Iraq veteran disputes Maggie Martin's claims in March 7 article

I find your article and Maggie Martin's distorted views of the Iraqi war as troubling to say the least. She has earned her right to her opinion due to her honored service within our military, but I must say that her opinion is unfair and unjust regarding our accomplishments in Iraq.

As a service member who has just returned from my own overseas tour in some of the worst conditions imaginable, I challenge her statements and must argue that we are indeed making a difference. I believe that you must involve yourself within their culture in order to truly understand the impact we are having in Iraq.

For the year and change I was in Iraq, I lived with the Iraqis as a member of an 11 man US force assigned to train, teach, and mentor approximately 800 Iraqi soldiers. I ate, laughed, and cried with these men. They shared things with me about their trials and tribulations over decades of oppression from the former regime. Our freedom and our country have taken this long to prevail so how is it we expect results overnight?

Continuously, I am bombarded with statistics of how many people have died in the war, US soldiers and Iraqi's alike. Unfortunately, this is the price for freedom. Our freedom, as well as the Iraqis, depends on our success in Iraq.

What I don't hear being reported is the increasing number of children in new schools, (built by Coalition forces) that were not allowed to attend schooling in the former regime. Or the increase of health care and hospitals afforded the civilian populations that were never afforded to the people of Iraq before our assistance.

Even through all the turmoil the Iraqis have endured, they are glad we are there and have welcomed us. They saw us for what we are: liberators, liberators of a country oppressed by its own government. I do mourn for my brothers and sisters of the military lost in this war but their service will not be in vain and they will always be heroes to me.

You are entitled to your opinion because of the service of men and women like myself. These young adults are getting most of their knowledge from one sided news reports like CNN, isn't it about time we gave all the information to the people so they can make a truly educated decision with all the facts instead of a decision made from journalists with distorted political agendas?

James Precourt Submitted 04/02/08