|
"CHOICE BECOMES CLEAR
EVERY TIME A SOLDIER DIES"
FROM: Nicholas Fry
SENT: Sunday, July 4, 2004 8:31 PM
To: rnike@michaelmoore.com
SUBJECT: SPC Fry's last night in Iraq
Dear Mike,
My name is SPC Nicholas Fry, and I am a
rifleman with the First Armored Division. I would like to thank you for
the copy of Dude, Where's My Country? I read it in three days, which is
fast for an enlisted soldier who was educated by the Arizona Public School
System.
I also recently bought a bootleg copy of
your new movie (tell your producer I apologize). I was so inspired by the
book that when my best friend's dad, who is a Vietnam vet and for some reason is a Republican, sent me an email bad-mouthing your movie, I made an
attempt at converting him. I respect and look up to this man greatly, so
this was hard for me to do. Fifteen months. of pro- Bush email will drive
a person crazy.
This is what I wrote:
Dear Mr. Tank,
I recently was sent a free copy of Dude,
Where's My Country? from Michael Moore and a group called Books for
Soldiers. It's basically the book version of the movie Fahrenheit 9/11.
This book along with the bootleg copy of Fahrenheit I obtained in Baghdad,
do nothing to dishonor soldiers in any way. All the movie and book do is
show the financial gains of the Bush administration and the cost on the
people who do their dirty work.
I would never preach to you about the loss
of a comrade, as I'm sure you know it all too well from your time in Nam.
I too have held the wounds of my friends and screamed "Medic" as we waited
far too long for an evac. I have laughed at dead civilians and said, "Fuck
'em, they got in the way." I have collected my two grand a month while a
bus driver for Halliburton makes five times what I do. I have returned
from a mission covered in sweat and blood and had people that never leave
the wire tell me I needed to shave. And most recently I have watched
officers receive Bronze Stars even though they had not discharged their
weapon ONCE. These most disgusting memories will stay with me for life as
I'm sure yours do today.
I have a choice to make and that choice
becomes more clear every time a soldier dies to line the pockets of rich
men who will never lose sleep over the blood they have spilled.
My views may come as a shock to you, and I
look up to you as a great man who served his country when it was not the
most popular thing to do. I spent days wondering if I should send this
email to you out of fear that you may look down on me. And I look forward to continuing this conversation upon my return in a week.
I do not consider myself a Republican or
the least bit conservative and wonder how a person could. And this is
why:
I do not come from a wealthy family. And I
don't believe a CEO should make 200% more than his average employee and
then sell his stock and buy an island where the law can't find him. I
somehow fell in love with a beautiful black girl and do plan on mixing our
races -- sorry, John Ashcroft.
I don't believe that the government should
be able to know what books I'm reading or be able to arrest me without a
trial (Patriot Act). I don't think that America should be the only Western country to put people to death as if it was God's will. I don't
understand why we waste $24,000 per dopehead a year to lock up drug users
when treatment is half the price. No American should be denied a trip to
the doctor because he has no health insurance. It's not right to make
money off of people because they are sick. And last but not least, I don't
think we should be rebuilding Iraq for these fucks when we both know parts
of Chandler, AZ, are just as bad.
I know this is a hell of a lot coming from
a punk kid who was eating your wife's delicious meals and helping distract
you while Scott stole your cigarettes only five years ago. But this is how
I feel. I hope I didn't piss you off too bad, because that is not my
intention. I love you and your family very much and know I am always
welcome even if I am a bleeding-heart socialist LIBERAL. Hope to see you
soon,
SPC Nicholas Fry B Co 2/6 Infantry, on what
he prays will be his last night in Iraq.
I could not believe I had the balls to hit
Send, but I did, and will continue to do it until this tyrant is out of
office for good. I also brainstormed another way to help. I am gonna make
it up to those hardworking producers of yours and give back some of the
hard-earned American tax dollars at the same time. Upon my return to the
States I will buy 100 tickets to your movie and pass them out at my local
movie theater while in uniform.
Thanks again for the book and making that
great film that I paid $3 to see.
"NO WAY I WOULD END UP IN IRAQ"
FROM: Micah Stathis
SENT: Wednesday, July 28, 2004 11:06 PM
To: mike@michaelmoore.com
SUBJECT: A soldier deploying to Iraq
Dear Mr. Moore,
My name is Micah Stathis and I am a
specialist in the U.S. Army. I am currently in Korea, but I will be
deploying to Iraq within the coming weeks. I am a Greek American, and I
was, somewhat, forced to join the army. In Greece, it is mandatory for me
to serve in the military for 18 months without any substantial pay.
Usually, men go when they are 18; however, I was given an extension because I was in college. They called for me to serve about 18 months ago.
I was fully prepared to go. However, since
I am also an American citizen, I am allowed to serve in the American
military to fulfill my military obligation in Greece. After much
deliberation I decided that a two-year stint in the U.S. Army was the best
course of action, given the fact that I was going to get paid, and
therefore able to help my mother financially. My recruiter told me that
there was no way I would end up in Iraq, given the fact that Bush had
announced an end to the major operations.
To make a long story short, I found out two
months ago that I am going to Iraq. I have tried everything possible to
get reassigned. My mother has appealed to the U.S. embassy in Greece
because I am an only child; I have spoken to the chaplain about
conscientious-objector status, but was refused. I have resigned myself to
the fact that I am being forced into this and have no other option.
I recently saw Fahrenheit 9/11 and I was
blown away. I immediately showed it to the rest of my platoon, and I was
immediately told off by an officer because I showed something that would
affect morale. Everyone here is excited about going so that they can
kill someone. It sickens me to listen to the way many of my fellow
soldiers speak. I feel like an alien in this world, especially considering that I lean very far to the left.
I am often told by my higher-ups that we
are just following orders by going to Iraq. They believe that somehow
absolves us of any responsibility. The Nazis were also just
following orders. I don't know how it will be in Iraq, but I will do my
best to let the Iraqis know that I am completely against this occupation.
I sincerely hope that I will be able to
find other soldiers in Iraq who recognize the fact that we are being used
as pawns by Bush and his entourage.
"WAR NIGHTMARES"
FROM: Craig Smith
SENT: Tuesday, July 6, 2004 6:07 PM
To: mike@michaelmoore.com
SUBJECT: I am a soldier
Mr. Moore,
My name is Craig Smith, and I am currently
an activated reservist. I volunteered to serve in Iraq when the invasion
began in March of 2003.
After serving ten months in Iraq I came
back to America with hopes of moving on with my life. That's when the
nightmares started. I became very jumpy. You could call it being "edgy and
irritable." I dealt with it for a while; then I decided that I needed
help. I went to the Fort Carson Hospital to see how I could get treatment
for PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder. I was given an assessment test.
My paperwork was lost by the hospital. I went again for another assessment
test. This time I was seen by a doctor. During my visit with the doctor,
she told me that, yes, I do have PTSD. Later, when I viewed my
documentation, it said that I did not have PTSD, but that that doesn't
necessarily mean that I don't suffer from it. It also stated that the
treatment was complete and successful. It also stated that I have
nightmares about dead children. It also stated a lot of other stuff.
Frustrated and untreated, I kept asking for
help. Fort Carson gave me a number to call -- a hotline. I was given a damn
hotline to help me with war nightmares, Mr. Moore. I was then told that
Fort Carson is understaffed and that they ONLY HAVE TWO DOCTORS ON STAFF
TO HELP PTSD PATIENTS. Think about this, Michael. THOUSANDS of TROOPS
returning from COMBAT and only two doctors to help them return to life!
What are they doing to those who gave so much and only ask that our
leaders make good decisions?
Fed up, I wrote my senator. He responded to
me and is offering me help. Wayne Allard, to be exact. I thank him for his
prompt response. I also went downtown in Colorado Springs to the Veterans Center to seek help from them as well. They offered me help.
Everyone wants to help, Mr. Moore, except our own people.
Why is retention low? Why will no one
stay in the military? Why are we fed up with duty? Not because of war, my
friend. But because we are treated like un-important children. And I tell
you this, no damn parade down Broadway can change that fact.
"WE WERE LIED TO AND
USED"
FROM: Sean Huze
SENT: Sunday, March 28, 2004, 7:56 PM
To: mike@michaelmoore.com
SUBJECT: "Dude, Where's My Country?"
Mr. Moore,
I am an LCPL in the
U.S. Marine Corps and veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. I am an
infantryman and served with the 2d Light Armored Recon Battalion, attached
to the 1st Marine Division from Feb 7 to May 24,2003.
Mr. Moore, please
keep pounding away at Bush. I'm not some pussy when it comes to war.
However, the position we were put in -- fighting an enemy that used women,
children, and other civilians as shields; forcing us to choose between
firing at "area targets" (nice way of saying firing into crowds) or being
killed by the bastards using the crowds for cover -- is indescribably
horrible.
I saw more than a
few dead children littering the streets in Nasiriyah, along with
countless other civilians. And through all this, I held on to the belief
that it had to be for some greater good. That the sacrifices we made, and
the sacrifices the civilians of Iraq made, mattered. I firmly believed at
the time that what we were doing was making our nation stronger.
Months have passed
since I've been back home and the unfortunate conclusion I've come to is
that Bush is a lying, manipulative motherfucker who cares nothing for
the lives of those of us who serve in uniform. Hell, other than playing
dress-up on aircraft carriers, what would he know about serving this
nation in uniform?
His silence and
refusal to speak under oath to the 9/11 Commission further mocks our
country. The Patriot Act violates every principle we fight and die for.
And all of this has been during his first term. Can you imagine his
policies when he doesn't have to worry about reelection? We can't allow
that to happen, and there are so many like me in the military who feel
this way. We were lied to and used. And there aren't words to describe the
sense of betrayal I feel as a result.
The only way to make
it right is to get rid of him in November and impeach his sorry ass after
he's voted out. If lying about a blow job warrants impeachment, then lying
about WMD and getting thousands of people killed certainly does, too.
"THE IRAQI PEOPLE
WERE NOT FREED"
FROM: Keith
Pilkington
SENT: Monday, July 5, 2004 4:08 AM
To: mike@michaelmoore.com
SUBJECT: How I celebrated the Fourth of July
Did you celebrate
the Fourth of July? Today is the Fourth of July, 2004. Every other Fourth
of July was a time of joy for me. Many are preparing feasts to celebrate, but
I feel like eating nothing at all. I will go to none of them. I simply
have no celebratory feelings.
I'm sure some would
say that I am not patriotic, and that I do not love my country. What
would I say to someone if they confronted me with that accusation? I
could tell them of my service in the army. I could tell them of my service
in the Iraq war, the war that still rages. I don't think that would be
enough. I'm no longer in the army. They would say I'm un-American and left
the army out of hate for my country, and shooting fireworks is true
patriotism anyway. They would say I was no patriot at all.
The same people who
question my patriotism would question why I am so sad on this day of
celebration. I might tell them of the Iraq War and all those that fell and
will fall. They would respond by telling me all those who fell and will
fall fought for the freedom of the Iraqi people. I would tell them of the
great struggle to topple the tyrant, Saddam. I would tell them the Iraqi
people were not freed when we toppled Saddam and are not free now.
I would tell those
who question my patriotism to actually read the Declaration of
Independence they celebrate so much. The Declaration of Independence
states, "That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among
men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." I
would tell them that the Iraqi people gave no consent for the American
provisional administration, but that is not my point. The American
administration never secured Iraqi rights to life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness. How many have been killed by terrorist bombings?
How many innocents have died from our attacks on terrorists? How many have
been the victims of crime because too few troops were there to protect
them from criminals? I know. I was there.
The American
administration in Iraq was not a failure. It did not secure the rights of
the Iraqi people, but it did secure other things. The oil fields are
secure, and American corporations secured multibillion-dollar government
contracts to plunder that Iraqi oil. We should all be proud. Our right to
Iraqi property is secure. Let freedom ring!
Those who question
my patriotism would say that Iraq is free now. They have their own
government. I would say that the Iraqis have a government instituted by
the consent of the Americans and enforced by American troops, who can
enter any home without any say by an Iraqi citizen. It should be Iraqi
forces securing the Iraqi people's liberty. Let freedom ring!
I'm sure those who
question my patriotism would have now grown quiet, their arguments against
me spent. I would not take the opportunity to question their patriotism.
Not everyone is as unlucky as I to have witnessed battle and have truth
burned in their soul. However, I would calmly share with them the truths I
have learned.
"I BELIEVED MY
PRESIDENT"
FROM: R.H.
SENT: Monday, July 12, 2003 4:57 PM
To: mike@michaelmoore.com
SUBJECT: Iraqi freedom veteran supports you
Dear Mr. Moore,
I am an Operation
Iraqi Freedom veteran, so Fahrenheit 9/11 kind of hit close to home.
All my life I have
pretty much been a conservative. I grew up in Elkhart, Indiana, so there
were conservatives aplenty telling me how things should be the whole time
I was growing up. I decided to join the military in December of 2001
while I was in college. At the time I was turning pretty liberal, not
crazy, but I was moving toward the left. I wrote a paper on gun control
for my sociology class. It was very radical for me at the time because I
had always been Republican, conservative, and gun control was not something that I ever cared about.
Then when I joined
the military, for some reason my views began to go back the other way. I
was being brainwashed and lied to all because some idiot from Texas
decided to act out of vengeance and hatred instead of just accepting the
fact that there are people who aren't like us and that we cannot always be
right.
I went to Iraq with
thoughts of killing people who I thought were horrible. I was like, "Fuck
Iraq, fuck these people, I hope we kill thousands." Why? I am not
that kind of person. I believed my president. I thought G.W was awesome.
He was taking care of business and wasn't going to let al Qaeda push us
around, or any terrorists for that matter.
I was with the 3rd
Squadron, 7th Cavalry, 3rd Infantry division out of Fort Stewart, Georgia.
My unit was one of the first to Baghdad and pretty much led the charge the
entire way through Iraq. I was so scared. Didn't know what to think.
Seeing dead bodies for the first time. People blown in half. Little kids
with no legs, thanks to a few well-placed bullets. It was overwhelming,
the sights, sounds, fear.
When we started
working with the people when we got to Baghdad. I thought I saw us helping
them. They seemed so happy to see us, so happy that we were there. We
heard during the war that the Iraqis didn't trust us because we left them
during the first Gulf War and didn't help them then to get out of the
shadow of Saddam. They thought we were going to leave them again.
I was over there
from Jan '03 to Aug '03. I hated every minute. It was a daily battle to
keep my spirits up. While I was in Iraq I read in the Stars and Stripes
newspaper that you had received an Oscar for Bowling for Columbine and
during the acceptance speech you bad-mouthed ole G.W. My first thought
was, Wow, this guy is a shithead. I came home from Iraq and became very.
complacent with my life and my career. It didn't take long either.
Then a very good
friend said that I should watch Bowling for Columbine. I was like, "No way
am I going to watch a movie made by that guy." But he pretty much forced
me to watch it. It was the best thing that anyone has ever done for me. My
wife and I were seriously changed forever. I guess what I am trying to
tell you is thank you for compelling me to be a more compassionate person
and for showing me that everything is not as it seems.
I have shared my
views with a lot of fellow coworkers, and the response has ranged from
very harsh to very accepting. I have been called a communist, Canadian, "a
person who hates this country yet milks it for all its worth," traitor,
liberal faggot, tree-huggin' hippie, etc. I was called into my platoon
sergeant's office after the rest of the platoon provoked me into an
argument about politics, and I was told that I was not allowed to give my
views anymore because we have "young impressionable soldiers who can't
hear those things because it lowers morale."
I retorted by saying
that I fought for the right to have my freedom of opinion. My platoon
leader said that when I joined the military I gave up all my rights. My
platoon sergeant called me a communist; the rest of the people in the
office laughed at me, and he was making me do push-ups the whole time this
was going on. I was told that if I wanted to suck dick or whatever I
wanted to do that was fine, but not to bring my views to work with me
because I am not allowed to talk about George Bush badly because it didn't
support my chain of command.
I hate the army and
my job. I am supposed to get out next February but will now be unable to
because the asshole in the White House decided that now would be a great
time to put a stop loss in effect for the army. So I get to do a second
tour in Iraq and be away from those I love again because some asshole has
the audacity to put others' lives on the line for his personal war. I
thought we were the good guys.
"DON'T SACRIFICE OUR
LIVES
UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY"
FROM: SGT, U.S. Army
SENT; Thursday, July 22, 2004 4;43 AM
To: mike@michaelmoore.com
SUBJECT: Thank You
Dear Michael,
I just wanted to
write and thank you for producing Fahrenheit 9/11. I was aware of many of
the facts in the movie before I saw it (thanks to a book called Sleeping
with the Devil by Robert Baer), but I'm so happy you chose to include the
personal story of a military family's grief after the loss of their son.
Fortunately, and
amazingly, none of my friends have died in this war. Some have been
wounded, and many are deployed in hostile areas as I write this. I think
it is very important that the American people understand that you can be
promilitary and against the war in Iraq. I also hope that the American
people know that many soldiers, like myself, are only doing their duty. My
favorite line in the movie was something to the effect of: These young
soldiers enlisted to protect our country and are willing to die to defend
our freedom; all they ask us is to not put them in harm's way unless
absolutely necessary to defend America. That phrase epitomizes how I feel
about serving in the army. I am proud to serve my country, but please
don't ask me or my comrades to sacrifice our lives unless
absolutely necessary.
I almost didn't join
the army after Bush won in 2000 -- that's how strongly I felt that he would
be a terrible commander in chief. But $30,000 in student loan repayment
and a nice bonus for a five-year commitment meant a little more to me at
the time than who my new boss would be. I probably still would have joined
the military knowing what I know now, but I would have done it differently.
In the days after 9/11 I was never more proud to be a soldier
because I thought we would be used to defend our country. In some aspects
I think we have been utilized to defend our nation, but in too many
instances our leaders have lost focus and we have been used
inappropriately.
Your movie will
hopefully affect the outcome of this presidential election. I had hoped
greatly that GEN Wesley Clark would have been on the ticket somewhere, but
with any luck he will be the next secretary of defense. Thank you again
for all of your ef- forts to fire my boss. I appreciate it greatly, as do
many of my colleagues who believe that patriotism is defined by the love
of your country and your willingness to defend her, not by Bush's definition of: "If you aren't with us, you're against us."
"SINGLE MOTHER"
FROM: G.G.
SENT: Saturday, July 3, 2004 11:19 PM
To: mike@michaelmoore.com
SUBJECT: Former Marines
Hi Mike,
I saw Fahrenheit
9/11 and I just wanted to thank you personally for letting us know the
truth about what is really going on in this country. I served four years
on active duty in the Marine Corps, and now I'm being told that there is
a chance that I might be called back to go to Iraq and fight. I would
rather sit in jail before I go and fight a war for that man who won't even
fight for me and mine.
I am a single
mother, and I don't understand why they are going through so much
trouble to bring in reservists and retired military personnel to fight
this war when there are so many other healthy people who will never be
considered (i.e., the Bush twins). I do not, nor did I ever, support the
war in Iraq. However, I do support our troops, and it is time to bring our
troops home where they belong with their families.
"PRECIOUS MONEY"
FROM: Anonymous
SENT: Monday, July 5, 2004 3:39 PM
To: mike@michaelmoore.com
SUBJECT: Thank you!
Mr. Moore,
I am an army vet,
and I served in Iraq for 11 months. My younger brother is a Marine and is
in Iraq now. My mother, for obvious reasons, has had a very rough time for
the past year and a half. She is an avid fan of yours and has seen your
film at least five times. She hates the entire Bush administration, and I
think that your movie helps her cope with her fear and anger.
I've been looking
around on your website today, and I'm glad to see that you have links to
organizations that support the troops in Iraq and encourage people to
vote. Just out of curiosity, I went to the home page for the White
House and to President Bush's reelection website, and I couldn't find any
link to anything that really even mentioned what the troops over there are
going through. It seems that they are concerned more about the Iraqi
people and their precious money than they are about the welfare of the
American soldiers.
"FICTITIOUS REASONS"
FROM: A Marine lieutenant
SENT: Tuesday, December 23, 2003 6:44 PM
To: mike@michaelmoore.com
SUBJECT: Iraq
Mr. Moore,
I am an officer in
the United States Marine Corps who has recently returned from Iraq after
nearly six months. I bought a copy of Dude, Where's My Country? on a whim,
and read it nonstop in about two days. The issues that you raise are ones
that I have dealt with firsthand. I find it difficult to believe that
there is a more Orwellian environment in the country than the military,
where expressing anything other than complete adoration for Bill
O'Reilly and Fox News is considered tantamount to treason.
My unit was one of
the initial units to enter Iraq. Prior to the start of the war, several of
my Marines (1 was a platoon commander at the time, in charge of 60
Marines) came and asked me if it was true that we were going to war for
oil, as many Marines were saying. This concerned me so much I called the
platoon together and explained to them why we were going to war with
Iraq, as I understood it.
I told them that
Saddam Hussein was a vile dictator who posed a serious threat to our
national security and to world peace, largely due to his possession of
weapons of mass destruction. I told them we knew for sure he had them, and
were going in to capture his WMD so he couldn't kill anyone with them. My
Marines seemed to accept this as a good reason to risk their lives. Time
and our senior leadership have proven me to be a liar; we apparently went
to war for, as you put it, fictitious reasons. This angers me more than I
can possibly express.
If you choose to
post this email, please remove any information that might identify me. As
you know, the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the laws that govern the
military, make speaking contemptuously about our nation's leaders a
criminal offense. I don't believe that I've done that. After all, I'm only
saying they failed us (the troops), but as an officer they'd really stomp
me if they thought I had. Thank you very much for your time.
"NATIONAL
EMERGENCY?"
FROM: Nathaniel
Franco
SENT: Thursday, July 8, 2004 3:05 AM
To: mike@michaelmoore.com
SUBJECT: IRR troop
Mr. Moore,
I am a soldier in
the IRR or individual ready reserve. I was released from active duty May
25, 2004, with an honorable discharge. I participated in both Operation
Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom and now find myself facing
the possibility of having to go back again.
The main point I
would like to make is that the IRR option on our contracts is only
supposed to be exercised in case of a "national emergency." It says
plainly in our enlistment contract. How can anyone consider insurgent
attacks in a land far, far away a national emergency? After all, the
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED banner was hung long ago. Mike, thanks for all
you do for the troops.
Fahrenheit 9/11 is
by far the most outstanding support our troops need right now. Thank you
for caring and trying to make George W Bush and his contemporaries
responsible for their villainous acts.
"MAKE RICH IDIOTS
RICHER"
FROM: SGT Alex Ward
SENT: Friday, April 16, 2004 7:23 AM
To: mike@michaelmoore.com
SUBJECT: Greetings from SGT Ward
Hey Michael,
My name is SGT Alex
Ward, USMC. I'm an Arabic linguist Stationed in Fort Gordon, Georgia. I
volunteered to go to Iraq, but was denied. I wanted to go to support my
friends over there, not to support this idiotic war.
I spent time in
Guantanamo; I was interpreting for the detainees down there. Actually,
that is where I checked out your book Stupid White Men at the base
library. I believe what we did in Afghanistan was justified, kicking out
the Taliban and al Qaeda there. This Iraq thing is more than a debacle, it
is a freaking abortion! It was obvious Saddam had no WMDs, that there
were no al Qaeda links, and that the unholy trinity of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld already had their minds made up that they were going in, no
matter if anything was found or not.
I'm extremely pissed
that my friends are fighting and dying to make rich idiots richer, when
they could actually be looking for the real terrorist, Mr. bin Laden. Iraq
has been a drain on our manpower, resources and national morale, and has
turned a nation that had relatively few terrorists into one swarming with
them. Keep up the good work, bro!
"CAN'T WE IMPEACH
THIS JACKASS???"
FROM: Sean
SENT: Wednesday, May 5, 2004 9:41 PM
To: mike@michaelmoore.com
SUBJECT: National Guard and scared shitless
Hello Mike,
I am writing you
today because I am with the 834th Support Battalion of the Minnesota
National Guard. Due to the fact that the Bush war machine needs more
bodies to be put into it, we have been activated to be shipped to the
front on Aug. 1 of this year. We have been told that we are to spend the
next TWO years in-country! My wife is due to give birth to our son a
month before I am to leave for that hell on earth.
My life is ruined if
this happens. Loss of wages, medical care, and God knows what other
things. TWO fucking years! My son will be walking by then, and who knows
if I will even make it back at all to see my family! I hate our leaders
who take part-time Guard members, who are NOT professional soldiers, and
destroy their lives to make theirs more profitable. Can't we impeach this
jackass???
I joined a few years
ago so I could get a loan for a house. Christ, now I'm staring down the
barrel of a gun my president (ha-ha!) has pointed at my head.
NOTE: Sean and his
wife had a baby, a son, in the summer of 2004. He is very healthy and
active.
"THE DIRECTION MY
COUNTRY
IS HEADING"
FROM: Pete
SENT: Tuesday, May 4, 2004 12:45 PM
To: mike@michaelmoore.com
SUBJECT: Letter from a veteran
Dear Mr. Moore,
I have served over
five years in the army as both an enlisted member and an officer. I just
got back last month (April) from Iraq. I spent 15 months over there and it
was definitely crazy. In addition to the campaign medals, I also received
the Bronze Star for my service. I don't regret having served my country,
but I have become very frustrated with the direction my country is
heading. I have decided to resign my commission, and I am moving up to
Seattle to start a pizza restaurant (which also has a vegan menu) with
Joe, a friend from college. Right now, we're doing the research on
getting permits, taxes, etc. Hopefully with Joe being a minority and me
being a vet, we will be able to get some grant money.
Anyway, after
reading your book we wanted to use the principles you stated to business
owners: pay your workers more, give them health benefits, and hire
minorities. I suppose the reason I wanted to write you is that in case our
business ever gets off the beaten track for whatever reason, and Joe and
I are not living up to our own mission statement, I think I may need
someone like you to show me my own letter and say, "Pete, you promised to
be a good business owner. You also promised to change the direction of
this country and you're not doing that! " I guess I wanted to write you so
that I ensure that I never turn my back on my own ideals.
NOTE: Pete
ultimately retracted his resignation paper, deciding he should stay in
the military because he felt he could make more of a difference there.
"IT REALLY
MAKES ME
WANT TO VOTE"
FROM: Vadim
Nuniyants
SENT: Thursday, July 15, 2004 11:57 AM
To: mike@michaelmoore.com
SUBJECT: From an ex-Marine. Thanks, Mike
Hi Mike,
My name is Vadim
Nuniyants; I am 22 years old and I live in Reton, Washington. I have
just finished watching Fahrenheit 9/11 and wanted to thank you personally
for making this film. Only about a year or two ago did I start to get more
political, and that's what I loved the most about this movie. It makes the
everyday Joe want to act on his opinions/beliefs. It really makes me want
to vote, which I will be doing for the first time this upcoming election.
I spent three years
in the Marines, up until January of 2003, when I got orders to ship out to
Kuwait and Iraq. I told my commanding officer that I refused to go. I
spent the next five months in New Orleans, Louisiana, where I met other
Marines who refused to fight this war. The military classified us as
conscientious objectors, and our commanders classified us as flag burners.
The young men whom I have met in New Orleans were some of the bravest
people I have come across. They would have rather gone to jail than fight
in Iraq. One of my buddies down there, Stephen Funk, was actually
court-martialed, and did go to the brig for six months. But I'm sure that
he saw that as a small price to pay for doing what he believed in. But the
funny thing is, he is the only CO I've met who had to go to jail. This is
because he was the only CO who went public with his refusal to fight. He
has done inter- views with radio shows and newspapers.
In the end, I got an
honorable discharge, which is why I urge more and more members of the
military to stand up for what they believe. Stephen got discharged after
serving jail time. And some Marines get denied, like my friend R.A., who
refused to fight, like me, but his claim was denied and he was sent back
to his unit. About a month ago his unit got activated again, and so he is
back in New Orleans going through the big green process.
You know, about a
year ago when I would tell someone that I refused to fight in Iraq, most
people considered me unpatriotic. For me, the only unpatriotic thing I
could have done would have been to go over there and fight for a cause
that I knew to be false. These days more and more people are starting to
see things more clearly. More and more people are forming opinions. More
and more people are shedding their fears, and more and more people are
growing full from being fed lies and being' told what to do. People are
taking control and taking responsibility.
"WHY WERE WE THERE?"
FROM: Joseph
Cherwinski
SENT: Saturday, July 3, 2004 8:33 PM
To: mike@michaelmoore.com
SUBJECT: "Fahrenheit 9111 "
I am a soldier in
the "United States Army. I was in Iraq with the Fourth Infantry Division.
Thank you for your movie; I know most of my fellow soldiers and I wondered
day to day why were we there. "For the freedom of the Iraqi people," we
were told, but day by day, Iraqi workers came into our base to work, and
on those days I would ask, "Is it better that we are here? ," and every
time they would say worse, or the same.
Instead of
worrying about just Saddam and his minions, they had to worry about
everyone. I would then ask what would help, and they would state, "We need
clothes, food, water, and electricity."
I was guarding some
Iraqi workers one day. Their task was to fill sandbags for our base. The
temperature was at least 120. I had to sit there with full gear on and
monitor them. I was sitting and drinking water, and I could barely
tolerate the heat, so I directed the workers to go to the shade and sit
and drink water. I let them rest in the shade for about 20 minutes. Then a
staff sergeant told me that they didn't need a break, and that they were
to fill sandbags until the cows come home. He then told the Iraqis to go
back to work.
After about 30
minutes, I let them have a break again, thus disobeying orders. If these
were soldiers filling sandbags, in this amount of heat, those soldiers
would be bound to a 10-minute work, 50-minute rest cycle, to prevent heat
casualties. Again the staff sergeant came and sent the Iraqis back to work
and told me I did not have to sit out in the sun and watch them, I could
sit in the shade. I told him no, I had to be out there with them so that
when I started to need water, then they would definitely need water. He
told me that wasn't necessary, and that they live here, and that they are
used to it.
After he left, I put
the Iraqis back into the shade. I could tell by their faces that some were
very dehydrated; most of them were thin enough to be on an
international food aid commercial. I would not treat my fellow soldiers in
this manner, so I did not treat the Iraqi workers this way either.
A few months after
this, I was on the Iraqi escort detail again. We had received a bunch of
housing units for the base that day, and the Iraqis finished up for the
day at sunset. The problem here was that the truck drivers were contracted
out from Jordan, and their trucks were low on fuel. The same staff
sergeant refused to give them any of our fuel on the base, and told them
they had to use the Iraqi fuel station down the highway. That was not very
appealing to the drivers since the insurgents did not just attack the
troops, they went after anyone who was working for us. So the drivers
asked if they could stay on the base till morning, and the staff
sergeant said no. So as we sat there and watched them leave the base,
unarmed, unescorted, with fear and dread written on all of their faces, I
could only think that if this is the way America does business with
others, no wonder they want to put bombs on the side of the road for us.
This went on for 8
months while I was in Iraq, and going through it told me that we were not
there for their freedom, we were not there for WMD. We had no idea what we
were fighting for anymore.
"WHERE ARE THE WMDS?
WHY ARE WE REALLY OVER IN IRAQ?"
FROM: Jay
SENT: Friday, August 6, 2004 1:11 PM
To: mike@michaelmoore.com
SUBJECT: Bush the almighty
I will be on active
duty for at least two more years. I have been in for eight years total.
I would like to ask
Mr. Bush personally why he is saying he supports us troops, yet we are
still downsizing our forces and our funding continues to get thinner and
thinner. They are giving people the option of getting out of certain
career fields right now, closing bases on top of it. Yet Osama bin Laden
is still at large; we are not even really doing anything over in
Afghanistan, and the forces we do have, we are sending into a nightmare.
That nightmare was a lie from the beginning.
Where are the WMDs?
Why are we really over in Iraq? Why the hell are our troops dying? Mr.
Bush, how are we safer now than we were before you stole office? There
were a lot of people I saw when I was deployed in the desert whose spirits
were down, and a lot wondered why the heck we were even in Iraq. You don't
know friend from foe, and a country that DID NOT have any terrorist
training camps is now thriving with them. Iraq will never be stable,
another Vietnam in the making. Hope you are proud of that one, Mr. Bush,
because I know I am not.
We still have people
over here who are uninsured medically, homeless, jobless. Even veterans'
benefits were cut. We know right where Mr. Bush's priorities lie. They are
in bed with companies instead of the American people.
Mr. Bush, I have
sworn to protect this country from all enemies foreign and domestic. You
have gone against all American values and Americans in general in pursuit
of greed and power, stepping on those who look up to you to run this
country in the right direction. You have lied to all of us and sent our
brave men and women off to war to die for your cause and not America's.
You have also compromised the safety and security of every American in
this great country, using dirty politics to scare and cheat all Americans.
The definition of a
TERRORIST is: "the systematic use of violence to create a general
climate of fear in a population and thereby to bring about a particular
political objective." Sounds to me like you fit the description well, Mr.
Bush.
I will do my part as
a military member and American citizen to make sure to protect the country
from you. That means doing my part in November, going to the polls and
casting my vote, to vote you and your administration out of office. And
don't think you will steal this election. There are plenty of people who
are going to vote you out of office. Thanks for burning that bridge a long
time ago -- helps to make for an easy decision.
"THIS Is ALL
BULLSHIT"
FROM: Anonymous
SENT: Friday, July 9, 2004 9:54AM
To: mike@michaelmoore.com
SUBJECT: Reservist who doesn't want to go to Iraq
Mike Moore,
I am a reservist in
the navy. I have been in the Reserves for 3 years and have been activated
for 1-3/4 years (right after 9/11 for homeland security). I have recently
been informed that I am to be activated again, but this time I will be
going to Iraq. I am Seabee, and we will be building schools and hooking up
electricity and water over there. I am not thrilled about this. Seven
Seabees have already been killed trying to help the Iraqis. I have not
had a chance to see your new movie, and my husband says that maybe I
shouldn't. He thinks that it will make me angrier toward Mr. George W.
I just want you to
know that there are many of us reservists who think that this is all
bullshit. I am not looking forward to leaving my one-year-old daughter for
eight months or more to fight a battle that I believe is wrong. The Iraqis
don't want our help. If they did, they would not be trying to kill us.
"THE WAR BUSINESS"
FROM: Anonymous
SENT: Thursday, July 1, 2004 6:34 PM
To: mike@michaelmoore.com
SUBJECT: I was in the war
I wanted to
personally write you and thank you. I was there in Kuwait, and remember
quite vividly how despicable the whole thing was. I was a
counterintelligence agent (please don't hold it against me) and an Arabic
linguist. I remember people saying that we were fighting for America, or
even oil, but it was apparent even at the earliest stages that this was
about big business. The war business. I remember the obvious waste, and
how the KBR guys would lose it if we used their phones to call home, free
phones I might add. Phones that didn't have a 3-hour wait. I remember
seeing entire battalions sit in a warehouse for a month, then get sent
home without ever doing a thing in the war effort. I had conversations
with members of these units and was told that they basically came to the
war because their battalion commander wanted a deployment on his resume.
I felt as hot as I
had ever felt in the desert, and my eyes burned with tears. My heart
raced, and my entire body felt as uneasy as I had ever felt during a scud
alert. I relived my time in the war during that short instant in your
film. Thank God I spoke my mind just enough to get sent home without
getting court-martialed. After losing my sergeant stripe and some pay, I
got a plane ticket home. I will make that deal any day, and I am never
going back to that country in that capacity again!
I used to be a
staunch supporter of the GOP. I used to toe the party-line. I used to
think that those in Washington cared. Now I know the truth! Democrats and
Republicans are nothing more than elitists. What can be done? I can't
possibly vote for the Dummy, and Kerry is no better. Same college, same
fraternity, same bank account, same lying ways and half truths. These
people are completely out of touch with the American people! Is there
anyone in Washington who is in touch? I guess that is why I am now a
registered Independent.
I haven't always
agreed with you, but I will be dammed if I wouldn't die protecting your
right to call it the way you see it! Thank you, Michael Moore. Thank you
for expressing your freedom of speech!
"WHERE IS THE OIL
GOING?"
FROM: CHRIS F.
SENT: Thursday, May 6, 2004 10:49 AM
To: mike@michaelmoore.com
SUBJECT: A view after returning from Iraq
Dear Mr. Moore,
I was in Iraq from
April1, 2003, until March 23, 2004. I spent the beginning of the war
without even the basic combat load of ammo. We were driving Iraqi city
buses transporting enemy prisoners of war and trying to understand why
when we stopped at a newly secured base we could not find any weapons of
mass destruction. Later in the war we ended up just outside of Fallujah
and stayed there until the Marines took over. There we ran another
prisoner-of-war camp.
What I wanted to say
is that most of my unit wants to quit the National Guard and never pick up
a weapon for this current ad- ministration again. We left thinking that we
were protecting the Iraqi people and the people of the United States from
terrorism. When in truth we are the terrorists.
Oh, and before I
forget, tell me, if U.S. soldiers are escorting over 100 trucks a day
hauling oil out of Iraq, then where is the oil going?
"WHAT THE FUCK WE
ARE DOING THERE"
FROM: Edward Dalton
SENT: Thursday, March 11, 2004 7:25 PM
To: mike@michaelmoore.com
SUBJECT: I just returned from Iraq
Dear Mr. Moore,
I just returned from
Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division after being there for eleven months.
I was the lowest
common denominator in "President" Bush's foreign policy. I am just a
working- class man who joined the army to payoff my student loans and all
of a sudden 9/11 happens, and the next thing you know I wake up one day in
Afghanistan. One year later I am in Iraq and cannot figure out what the
fuck WE are doing there.
It amazes me how
blind people are, especially my fellow soldiers, who suffer at the hands
of Bush but still continue to vote for him. Ah, the power of the media and
the fear that they instill. I am more afraid of my government than I am of
the Middle East and their leaders.
Thank you for your
continued efforts, your in-your-face approach, and your many years of
speaking the truth. You do not have to wear a uniform to serve your
country, and you have proved that time and time again.
"PRESIDENT BUSH USED
US"
FROM: O.P.
SENT: Friday, July 16, 2004 12:52 AM
To: mike@michaelmoore.com
SUBJECT: "Fahrenheit 9/11"
I recently came back
from an eight-month deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom,
Operation Enduring Freedom, and Joint Task Force Liberia. I returned home
and am still proud to serve my country and proud to protect this nation
from harm's way. Recently the commanding officer of my ship, the USS Iwo
Jima, informed us that we will have to return for a second deployment by
March 2005.
At first, I was
disappointed, I wanted to know why. We just came back.
So I asked him. His
response was, "The war is not over and we have a job to do in Iraq." I
couldn't say anything except, "Roger that." I finally came to accept the
fact that I made a commitment and I will stand by my word to defend
this great country of ours. However, after seeing Fahrenheit 9111, I felt
as if President Bush used us.
There are no lies
behind this documentary, for there is proof (literally) behind each of
your words. After seeing this documentary, I will not return to Iraq for
a second deployment. I will probably get arrested, discharged, or even
executed according to the Uniformed Code of Military Justice.
It's about time we,
the people, take a stand against President Bush. I am.
I am a United States
sailor. I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States of
America and I will obey the orders of those appointed over me.
I represent the
fighting spirit of the navy and those who have gone before me to defend
freedom and democracy around the world.
I proudly serve my
country's navy combat team with honor, courage, and commitment. I am
committed to excellence and the fair treatment of all.
"WE CAN'T AFFORD
THIS WAR WE ARE IN!"
FROM: SPC Matthew
Burns
SENT: Thursday, July 15, 2004 5:31 PM
To: mike@michaelmoore.com
SUBJECT: Thank you
Dear Mr. Moore,
I am a soldier
currently stationed in Fairbanks, Alaska. My name is SPC Matthew Burns. I
really appreciated that you didn't place the blame for our current
catastrophe on the shoulders of soldiers. We carry so much already, and
it is great to finally see blame where it is most deserved. I will go
anywhere and do anything my country asks me to, because that's what a
soldier does. I don't trust my political leaders anymore to make
reasonable decisions. We can't afford this war we are in!
Our military budget
is larger than that of the top ten closest in the world COMBINED, but my
unit can't afford the training and equipment we need. There is always a
budget problem paying for our training. I will go to Iraq if I am needed
there, but it would be nice if I had the training I, and every other
soldier, deserve. Where is this money going?
Regardless, I just
wanted to say thanks for giving us credit for what we do. Fahrenheit 9/11
touched my heart and that of my spouse. Give my regards to your friend in
Flint who lost her son. I hope the army can give my family more than a
phone call.
I am scheduled to be
deployed next summer to this war I don't agree with. I will go, as I don't
wish to dishonor my family or country. I know others who feel the same
way. I hope our leaders can be trusted to make better decisions in the
future. Oil is not worth one soldier's life lost. Too many young Americans
are dying for this cause. The deaths of September 11, 2001, must not have
been enough to please Mr. Bush. I hope the "thief in chief' isn't chief
much longer. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
"I FELT BETRAYED AND
USED"
FROM: Anonymous
SENT: Monday, December 22, 2003 7:21 PM
To: mike@michaelmoore.com
SUBJECT: Could it get any worse?
Mike,
I came home from
Iraq in September after nine months with the 101st Airborne Division. What
I came home to was not the same country I left.
I will admit that
before the war, I bought into much of what Bush was saying. Don't get me
wrong, I didn't vote for him before, and I didn't trust him. Still, Saddam
just HAD to have all those weapons, right? Why else would he be giving the
run- around to all the inspectors? It just made sense. I didn't really believe that he posed a direct threat to us, but by God, he just HAD to have
those weapons. I was never scared of being shot, or hitting a mine. What
scared me to death was being on the receiving end of a chemical or
biological-tipped scud and not getting my mask on in time.
If anyone has ever
seen or read about what these weapons can do, you will understand my fear.
The first two days of the war we had an alert every time a missile was
launched. The fear of getting that mask on as fast as you can and then
waiting to see if you beat the odds or had the scud hit you is something I
never want to experience again.
A funny thing
happened on the way to Baghdad: we soon put away our chemical suits and
gear. Saddam never launched a chemical attack. I thought that surely we
had some general to thank for not following orders, since Saddam just HAD
to have all those weapons. I mean Colin Powell (the one and only man in
the administration whom I had any trust in) went in front of the UN and
argued that point. Well, I won't bore you with the rest of the story since
you know that the weapons (which Rummy claimed to know the exact location
of) have never been found.
I felt betrayed and
used. As an officer I am not supposed to show these feelings in front of
the soldiers. We are supposed to put on a good face and ensure that the
men and women we give orders to never lose sight of the mission and the
task at hand. The thing was, I didn't even know what the mission was
anymore. Soon other officers and I began whispering thoughts that would
make Ashcroft send out the thought police. At first we skirted around it,
but after a while, we began to come out and say it: We had been lied to
and used.
Of course, all of
you at home were being told how great our morale was and that we were
happy to be doing our job. To this I said, "Of course we don't have low
morale. That would imply that there is some sort of morale to measure." It
was an amazing sight: thousands of soldiers not giving a rat's ass about
our mission, but only wanting to stay alive long enough to get home. Does
this sound like another war in our nation's past?
It makes me angry to
see all this happening and knowing that people are getting away with it.
I feel like a caged animal not knowing who to strike at or where to turn.
I still have three years left in the army before my time is up (unless
they decide to "stop loss" me and keep me in PAST the time I agreed to
serve). I think the best thing I can do is to enact change from within.
I will devote my
time to opening the eyes of as many of my fellow officers and soldiers as
I can before the 2004 election. After all, it was probably our absentee
ballots that got Bush "elected" the first time around.
If I can change the
minds of enough people over the next year, then maybe we can put this
whole sordid mess behind us and start fixing this great country.
(I'd give my name,
but if they kick me out or send me away to Gitmo, I can't change anyone's
mind.)
P.S. I think it is
fair to tell you that in the mid-nineties I was a Rush-loving,
Dole-voting, Clinton- bashing machine. I have now recovered from this
problem and am trying to put my life back together. I hope I don't slip
up and enter a tailspin like that again. My hope is that if I can change,
others can, too.
"I FEEL LIKE I HAVE
BLOOD ON My HANDS"
FROM: Dan Rackley
SENT: Friday, July 2, 2004 6:17 PM
To: mike@michaelmoore.com
SUBJECT: Michael, I just saw your movie. ..I was moved
Michael,
Hello, my name is
Daniel Rackley. I recently turned 23, and about four months ago was
honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy.
I recently saw
Fahrenheit 9111. First thing, I have never driven two hours to go see any
movie. Yours was the first. Watching your movie brought back a lot of
memories of when I joined the military along with the prowar hysteria.
The first night that
Baghdad was bombed, I was on watch on the USS Bataan. I was steering the
ship while bombs were being dropped on Iraq, and some of those bombs
likely came from Harriers on board my ship.
In the background
while I was doing my job, a television had CNN running live coverage of
the bombings. Like so many of the people who got caught up in what was
going on, I started cheer- ing and wishing death on people I didn't even
know. Not just the troops, but everyone.
It didn't hit me
until I saw your movie that I was driving the ship that was sending planes
to kill people.
I've never killed
anyone, shot a gun, or even been in any serious fights; but I feel like I
have blood on my hands. I've never meant to hurt anyone, but my actions
were, in part, helping to destroy houses, kill children and families.
Sir, in your opinion, do you think the guilt I'm feeling is proper for me
to be feeling? Or should I just say to myself that it wasn't my fault, and
that I was just doing my job? My entire time in the navy, I never was put
in a situation where I had to put a gun to someone's head, but in some
small way, I feel like I've done it to thousands of people.
This new movie put a
spark in me to get up out of my chair and get ready to make sure that
things like this never happen again. I saw on your website a list of ways
to take action, and I'm going to try to do as many of them as I can.
In closing, thank
you for making that movie. It opened my eyes to many things. All the
bullshit that people are giving you over this, tell them that Daniel
Rackley says they should go to hell.
Go to Next Page |