Soccer in Iraq and My Soapbox

Well, this is long overdue-
I am just going to let you see for yourself, judge for yourself and form your own opinion on what I have to share with those of you who decide to read this post. It might be too long for most of you and that’s ok- I don’t blame you but since I am turning my blog into a journal, I can’t leave this out. I am also adding my 2 cents at the very very bottom of this post.

Here are a few excerpts from my husband’s email he sent home after the tournament, and a few pictures.

(beginning of JC’s email)-
I know a lot of you are wondering how the Soccer Tournament turned out… it was a huge success!! Thank you so much for all of the love, donations and support. I have attached two articles that have been printed so far, and some pictures that you will enjoy. The tournament was amazing, with 21 teams total playing!! All of the equipment that was donated was either used - or given to the Director of Sports for the city of Fallujah to use in the Soccer league they will be forming based on the success of the tournament.
We are trying to schedule an exhibition soccer game against the city champions for sometime in March. Hopefully this one works out for us. I am so excited for the sports programs here. As you might have read in the article, they are looking at continuing with the success they are having and developing other sports programs for the youth as well. They had a foot race (I would like to call it a 5K, but it wasn’t that far) down main street in Fallujah the morning of the championship game and they followed that with a bike race (Tour de Fallujah) the same morning.
Things are going well here. I wish that the rest of the country was as secure as Fallujah. We have made great strides here the last 2 years (from last deployment to this year’s deployment has been night and day) and the people of Fallujah are actually attached to us. Most of them don’t want us to leave – hate the thought of us pulling out. We are training their police force hard – making sure that when we do finally pull out, that the city won’t collapse around their feet. We are currently fixing the city’s drainage system, roads, electricity, and we may even break into the Guinness book of world records for having the city with the most street lamps lit by solar power.
(end of JC’s email)

Ok, I have my soapbox that I like to stand on and state my opinions, but I don't feel very comfortable blabbing those opinions to the world- just my husband usually. So, if you read this, fine, but it is mostly for me to look back on down the road and remember how I felt at this time.

People often ask me how I feel about the war, and it surprises me how many of those people haven’t a clue what is going on over there and I don't blame them, I put partial- well most- blame on the media. Yes, the media will report what it wants to report and now that things are actually going well, you don't hear too much about the events taking place in Iraq. So yes, no news is good news because that means things are going well. Although I am here (with the news of a successful soccer tournament) to report a glimmer of hope in the lives of the Iraqis since the people whose job it is to report such events aren’t doing it. The thought of actually making George W. Bush look good might repulse some of our fellow citizens, particularly democrats/liberals. So you and I won't see anything positive come from all of the hard work my husband and many other men and women are engaged in at the moment.
I also don't blame the people who aren’t aware of what is going on because war isn't a part of everyone's lives like it was when we had the draft. The men and women in the armed forces today- VOLUNTEER. My husband chose to go to the Naval Academy- knowing he would owe the military five years after graduation. That is what Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton need to understand. I love how most liberals and democrats don't even know anyone serving in Iraq but they feel the need to insist on bringing our troops home, and accepting defeat.
If you ask me, it is only Common Sense that we stay in Iraq for the time being. Stay until the men and women of Iraq feel comfortable with the security of their country. The news won’t tell you how badly they want us there. The men and women of that country know what will happen if we leave.
Would I have liked having my husband here for the birth of my son? I would have given anything for him to be here, and I’d give anything for him to be here now- watching our son grow up. Do I think about the moments we’ve missed with the accumulation of his absence being over 14 months- YES. As much as I want my husband home, as much as any family member wants their loved one home, it would be selfish to ask of that. To leave helpless families on their own- to face terrorist groups they don’t want to be any part of. These are the things I have to remind myself of every single day. I have to remember the mothers who want their children to live in a peaceful land such as the one I’ve been so blessed to be born in. There is a purpose for all of this; it wouldn’t be happening if there wasn’t.
John 15:13- “Greater Love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
WHY not come home? because. . . we have worked way too hard to just quit. We have sacrificed too many lives to just quit. We have come soooooo far, especially after the troop surge. (There is less violence in the city of Fallujah than the city of Detroit, Michigan.)

I hope people understand the consequences of pulling out, but I'm afraid they don't- otherwise there wouldn't be a single person voting for Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton. There will be consequences as there are for all of our actions. We just need to ask ourselves if we want those consequences to be positive or negative. I was terribly sad when Romney pulled out of the race for the Presidential election, and I swore I wouldn't vote for McCain, but I'm too afraid not to. I'm not saying Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton are bad people, I just don't think they are very smart.

And that is all I have to say.
Leaving Soapbox;-)