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Al Jazeera (English)
    Baghdad Burning Blog (by Riverbend, an Iraqi civilian girl)
            Dahr Jamail's Blog from Baghdad
                Imad Khadduri's blog "Free Iraq" (scroll down for English version)

Iraqi Civilian Deaths ... caused by Bush's unprovoked war

 

Terror and fear gripping U.S. soldiers in Iraq
(John Brand, D.Min., J.D., YellowTimes.org, September 22, 2003)
The fear of having civilians shoot at you is quite different from the fear experienced in combat. After the initial Baptism of Fire and the moments of initially paralyzing terror, a total change takes over the psyche of the combat soldier. There is a subconscious realization, I believe, that one's chances of survival diminish if one remains in a state of terror. Terror paralyzes and petrifies. To survive in combat, fear must be replaced with a healthy apprehension, a form of fear. One knows that the enemy is out there and that he has the same intent as you. The objective is to kill the enemy on the other side before he kills you. While terror immobilizes, fearful apprehension creates caution, alertness, and vigilance. They are all mental factors assisting survival. It does not take long for most combat soldiers to go into this survival mode. . . . I do know that there is a difference between terror and fear. . . . I believe that the psychological make-up of our troops in Iraq bounces back and forth between fear and terror. The fear is constant. It is nature's way of staying alert. Terror is ever renewed with each shot coming from an unseen source. Terror comes when a buddy is hit. Terror comes when you want to shoot back but are afraid you might hit a non-combatant. Terror comes when another unit has been ambushed; another vehicle hit a mine; another shoulder-mounted rocket has been fired at a tank. . . . To the constant fear, interlaced with intermittent terror, another dimension of anxiety is added when told that your unit will not return when first promised that your tour of duty would come to an end. To then learn that the president is intent on not increasing benefits for soldiers, that a move is under way to limit disability evaluations of returning soldiers, and to dismiss the move to pay larger death benefits to surviving family members adds to the pressure, the stress, the tension of our soldiers. . . . I wonder what President Bush's and Vice President Cheney's attitude might be if they would spend seven days as enlisted men in the Fourth Infantry Division in Iraq? That is quite different from putting on a flight uniform and strutting around on an aircraft carrier. . . . The fear interspersed with ever more frequent moments of terror will take a heavy toll on our troops. The ultimate questions are "Is it really worth it now?" and "Will it be really worth it in the future?"

posted by Lorenzo 4:28 PM