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Volume 27, Issue 15, November 18, 2004

Opinion

One against many

Korene Gallegos
Columnist

It’s been a couple of weeks since the elections. Protest crowds have settled down and the media mania has quieted. Still, the bullets and air fire across Iraq continues, without reflection of any possible political change.

Images of the Iraq war have been shown on the front pages and TV screens countless times across America. In some sense, as Americans, we can become immune to these scenes.

Last Thursday,- I saw a different angle. Out of routine, daily combat in Iraq, something extraordinary—the unthinkable, happened.

In The New York Times, buried within the pages, I read a report about one Iraqi sniper who held up 150 American marines in the town of Falluja. According to the article, the marines called in air strikes, dropped 500-pound bombs, firing 155-millimeter artillery shells, 10 muzzle shots from Abram tanks and thousands of rounds from automatic rifles.

As the smoke cleared and the buildings burned in ruins, the sniper kept on shooting.

I was amazed by this. Our American military has the most powerful weapons and best-trained soldiers compared to the almost third-world standard armory of this Middle Eastern country. While our soldiers wear high-tech bullet-proof gear and helmets, I can’t help but imagine this one Iraqi sniper with just the worn clothes on his back a carrying a couple of rifles across his shoulder.

The story continued to report the Marines’ opinion of the situation. The shots were accurate and took out three marines and pinned down other soldiers throughout the day. The shots came from one direction, then stopped and started again from another sector. The Marines finally spotted a man running between the buildings.

Ironically, a highly-armed Marine captain yelled out, “He’s on a bike!” In my mind I can hear the rat-tat-tat of the rusty bicycle chain running off in the distance.

There is something to be said about one against many. I am not condoning violence or taking sides. War is ugly, no matter how you look at it. Still, I couldn’t help but have some sense of respect for the single sniper. In a country torn by violence and confusion, he took it upon himself to fight for his own convictions. He stood against great odds and didn’t break.

I’m reminded of the stories of David and Goliath, Joan of Arc, Che Guevara, the young man in Tienanmen Square and even Arafat to some degree.

All these people came from different times, cultures, political views, and religions.

What stands out in all these cases is: they were one against many, whether you agree with their cause or not.

The Iraqi sniper may not live up to these historical martyrs I listed. No one knows where he is from, how he was trained, if he is associated with anyone, or even what his personal convictions are.

The bottom line is that what he did took guts. He was committed to follow through against all odds.

He could have given up, surrendered and found a way to run away, but he didn’t. He kept running back and forth between buildings, each moment risking his own life to continue his goal to fight.

How many of us can say that about ourselves?

As I look at my own life, I wonder about my own convictions and beliefs. Am I willing to fight for them regardless of the odds? Am I willing to die for them?

I wish I could say with great ease and profound confidence. In my heart, I do, but I know as situations unfold and the predictability of pain or even heartache approaches, the majority of us do buckle.

Therefore, when I see someone reach beyond the ordinary and the fear, I have to say there is some honor in that.

The article ended by giving the final accounts of that day. As night approached, the Marines made their advance. As they crossed into the smoked-out buildings, no one was found.

Shortly afterward, the sniper’s shots rang out again.