There are few places where the wheels of democracy turn more
freely than Iowa.
Every four years, the eyes of the world focus on the Hawkeye
state as we kick off the presidential political season. And we
don't just vote when the CNN cameras are rolling, we vote in
little-publicized local elections, too, because it is our civic
duty.
I have always held a deep pride in Iowa's voting prowess, but
I never knew what democracy was all about until I visited a land
where the right to vote was little more than a dream.
Just days after 9/11, I signed up to fight the War on
Terror. I enlisted to defend our freedoms here at home, but I
soon found that I was fighting for something even bigger: to give
complete strangers abroad a chance to enjoy the things many
Americans take for granted.
A two-time infantry veteran, I served proudly under General
Petraeus's command. Our work was tedious and dangerous, but on
January 30, 2005, I knew it was worth the bloodshed. That was
the day we stood guard as Iraqis flocked to voting booths for their
first free election.
No Public Service Announcements with rock stars or automated
campaign calls were needed to boost turnout-not even the threat of
terrorist bombings at polling places could keep them
away. Iraq made history that day as average citizens stood up
to tyranny in a way that no army ever could.
A freely-elected government was put into place so Sunnis and
Shiites could use debate and diplomacy to settle their differences,
instead of bullets and bombs; an Iraqi police force trained by U.S.
forces finally allowed law and order to replace chaos and
fear.
Progress has seemed slow to some of us in the United States,
but Iraq has taken historic strides. Just last month its
government approved a budget, passed a roadmap for power sharing,
and granted amnesty to thousands of Iraqis.
Best of all, violence has been on a sharp decline- sectarian
killings are down 95 percent in the last year, suicide bombings
have decreased by nearly 70 percent, and roadside bombing attacks
have been cut nearly in half.
Even anti-war politicians admit that's far more progress than
most experts expected in such a short time.
Given this surge of success, one has to wonder why some still
refuse to recognize reform and continue to advocate for
retreat. If American forces pull out of Iraq now, the
terrorists who are on the run will return to assume control,
civility will give way to civil war, and Iraq's first taste of
freedom will also be its last.
On March 26, a group of highly-decorated veterans from Iraq
and Afghanistan will visit the capitol building in Des Moines to
give a firsthand account of what's going on overseas. They
will explain that just like the Iowa caucus is the pride of the
Midwest, future elections in Iraq could serve as a shining example
of democracy for the rest of the Middle East.
These veterans will remind us that despite the loss of
American lives, this is one job we cannot afford to leave half
completed.
Iraq is living up to its end of the bargain; now it's time for
America to live up to its end by finishing what we started.
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About the Author: Brandon Shepard is the Iowa state captain
for Vets for Freedom, a non-profit group that is
sponsoring the National Heroes bus tour. A resident of
Waterloo, he served in Iraq from 2003 to 2006 and is currently
studying political science at the University of Northern
Iowa.