Images present a mass re-enlistment ceremony held in Iraq on the Fourth of July in 2008.
When the US celebrates its Independence Day, not all of these celebrations happen inside the U.S. Many People who’re members of the armed providers, are employed in authorities service, or are in any other case stationed away from their house nation have fun the 4th of July in a wide range of websites world wide.
One such away-from-home Independence Day celebration, at Camp Victory (a U.S. army base close to Baghdad), included a mass re-enlistment ceremony held within the Al-Faw Palace on 4 July 2008. The occasion, which included over 1,200 members of the armed forces, was claimed by the U.S. army as “the most important re-enlistment ceremony ever held”:
In Iraq, the U.S. army celebrated the Fourth of July with what it billed as “the most important re-enlistment ceremony ever held,” and 1,215 troopers, Marines, sailors and airmen raised their arms and repledged allegiance to America:
Instance: [Collected via e-mail, July 2008]
I am positive you already learn about this. It was proven time and again on TV, proper?
OK, so perhaps it wasn’t proven time and again, however certainly it was proven on TV a minimum of one time, wasn’t it?
This was the most important re-enlistment ceremony ever held in army historical past. The ceremony was held on the 4th of July, 2008 at Al Faw Palace, Baghdad, Iraq. Common David Petraeus officiated. This superb story was ignored by the ‘mainstream’ media.
For many who have been within the Al Faw Palace, you may have a greater appreciation of the variety of folks crammed across the rotunda supporting the re-enlisting troopers.
American women and men volunteering to remain longer in Iraq, in order that after we go away, the brand new democracy can have an opportunity of surviving, is the precise reverse of what the media needs you to consider Iraq. If solely a bomb had killed 5 civilians in a market — now that is the type of information the media is raring to inform you about.
A pizzeria in Chicago donated 2000 pizzas that had been made and shipped to Baghdad, and had been delivered on the 4th.
The media did report that 2000 pizzas had been despatched to Iraq on July 4th… The one half they neglected of the report was the occasion for which the pizzas had been despatched.
I am unable to assist however surprise …
What would the opinion of People be in the event that they weren’t getting such clearly biased ‘information?’
Gen. David Petraeus, head of all coalition forces in Iraq, administered the oath in Saddam Hussein’s former Al-Faw Palace in Baghdad. John Phillip Sousa’s marches blended with roars of “Freedom,” “hoo-ah” and “oo-rah” from the women and men, a lot of them carrying their weapons, as they re-upped of their service branches.
Cash was an incentive for a lot of however so was a perception in what they’re doing greater than 5 years right into a conflict distant from their properties. Tons of had been of their second and third excursions within the fight zone.
“There isn’t any place I might relatively be to have fun America’s birthday than right here in Iraq,” mentioned Petraeus, who described the troops as “America’s new ‘Biggest Technology.'”
The overall in contrast the re-enlistees’ elevating of their proper arms to the language on most award citations: “In step with the best traditions of our army providers.” He mentioned the mixed complete of their further service amounted to five,500 years.
After the ceremony in one of many late dictator’s 99 palaces — this one used to entertain loyal members of his Baathist celebration — the newly dedicated troops ate pizza and chocolate cake and drank Gatorade.
Regardless of the claims made within the textual content accompanying the images displayed above, the July 4th re-enlistment ceremony in Iraq was coated by nationwide information providers such because the Related Press and reported by quite a lot of main newspapers and different U.S. information shops.
