"But They Still Had It Worse Than We Did"

By Tamim Fares

While we were at Blackfoot there were a few reporters who came out to spend time with us. One of them, a guy from Stars and Stripes, came back several times before writing a series of articles about the various running gun battles that were always going down in sector.

In his article he likened East Rashid to Stalingrad, writing;

“Think WWII and Stalingrad. Empty streets filled with debris; buildings with chunks torn out of them by high explosives and pockmarked by bullet holes; household effects scattered by looters; broken glass and twisted metal everywhere.”

I always felt that his reporting was a tad bit hyperbolic, but looking back through these pictures, I think he might have been on to something.

Warriors always compare themselves to previous generations. The whole “back in my day” thing.
When we got back from Iraq the unit brought out a few WW2 vets to talk to us. To a man, they all said they though we had it much worse than they did.

I couldn’t believe it.

In my mind we had it easy. AQI couldn’t aim a mortar or a rocket to save their lives. We were going up against militiamen who, though they didn’t lack courage, were completely unprepared to go toe to toe with us.

Those guys on the other hand, had fought against an expertly trained and exceedingly competent peer adversary.

They still said they had it easier, because at least they got to rotate off the line from time to time.

I guess it’s all a matter of perspective.

(but they still had it worse than we did)

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Tamim Fares is a storyteller and Army veteran chronicling the stories of the Iraq War during the Surge. You can follow him here.

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What’s happening at VetRep…

Listen to our interview this week with Scott Cottrell on the Savage Wonder Podcast.

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VetRep is thrilled to present “God of Carnage” by Yazmina Reza for the month of September. A playground altercation between eleven-year-old boys brings together two sets of Brooklyn parents for a meeting to resolve the matter. At first, diplomatic niceties are observed, but as the meeting progresses, and the rum flows, tensions emerge and the gloves come off, leaving the couples with more than just their liberal principles in tatters.

Tickets have been selling out, reserve yours early before they’re gone!

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We are currently offering multiple dates for our online Playwriting for Veterans classes, and our Acting for Beginners class is now being offered weekly every Saturday from 10am-12pm. Scholarships for qualifying veterans, as well as multi-class passes are available. Registration details can be found here.