Iraq is not a breeding ground for terror; instead, it is a liberal ground for democracy, according to a diplomacy school graduate student who served in Iraq.
The Graduate Diplomacy Council held a lecture Monday night featuring U.S. Army Capt. Daniel Keenghan. During his presentation, Keenghan showed photos from his time in the service.
Keenghan went to Iraq in March 2003 for seven months, with a two weeks notice, as a commander of field artillery; mainly with the 82nd Airborne Division.
Keenghan said part of the reason he went into Iraq in the first place was to secure safety.
“I wanted to take care of my soldiers and ensure a free and stable Iraq was achieved so the threat to Iraqi people was minimized,” he said.
Keenghan said Nov. 7, 2003, was a day he would never forget. A helicopter he was supposed to board, but could not because it was overcrowded, was shot down two minutes into the flight and 15 of his friends died.
Dalai Fazio, GDC president, said he was very thankful for the presentation Keenghan gave because he was “educating most of us who had very little idea” about what it was actually like in Iraq.
According to Keenghan, the opinions of Iraqis toward U.S. troops were mixed. He said they either waved or stared coldly and looked away.
Keenghan also said he wanted to show a different aspect of the situation in Iraq.
“The media shows all the negative sides, showing those who say ‘when we had Saddam rule at least we had so and so’ on the news,” he said.
He said the Iraqis were generally happy because they appreciated freedom.
“Intelligence was one of the real challenges,” Keenghan said. “It was read like a CNN report but as far as assessment of where potential threats would be coming from, there wasn’t much. It was a ‘we will see when we get there’ approach.”
Anthony Smith, communications director of the GDC, said he always wondered if there was any disconnect with the soldiers and the administration.
Keenghan said there was.
“Yeah, sure there was a disconnect, because the administration says ‘we will have to stay here as long as it takes,’” he said.“It was not the toppling of the Saddam regime, but how many more targets to achieve success and how is success defined.”
Keenghan said if he could change his experience after looking back, he would like to spend more time with his soldiers.
“I would definitely spend more time with them during tough times in tough areas,” he said. “If I can affect the change that happens to them, I need to know.”
Joe Figueiredo, diplomacy graduate student, said he enjoyed the presentation.
“It was great with all the first-hand experience,” he said. “I definitely want to hear more of this.”
Nadia Sheikh can be reached at sheikhna@shu.edu.
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