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| Tallahassee: Iraq Vets Publicize Accomplishments "Over There" |
| 2007-03-19 |
| During his two tours in Iraq, Capt. Ray Spaulding battled insurgents, protected a power plant that provides Baghdad with 40 percent of its electricity and provided security for the legislative elections of January 2005, the country's first multiparty vote in more than half a century. He takes pride in those accomplishments. “In our area, we had the highest percentage of voters, and we had no casualties with the civilians,” said Spaulding, a graduate of Florida A&M University who lives in Tallahassee. “We were very proud of it because there were a lot of folks who had never voted before.” The 18-year veteran of the Marine Corps says he welcomes the debate about America's role in Iraq, but he and other local veterans don't want their accomplishments to be forgotten or discounted. Veterans in the Big Bend and elsewhere are getting together to make sure the good things they did are publicized. That way, the public will know what really went on in Iraq, said Spc. Dan Rosenthal, president of Florida State University's Collegiate Veterans Association. The association, which has about 50 members, was formed in 2005 to support college-age veterans and provide them services, advocacy and a social network, he said. Pundits and politicians debate whether those accomplishments are worth the U.S. blood and money the war has cost - more than 3,100 troops killed and about $400 billion spent. But for the troops, those accomplishments give meaning to their sacrifices. “I feel very strongly about the work that we did over there,” said Maj. John Croushorn, a Lincoln High School graduate who helped save lives as a medical officer attached to an Army combat aviation unit. “My personal belief is that there are a lot of hearts and minds being changed.” Croushorn, now an emergency-room doctor, flew all over Iraq, often seeing waves from the Iraqis on the ground. “Those people believe more in freedom than some people in this country,” he said, giving the example of what happens after a bombing kills Iraqis lining up to join security forces. “They symbolically put a cardboard table over the blast hole, and there are 120 in line the next day,” he said. “It's a side of sacrifice that I don't think is clearly communicated back home sometimes.” Croushorn says there aren't enough reporters on the ground to provide news beyond the grisly bombings and death tolls. He pointed out that at one point last year, the number of journalists embedded with coalition troops dropped to nine - down from about 750 when the war began, according to the Pentagon. Some soldiers have started telling their own stories to compensate for what they see as a lack of information about coalition accomplishments. They're writing books when they return or reporting from the front lines in e-mails and blogs. Others have formed organizations such as FSU's Collegiate Veterans Association, whose aims include community outreach. "We want the community to know who we are,” said Rosenthal, a senior political-science major from Palm Beach Gardens who served with the National Guard in Iraq. “There's a feeling that our stories aren't being told, and we want them to be told.” Those stories include pride in their units' military accomplishments, from the initial push into Baghdad to toppling Saddam Hussein. “We removed a regime that was a bloody dictatorship,” said Spc. Josh Mears, a former member of the Florida National Guard. “We weren't getting the right supplies or the right gear, but we found a way to make it happen.” The New York Times and CNN may refuse to tell the whole story, but those involved are ensuring the story is being told. Men and women trained to make clear objectives, then accomplish them, have set themselves the task of informing the public. What task will they set themselves next? |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #1 I can't believe I missed this. Dawgwood fever I guess. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2007-03-19 17:39 |