David Copley: Taking the time to absorb a victory

After returning from class at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning, I turned on the TV to see the headline "Baghdad Falls." I was stunned.

I watched with excitement as TV crews showed U.S. Marines and the Iraqi people dancing in the streets of Baghdad and pulling down statues of Saddam Hussein.

Like everyone else, I had no idea Baghdad would fall that quickly and easily. I knew the Iraqi people wanted to get rid of Saddam, but I had no idea they would throw flowers at our soldiers as they rolled by in tanks, kiss pictures of George W. Bush and start mass chants of "Bush... Yes! Saddam... No!"

The scene was enough that even an Ivy League professor might have felt pride in being an American at that particular moment. Well, maybe not. But the rest of us certainly did.

In just 19 days of fighting, the United States shocked the world by moving faster and farther than any army in history. It accomplished its mission of removing Saddam from power using a force just one-third the size of the force that won the first Gulf War. It also did so at far less cost in human lives.

During this short war, the U.S. military put forth a tremendous effort to limit the number of Iraqi civilian casualties. While Iraqi Fedayeen tried to start fights in schools and mosques, made extensive use of human shields and faked surrender numerous times, our troops exercised an enormous amount of restraint.

So far, civilian casualty totals have been remarkably low, possibly lower than the number of people Saddam would have tortured and killed under normal "business conditions." Although the civilian deaths caused by the war are a tragedy, it's just another reminder that freedom isn't free. To quote Thomas Jefferson, "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."

I was curious to find out how the many Penn students and faculty who have protested against the war would react to the news of Saddam's downfall. Would they admit that they had once again "misunderestimated" George W. Bush? Would they see the pictures of Iraqis celebrating Saddam's downfall and suddenly understand that the status quo in Iraq had been completely unacceptable to the Iraqi people? Would they hear the news of initial tests providing positive results for chemical weapons and admit that our intelligence officers might have known what they were talking about?

The answer to these questions is: of course not.

Penn for Peace celebrated Wednesday by issuing a press release demanding that the University return the money provided by the U.S. Army to co-sponsor Spring Fling.

Absolutely unbelievable.

Over a 19-day period, dozens of soldiers sacrificed their lives and hundreds more were wounded so that the American people, including Penn for Peace, could go about their normal lives free from the fear of the world's most dangerous weapons in the hands of the world's most dangerous tyrants. Our troops liberated a country of 26 million and gave hope to a people that have known nothing but misery for the last 24 years.

And this is how Penn for Peace thanks our nation's soldiers? I've got news for you, guys. You're allowed to conduct your na‹ve protests precisely because of the actions of the U.S. Army.

I hope Penn for Peace will seriously consider the words of Father Dennis O'Brien, who eloquently reminds us:

"It is the Soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the Soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.

It is the Soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the Soldier, who salutes the flag, serves under the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag."

God bless our troops.

David Copley is a Wharton sophomore concentrating in Real Estate and Finance from Bellevue, Wash.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.