The War As They Saw It

Last month, seven soldiers serving in Iraq wrote an op-ed for the NY Times entitled 'The War As We Saw It'. In it, they stated that "To believe that Americans, with an occupying force that long ago outlived its reluctant welcome, can win over a recalcitrant local population and win this counterinsurgency is far-fetched," but also closed by stating that "As committed soldiers, we will see this mission through."

Unfortunately, only four of them remain there to see it through. One of the soldiers was shot in the head before the op-ed was even published... he survived, and is receiving treatment at a military hospital here in the States. This week, though, two of the other soldiers were killed in Iraq, both in a vehicle accident in Baghdad. A reminder of the real price people are paying for this war as we sit here and simply write about it.

Because the op-ed is behind the Times' pay subscription wall, Salon (click here to get a site cookie) has reprinted it in full. You can read it here: "The war as we saw it"