Mühltal, February 26^th 2006

In Germany, very often Americans are shown as if they enjoyed going to war, occupying other countries etc. I know that is untrue, but I would wish more people knew this as well. That is why I want to publish an email I got today. It is an email from an American serving in Iraq:

Dear Karin Quade,

I was on the web today and found your Anti-Anti-Americanism website. As an American and as a service member currently serving in Iraq I would like to thank you for your views and willingness to state so openly. Even as an American living in America I find much anti-American sentiment in my own country, I find many people that do not appreciate what this country has to offer and what role it plays in almost everyones daily lives.

I hope you have time as this is a rather long email.

If I may tell you a little bit about my background.

My parents were born and raised in war torn WWII Germany, they saw family members and friends die in all sorts of horrible ways, my father lost his father to the Russian front and his youngest brother to untreated Pneumonia. Toward the end of the war and after, my father learned a trade as a house painter and my mother as a seamstress; in the mid 1950s my brother was born, and due to the economic hardships they were facing, my parents decided to make the bold move to immigrate to Canada. Once in Canada, my mother discovered that she was pregnant with my oldest sister. With very little work and working pretty much any job that he could my parents struggled along to make ends meet. Things slowly improved, but regular work in Canada was not easy for a German couple in the years post WWII. Two years later, my other sister was born also in Canada, my parents still struggling once again made a bold decision to immigrate to the U.S. to Chicago, IL. At first work was even harder to find; yes my father came to the States with a promissory letter of employment so that he and the family could immigrate, but he was told by the man that was kind enough to give him the letter that he could quite honestly would not be able to give him employment, only references.

Skip ahead eight years to 1966, my father, mother, brother and two sisters are living in a German community in Chicago, my mother discovers that she is pregnant again, several months later, I was born. My parents realize that 4 kids and two adults just can not live in an apartment in Chicago, they begin house hunting and find a cute house in a small unheard of southwest suburb of Chicago.

I grew up in a yellow house, on the top of a hill in a neighborhood free of crime. The worst thing we could imagine was someone getting hurt climbing a tree. All the children attended public schools, I went to a private school during my high school years. All of our childhood years were pretty typical we all played, fought, argued, dated, and had friends; all in all very typical lives.

Never once understanding how fortunate we all were, never once feeling the ravages of war, real hunger (not the kind you get for that candy bar you just can't have).

Skip ahead a few more years, my brother attended college, but then chose to live life on the road for a few years. He worked with Caesar Chavez in California uniting the immigrant farm workers, working odd jobs just to pay bills to defend other's human rights. My oldest sister is attending college to become a teacher, my other sister is also entering college to become a biologist and I'm in high school.

Once again skip ahead a few more years, my brother is now in a prestigious law school, my sister  is a high school teacher, my other sister is attending U of I, majoring in Microbiology and I'm attending college where I begin to slowly begin to realize certain things.

My realizations lead me to joining the U.S. Navy where I felt I was paying back this country for all the fortunes my family have: First of all, my family members were all healthy, secondly they all were achieving their goals. I had realized that if it wasn't for my family immigrating to the U.S. things would not be as they now are.

Four years later, I left the Navy but shortly after joined the Army and 4 years after that I decided it was time for me to finish my college degree and went on further to become a Computer Network Administrator.

I met a wonderful woman (now my wife), I was working for a Hardware developer in Silicone Valley as the lead tech support, my wife working as tech support for a large insurance company. I was working with a former Marine, he and I talked often on how we really enjoyed the days that we served.

September 11, 2001 happened, I watched as things unfolded, war was only a matter of time. I began thinking on how fortunate this country is for know in peace as long as it has and how lucky my family really is. I then began to think of my nieces and nephews, my brother, sisters, their spouses, my parents and my soon to be wife. I sat down with my finance and asked how she would feel if I, after 6 years absence from the military, would reenlist. She was and to this day is extremely supportive.

I left a very prestigious career field that I have a gift for and that financially was very lucrative to rejoin the Navy. I chose a unit that is I knew would be in the forefront of anything the Navy would be involved in, a unit that could potentially make a difference.

I'm here in Iraq for my second time since reenlisting, far from my family and friends; the people I care for and love, protecting them the only way that I know will work. I out here protecting my nieces and nephews so that they need not know what horrors my parents and I have seen.

My family came from a struggling start and gradually progressed to what I feel is a flourishing family. They have only been able to do so because of the opportunities that this country has given them.

My brother has a wife and three lovely daughters, my eldest sister a husband a son and daughter, my other sister a husband son and daughter, my parents are both alive and well and I am happily married (with three cats) and I have friend that I care deeply for.

People forget that while the service member is out doing his job, the family and friends left behind, especially the wives/husbands are worried day in and out, afraid to watch the television in fear that they may see their loved one (service member) on the 9 O-clock news.

I have several family members and friends that do not understand why I "threw away a wonderful stable career". I tell then that I didn't loose anything, I am gaining the honor of serving for a country that I am proud to be part of and giving others a chance for a new start (like the one I feel my family has had).

As I work with the new Iraqi military, training them to take proper charge of their country, I come across many Iraqi soldiers that thank us in general for returning their country to them from a reign of horrors.

I recently spent some time in Kuwait, the people there (in general) greatly appreciate that Iraq is now a new country, the country of Kuwait is finally rebuilding from the destruction of the first Gulf War, now that they no longer fear attacks from their neighbor.

It is really a great experience out here in many ways, I am able to give first hand help building a new stable military. I have the opportunity to work with coalition forces (which consists of more than just the U.S. and England, like most people would believe).

Karin, to close this email, I thank you for your site and thank you for reading this very long email. It is truly great to see people that do not slam America every chance they get and that you are able to express your beliefs. If there were enough people like you are, people like me would not be needed to protect the world, and we could be with our family and friends also.

Sincerely,

An American serving in Iraq

Actually, there is only one point I do not agree with him: He thanks me for having this website although this is absolutely nothing compared to the job he is doing. So I want to thank him for the great job he is doing. And I hope he will soon be back at home with his loved ones.

Wishing you all the best from the bottom of my heart,

Karin Quade

© Karin Quade, 25. September 2004