I’m writing in response to the article, “US-Iraq War,” printed in last week’s Collegian. The article belonged on the Opinion page, not on the Dakota & World page.

The headline itself makes the conflict sound like it was one country versus another. We were not fighting their entire country. On the contrary, our goal was to dispose a brutal dictator and his regime, in turn making our country safer and giving the people of Iraq freedom. We were (and are) not fighting the Iraqi people.

The fifth paragraph says how U.S. citizens “heard about the countless deaths of Iraqi citizens and Unites States soldiers.” What about the celebration in the streets when U.S. soldiers rolled through? The death toll from the initial invasion was incredibly low when compared to other conflicts. Death is part of war. As a soldier myself, I do not like to hear about U.S. casualties, and as a human being, I don’t enjoy hearing about Iraqi civilian casualties either. But that is the cost of freedom. Americans need to realize this.

Twice, the article said that no one knows why we are still in Iraq. Are you kidding me? President Bush has repeated over and over that we are there now to help rebuild the country of Iraq, help them establish a representative democracy and help them overcome the setbacks they have been dealt over the past decades due to an unjust, corrupt and ruthless government. Every time he talks about Iraq he says this. Is it that hard to understand?

Let me finish by saying that I know things aren’t just peachy over there now. There are problems, and not the kind that go away overnight. However, the solution to the problems is not an immediate pullout like some want. That is an incredibly shortsighted idea and shows their ignorance on what is really happening in Iraq. In my opinion, success in Iraq depends more on the Iraqi people than what we do, but to be sure, they can’t do it alone. They need our help, like it or not.

I don’t remember who said it, but this quote rings true in many ways. “Peaceful men live in peace because brave men are willing to do violence on their behalf.”

Luke PermanSenior, Range Science