by Sarah Sanny

Created on: July 30, 2008

I personally think the US government should view Iraq's request for our withdrawal with relief. We know they are grateful to us for getting Saddam out of power, but we have even said it ourselves that we would leave when they think they are ready to govern themselves and once they had their own non-dictatorship government in place. Well, both those things have now happened, and its time to leave them to it. I know a lot of people are concerned that us leaving would just leave it open to be infiltrated by bigger threats than the Taliban or Al-Qaida, but I think we've wasted too much time, effort, and money there, not to mention the many brave men and women who lost their lives there my godfather included.

I have a more personal interest than most in seeing us out of there I suppose. My dad is heading over to Iraq in a few weeks. We all hope he'll come back of course, but he is a helicopter pilot, and that puts him in a lot of danger over there. My godfather was also a pilot, but I know that if he and my dad could choose a way to die, it would be flying because they both love to fly. It gives me some comfort to know that my godfather died doing what he loves, and though I do still miss him after almost five years, I know he wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

My sister and her fianc are also in the service, as are two of my uncles. We are always worried about them, especially now, but we've learned from the past to always be prepared for the worst while hoping for the best. It helps us keep some sanity at least and when dealing with the military, that is definitely something you need sanity.

As much as I would like us to be out of there within the next week, I know that is not realistic, and I know it is selfish. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we helped them out over there, but they want us gone and we need to respect that. They want to be on their own, so why not let them? We have to take off the training wheels at some point, so I say the sooner the better. I realize it could be quite some time before we leave there, but hopefully we elect the right person who will get us out of that mess within the next 2 years. I respect both candidates who are running and while I have my choice made already, I will keep it to myself since this topic is not about whom we will vote for (although that does have bearing on the US pulling its troops out of Iraq). We also still have troops in Afghanistan, and some in Kuwait, which may be why there is beginning to be an increase in violence in Afghanistan. Let's not forget about bringing home those troops as well, not just the ones in Iraq.

As much as we all want to see immediate withdrawal from Iraq, it's not going to be that easy. Just yanking all the troops out at once will leave a bit of disruption and that may lead to some problems. I think if we manage to pull out within the next year or two, the Iraqi government will be just fine on its own. I think it'll be fine on its own anyway, but we also have to make sure we don't leave ourselves open for having to go back in again later (not that I'm advocating for that!).

I wish all our brave men and women good luck, and I hope more people will see the Iraqis wanting us out as a good thing, not just because they are anti-war, but because it will reunite separate families hopefully for good!

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