Operation: Dard and Devotion

Final Author's Note

Operation: Dard and Devotion

The Beginning: February 17, 2015

The Completion: March 20, 2016

BEFORE YOU PROCEED, KNOW THAT THIS SECTION IS THE GRANDFATHER OF ALL SPOILERS.  

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Alright, kids. Grab some milk and cookies because it's story time (if you're allergic to either of those items, find something else :p)

The idea to write something regarding the Middle East was on my mind for over a year (anyone remember Bloodied Innocence?), but I kept putting it off because I wasn't sure how to go about it. The region is filled with a lot of sensitive issues and I did not want to offend anyone or mess up the facts, so I decided to not write about it all, that is, until something changed my mind completely.

In January 2015, I had stepped foot into a required Public Speaking course. I had been absolutely dreading the semester because public speaking is one of my biggest fears. I figured I would somehow make enough effort just to pass the class and then be done with it. We were required to give four main speeches throughout the span of the semester. We had the freedom to choose our topics and initially, I thought I'd do something easy until one Monday morning, the professor asked us to share what we did over the weekend, and then he shared what he did. He went to see American Sniper, a film that had been playing in theaters.

Now, American Sniper is a film based on a memoir of the same name, written by Chris Kyle, an American soldier who went on four war tours in the span of six years in Iraq post-9/11. With the claim of having killed over 255 Iraqis - even though only 166 have been confirmed - Kyle is notorious for having been "the most lethal sniper in U.S history". In his book, Kyle says that he "loved" killing "savages" and that he "doesn't give a flying **** about the Iraqis". As a side note, Kyle was killed by a fellow war veteran in Texas, USA in February 2013. Here are two quotes from his book. Interpret them as you'd like (yes, I took these out of context, but these seemed like standalone quotes to me):

"Savage, despicable evil. That's what we were fighting in Iraq...I only wish I had killed more. Not for bragging rights, but because I believe the world is a better place without savages out there taking American lives."

"...When God confronts me with my sins, I do not believe any of the kills I had during the war will be among them. Everyone I shot was evil. I had good cause on every shot. They all deserved to die."

That's quite a statement, especially considering that Iraq had a) nothing to do with 9/11, and b) had no traces of "weapons of mass destruction" as it had been widely believed. In simpler terms, America invaded and bombed a country without tangible evidence that it was a severe threat. I've seen interviews of minorities, including Christians, who actually said life in Iraq was better under Saddam Hussein, who is also responsible for a number of lives. Think about it the intensity of that statement. And who is beginning to take over there now? Daesh.

Trying to find reasons so that I would not totally lose faith in American troops (I don't find much reason in hating a whole army because of a handful of cruel soldiers. That's like saying all Muslims are bad and that all Muslims should be judged based on the small percentage of rotten ones), I came across so many interviews from soldiers who had served in Iraq and said wonderful things about Iraqi people and their culture. It was truly heartwarming to read. Some of them even openly stated that they did not understand why they were sent to Iraq in the first place. Just as an "Islamic" terrorist is a horrible representation for all Muslims, Chris Kyle is not a sufficient spokesperson for all American soldiers. Chris Kyle's war is not every soldier's war. I hope you all understand that.