A Marine Versus His Sister

I can sum up my opinions of the Iraq war simply by saying I am anti-war, anti-Bush, and I want our troops out of Iraq. I was against the war from the start and was completely against the troop surge. But, my story is much more complicated than the average, impersonal outlook on the war. My brother, Joseph Marzzacco is a United States Marine who served a year long tour of duty in Iraq. Most Americans are now against the war and against Bush, we know this. But, what do the troops who are actually fighting this war think of all these issues, and how will they vote in the upcoming election? By talking to my brother, I learned that for two people who grew up side by side, we have completely opposite opinions of these current events.

I will openly say I hated Bush from the beginning. When he sent my brother to Iraq I hated him even more. But, the person who had to deal with actually being there supports Bush. Why is this? As Joe explained, “I do support President Bush and have from the beginning. Everyone has forgotten about how he united this country after 9/11.”

The war in Iraq, in my opinion, was a mistake from the beginning, along with the troop surge. I always find it hard to believe when I hear people saying that they support it. According to my brother, “I supported the war from the beginning. That’s why I became a Marine. I will say that we could’ve waited to go into Iraq, but again, from what I know; another 9/11 could’ve been launched from Iraq if we didn’t act and I do believe the troop surge has been working. Casualties will go down and the Iraqi Army will have more time to train.”

In my opinion, our troops need to be pulled out of Iraq immediately. When I said this to my brother, he was really offended. He said, “I honestly don’t believe we will ever be completely out of Iraq. We will definitely have bases their similar to the ones in Japan, Germany, and South Korea. If we were to pull out completely, Iraq would be at risk of falling into the hands of another dictator and we’d have to go back in a few years anyway.

From what I’ve heard from the Democrats, troops deployed to Iraq were not getting the benefits they needed or benefits for their families. But, what my brother told me completely discredits the information I have. He explained, “I do feel that injured troops get good benefits. I have a combat related disability and the treatment and compensation I receive are much better than I would’ve gotten from a work related injury in the private sector. Also, the benefits have increased every year. When I was deployed, my wife gave birth to our son while caring for our daughter. She was eligible to leave work and receive benefits including my combat pay, military health insurance, and separation pay. How do you think she survived?”

The main thing I was eager to hear from my brother, were his opinions about the candidates in the upcoming Presidential election. From what I know about him, I probably could’ve guessed who he’d support. “I can’t answer for all troops, but I support Senator McCain. He has the military background to make good decisions regarding our security and safety. On the Democratic side, I like Obama. But, I could never support a candidate who wants to lead this country but has not served in the military himself.

Like I said, my brother and I have really conflicting opinions about war, the President, and the upcoming election. However, I will admit that what he told me really makes sense when looking at it from his perspective. He said it best when he told me, “Everyone is entitled to their opinions of the war and politics. But, it is one thing to debate it in a classroom full of people who don’t understand war and then to actually get your boots on the ground in Iraq and have the honor to fight for your country.” So many American families are being torn apart by their conflicting opinions about these issues. You should always say exactly what you feel, but when someone disagrees with us, we have to respect them. In my situation, taking my own advice is harder than it sounds and is a work in progress.

Katie Marzzacco ‘09
Communication Studies
Wilkes University