Final Word

The other side of war

An inside look at what the media does not cover

By Javier Tenorio
From the September 2008 Print Edition

As we get closer to our next presidential election, many Americans remain undecided on which candidate they will vote for. One thing is certain, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq top the list as one of the most important issues affecting this coming election. Whether you are for or against the war, you will side with the candidate that you agree with the most.

Sadly, there are many Americans who are unfazed by the Global War on Terrorism and go about their daily lives without ever stopping to think about our troops or our missions overseas. For some of these people, the most aggravating thing that happens to them is encountering a long line at the local coffee shop. Those of you who do follow the wars closely probably get most of your information from the mainstream media. I am sure that you have heard enough about war to make all the information go in one ear and out the other, but I can almost guarantee you that you have yet to hear about this war from someone who fought there and can shed light on what the media does not cover.

There is no single word that describes what war is like, but we can all agree that war is ugly. The media has done a good job portraying the violence and the aftermath of such violence through horrific pictures and video. During an anti-war rally in Berkeley this past March, on the 5th anniversary of the war in Iraq, I was confronted by protestors with a magazine article that displayed a picture of an Iraqi civilian holding a dead child. I was asked “Was this your target…to kill an innocent child?”

At first I was flabbergasted at the thought of being attacked with such ridiculous propaganda. I could not believe that such a picture could convince someone that our missions in Afghanistan and in Iraq were so flawed. I informed the protestor that the snapshot on the front cover of her magazine was one of millions of snapshots taken of the war zone and that her opinion of the war should not be based on the picture of the dead child. After my confrontation with the protester, I wondered how many more people out there felt the same way as this person. If you are one of these people, I hope that the following story will change your mind.

My boots touched the soft Iraqi soil in April of 2004. Over one year had passed since the U.S. led invasion had begun. This is about the time the insurgency activity picked up in the streets of Samarra, Iraq. I had mixed feelings on what I was about to face. Regardless of my feelings and emotions, I had a job to do and I did it to the best of my ability.

Due to the fact that my unit was embedded in a violent region of Iraq, we had the attention of our generals, politicians, and reporters. Reporters flocked to our location to videotape and take pictures of our unit in action. Dateline’s Tom Brokaw made an exclusive documentary titled To War and Back, showing the impact of war on an attached National Guard unit from New York. This National Guard unit fought alongside my unit on a daily basis and took the largest hit of casualties during our one year stay.

Our small patrol base in Samarra was host to a number of reporters from all over the world. Most reporters traveled individually rather than in large groups and their stay ranged anywhere from one to four days. They also traveled light so as not to take up much space in our already crowded military vehicles. Some reporters got the action that they came to see while many others left disappointed. Those that left disappointed continued their venture alongside other units until they got the footage they wanted.

Out of all the reporters that we hosted, none of my unit’s humanitarian aid missions were ever published or broadcasted. There were countless times when our families, church groups, and organizations would send care packages not only to our unit but to the local Iraqi children as well. These care packages were taken to the local streets and handed out.

I still remember the last Iraqi sunset I witnessed before my unit was replaced in February of 2005. I told myself that someday I would return to the war torn country as a tourist, not as a soldier, and that I would soon reunite with my many Iraqi friends. I hope that this vision of mine will still take place.

As the anniversary of September 11th approaches, let us not forget those that lost their lives that day and those that have lost their lives fighting to keep America safe. Let us not sacrifice the freedom that the Iraqi and Afghan people will someday have after we leave their country successfully. Do not let the media influence your opinion this coming election. Take into consideration what the media does not cover and the success that has been achieved up to this point

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