Yellow Ribbons

For years now, the war in Iraq has been a subject of amazing controversy throughout America. But are our troops really coming home? Could the end at last be in sight? Recently, a memo was made public that has sparked the writing of several articles and a lot more debate. Apparently there is talk of American troops finally withdrawing. Though there has been plenty of discussion about this possibility in the past, we have some further feedback on the situation - this time from the troops themselves. Colonels and generals alike have made their opinions known to the American public; specifically from a Colonel Timothy Reese, the author of the memo. He ultimately states that Iraq can be handling things by themselves now, and our soldiers should finally head home. As public as the memo is, it has of course influenced many disagreements... but could Reese be right?

The States officially declared war on Iraq in 2003, roughly a year and a half after the tragic events of 9/11, when the World Trade Center fell to terrorist attacks. Since then, we have spent close to six years sending men and women alike past the enemy lines. At this time, we have close to 130,000 troops in Iraq, attempting to fix Iraqi government and other such things. Another general, Ray Odierno, proposes that they stay through the national Iraqi elections (January 2010), and then gradually head home after that. And at this point, it seems like the best idea.

We have been in Iraq long enough. Initially, after 9/11, of course, it was the right thing to do, but at this point we are simply overstaying our welcome. It's been six years. We've done what we could to make things better, and we're tired of the news reports about the deaths in Iraq. 2010 isn't that far away compared to having no end in sight. Maybe it's not peace, exactly, but having those soldiers home will at least show those yellow ribbons meant something.

Resource: The New York Times