Alumni says US presence in Iraq having positive results

Written by: the Site Administrator on September 7, 2008 at 3:39 pm

Staring out from his F-16, Lt. Colonel Craig Hollis smiled as he noticed more hospitals, schools and electrical lines dotting the Iraqi landscape below.

While the glimpse was brief and moments like this are rare, Hollis said they remind him of the positive things the troops are doing in Iraq.

“It is still an unpopular war, but people are not getting all of the positive pictures in America,” Hollis said. “The troops are helping build schools, get towns electricity, and women certainly have more rights now than before.”

According to Hollis, women now have what Americans consider “simple” rights, such as walking down the street, going to school and voting.

“It is just a wonderful thing because you can just see the change from the previous regime,” Hollis said. “I can only hope they are more empowered and happy now that they can use these rights.”

However, it is not only women embracing their newfound freedom.

“The men are also excited about their freedom and having a say in their government,” Hollis said. “There are thousands of Iraqi men volunteering to serve in the Iraqi Security Forces, taking major responsibility in their country and opening the door to bringing U.S. servicemen and women home.”

And noticing how the Iraqis treat their freedom and how willing they are to sacrifice their lives made Hollis appreciate his own freedom more.

“Over there you get an appreciation for what we have in America because a lot of times we take it for granted,” Hollis said. “I flew over refugee camps, and it is just amazing to see what the Iraqi people have endured and how far they have come over the last year.”

Even a simple task like voting, Hollis said, is something the Iraqis take seriously.
“In America, we often take our right to vote for granted, but over there, people will stand in line for hours knowing they could be killed by a suicide bomber who disagrees with their politics,” Hollis said. “But they do it anyway because they want a say in their country and embrace a freedom they have never had.”

However, Hollis said Americans do not know about the Iraqis usings their freedoms in a positive way because the media does not cover it.

“Americans do not know all the great strides that are being made because Iraq is no longer on the forefront of media coverage,” Hollis said. “Positive results just do not sell as much.”

Although the media tends to not show the positive coverage, Hollis said things are better and he can see it every day.

“Just so people know, the surge did work. I know because I flew over every major city in Iraq and on almost every street corner, kids are playing soccer, people are shopping and going to the market places, local citizens have allied with the U.S., and Iraq is almost completely rid of Al-Qaeda,” Hollis said. “So people can be assured that the troops are doing an amazing job and we are getting it done.”