By Jade Schwarting
<[email protected]>

Although some disagree with his views supporting the war, senior Joseph “Joey” Baertschi said that public support of the troops is vital to their success, and said he sees the war as a peace effort as opposed to an economic issue. Baertschi said, “The war in Iraq should be considered a humanitarian effort, not an oil policy or anything like that.”

Some of Baertschi’s support comes from his proximity to the war. His neighbor’s dad is deployed in Iraq and he said knowing a soldier gives him someone to look up to and something to consider for the future.
Besides supporting the soldiers fighting in Iraq, Baertschi said he also supports the reason why the troops were sent in and remain in the region today. “(We needed to go) into Iraq in the first place because it was a region that required outside support to be stabilized. The troops should stay in Iraq until their absence can prove that there wouldn’t be a reoccurrence of genocide,” Baertschi said.

Social studies teacher Jennifer Ott, who said she also supports the troops in combat, said, “Regardless of any person’s perspective on the war, I think it is probably one of the most unpatriotic, un-American things a person could do as to not support the American lives that are being sacrificed. People in the military entered the military for a reason, most because they felt moved to support their country. People who think that the war is wrong or too long or that we’re there for the wrong reasons can think that all they want, but what they should never question is the desire for an American to support his or her country.”

Ott said that the troops were definitely needed in Iraq during the genocide. She said, “Iraq was a country that was led by a dictatorial leader that harbored terrorist activities. I think it is funny how just a few weeks ago, you could turn on most televisions and see 9/11 footage where citizens were proclaiming, live on TV, that our country shouldn’t stand for this and that we need to send a message that America will fight back. A lot of people have forgone those past proclamations as seven years (have) passed, and now they have fully changed their view. When you put it in perspective, terrorism still exists.”

Ott said she believes President George W. Bush’s time in office was, in fact, well spent, despite his current low approval ratings. She said, “I think that President Bush has had a series of unfortunate events occur while he has been in office. And because he is the face of our nation, he then also becomes the scapegoat for the American people. It’s funny how in the days following 9/11 Bush was considered a great President for the manner in which he dealt with that horrific incident. Unfortunately for him, seven years later, many Americans have lost that perspective of the cause and may not understand the issues with pulling out of a war, thus they have fled from supporting him.”

Baertschi said that he also agrees with Bush’s decisions while in office and said, “Although war has been instrumental in both enforcing and restricting human rights, it’s still very satisfying when I change someone’s view on the war (in Iraq) from being opposed to it, to making them realize that it is a humanitarian effort helping the oppressed people of the world.”