Sure-Shot
03-21-2004, 07:13 AM
REFLECTIONS ON THE WAR IN IRAQ
One year, five lives On March 20, 2003, the United States launched its assault against Saddam Hussein. Today, views of the conflict are as varied as those who were touched by it.
For The SunMarch 21, 2004 INFANTRYMAN
Shaun Loun
A North Kitsap High graduate, Loun has served in Iraq with the Army since April 2003. In the past 11 months I've slept on rooftops and gravel, in fly-infested warehouses and in ditches. On good nights, I've slept on a cot, using a towel as my pillow. I've kicked down doors and raided more than 100 homes. I've trudged through fields and orchards, searching for weapons and information. I've done patrols, roadblocks and hundreds of hours of guard duty. But as time goes by, improvements here in Iraq have been astounding. We now have water and power, air-conditioning and portable DVD players, Internet access and cheap phone service. Things are better for the Iraqi people, too. Order is returning; a new government is taking shape. All the same, I can't wait to get out. We've been shot at, attacked with rocket-propelled grenades, and countless mortars have rained down around us. Some bombs have not missed. A few days ago a roadside bomb hit my company's convoy as we returned from training. One man is in a coma right now, hanging on for his life. We don't know if he will make it. It easily could have been me. The most valuable lesson I've learned is to appreciate life's little luxuries. Not boats or summer homes, but running water, a home-cooked meal. Driving down the road without worrying that some piece of trash is really a bomb. But most of all, just being with family or friends. Being able to talk with my girlfriend. Giving my mom a hug, or catching a movie with my dad. Sometimes, we don't know how good we really have things in America. Spend some time over here and you will know. God bless America, land of the free because of the brave. •••
One year, five lives On March 20, 2003, the United States launched its assault against Saddam Hussein. Today, views of the conflict are as varied as those who were touched by it.
For The SunMarch 21, 2004 INFANTRYMAN
Shaun Loun
A North Kitsap High graduate, Loun has served in Iraq with the Army since April 2003. In the past 11 months I've slept on rooftops and gravel, in fly-infested warehouses and in ditches. On good nights, I've slept on a cot, using a towel as my pillow. I've kicked down doors and raided more than 100 homes. I've trudged through fields and orchards, searching for weapons and information. I've done patrols, roadblocks and hundreds of hours of guard duty. But as time goes by, improvements here in Iraq have been astounding. We now have water and power, air-conditioning and portable DVD players, Internet access and cheap phone service. Things are better for the Iraqi people, too. Order is returning; a new government is taking shape. All the same, I can't wait to get out. We've been shot at, attacked with rocket-propelled grenades, and countless mortars have rained down around us. Some bombs have not missed. A few days ago a roadside bomb hit my company's convoy as we returned from training. One man is in a coma right now, hanging on for his life. We don't know if he will make it. It easily could have been me. The most valuable lesson I've learned is to appreciate life's little luxuries. Not boats or summer homes, but running water, a home-cooked meal. Driving down the road without worrying that some piece of trash is really a bomb. But most of all, just being with family or friends. Being able to talk with my girlfriend. Giving my mom a hug, or catching a movie with my dad. Sometimes, we don't know how good we really have things in America. Spend some time over here and you will know. God bless America, land of the free because of the brave. •••