We completed and passed our FEP. We have been deemed qualified and ready to go and serve in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. I’m enjoying a few days of liberty before we ship out. I return to San Diego Sunday evening. I have the final goodbyes with my family to get through. That will be hard. On the other hand, it will be good to actually get out there and start doing the job we are trained for.
I still believe in what we’re doing out there. There is now a lot of argument over WMD and why we are in Iraqi. I think the case for going into Iraq could have been better made. The whole WMD issue was unnecessary. Saddam’s blatant defiance of the UN and the Global Community necessitated a response in language that Saddam better understands. The book The Threatening Storm: The Case for Invading Iraq is a good primer on the history of Iraq, the history of conflict in Iraq, and why we should be in Iraq right now. We would do well to remember that no one wanted to take on Hitler either. It was almost too late when we did. Yet Hitler was undeniably an evil in the world that needed to be eradicated. And lastly, whatever else we might say there are 25 million who are now free from over 30 years of oppression.
I enjoyed hooking up with my buddy Jamie this morning. We went out to one of the local surf spots, drank coffee and talked about things shallow and deep. Kindred spirits are often hard to find in life. I always put high value on those I do find. I will be surfing vicariously through Jamie while I’m away. As such, I hope he gets lots of good waves.
Aloha