Horrific images, but very neccessary. War is not all about right and wrong, or defending your country, your flag or your beliefs it's about people and the harsh reality that
those of us tucked safely in our homes never see. Take a look at Omar's arm and tell me again why this war, any war has to take place. Take a look, THINK, and FEEL...

Hey Leah,

Please remove your head from your ass. Omar survived, he's being put back together, and 50 million people in Afghanistan and Iraq no longer live under tyranny that routinely inflicted worse things than what Omar is suffering.

Oh those are graphic. war sucks yet this all escalled out of control. I just heard in downtown la. al quada was planning an attack here but because of tough security they could not pull it off. I do beleive in preventing further deaths but in order for us to be safe now a days we have to be ready to do whatever is neccesary thats just one opponion mine.Sort of the thing I was taught 2 wrongs dont make it right!!!!!!!!! kevin your work is appreciated be safe

Kevin,

This is a hard post to read. I do not think anyone can look at the pictures and not be moved. War and conflict bring about terrible things. Just look at what happened in Iraq on March 31. On the other hand, what are we fighting for? Sometimes I think we have become too insulated to the way things sometimes work in some parts of the world. Conflict resolution strategies and talking out our differences do not work everywhere. Sometimes force is needed with all its horrible results. In the end though, you have to look at the long-term goals. We are fighting for Western laws and values. If we are talking about limbs, how many have we saved since we have stopped the Taliban in Afghanistan from cut off hands when they were following Sharia law? Even in your very post, we are fighting for a world where a Kurd can walk to into a Turkomen hospital and receive prompt service. Will this come about instantly? Maybe not, but we are on the right track. In the end, I will have to say that Omar's arm is one of the many horrible and painful casualties in the fight for a better world. Will this help drive away his nightmares at night? I do not know. Maybe. The thing I can hope for though is that his children will not have any.

Matt

Eric,
 I'm sorry you missed the point of my message. War is so often packaged as the Patriotic thing to do, the right thing, the good thing. Many people blindly follow and simply wave the flag and send good men to die. Yes atrocities have been committed, are being committed all over the world. If we could wave a magic wand and stop them all that would be great but the world doesn't work that way. Do you really think we are over there to "save" the world? We went to war because we felt threatened by those mysterious weapons of mass destruction. Now that the "war" is over we are not welcomed with open arms. Some
of the people we "saved" from tyranny think we are the tyrants. Omar's arm simply should make us all think of the reality of war. It's not black and white, right and wrong. It's not a reality show that we watch on the evening news, it's blood and gore and death. It's fear. It's losing an arm, a friend, a life. All I'm saying is we need to be aware of the human consequences of a war and maybe the reality will help us avoid more wars in the future.

Thanks for the continued insights, Kevin. We need your channel to complement what we see on TV and hear on radio.

Leah writes "tell me again why this war, any war has to take place..."

Either this is a joke or you are the most historically ignorant person ever to use a computer.

"All I'm saying is we need to be aware of the human consequences of a war and maybe the reality will help us avoid more wars in the future."

Leah, we are all aware. Trouble is, as long as there is more than one religion in the world, there will always be wars. As long as there are maniacs who will kill and rape for money and power, there will be wars. "World Peace" is an unreachable goal.

"Yes atrocities have been committed, are being committed all over the world."

You acknowledge these things take place, but do not advocate war to prevent them because they do not affect you personally. You have no honor.

Nate,
  So what you are saying is that as long as people disagree violence is the solution, and that the best way to prevent atrocities is to commit more atrocities. And you say I have no honor.

Leah,
Omar's arm was shot by an AK-47. That means that his arm was nearly destroyed by a resistance fighter -- not by a US soldier. His arm should be explanation enough as to why we go to war. His story after his wound should provide plenty of reasons as to why we should advance our way of life.
When you say these things --
"Horrific images, but very neccessary. War is not all about right and wrong, or defending your country, your flag or your beliefs it's about people and the harsh reality that
those of us tucked safely in our homes never see."
--you are right, but I think that there is a disconnect in your understanding of this war and possibly others, because you have forgotten why people go to war.

Saddam killed many people like Omar just because they were Kurds. Saddam ruled ruthlessly and killed thousands of people. He needed to be stopped and removed from power. It takes a war to do that.

I realize that you don't like to see atrocities, but you should note that the US and its allies went out of their way to kill and harm as few people as possible in their efforts to oust Saddam and keep peace in Iraq. The Iraqis in power with Saddam and these resistance fighters do not make the same efforts. They shoot at civilians, cameramen, women, and probably anyone else in the way of their efforts to kill American soldiers. Remeber when you look at Omar's arm again that it was damage caused by an AK-47 and that Omar is a camera man.

There is still a lot for you to learn about the differences between US warfare and the Arab counterparts. One quick example is the way US firearms differ from the Russian made firearms that the resistance fighters use. Bullets shot from AK-47s and AK-74s yaw dramatically when they strike human flesh, whereas US firearms rarely ever yaw inside a body causing a much straighter, cleaner wound. This makes for much less of an atrocity than the weapons of the resistance fighters, because the wound is easier to treat and less indelicate.

I bring that up as an example of the difference in the way these two sides are fighting. The US is exacting, purposeful, and precise. We have three objectives -- oust Saddam, keep peace in the interim, restore Iraqis to power in a secular government. The resistance has two objectives -- kill the occupying US soldiers and create chaos.

By fighting a war they can't possibly win they are doing nothing more than creating chaos and shedding blood.

this has just got to stop , have we not learned that fighting does not solve anything.Just more pain and dispare?

Edited by author 05-17-2004 02:59 PM
Horrible pictures and a good story, but who ever said war was pretty? For those that do not know it is riddled with pain, injuries and death. There is a good reason some vets lose their mind somewhere down the road. War is an unfortunate but necessary evil I believe.

One should expect deaths when opposing forces are running around trying to kill one another... it is kind of the point. Friendly fire, innocents, press and others injured/killed on the sidelines are hard to stomach sometime. Iraq is a unique arena for warfare, or I should say hit and run attacks at this point.

The freedoms and prosperity we enjoy (US Citizens) were paid in blood and sacrifice during the birth of our country. Would someone agree that war was OK in that situation? I would think so.

While I do sympathize with Omar(who wants to get shot in the arm?), it is an inherent risk with his job due to the location. I do hope he rehabilitates and recovers well.

I have mixed feelings about the press in war time situations... as do a great deal of soldiers in the field. However, in our current situation where several of the Arab media outlets are false propaganda machines, it is beneficial to have media on hand. I'm not so sure how great our media is sometimes, but in the least it is a lesser evil. Kind of like choosing war....

I really hate to see the blood, the tears, but sometimes it really exist.

I have a nephew leaving for Iraq soon. All I have to say about this war is, if we are fighting a war, I hope the hell it is not as a result of incorrect infromation about WMD's that was passed on by some con man named Ahmed Chalabi who was informing us with blatantly false info just so he could become the next President of Iraq. Think about this for a momment. Our government entered a war where apprx 750 U.S. soldiers have died because they were listening to one man about WMD's. And nothing, not one single WMD has been found that I have heard about. Our intervention in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kuwait, all have been necessary. But what has been found to be the big deal within Iraq? The US govt. doesn't find it necessary to intervene in the African nations where atrocities are being committed as we speak. Don't be too naive to realize this is, was, and always will be a war about revenge, and oil. And if my nephew is going over there to fight, I at least want a spade to be called a spade and admitt what we are fighting for. We are not fighting to save the people of Iraq. If that was the case, we would have troops in equally important places around this world. If I sound unPatriotic, I don't mean to. All I believe is we are in a war that was and is not for the reasons George Bush says we are there for. And as a consequence we haven't completed the job in Afghanistan that needed the troops we have in Iraq to help complete. Let's not forget our young men that have wounds worse (not to make light of Omar's) than this young man's. Are their sacrifices in vain. Will you give your life for a lie. If my nephew is going to die, at least tell the real reason. And make damn sure the intellegence gathered to begin a war is credible.