Proud to be an American?

Hello, my name is Amy, am a 19 year old, average American girl and I am here to tell you my war story. Out of my 19 years living I have spent 13 years of my life saying the pledge of allegiance every morning and singing “Star Spangled Banner” every Fourth of July. I guess one would say I was proud to be an American. I was proud to be a citizen of a country that promoted happiness, justice, democracy, and foremost, freedom for all. That’s why America fought in wars, to help those in need, serve justice, spread democracy, and promote freedom. When the Iraq war started in 2003 I didn’t think this one was any different. As President Bush declared war against Iraq he only confirmed my beliefs. This war was a war, the war, against terrorism. The U.S. was fighting against people who used fear and death to get desired results. It was America’s responsibility to once again come to the rescue and help people in dire need.
To win this war against terrorism we needed to stop Al Qaeda and capture the evil dictator Suddam Hussein. We also had to help the Iraqi citizens gain the human rights they rightfully deserved. Suddam Hussein had been a malevolent dictator, depriving his people of their natural rights and using torture on a regular basis. He was a threat to the entire civilized world not only because of his beliefs and practices, but I was also told that he had weapons of mass destruction. I was told this by my president, George Bush, a man who was suppose to think for the greater good of man kind and lead us, a man I trusted. I had been convinced that the Iraqi War was a fight to save lives. Whether it be the lives of innocent Iraqis, Americans, or potential victims of mass destruction, we were protecting them by destroying a prevalent source of evil in our world. Simply, we were the good guys and they were the bad guys.
I was never given a reason to question my reasoning. Actually, I was given every reason to continue my beliefs. During my sporadic encounters with news channels I would see the horror and violence in Iraq but that was only expected from combat. Paired with these pictures I would see proud soldiers saluting the American flag. Their pride gave me faith. If they were willing to give their lives for this cause than why would I ever doubt its legitimacy? The television would flicker with pictures of U.S. marines carrying wounded civilians, capturing suicide bombers, and Iraqi citizens thanking the soldiers for their fortitude. These men and woman were making the ultimate sacrifice; they were risking their own lives for others. They were defending the American name by fighting for human rights and freedom, they were truly heroes. I will never forget the day though when my feelings took a complete 360, my pride turned to disgust. For what I saw defied every belief I had been taught. It was a chilly spring morning when I was getting ready for school and my senses were quickly distracted from my cereal to the television. I heard phrases that were foreign to me, words that I had never heard paired together, like “American”, “torture”, “Iraq”, and “prisoner”. I couldn't put meaning to these phrases though; I quickly cocked my head and saw the giant picture on my 36” TV screen that will haunt me forever. It was a young American soldier holding a beaten Iraqi prisoner on a leash, like an animal. This photo was unlike any picture I had ever seen before on the news. This American wasn’t displaying pride and justice. This was a picture of serious misconduct and loss of moral values. Yet another picture flashed across the screen. This one was of a U.S. Soldier punching bound Iraqi prisoners. It was then I had to rush out of the house to go to school. I was left so confused. Those two pictures and several words completely obliterated all sense of leadership I felt we had in Iraq. I needed to know more.
That night my wish came true. The story of Abu Ghraib was all over the television, plastered across every headline. These pictures were of a U.S. soldiers stationed in Abu Ghraib prison and had been using the tactic of torture in interrogations. Americans were suppose to be helping the Iraqi and be fighting for their freedom, yet there they were, dragging beaten men, punching bound prisoners, and laughing at cruel torture.

I had lost hope in our troops; but I knew that our government would immediately punish this behavior and inhumane conduct.
I was only met with more disappointment though. During further inquiries on the event my trust turned to distain. I found that not only were the U.S. soldiers to blame but also the U.S. government, especially Bush and vice president Cheney. Torture had been outlawed in war with the Geneva Conventions, which was created to protect civilians and prisoners, but in 2002 Bush decided the Geneva Conventions wouldn’t apply to the Iraq War because Iraq had not signed it. Also in 2002, Donald Rumsfeld approves a new set of interrogation techniques for the military. These new tactics were the harshest ever; his list included all tactics except death and loss of bodily function, for those are considered torture. This created a permissible environment for the military, with these limitless limitations and basically no rules of engagement, Soldiers were allowed to do what needed to get results. They would use deadly dogs during interrogations, often when the prisoners were indeed innocent. They also kept them in stress positions for hours, even days at end. They would be handcuffed, beaten, stripped of all clothing, and then humiliated. Often they would provoke them with the idea of electrocution to get information. This was a Brazilian method adopted by the US, where a prisoner stands in a stress position hooked up to fake wires. At Abu Ghraib the torturing got out of hand. Unrecorded detainees were kept and several died from abuse. Pictures of badly beaten prisoners are proof that the torture tactic went to far. But in the soldier kind set his torture was victory, their own personal war. It is their way to fight against who they believe to be the enemy. This victory brings pleasure. This disgusting pleasure is noted in pictures of U.S. soldiers smiling over dead, beaten prisoners. Torture is simply inhumane and the fact that our government allows it is completely contradictory to what America stand for.

The soldier’s actions at Abu Ghraib were the debasement of everything Americans pride themselves on. The photos of the true U.S. soldiers don’t portray the same image Americans have of the Iraq War. The media and government say this is a war to help those in need and stop evil people, but the true U.S. soldiers are as uncivilized and unlawful as the terrorists themselves. After learning about the true war in Iraq I have lost pride and trust in my country. Without my personal inquisition I would have led my life blind to the truth. We are supposed to be fighting a war against terrorists but there is now a blur between the U.S. soldiers and the terrorists. If a terrorist is someone who uses fear and violence to get desired results than what would you call the soldiers at Abu Ghraib? America is involved in a war on terrorism but I believe people need to take a step back and ask who the terrorists are. The true war story of America is not one of pride and freedom, but of dishonor and hypocrisy.