On the evening of Sept. 11, 2001, my family and I gathered to watch the unending news reports and the searing images of our homeland under attack. At one point, my wife, Geri, turned to me and quietly said, “You’re going to have to go over there, aren’t you?”
Since that horrific day I have gone over there – twice, in fact; first Afghanistan and then to Iraq. The combat tours I served with the 76th Infantry Brigade were my first exposure to the reality of war. A real war bears no relationship to any book or movie. Real war is about human suffering and loss for all involved. My family and I have endured months of painful separation. I had to hold my youngest son Wyatt while he sobbed, wracked with grief, when I left for Afghanistan. But we have also been blessed when, by the grace of God, we shared the exhilaration of two joyous homecomings.
I have seen the cruelty and insanity of war. I have shivered in the icy blast of the winds of an Afghan winter. I have roasted in the blazing heat of Iraq while on patrol in nameless and forgotten villages. I have heard the whine of incoming rockets and felt the explosion of mortars. I have mourned the loss of fellow soldiers. I have struggled, like countless thousands of other soldiers, with loneliness and boredom.
However, those memories are not what I dwell upon 10 years after 9/11. I think instead of the remarkable resiliency and outstanding patriotism of the young Americans who are fighting our first war of the 21st century. I bear witness to the extraordinary sacrifice, dedication and courage of the American soldier. The young men and women with whom I have been honored to serve proudly carry forward the heritage of democracy, the heritage of freedom, and the heritage of unbounding determination in the face of a cruel and vicious enemy. It is the American fighting man and woman who has confronted and defeated the jihadists who have sworn death to Western science, culture, and civilization. We must never forget that the forces of darkness which our troops fight are fueled by blind dogmatism and a narrow religious fundamentalism that seeks to enslave humanity in the ignorance, superstition, and barbarity of the 9th century.
We who wear our country’s uniform give our all in the defense of our liberty and our republic. I wish every American could see and experience the extraordinary dedication to duty that our sons and daughters overseas put forth every day. Americans today moan and whine and complain about taxes, the government, and politics. The talking-head doomsayers and the cable-TV pundits speak about an America in decline. Too many Americans believe, speak and act as though all is lost and that we should simply surrender. My observations and experiences in two wars have convinced me that while we have problems, they can be conquered if all Americans believed, spoke, and acted like their sons and daughters in uniform.
Rather than bickering, we should unite on the common principles that bind us together as a nation. Instead of scrambling for more money and the illusion of happiness through material gain, we should rediscover the joys of caring for each other and contentment that comes from a simpler life. In place of the pursuit of wild fantasies and conspiracy theories about who is to blame we must realize that we are all to blame to the extent that we have demanded too much from America and given so little in return.
I have seen much, experienced much, and learned much in the last 10 years. But the most profound lesson I have learned is that this war is not a war of Christian against Muslim. In both Iraq and Afghanistan I carried with me on patrol an English translation of the Quran. I took time to read it, and to seriously study Islam and the people who call themselves Muslim. I am convinced that there is more that unites us than divides us. I have yet to read any passage of the Quran that, standing alone, would justify me killing a Muslim. After all, the word “Muslim” simply means “one who submits to the will of God.” Is there any Christian who could take offense to that simple idea?
The jihadists are not Muslims; they do not submit to the will of God. They submit to hate, intolerance, rage, and the black recesses of the human heart. The jihadists have killed far more Muslims than they have killed Christians. All Americans need to know that we have countless Muslim allies in the struggle against the perverted jihad of the suicide terrorists. Thousands of Muslim soldiers, policemen, and civilians have fought alongside and died with their American comrades in Iraq and Afghanistan. I have come to know well and call friend many of these brave and noble Muslims.
I often think about my translator in Iraq, a young Shia Muslim named Michael. His command of English was superb. We often talked about Iraq and America, the war, his family, and what he wanted for his nation. He was an Iraqi patriot who loved his country. He was also a devout Muslim of the Shia Twelver sect. He knew that by working with American troops he became a target for assassination. His hopes were actually quite simple. Like all of us, he wanted to be left alone in peace, to raise a family, and live a life of dignity and humanity. He told me of his admiration for America, not an admiration for our technological and military power, but who we were as individuals and the ideals of liberty and the rights of man that we embody as a nation.
Michael stands for me as a symbol of the potential for Muslim and Christian to live together in peace. Our faiths are complementary, not antagonistic. I did not try to convert him, and he did not try to convert me. We respected each other too much to engage in such trivialities. Michael helped me to understand that the people of Iraq want for Iraq what we Americans want for America. We are really not that different. Through the strange circumstances of war, I came to call Michael my friend. It is that friendship that gives me hope for the future.
Hal Johnston is chief deputy prosecutor in Knox County and a resident of Terre Haute.
Flashpoint
FLASHPOINT: Seeking understanding from insanity of war
- Flashpoint
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FLASHPOINT:Bipartisan vs. Nonpartisan
During the primary election season there was much discussion regarding whether bipartisanship is a positive or negative attribute as it relates to the work of the United States Congress.
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FLASHPOINT: School libraries essential for reading achievement
If the situation were not so serious, it would be laughable. How can we improve reading achievement if we make it more difficult to put books in the hands of our children?
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FLASHPOINT: Lugar warns of 'unrelenting partisan mindset'
I would like to comment on the Senate race just concluded and the direction of American politics and the Republican Party.
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FLASHPOINT: Is money a problem in politics? Depends on where you sit
The role of money in politics needs to be better understood. Does it make the political system work better, or is it a problem — and if so, how much of one?
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FLASHPOINT: ‘Private’ clubs should be exempt from smoking bans
Over the past several years I have watched the Vigo County Council, followed by the City Council, and lastly the legislature of the great state of Indiana, wrestle with a smoking ban.
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FLASHPOINT: Downtown developers should share more details on project
With all of the opinions being expressed about the fate of the 500 block of Wabash Avenue, one element is sorely missing: the details.
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FLASHPOINT: Be careful when making accusations of ‘racism’
Perhaps, in a way that he doesn’t understand, Attorney General Eric Holder is correct in accusing America of being cowardly about discussing issues of race.
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FLASHPOINT: Historic hotel demolition was shameful day for Terre Haute
In an April 13 article on the potential demolition of historic buildings at Fifth and Wabash for student housing, Mike Ellis says, “I love the old historic buildings and have always had a passion to see them saved and restored. I was an opponent of seeing the Terre Haute House come down and the new hotel go up,” he said. “I have been proven wrong with what that would do for Terre Haute.”
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FLASHPOINT: Notes on saving structural history
There are several reasons why the historic buildings adjacent and west of Roger’s Jewelers should be saved, and why our downtown needs to protect and embrace our remaining historic fabric. First and foremost, rehab and reuse saves our historic buildings for future generations to experience, and the more architectural authenticity our downtown preserves, the more admired and “walkable” it will become.
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FLASHPOINT: Can anyone hear the call from Farrington's Grove
On Friday, March 30, a dear friend was brutally attacked in broad daylight in an alley in the neighborhood I grew up in, on the edge of Farrington’s Grove.
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FLASHPOINT: We have the power to co-exist without violence or prejudice
Innumerable forces in our lives, and throughout our society, seem to have convinced us that immediacy is best. We have to do it now. We have to have it now. We must go there now. We need it now!
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FLASHPOINT: Issue surrounding Florida shooting fueled by race
I am writing as a mother and as president of the Terre Haute branch of the NAACP because there may be some who wonder why the shooting of Trayvon Martin has created such an uproar: “What exactly is the issue?”
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FLASHPOINT: Indiana — open for business
With the 2012 legislative session in the rearview mirror, the two-year work of the 117th General Assembly elected in November of 2010 is complete.
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FLASHPOINT: The Constitutional challenge to the Affordable Care Act
On March 26, the United States Supreme Court will begin three days of hearings with six hours of oral argument on the constitutional challenge filed by Indiana and 25 other states against certain sections of the federal health care law: the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, often referred to as “Obamacare.” This historic lawsuit will explore the limits of the power of Congress under the U.S. Constitution.
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FLASHPOINT: The burning questions of ‘Fahrenheit 451’
“Remember the firemen are rarely necessary. The public stopped reading of its own accord.” — Ray Bradbury, “Fahrenheit 451”
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FLASHPOINT: Wonderful place to be during a very hard time
University Hospital (Indianapolis), part of IU Health Group, is a wonderful place to be if you are seriously ill.
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FLASHPOINT: America’s energy brings America jobs
The increase in fuel prices affects many aspects of our daily lives.
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FLASHPOINT: Change coming to the Indiana Statehouse
The General Assembly is about to undergo a major face-lift. I’m not talking about new construction. I’m talking about destruction — partisan destruction, in fact.
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FLASHPOINT: White House rejects Keystone XL: Sad day for U.S. workers
Imagine a project that could create 20,000 American jobs during construction, and as many as half a million longer-term positions.
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FLASHPOINT: Graduation rates are up; great news for Indiana
As Hoosiers celebrate the conclusion of a truly remarkable Super Bowl experience, there is even more good news that should fill us with pride.
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FLASHPOINT: Tech trail leading us into a dense, digital forest
It seems the Southwest Parke schools are the latest to play the laptop lottery game.
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FLASHPOINT: Republicans enable war on middle class, unions
About six years ago at the pinnacle of the Bush/GOP Dictatorship, I began telling you that the wealthy and Corporate America were laying the ground work to politically, financially and physically take over America.
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FLASHPOINT: Howey ignores truth to advance his agenda
Brian Howey’s Jan. 8 column about the U.S. Senate race proves once again that he will not allow the facts or journalistic ethics to get in the way of attacking Richard Mourdock and promoting his chosen candidate, Dick Lugar.
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FLASHPOINT: Putting fairness first
This time of year, with chords of Auld Lang Syne still ringing in our ears, it’s not uncommon or unnatural to think of days gone by as being more desirable than the era we live in today.
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FLASHPOINT: What really motivates right-to-work proposal?
You may have heard about the upcoming “right-to-work” legislation before our lawmakers in the next session of “law making.”
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FLASHPOINT: The right-to-work debate: ‘Devil at Our Doorstep’
As the 2012 Indiana Legislative Assembly convenes, January will represent a tipping point for all Hoosiers’ individual freedoms as politicians and Big Labor draw battle lines to determine if Indiana will become the 23rd right-to-work state.
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FLASHPOINT: State’s House Democrats will offer alternative for job creation
As the leaders of single-party control in state government outline their agendas for the 2012 session of the Indiana General Assembly, it is easy to be cynical about their intentions in the months to come.
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FLASHPOINT: Community colleges must lead way in reshaping higher education
In the 1970s, I began what was three decades in the automotive industry. ... Today, in my position as president of Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana, I see higher education confronted with some of these same challenges.
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FLASHPOINT: There’s little right about ‘right to work’ proposal
The danger contained in these three simple words – “Right to Work” — is that they sound so innocent.
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FLASHPOINT: The next big movement? Reform Congress
We are living through one of the most remarkable times in recent history.
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FLASHPOINT:Bipartisan vs. Nonpartisan
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