I grew up in the Seattle area, as much as I hate to admit it at times. I posted this on SWJ last month after returning off leave from there. The whole Tacoma protester fiasco was happening at the same time. Here's a snapshot of what life is like in Seattle now.
BLUF:
The fact that I'm in the military doesn't license others to express to me their opinion of the government, POTUS, the Global War on Terror, or, in particular, how things are going in Iraq, especially if they haven't left their local area in the last 5 years or ever served in the military. Additionally, this subject is much like asking a celebrity for an autograph when he or she is out an about with his or her family. In short, a bit rude, especially when coupled with the knowledge that there are certain things military members cannot talk about.
First, let me put things in context...
About four weeks ago I was at Hec Edmundson Pavillion in Seattle, Washington to watch the High School Boys 3A Basketball State Quartefinals. I went with my Mom and Dad whom I've seen but three times in the last two years on account of being gone like most of you. A friend of my parents who was sitting two rows ahead of us and knew that I had been in Iraq twice told me that it was nice to see me,
which was the catalyst for a high school wrestling coach sitting in the row between us to believe he just got the green light to tell me what he thought. So the high points are:
1. I'm on vacation with long hair and an unshaven face wearing no article of clothing identifying me as a member of the military.
2. I'm a paying spectator at a high school basketball game.
3. I'm sitting in the middle of a row with no polite way to escape.
So there I was...
The first question which is always asked is "Is it as bad as we see on TV?" Nine times out of ten this is the verbal cold barrel shot downrange at the unsuspecting servicemember. As always I explain that perception will always be personal reality for the American people and they believe what they see, no matter whether it is correct or not. I also acknowledge that the media is a business and it sells more copies if we talk about suicide bombers instead of schools built. He told me that reality was reality, especially if it's the perception (this statement came back to bite him in the ass later).
Regardless of the answer, any answer for said servicemember precipitates the second STATEMENT (not question) which is usually directly tied to the question asker's opinion of the current American government administration. I usually deflect this by saying that my perception of what is going on in Iraq is formed off of 24 months of experience in country, not the perception or personal opinion of the administration. The logical algorhyth, so follows that any talk about the administration is irrelevent to the topic of Iraq, which they initiated in the first place.
Most (not all and certainly not the clown that night) take this as a hint that political ramblings or opinions of a sitting President will not exit my head through my mouth. I'm a believer that political views should (for the most part) be kept private until voting day and expressed through a certain outlet called the voting box.
This guy didn't take the hint.
His follow up puzzled me, since my five year old daughter evidently understands geography better than this employee of the Seattle Public School System.
He asked me what I thought about the Shia Iranians taking over part of western Iraq. I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I believe my edge was a bit more honed that this guy. He seemed confused when I didn't think that was physically possible and began to draw a map of the area on a concessions napkin to show him how far away from western Iraq that Iran really is.
The subject went back to POTUS and administrative integrity (which seemed to be his fallback subject when he started talking about something he knew nothing about), which I immediately told him had nothing to do with what I do on a day to day basis in Iraq. Regardless of who is in Washington DC my mission remains what it was in April 2003; to provide safety and security to 26 million Iraqis who deserve it as much as we do.
The family friend who inadvertantly started this knew I was in Al Anbar the first time I was there and asked about my multiple explosions (which, by the way, were in OIF I) and how they had affected me. This is where I got pissed. Opportunistic Public School employee thought this was a good way to make the point that things weren't better because "look at how many time even you say you were blown up." I, as calmly as a could at that time and space, told him that his rebuttal was using incidents over 3 years ago and instances he knew nothing about. When I explained that my second tour I came into contact only a handful of times, he told me that it was because I was in an "easy" area the second time.
I asked him if he knew where Tal Afar was. He really didn't. I asked him if he knew what salafism or takfirrism is. He didn't. I asked him if he'd ever been to Iraq. He hadn't. I asked him if he knew about an operation in Northern Iraq a year and a half ago which was identical to the plan being implemented today in Baghdad. He hadn't. I told him he really had no idea what he was talking about and I really didn't wish to dignify the conversation with a continuance.
He then told me that he supported the troops even though he didn't agree with what we were doing. (I usually throw the bullshit flag out on this). I told him I didn't buy the first part of his thesis if the second held true (part of me at this point just wanted to disagree with everything this guy had to say). He asked me if a lot of servicemen felt that way. I said that most did. He told me that didn't reflect the reality of the situation.
I closed with telling him that was the perception of the American serviceman and, as he said earlier "reality is reality, especially if it's the perception."
My mother was sitting next to me the whole time and stayed uncharacteristically quiet (she's a redheaded Irishwoman with a volitile mouth). For the first time in recent memory she told me she was proud of me and that she was getting close to punching this guy in the throat.
I went back to eating $5 hotdogs with my Mom and Dad and enjoyed some high school basketball.
Linear Mode
