Excerpts From A Letter By An Unnamed Soldier Who Is Currently Serving

 
by Anonymous

"Man, I don't know if it's worth it for any of us to be here."

"This place and people are so different, man. The personality of the people in this part of the world was so permanently destroyed by the invasions of Genghis Kahn a thousand years ago. Those invasions were so violent, so devastating that the people learned to consolidate themselves into the groups that mattered most –families, clans, and tribes–and to hate and fear everyone else."

"These people have a thousand years of this culture--Mongol, Hindu, Arab, British, Soviet, and now U.S. invasions--and, for the most part, your average citizen of Central Asia wants no part in change."

"On the other hand, because of September 11th, the U.S. government will never allow another Taliban type government to take hold here, which is probably a legitimate goal."

"2500 years ago a low level officer in Alexander the Great's army stood here and just wanted to go home, 25 years ago a low level officer in the Soviet army stood here and just wanted to go home, it's my turn now to do what I'm here to do and miss those I left behind."

"Everything we do here that has anything to do with combat or the taking of people's lives is so detached from me."

"You can only hope it's the right thing, man–that the people at the other end really are 'bad' people. From everything I have been taught 'they' most certainly are– but from everything they've been taught I'm some ignoble Christian crusader here to rape and conquer."

"It's obscene that I go...to participate in the death of other human beings, then come back to watch 'The Office' on my portable DVD player. It could drive me crazy if I really thought about it–which I don't do too often."

"My biggest stresses, by far, are when the network is down or when someone is on the phone longer than 15 minutes and I want to call home. That's my war, man."