I just don’t understand why most Americans are not flipping out about President Obama’s speech last week regarding the end of combat in Iraq.

The only change occurring is the name of operations.

My husband is currently deployed to Iraq. Being an Army wife and veteran, I have a unique view civilians do not possess. When President Bush changed names and claimed “Mission Accomplished,” there were people calling for his impeachment. Where is the change and new hope President Obama promised? He is just another member of the political game.

Furthermore, calling the Iraq War a mistake was uncalled for and not classy. It undermined a previous president’s authority and Saddam Hussein was a madman. He was committing genocide against the Kurds.

Granted, the weapons of mass destruction were never found, but a country was saved from a horrendous dictator. The Americans soldiers’ lives lost were not in vain.

Their lives were lost spreading the essence of America, freedom. That is the greatest gift we could give another nation.

-Kristina Crabtree

Sycamore