It seems that as I grow older, I can look back with clarity and pinpoint specific moments or events, that have impacted my life and my viewpoints of it. Some of those moments made more of an impact physically, like your first car accident, falling off a roof, or getting careless with a kitchen knife. There are other times the lasting memory has more of a mental impact on your life and makes you see things through a very different lens.
A group of Iraqi citizens walk down a path showing their purple fingers, signifying that they voted in their country’s first parliamentary election. Iraqi citizens elected their first permanent parliamentary government in 2005. | U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Michael J. O’Brien.
Traveling the world gives you a deep love for this country and our way of life and the laws that protect us, especially if you travel to places that are not normally mentioned by travel agents. There are countless benefits of living in the United States that many people never really understand and therefor take for granted. Here is a story about one of my moments.
December 2004, I was part of a four-man law enforcement team, imbedded with the 1st Infantry Division, assigned to Samarra Iraq, as an International Police Advisor. Samarra had a population of approx. 350,000 people and was home to the historical Golden Mosque and the Spiral Minaret, it was also in the dreaded Sunni Triangle. We were tasked with training and mentoring the 600-man Samarra Police Department and coordinating Samarra Police Department activities with the Iraqi military and Coalition Forces.
I was summoned to the Adnan Palace in the Green Zone, Baghdad Iraq, for a meeting concerning the upcoming national elections in Iraq. The meeting was attended by all team leaders and assistant team leaders, as well as our military counterparts. The meeting lasted into the night, but the overriding message was clear, the elections must take place, and we needed to ensure they were safe for the people and as secure as possible. It was a very daunting task.
During the previous months we worked hand in hand with the Coalition Forces to try and make Samarra safe, but it was a very dangerous and volatile place. Already we had completed one major battle for control of the city (Operation Baton Rouge), but it had only curbed insurgent activity, not stopped it. We were still investigating multiple insurgency-linked murders every week, including those of police officers, public officials, and anyone accused of helping Coalition Forces. IED strikes, mortar and rocket attacks, and ambushes, were almost a daily occurrence within the city and the surrounding region.
For the next five weeks we increased our operational tempo and worked on securing locations for the voting centers. Once the centers were identified we began reinforcing them against attack and assigning security forces. The physical security for the voting centers consisted of multiple layers extending outward with Hesco and Texas type barriers, dedicated walking paths, security checkpoints, and armored vehicles. We brought in a 500-man Iraqi Public Order Battalion and additional armored vehicles.
The week prior to the election was a blur, intelligence briefings, last-minute changes due to security leaks, and nighttime raids taking insurgents into custody and out of the city. Car bombings and rocket attacks drastically increased. We suffered through daily ambush attacks, and very little sleep. We spent days getting the Iraqi National Police coordinated and trained for their upcoming role in providing election security. The police were scared, some moved their families out of the city, most wore ski masks to hide their identities, and many didn’t show up for duty. Getting them to man checkpoints or go on patrol was a monumental undertaking. But we forged ahead.
Jan. 30, 2005. The day dawned cold and overcast. I was in an overwatch position at the main voting center in Samarra preparing for what I believed could be a very long, and possibly deadly, day. In the days and weeks leading up to this point propaganda from the insurgency had warned everyone to stay home, warned of bombings, assassinations, and death for anyone that attempted to vote in the elections. The question I was asking myself, would anybody willingly risk their life to vote? Iraq had not had a fair election in over 30 years, this day was a milestone for the post-Saddam Hussein era of Iraq, would it end in disaster? Samarra was a particularly violent area as evidenced by constant mortar attacks, car bombings and rocket attacks. Would the people risk all that to simply vote?
As the sun started to crest, the people started coming. The lines began to build, checkpoints began to flood with people, all wanting to vote. Mortars and automatic weapons fire could be heard in the distance, but the checkpoints kept reporting they were being overrun by people wanting to vote. All day the people kept coming, by the hundreds, thousands, all coming to vote.
Many times, that day I watched people exit the voting center through my binoculars (Coalition Forces were not allowed to have direct contact with any voter or be in the inner security perimeter). The smiles on their faces, holding up ink-stained fingers, laughing, cheering, dancing, all because they were able to cast a vote, an honest vote, in a fair democratic election, to choose the people that would represent them. All the danger, all the checkpoints, the waiting in lines for hours, just to vote. It was an experience that really made me appreciate something that many of us take for granted, our right to vote.
Fast forward to today.
The Constitution established the United States as a Constitutional Republic. A constitutional republic is a form of government in which a representative is elected by the people to govern over them, according to the rules established in the law of the land and it has a constitution that limits the government’s power. U.S. citizens elect a President, and other representatives, who then govern them as the Constitution directs them to. This means that our government – federal, state, and local – is elected by the citizens. Voting is one of the most important rights and responsibilities that U.S. citizens have. About 150 million American citizens are qualified to vote. Unfortunately, many don’t. They give up on a chance to choose leaders and representatives who will do the things that are important to them.
Besides voting for officials, we also vote on issues. Voters may want to make changes to their community, such as building bigger schools or adding new roads. We can contact our government officials when we want to support or change a law, like allowing ATVs to be operated on town streets. Voting in an election and contacting our elected officials are two ways that Americans can direct how our government operates and what should be priorities.
While presidential or other national elections usually get a significant voter turnout, a smaller number of voters participate in local elections. Our local and county elections direct the day-to-day operations of our immediate surroundings, like schools, parks, roads, libraries, and so much more. Voting in local and county elections helps solve issues that occur in your community. For example, if a city or county faces issues with poor streets and roads, voting for a good mayor or county commissioner may help solve the issue. If a school system begins to fail, people on the school board can fight for more funding, or advocate for more teacher or purchase equipment for enhanced student safety. Local elections give the people an easy opportunity to make their communities better.
Local and county elections also determine how well a community functions based on the decision of the people. They make policies regarding what types of development can take place in certain zoning districts within the city limits or in unincorporated parts of the county. Local elections often affect funding for fire departments, recreation centers, museums, and libraries. The vote of the people in local elections also affects larger elections. Your vote may not directly elect the president, but if your vote joins enough others in your voting district or county, your vote undoubtedly matters when it comes to electoral results.
Participating in elections is one of the key freedoms of American life. Many people in countries around the world do not have the same freedoms that we as American sometimes take for granted. No matter what you believe or whom you support, it is important to exercise your rights, especially your right to vote.
Why is voting so important? Because every vote counts! An election might be decided by a single vote and history would be changed because a person won…or lost…that one vote! Many of your local elections have been won, or lost, by a few votes. I have talked with local officials that remember elections, local and county, that were decided by a single vote.
So, you want to make a difference in your community? Register to vote. Stay informed, stay involved, and vote. It’s the best way to make your voice heard, and it really matters …
By RICH GARNER ~ Special to the Herald Times
Rich Garner is running for Rio Blanco County Sheriff
Special to the Herald Times
