U.S.-Allied Terps Still Threatened

"On election eve, here’s guest contributor Kevin Knodell weighing in on an important issue:

Both Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama have passionately debated what we need to do on Iraq. Everything from troop levels, funding, dealing with Iranian influence and how we define success has been debated. However, there is one issue that neither candidate (or party) has touched upon, and that is the fate of those Iraqis who served as interpreters for U.S. forces in Iraq.

In 2003, after the fall of the Ba’athist regime, it became clear that coalition forces needed a way to communicate with the local people. Though there were a handful of Arabic speakers scattered throughout the force, they were far from sufficient to serve the needs of troops who were patrolling streets throughout the country. So, the coalition went about hiring Iraqis with linguistic ability to help communicate with Iraqi leaders and everyday citizens. Many educated Iraqis eagerly answered the call in large numbers, seeing an opportunity to help build up a democratic and free post-Saddam Iraq.

War is Boring