Rheaa

With Honor, For Our Heroes Death. It is not easy for anyone to be associated with the term. Death is a universal fear that gives everyone a chill to think about. When a country is in a time of war, it is hard not to reflect on the soldiers’ fate. Stories of the horror that goes on over in Afghanistan  and  Iraq  makes it seem like there is no hope for survival. Our country is at a depressing loss during times like these, when our own brothers, sisters, and neighbors are fighting for our lives and freedom. One of the important topics our country is concerned with is how many of our soldiers is the war worth to lose. The war in Iraq recently celebrated its five year anniversary on March 19, 2008. Within these short five years, the total death count comes out to approximately 80,000-90,000. Shocked? So am I.   One main reason why war is unwanted is because of the horrors that come along with it. Since the beginning of the war, the death count for the United States comes out to be a reported 4,071; a confirmed 4,067, with four pending deaths (Box: US Confirmed Deaths). In April, 2008, the total number of United States ’ deaths comes to 52 people with an average of 1.73 per day (Transportation Fatalities by Mode). Back in America, the total car accident fatalities of April, 2008 adds up to about 3,510 with an average of 117 deaths per day. Within the past five years, the death ratio of United States ’ troops to car accident deaths is 2/105, or, for every two people that die in the war, there are one hundred five people dead from a car accident in America. The most popular cause of U. S. fatality in the war in Iraq is bombs. Of the bombings, car-side bombing is the most familiar. It is easy for Iraqis to perform a car-side bomb because they can disguise themselves and at the same time, get close enough to where they want the bomb to detonate. Another common bombing strategy they use is hiding the bombs. The Iraqi’s idea of a clever trick is to put the bombs in empty canned bottles, under leaves, in a hole, road-kill, etc. Snipers are the second leading cause of U.S. deaths (ICasualties). Iraqis will sit high in buildings waiting for someone to walk out into the open. Snipers can also trigger bombs placed far away when the “enemies” get close enough; this procedure overrules suicide bombing. A depressing story from Jay Kopelman’s __From__ __ Baghdad ____, With Love __ explains a sad situation he witnessed while in Iraq. It consisted of a group of Iraqis that found an innocent boy. They strapped a bomb to this mentally handicapped child, and pointed him in the direction they wanted the bomb to explode. He failed, so they blew him up without any sort of hesitation or remorse (pg. 108). It is obvious with happenings such as these that Iraqi citizens are going through a rough time. They are stuck between their country as well as ours. No one really talks about the death count of the Iraqis since the war has begun. The Iraqis leaders are extremely unrespectable to their people. Many of the men that run the country rape and kill whenever they want to. The average Iraqi is threatened for their life if they make any sort of contact with a United States soldier or if they disobey what they are told. Stories like these are what make a heart ache for everyone exposed to this torment or has lost their life because of the cruelty of the war. The death count in the war is slightly over-rated. There has been a lot of grief, disappointed, hurt, emptiness, etc. that has affected everyone. Knowing that men and women are risking their lives in order to keep us safe and to continue living the freedom life is honoring. The death of any person is equal and should be treated equally; however, people who die from the war in Iraq get more credit. It is their [|will and courage] that help make the world a better place that cost them their life. When following the rules of the road, car accident deaths are mostly unpreventable. The war deaths are looked at as if there was no war to begin with, all of the chaos would have never been created. The media portrays the war as a waste of time, money, and lives. It is safe to say that about ten percent of the United States is up to date on the war. Only a very few amount of people pay good attention to what’s happening in the war. In order to really be informed with the truth means that they get their information from the right sources. Some news stations only put unfortunate events happening in the war on their show because those are the stories people expect to hear. The average person feels that death is the only answer, and good news doesn’t exist when it comes to war. George W. Bush has been frowned upon for his decisions he has made for the war. Media’s liberally biased opinion of Bush persuades a negative attitude to the citizens in order to develop a bad impression on Bush. Bush has been a loyal president through these difficult times. He’s done a recognizable job in attempting to maintain peace in the world. People don’t realize that if Bush, or any of the upcoming presidents, pull the troops out of Iraq, then will be the first time the 4,000+ lives have been wasted. Our country has been at war for the past five, long, struggling years. Ending the war without the desired results will be the worst decision made so far through the war. Death is a fragile subject. It leaves everyone with a permanent emptiness inside. The war on terror isn’t an easy battle to overcome. Our country has supported, prayed, loved, waited, sacrificed, and much more to keep our troops safe and in [|high hopes]. The losses that have been encountered are important and no one will ever forget those who put everything on the line to fight for our country. I would like to salute, stand up, dedicate this paper, and send my love to all who are serving, served, lost their lives, or have been injured in saving my life and the lives of all the  United States of America.

__ Works Cited __ " Iraq Body Count." 06 May 2008. IBC Organization. 5 May 2008 . " Iraq Coalition Casualty Count." __I Casualties__. 07 May 2008. Government. 5 May 2008 . Kopelman, Jay. __From__ __ Baghdad ____, With Love: A Marine, the War, and a Dog Named Lava __. 1. The Lyons Press, 2006. Leeson, David. "Photos From the War in Iraq ." April 2008. US Army. 5 May 2008 . "Support Our Troops." __You Tube__. 09 July 2007. YouTube. 1 May 2008 . "Transportation Fatalities By Mode." __RITA Bureau of Transportation Statistics__. 22 August 2002. Government. 5 May 2008 http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/2002/html/table_02_01.html.