The Warrior and Truth

The Truth Laid Bare has the Heroes for Bush blogburst. Too funny.

Blackfive has this from a Reservist named James who's in Iraq:

"The one thing that is constant, however, is the Iraqi people's desire to be free and determine their own destiny as a nation. No matter who you talk to, they are a proud people that desire to make their own way. Freedom and the right to choose is something they have not experienced for thousands of years. Just as Afghanistan held its first elections in 5000 years, the elections in Iraq will provide the freedom this nation has not seen for generations.
The insurgents here use fear, just as Saddam did, to try to make the people submit to the insurgents control. They blow up, behead, and execute those that refuse to submit. Fear remains an effective tool pushing the average Iraqi around sapping their will to fight back. However, they are. I have seen and read of so many brave Iraqis fighting and dying for the privileged to vote and the ability to be free. It's when that freedom and self-determination has matured that we, the dog-footed soldier, will go home. "

This is from 'boots on the ground.' Maybe we don't trust the media anymore. None of us are sure what to believe because we hear things filtered through political lenses. James doesn't paint a perfect picture, and contrary to what the left says that we somehow believe that everything is great in Iraq, we know that things are hard, difficult, and terrible. Such is war.
James speaks of his friend who died in the war:

"Some will argue that Rob and our country threw away his life on a war that should have never been fought. I can understand the sediment but from my viewpoint as a soldier on the ground, there are things worth putting your life at risk for. The saying that freedom isn't free is as true today as it was for our forefathers.."

The left is wrong to think that there are not times that we wonder if the sacrifice of our boys is worth it. They are wrong to think that we don't worry that things are out of control. I watch and listen closely to the news stories out of Iraq. I surf the milblogs and Iraqi blogs. I read European news pieces. Each sometime tell a different story. So who do we believe?

I believe the warrior.

I believe the warrior because he sees what we do not, because he is the one putting his life on the line. There is honesty there borne out of his willing sacrifice.
He lives the war.

I believe the warrior.