberate people. Bush could have said we were going to Iraq to look for spacemen with 10 legs, but if we were going to liberate people who cannot fight for themselves, I would still be in favor of fighting.

A few famous faces in Hollywood and pop culture thought they should oppose war in Iraq. Michael Moore's disrespect did not go unnoticed as he made anti-Bush comments on national television. Dave Matthew's letter to the president was not as disrespectful, but almost as ridiculous.

What makes Dave Matthews an expert on the war in Iraq? He may be a good musician but how does that pertain to his views on politics? Apparently, according to Dave, the people of Iraq don't have the right to "cry freedom."

Even after saying "Saddam Hussein is a genocidal manic..." and "Saddam Hussein is a barbaric murderous dictator. I wish the world were free of him," Matthews still felt that war was not the answer. His only near-valid argument was the fear of putting American servicemen in danger, which he refers to as a "criminal act."

It's people like Dave Matthews who brought out the protestors. It's people like Dave Matthews who put people's lives in danger. It's people like Dave Matthews who hurt the morale of troops.

It's people like Dave Matthews that have been given the right to speak their mind because of thousands of men fighting and dying for American freedom. Maybe someday, because of the acts of our president, the people in Iraq can enjoy the same freedom.

When people that are anti-war find out I am in the Marine Corps Reserves, waiting and hoping for a deployment to bring freedom to others, they often use the argument similar to that of Dave Matthews.

"I just don't want you to have to go fight and die for a war that has nothing to do with you" is a common remark that I hear.

No one can say this war has nothing to do with me. It has to do with everyone, all of mankind and "liberty and justice for all."

I think I've heard that liberty and justice for all somewhere before. I think it's something I pledged every day in elementary school, middle school and high school. I am not about to forget that oath now when it really means something.

People join the military knowing that they may have to go fight in a foreign theater for the freedom of others. That's part of what the military does.

American servicemen have been killed and that is a horrible shame. I hope the families of those who died can find solitude in the thought that their loved one was fighting bravely for another people to be free.

I usually spout this off when arguing, but sometimes I must quote a veteran of this conflict. A few nights before leaving for deployment to Iraq, I asked Lance Corporal Samuel Goldberger about fear of what was ahead.

He said "we're Marines, man, and I can assure you that the greatest at something need not fear anything."