Backing a vote in Iraq for hope
Since 12-22-05
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Subject: Backing a vote for hope
Editorial -
Navy Times
26 December Issue
Backing a vote for hope
On Dec. 15, U.S. troops who have sacrificed so much in Iraq over the past 31
months of combat saw the seeds of their effort bear significant fruit.
Even more than the Jan. 31 election of an interim government and the Oct. 15
vote on a constitution, the balloting for a new, permanent parliament marks a
major milestone in the effort to bring democracy to Iraq.
In the face of a still-active insurgency, more than 60 percent of Iraq’s
eligible voters reportedly cast ballots.
More important, Iraq’s Sunni minority, which had largely refused to take part in
the new political process, came out in large numbers in Fallujah, Ramadi and
other insurgent hot spots, building hope that Iraq’s factions will find a way to
govern peacefully together and heal their war-torn nation.
The job is far from finished. More Americans will shed blood in Iraq, whose
military remains largely unable to operate without help from U.S. forces. And
there are those in Iraq who still vigorously oppose any notion of a democratic
government. But the Dec. 15 vote is a huge victory for the Iraqi people.
In risking their lives and liberty to express their inalienable right to
self-determination, they did something that would have been unimaginable under
Saddam Hussein.
Regardless of anyone’s personal views on the war, the role played by U.S.
soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines in giving Iraqis that opportunity is
something in which they — and all Americans — should take great pride.
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Contributed,
YNCS Don Harribine, USN(ret)
Any man or woman who may be asked in this century what they did to make
life worthwhile in their lifetime....can respond with a great deal of pride and
satisfaction, "I served a career in the United States Navy."