Your photo of the day:
Taken from the Army Times story on field medic Joseph P. Dwyer at the time of an intense gun battle on the banks of the Euphrates:
"We didn't want to get too close to the village knowing that there could be possible enemy there," he went on. "We saw him with the child. He came running out to where we had the hospital set up."And then he and some other soldiers, guns at the ready, bolted from cover to help. Dwyer reached the father and grabbed his son from him, cradling the young boy in a protective embrace as he raced back to safer ground.
The boy, about 4 years old, "grabbed right onto to me, that was the weird thing," Dwyer said. "The kid was doing all right. I could feel him breathing real hard and I was just carrying him and he didn't cry one bit and you know he was a cute little kid.
"He was scared, though, you could tell."
"You know, for (the father) to trust us to take his child over and know that we'd take care of him, maybe it's just me being optimistic, but I think it was a good feeling knowing he trusted us to take care of his child.
"It was a little kid. I have little nieces and nephews back home. … It was just a kid, it wasn't an enemy. This is what I signed up to do, to help people."
That day was the first time Dwyer treated any wounded. The little boy had a broken left leg, but Dwyer says he'll make a quick recovery.
Though gratifying as the encounter may have been, it left Dwyer with some lingering concerns; he wishes he could talk to the family.
"I wonder how they felt about us," he said. "I mean if I was in their position, and this was going on, I'd be mad at me, you know, for being here. I don't know. I wouldn't mind being able to talk to him, that's for sure."
You know stuff like this happens every damn day, without getting so much press attention.
Remember, kids, America is just exactly like Nazi Germany in the 1930s.
Dean, this stuff is, in a way, very ancient history. We encountered something similar in World War Two. As Bill Mauldin pointed out in Up Front there's no counting how many kids in central Italy in 1943-44 had the same name as the Medic who delivered him, way back when.
Hell, at least one kid in northern Iraq has the name "Dick Cheney", and -supposedly- his younger brother will soon named George Bush.
This is something that the anti-war, "Imperial America" types just can't understand: that the Civil Affairs department of the US Army has done more for good publicity than all the spin doctors in the world...
To me, this statement speaks volumes:
"You know, for (the father) to trust us to take his child over and know that we'd take care of him, maybe it's just me being optimistic, but I think it was a good feeling knowing he trusted us to take care of his child."
The pro-war crowd (which I am proudly a part of) has been criticized for being overly optimistic about how Iraqi's would respond to U.S. soldiers. In fact, our mistake was underestimating just how ruthless the thugs who are tied to Saddam's regime would behave. (It has been 20 years now since I last read "1984" - guess my understanding of totalitarian psychology is a little rusty.)
After reading the quote above, and many others like it, I remain convinced that when the people of Iraq are sure Saddam is gone, truly gone, and his henchmen are on the run and looking for a hole to hide in, U.S., British, and Australian soldiers will be treated as liberators.
One other prediction while I'm at it. I don't know how many human shields remain in Iraq, but if there are any, when this thing ends those people are going to be in serious danger from some really pissed off Iraqis. It would be poetic irony if they had to be rescued by coalition forces.
"Remember, kids, America is just exactly like Nazi Germany in the 1930s." Pardon, but what exactly does this mean?
Mel: there is a smallish--but nowhere near small enough--clique who insist that our war efforts are akin to Nazism, and that America is sliding into an oppressive fascist dictatorship, the proof of which is to be found in this war.
Political figures such as Ted Rall and Michael Moore put these ideas out, just to name two names. Such comparisons are also quite frequently made by "peace" protestors, both in America and around the world.
This idiocy needs to be answered. Thus the genesis of my sarcastic comment.
I think he is a courageous young man and there are so many more in Iraq right now, it is scarey. These soliders are Americans through and through and they love their country which has taught them to love others. And this man deserves our greatess of graditude for being there and being a good solider and most of all a good person born and raised grade A number 1 American. He represents the American people in more ways than one and he represents America with or without his uniform on.
God Bless Him and Keep him and his commandres safe.
He's known affectionately as "Doc". He cared for friend and foe alike. I was in an infantry unit in the first Gulf War and he was in the thick of it with the rest of us. Our soldiers gave up our own meals and supplies to help Iraqi civilians and treated them when we could. I'm proud of "Doc" and all of our other fighting men and women out there.
I have only one question for all of these anti-war protestors out there. If you're simply anti-war and NOT anti-US, then where were you and the rest of the global protestors when Russia flattened Grozny (TWICE) with "dumb" bombs? They didn't care if they killed civilians or not. Where were you?
When small children were hacked in the head with machetes in Rwanda and thousands died in mass genocide, where were you?
When thousands of Muslims and Croat civilians were slaughtered during the Balklan War, where were you.
When Bill Clinton without even consulting the UN fired 375 Tomahawk missle into Baghdad after the inspectors pulled out. Where were you?
Now when Iraqi's are forced to be used as human shields and are executed by Sadaam's street thugs, where is YOUR outrage? The fact is yes, you are anti American, otherwise you'd be more consistent with your protests. The other real sad fact is that your intense hatred for anything republican blinds you to everything. I don't believe that Bush handled prior 9-11 foreign poolicy well at all, but at least be honest with yoursselves that I've spoken the truth.
The first thing I have to say is how sick to my stomach it makes me that even in the light of true heroism (I mean, look at this guy in the picture) there will always be someone to rear cynicism and pessimistic views. And even sadder that you can criticize this great country whose freedom you are enjoying while soldiers like PFC Dwyer are making heartfelt sacrifices to uphold America and all of the greatness that WE stand for. Just a side-note: my husband is friends with PFC Dwyer...in fact, he was with him that day in Iraq just inches from the view of the camera that shot this photo. And, I'm glad to correct that there was nothing facist or Nazi about what this and all the other soldiers are doing all over the world--especially the one in the photo. You used him as a poster boy to display your thoughts on a 'Nazi-America.' What a sad mistake. Too bad you'll never be lucky enough to meet this soldier--maybe you could apologize and then thank him graciously.