You Have No Idea…

Last night I was working, but my husband was watching Fox News in the other room. Hannity & Colmes was on and they went to a segment where they spoke with a guy from Hollywood who spent his own money to travel to Iraq and film what was going on there. I was curious, so I went in to watch.

His name is Pat Dollard and the videos on his site are extremely graphic as they are depicting what is really happening in Iraq. They are raw interviews with soldiers and Iraqis, graphic footage and foul language. Everything you would expect of young men in a war zone. But these videos convey more than just the ugliness of war. These videos give you a glimpse of why these young men and women are there fighting for freedom for the Iraqi people.

Be warned, if you are offended by foul language, cringe at the sight of blood or are offended by these soldiers praying to God that they will make it through the attack, then do not watch the videos. If you want your eyes opened, then by all means, watch them.

There is an interview with an Iraqi interpreter who speaks of the fact that his brother is dead and his family is begging him to come home before something happens to him.

“But I will not quit because I want to help my country. And if the Iraqis will not help their country, who will do it? Who will do it?”

Note: the insurgents find out which Iraqis are helping the Americans and are killing them and their families, so these Iraqis are putting themselves on the line, too.

The soldiers are not happy about the news media either. Time and time again they have been told that the media just wants to report their story and time and time again they have been betrayed. The real story is not getting out and Pat Dollard with his videos entitled Young Americans is trying to change that.

I met Pat during my second tour in Iraq. I was immediately stunned because here is a “filmmaker” from Hollywood, and he barely knows how to use his camera. (I went to film school and found it odd that he didn’t know too much). Being not only a Marine, but a Marine Officer, I had an innate distrust for media personnel. Not because we were conditioned to distrust the media, but because my Marines and unit were personally betrayed by the media; several times over. We would sit and watch a war on television that was advertised as our war, but was much different in reality. We watched as our bloodshed was wildly exploited as political cannon fodder. After hearing Pat’s story and having him live with me, keeping constant supervision of this possible media-serpent, I realized that he was something of an odd creature. What kind of person gives up his comfortable life to go to combat, and why? Why did this agent (not filmmaker) spend a ton of money on equipment and airfare just to come to Iraq? Why not someplace nice, like Thailand? Why is he intent on “telling the truth” when no one else would? What makes him any different? We have had many “truth tellers” come across our path, with promises of accurate reporting and honesty, only to be stabbed in the back by editorial perversions, liberal bias, and self serving reporters looking for the next big story. All the while operating under the careful care and security of the men they will soon betray.

Like most Marines who volunteer for service, looking to become a part of something larger than themselves; to live a life of sacrifice, fueled by purpose and truth, Pat Dollard himself answered a higher calling. He sacrificed all of his material possessions, and put his life on the line in order to tell the story that no one else wanted to tell. To think, this man could have, and almost did, die just so he could bring a reality to the American people that would otherwise be unknown. We live in a sheltered world, in this media bubble where our “truth” is based merely on what we receive from today’s media. And since we do not control what the media tells us, we do not control the truth; we are victims of it…

Bottom line: Prepare to have your opinion of this war changed forever.

Semper Fidelis, CPT. Iglesias

So, watch the videos putting aside the crudity to see what’s really happening in Iraq. You will be surprised.

The word needs to get out about what these soldiers are doing in Iraq and that it is not the raping and pillaging that most in the mainstream media would have us believe. This guys and gals are doing an amazing job, saving lives, selflessly giving of themselves and dying so that others may be free. As one soldier says:

Once you get here, you know, you see these people, you know, they’re living people just like back in America and you want to do what you can to help them….but we help them out, give them what we can to help them. You know, that’s our whole mission in this area is to support these people more than anything, clean up the insurgency.

This morning when I checked my email, there was an update to one of the blogs I read all the time called A Soldier’s Perspective. The update was about these videos as well and so, I felt that I should post about it. If CJ and the guys think it’s important to give you a glimpse into the hearts and minds of today’s soldiers, then I will do what I can to spread the word. So, please, check out the videos and definitely read A Soldier’s Perspective. Be prepared to have your eyes opened!