Should the Media be in Iraq?

written 15 May 2007

Should the media be in Iraq?

by Crystal Laramore

That is a question I am often asked. Again, how the hell should I know? Like many people, I have my opinion. Who doesn’t?

My answer is always no. Nor should civilians. We are in a war. The military has a job to do. Without question they are hindered by civilians, media or no.

Yeah, I know “Checks and balances”, again I say “This is war”.

My thought is that the media is typically liberal and not in favor of war, but rather peace. But aren’t we all? Isn’t this what the war is really about? Peace? Peace in our country and around the world. Say what you will about the Bush administration but we haven’t had a single terrorist attack since September 11, 2001.

How do Americans, liberal or conservative or independent or libertarian forget that? Maybe we have selective memory when it comes to politics.

But, do we need to see blow by blow details? Do we, as civilians, need to keep up on the war on a daily basis? Maybe, just maybe, if the media was reporting the truth in whole. But they’re not. They are not telling the whole story. They are not telling you that most of the terrorists are not Iraqi’s. Maybe a few thugs, but we’ve had our own thugs act as terrorists.

Civilians in a war zone has got to be a sign of the liberal times we live in. Even though I had “training”, should something have gone terribly wrong, I wouldn’t be writing this article right now. The military has several years of training, for the most part. I had some classroom seminars. They did give me atropine, a bullet-proof vest, a chemical suit (that made my butt look big), a gas mask, a Kevlar helmet and a lot of warm wishes, but no real training.

A mortar hit very close to me one evening as I was chatting with some friends on my way home from the Ambassador’s house. At first is sounded like a bottle rocket on steroids going off, then it hit. There was no mistake we were not celebrating the fourth of July. We all ran to the nearest bunker and stood, shaking and out of breath, for several minutes. Then, as curiously stupid as we were, we came out to “see”. A man was coming out of the hooch (military term for house that was coined in Vietnam-I believe) that was hit and the firemen told us to “Stay back. It didn’t detonate. If it would have exploded, you’d all be dead”. I threw up. Then, I called my daddy. Then I forgot about it. I had to.

And, even though I say civilians should not be in a war zone I am quick to admit that I had an experience of a lifetime. I shook hands with Colin Powell, John McCain, Hillary Clinton, Senator Frist and most senators and congressmen from around the U.S. I flew in a Blackhawk helicopter on many occasion; with the doors open a few times. I had lunch with Three Star Generals, Navy Admirals, Army Colonels, Navy Seals and military men from around the globe. The United State Marines sang “Happy Birthday” to me, from their tanks, as I made my way home from my birthday party at the U.S. Embassy.
Seriously, these are memories I’ll be telling your grandchildren!

When the Green Zone Café was hit by a suicide bomber I was but blocks away and had eaten there two days before. At the same time the market was hit and several people I knew who served as PSD’s (Personal Security Detail) for the Deputy Ambassador were killed.

Better experiences included being in the Al Rasheed hotel when the leaders of Iraq were announced. The leaders were interviewed one by one by press from all over the world and I was within two feet of them. All the while, the building was being hit by mortars and it was chaos outside. Amazing experience, but I should not have been there.

And again, if the media told the truth and showed pictures like the Iraqi people holding up United States of America flags, and signs that said “Go Bush” during the election, maybe I’d have a different opinion.

Maybe the media should be in hotels and at set points. But, never with the troops. These young men, scared and a lot of them are 18 years old and just joined up a few months ago. Their job is intense, stressful, dangerous and sometimes deadly. Do they need the added stress of a camera in their face? At their back? In their midst? You tell me.