President Barack Obama declared an end to the Iraq conflict mission in his address to the nation on Tuesday. During the prime-time address from the Oval Office, Obama voiced his support for those who gave their lives fighting in the seven-year conflict. The UA Campus Veterans Association is an organization comprised of the men and women Obama addressed.
Gregory Chiadika, a senior majoring in criminal justice and CVA member, is now a student at the University after serving in the Army. He said the removal of combat troops from Iraq is a step in the right direction for the United States.
“I believe that the removal of our troops in Iraq has been long overdue,” Chiadika said. “We could not have been expected to stay in Iraq forever, and the money funding the war in Iraq can now be used to help put our economy on the right track.”
While serving in the Army, he said he was told the reason for the U.S. military presence was a desire to give the people of Iraq freedom, but he realized the freedom he was fighting could for be short-lived.
“Freedom fought for is more precious than freedom given,” Chiadika said. “I believe that a year after the U.S withdrawal from Iraq, Iraq will be exactly like it was before we arrived.”
CVA Vice President Joshua Folmar, a senior majoring in English and political science, added that the pulling of combat troops from Iraq is now a big part of recognizing the veterans back in the states.
“I think that the idea of troops being pulled from Iraq makes the conflict feel more realistic,” Folmar said. “As they start pulling people out, you start thinking a lot more about the people who didn’t make it back.”
Now, he said, it is time to wait and see how well the Iraqi government handles itself as a nation.
“We all hope that our efforts weren’t in vain,” Folmar said. “It will prove in the long run whether or not it was worth it.”
He said he believes the removal of troops is a step in the right direction for the U.S. because most former Al-Qaeda and Taliban members have moved into the Pakistan region, so the soldiers in Iraq are not really dealing with terrorists.
Jordan Thompson, a junior majoring in political science and member of Army ROTC, said Afghanistan, more than Iraq, has become the center of this conflict.
“The combat mission in Iraq is over, but there are plenty of troops in Afghanistan,” Thompson said. “That is where everybody is being sent right now.”
Though fighting in Iraq has begun to cease, Thompson said he feels there is more fighting to be done in Afghanistan. However, he said, pulling the troops from Iraq could be a mistake.
“I don’t know that the job has been done,” he said.
