Iraq veteran speaks out against war

South Bend Tribune ^ | Patrick M. O'Connell

[sigtux]

Rob Sarra is not a pacifist.

Sometimes, the former U.S. Marine sergeant regrettably believes war is a necessary evil.

"But when military power is used, it better be for a ... good reason," Sarra said. "And this was not it."

[sigtux]

Article doesn't do a very good job of conveying speaker's case that Operation Iraqi Freedom was wrong. The only points I could discern were:

• He accidentally killed a civilian, which disturbed him.
• America was "lied to" in preparation of the war.

Never mind that the accusation that an "imminent threat" is in itself a lie.

Sarra had some really annoying quotations. The first on opposing the war but supporting the troops:

I love them, but I hate the war

The second is on why he thinks the troops support President Bush:

No one wants to come home and hear people say, 'Well, that was for nothing'

Another annoying quotation came from Steve Nani, a smug South Bend resident who found Sarra's talk an affirmation of his worldview.

It affirmed all of the things I believe, that it was a dishonest war that we got into.

[Unicorn]

I for one don't care what this dude thinks.

[Zeppelin]

The New John Kerry...look for this guy to be running for president in 2036.

[Luddite Patent Counsel]

Our troops in Iraq are apparently killing civilians in the manner of "JENN-JISS Khan".

You could dig up guys like this after WWI and WWII as well, but the press back then had a sense of decency, and chose generally not to add to their embarrassment. The names change, the generations change, but the spirit of cowardice and treason lives on.

[Zhangliqun]

We went through this in Vietnam, and one thing we learned was that "veterans against the war" are very often not veterans at all.

[daybreakcoming]

Tell him to call 1-800-WHO-CARES. Sounds like a personal problem

[JonDavid]

The big difference is that there is no draft. That's why the Military & President Bush does not one.

[Callahan]

What was this guy's long-term plan for keeping nukes and WMDs out of Saddam's hands?

[Doe Eyes]

We must destroy him. Is there a modern day version of the Swift Boat Vets?

[cripplecreek]

Tim McVeigh wasn't a pacifist either. He was also disturbed about a war in Iraq.

[crazyhorse691]

He has the right to express his view. And I have the right to express my view that he is about as wrong as wrong can get. Being on the same side as Kerry, Kennedy, Dean, the Islamofascists, and Michael Moore just darkens the soul.

[Mister Baredog]

When he's in charge he can do it his way, until then just STFU.

[struwwelpeter]

I guess I have it a**-backwards. I hated the first Gulf War, but like the second one.

[68 grunt]

Marine Corps had its own john kerry, an a$$hole by the name of ron kovak.

[faithincowboys]

What does his bullsah*t solve? Should we pull out? This guy Sarra should think before he speaks. What does he want us to do now? His crap serves no purpose but to demoralize.

[kingu]

Message to serviceman...

Thank you for your service to liberate the people of Kuwait. I'm sure that you recall all those statements you made to your fellow service members about how we shouldn't have stopped at the border and instead gone and cut out the head of the problem, but with age, I'm sure that memories fade...

Stop digesting the liberal media who want to paint this war and instead start talking again to your fellow service members who will be happy to tell you about how the people of Iraq feel about being liberated from a brutal dictator.

[counterpunch]

"Not a good reason."

[Soul Seeker]

Like I care.

This war is honorable, justified and a necessity. If it were not, I wouldn't support it.

Furthermore, we didn't start it.

If this guy has a different opinion, fine, he's welcome to it. But this isn't Vietnam and we're not going to be manipulated by detractors.

[joesnuffy]

When you are young and come under the influence of the Marxist anti war movement that had nearly come to dominate American culture since Vietnam...it's easy to be mislead
by the so called 'peace' movement...

After you have seen death pulled the trigger on other human beings a few times...it can get very depressing afterward and takes time to sort things out..

If you are the sympathetic verbal type used to expressing your own opinion its easy to take a position today that you regret tomorrow.... once you have gotten more mature and have more invested in our nation and it's freedoms (a wife, kids a home etc etc)

Some traumatic circumstances will dispose a person to positions they would never have taken otherwise... all things being equal...

It is too bad the left loves to glom on to combat veterans and then turn them to their own use which of course is not really anti war...but Anti American...

The left never objects to its allies making war or even its anti war leaders making war...Clinton in Kosovo for one the left even forgives Kerry in Vietnam, for another... once he turned communist...

Even Hollywood whores like Speilberg promoted WW2 as righteous as long as it was against the Nazis...yet he in his movies he tends to protect the commies... loves Fidel Castro...but hates Vietnam vets ...if they are anti communists that is..loves them even more if they are anti American (aka anti war)

Give the young Sgt some time...perhaps in the end he will see the light...in the mean time although he is dead wrong and opinionated... he has earned the right to speak his mind....It's just too bad he wont be able to see how the left is using him up...and will drain him..till he's burned all his bridges... if he continues to let them...

This guy needs Christians praying for him that he may see the light...his own salvation....get to know his savior and his nation as God intended rather than Marx's minions...Hopefully he will soon see them for who and what they are and awaken to their source of power and its darkness.

imo