Let's have a different view
RAINER'S RAMBLINGS
By RAINER ARNOLD Union Sentinel Publisher

I recently received a forwarded e-mail from a friend of mine. His name is Don Schneider and he is a Vice President at UCB in Hiawassee. This was a powerful email pertaining to our soldiers in Iraq. There were pictures of soldiers standing guard, on patrol and then came the ones that really touched me. There were US soldiers shaking hands with Iraqi people, kids and giving out water, food and friendships. On the other hand, I hear the news on TV and radio. US soldiers killed in Iraq. US soldiers do this and they do that. The main media function, it appears, is to be negative. After all, that is what most people want to hear. Look at the celebrity magazines. A picture of a celebrity after they are arrested for DUI is worth more news time and money that that of a celebrity helping someone overcome a debilitating illness or situation. So, it is with the war in Iraq. But, I would like to see a different portrayal of American soldiers. And, believe it or not, I have experiences other than the negative pertaining to American soldiers. When I was growing up in Germany in lived in a small town near several US military installations. Now at that time I was only 5-6 years old and the year was 1950-1951. I recall seeing many US soldiers. They were the occupying force in Germany after WWII. I was never afraid of the US soldiers. They were always nice and they always gave me chocolate, candy and other goodies. They had smiles for us and they let us sit in their tanks or trucks and for us kids, that was a treat. But there were people who singled out these soldiers for drinking and getting into fights as bad people. No that I could really read in those days, but I assure you there were no stories about all the nice things these guys did. Oh, I guess I forgot, from the American point of view these guys saved the world from Hitler. But then the small, very small, percentage of those who did something bad always overshadowed the great majority who was good. Well, the same is true in Iraq. There are thousands and thousands of soldiers there that are doing their job right and with conviction and showing the people in Iraq that we are basically a good nation. And, yes there are some who go overboard and do bad things. But that is life and there are bad people everywhere, not just in the Army or in the USA. So, what I would like to see more of in the media, are stories about the US Army where soldiers are doing right. I know, that I would read them. I like that kind of stuff. I prefer good over bad. The email from Don re-enforced that we, here in the US, do not get enough feedback of the good our soldiers are doing in Iraq. I think the government is doing us all a dis-service by not pointing those things out. The government is missing out on an opportunity to show that the war is doing good things by allowing most of the negative to be emphasized. The government has the ability to bring out and make public all the good stuff that happen and that our soldiers do. My question is why does the government not point those things out to us. After all, we can't go there and see it for ourselves. So, let us see the good things our GI's are doing and maybe we can change a few people's mind about the quality of our soldiers and sacrifice they are making for the rest of us.