August 14, 2007
More news from Iraq you won't find in your paper
Michael Yon posts another compelling report from the front lines in Iraq. His conclusions about the progress being made -- and who the Iraqis credit and respect -- is eye opening.
There may be little progress [in Iraq] on political goals crafted in America, to meet American concerns, by politicians who have a cushion of 200 years of democracy.
Washington might as well be on the moon. Iraqis don’t respond well to rules imposed from outside their acknowledged authorities, though I have many times seen Iraqi Police and Army of all ranks responding very well to American Marines and soldiers who they have come to respect, and in many cases actually admire and try to emulate.
Our military has increasing moral authority in Iraq, but the same cannot be said for our government at home. In fact, it’s in moral deficit because many Iraqis are increasingly frightened we will abandon them to genocide.
The Iraqis I speak with couldn’t care less what is said from Washington but large numbers of them pay close attention to what some Marine Gunny says, or what American battalion commanders all over Iraq say. Some of our commanders could probably run for local offices in Iraq, and win.
To say there has been no political progress in Iraq in 2007 is patently absurd, completely wrong and dangerously dismissive of the significant changes and improvements happening all across Iraq. Whether or not Americans are seeing it on the nightly news or reading it in their local papers, Iraqis are actively writing their children’s history.
Yon's contact with Iraqis -- as well as American troops -- makes possible a very different account of how we're doing over there, nothing like the "reportage" in the dinosaur media.
Command Sergeant Major, James Pippin, was shot just before Memorial Day. He and his soldiers were in a large ambush near Yarmook Traffic Circle. When the ambush kicked off, Pippin ordered his driver to head straight into the heart of the attack where there were enemy machine guns, rockets and so forth.
Pippin ran out and shot one enemy. The guy had an RPG aimed at the Humvee, but the Humvee came right at him, Pippin jumped out. Pippin told me it was a lucky shot, but he hit the man in the face. A big firefight ensued, and Pippin got some bullet holes, but made his people keep fighting that day until they broke the ambush.
This kind of stuff freaks out the enemy: our guys didn’t get them with jets or fancy machines from a distance, but just rushed into them and outfought them. Despite an enemy with perfect surprise, our guys still killed four of them and CSM Pippin was the only American casualty. Countless acts like these around Iraq are a large part of what has given our guys moral authority with Iraqi Police and Army.
Before the war, the Iraqis clearly questioned the courage of our fighters. They no longer question the courage of our fighters, or the abilities of our military leaders.
Large numbers of Iraqis detested us after the prisoner abuse stories, and some over-the-top attacks on Fallujah, for example. But through time, somehow the American military has managed to establish a moral authority in Iraq. It’s not the only authority, but the military has serious and increasing moral clout.
In the beginning, our influence flowed from guns, or dropped from the wings of jets. Later it was the money. Today, the clout still is partially from the gun, and definitely the money is key, but there is an intangible and growing moral clout and it flows from an increasing respect among Iraqis for our military.
Washington has no moral clout in Iraq. Washington looks like a circus act. The authority is coming from our military. The importance of this fact would be difficult to understate.
In some ways, Iraqis and Americans are very much alike; two peoples joined by a common contempt for Washington politicians, as well as a deep affection for our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines.
As Yon points out, the courage of our fighting men not only inspires our allies, it also undermines the fighting spirit of our enemies. Why do I suspect that those Americans opposed to the war do not count themselves amongst those inspired by the fighting prowess of the U.S. troops?
The rest of Yon's dispatch features more vivid details and thoughtful observations from the frontlines of this war, with photos that are often breathtaking.
Read the whole thing.
Posted by Mike Lief at August 14, 2007 11:32 PM
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