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07-20-08, 11:47 AM
Sunday JULY 20, 2008 :: Last modified: Sunday, July 20, 2008 2:06 AM MDT
Vets say U.S. military should stay
By JARED MILLER
Star-Tribune staff writer
CHEYENNE -- Most everyone has an opinion about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, including the Wyoming men and women who served in the conflicts.
Many veterans who spoke to the Star-Tribune said they think the United States made the right choice in invading Iraq in 2003, and they hope the nation’s political leaders stay committed to the work there.
Mike Alverson, who served in Iraq with the Wyoming Army National Guard, said the United States did the right thing when it took on the old Iraqi regime, and the nation has to "stay and fight."
"If you want my honest opinion, if Bush didn’t do this, we would have the war on our doorstep, our streets, our country," said Alverson, also a former Marine. "Instead of letting the fight come here, we took it to them."
Others are still stinging from the "misleading" methods the Bush administration used to try to convince the public that Iraq posed a threat to the American people.
"As a soldier serving in the United States Army and serving this country, we were told it was about weapons of mass destruction. That’s why we went there," said Robert Niezwaag Jr. of Riverton, a former noncommissioned officer with the Army.
"I didn’t see one WMD. I didn’t see one chemical round, none of that. I think the government (lied) to get in there," he added.
On the other hand, Niezwaag said, he was sickened to see the rich lifestyle Saddam Hussein lived -- including gold-plated toilets in his palaces -- while common Iraqis struggled to get by in mud huts and endured dire poverty.
"So I’m glad we got rid of him and he’s dead," said Niezwaag, adding that the situation is now obviously very complicated, and he sees no short-term solutions.
Here’s what a few other Wyoming service members had to say about the wars in the Middle East:
* Staff Sgt. Chris Hickman of Douglas, who served two tours in Iraq and now works at the Antelope Coal Co. Mine, said he has generally supported the war since it began five years ago.
People have to understand, Hickman said, that when you go through a country like the U.S. military did, and basically destroy it, you have to help rebuild those people’s lives.
He said the Iraqi people were under Saddam’s power for many years, and now they have to build back their country, and they need our help.
Hickman said he saw evidence of some progress on his second tour.
"And in that second tour, I could see some of the positive changes happening there," he said. "And I don’t see any problem with going back and doing it all over again."
* Cody Feeback, a former Marine from Sheridan who joined the military after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, said the United States is doing the right think in Iraq, and the country needs to finish the job.
Feeback said he doesn’t like to second-guess military leaders, but he thinks it's time for the U.S. military to start turning over more responsibilities to the Iraqi government and military.
He also said the U.S. military, somewhat hobbled by politics, has been giving the insurgents too many chances. He’d like to see more decisive military action against the enemy, not a retreat.
"If we pull out now, it’s just going to go back to the way it was, and everybody who died died for nothing, in a way," said Feeback, who works in the coal-bed methane industry.
* Jay Thurin of Pine Bluffs, a former lance corporal in the Marines, said the U.S. military needs to stay in Iraq and Afghanistan until "we accomplish what we need to accomplish," even if it means losing more U.S. service members.
"The people who are sacrificing are people and kids who knew what they were getting into," said Thurin, who has two Purple Hearts from injuries he suffered in Iraq.
"The way I look at it, if we’re over there, they aren’t over here," Thurin said, referring to enemies of the United States.
Star-Tribune staff writers Jeff Gearino and Kristy Gray contributed to this report.
Reach reporter Jared Miller at (307) 632-1244 or by e-mail at jared.miller@trib.com.
Ellie
Vets say U.S. military should stay
By JARED MILLER
Star-Tribune staff writer
CHEYENNE -- Most everyone has an opinion about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, including the Wyoming men and women who served in the conflicts.
Many veterans who spoke to the Star-Tribune said they think the United States made the right choice in invading Iraq in 2003, and they hope the nation’s political leaders stay committed to the work there.
Mike Alverson, who served in Iraq with the Wyoming Army National Guard, said the United States did the right thing when it took on the old Iraqi regime, and the nation has to "stay and fight."
"If you want my honest opinion, if Bush didn’t do this, we would have the war on our doorstep, our streets, our country," said Alverson, also a former Marine. "Instead of letting the fight come here, we took it to them."
Others are still stinging from the "misleading" methods the Bush administration used to try to convince the public that Iraq posed a threat to the American people.
"As a soldier serving in the United States Army and serving this country, we were told it was about weapons of mass destruction. That’s why we went there," said Robert Niezwaag Jr. of Riverton, a former noncommissioned officer with the Army.
"I didn’t see one WMD. I didn’t see one chemical round, none of that. I think the government (lied) to get in there," he added.
On the other hand, Niezwaag said, he was sickened to see the rich lifestyle Saddam Hussein lived -- including gold-plated toilets in his palaces -- while common Iraqis struggled to get by in mud huts and endured dire poverty.
"So I’m glad we got rid of him and he’s dead," said Niezwaag, adding that the situation is now obviously very complicated, and he sees no short-term solutions.
Here’s what a few other Wyoming service members had to say about the wars in the Middle East:
* Staff Sgt. Chris Hickman of Douglas, who served two tours in Iraq and now works at the Antelope Coal Co. Mine, said he has generally supported the war since it began five years ago.
People have to understand, Hickman said, that when you go through a country like the U.S. military did, and basically destroy it, you have to help rebuild those people’s lives.
He said the Iraqi people were under Saddam’s power for many years, and now they have to build back their country, and they need our help.
Hickman said he saw evidence of some progress on his second tour.
"And in that second tour, I could see some of the positive changes happening there," he said. "And I don’t see any problem with going back and doing it all over again."
* Cody Feeback, a former Marine from Sheridan who joined the military after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, said the United States is doing the right think in Iraq, and the country needs to finish the job.
Feeback said he doesn’t like to second-guess military leaders, but he thinks it's time for the U.S. military to start turning over more responsibilities to the Iraqi government and military.
He also said the U.S. military, somewhat hobbled by politics, has been giving the insurgents too many chances. He’d like to see more decisive military action against the enemy, not a retreat.
"If we pull out now, it’s just going to go back to the way it was, and everybody who died died for nothing, in a way," said Feeback, who works in the coal-bed methane industry.
* Jay Thurin of Pine Bluffs, a former lance corporal in the Marines, said the U.S. military needs to stay in Iraq and Afghanistan until "we accomplish what we need to accomplish," even if it means losing more U.S. service members.
"The people who are sacrificing are people and kids who knew what they were getting into," said Thurin, who has two Purple Hearts from injuries he suffered in Iraq.
"The way I look at it, if we’re over there, they aren’t over here," Thurin said, referring to enemies of the United States.
Star-Tribune staff writers Jeff Gearino and Kristy Gray contributed to this report.
Reach reporter Jared Miller at (307) 632-1244 or by e-mail at jared.miller@trib.com.
Ellie