2008 Woodie Awards
Q&A
As a recent veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and UVM Junior, Staff Sgt. Drew Cameron has a unique perspective on the war in Iraq. The Cynic had a chance to sit down with Sgt. Cameron and discuss his time in the service.
Interview by EMILY PICCONE & IAN JANSEN-LONQUIST Cynic Correspondent
Issue date: 1/23/07 Section: B Side
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Drew Cameron: Most definitely. It is one that is fueled by the U.S. occupation. The military forces and the police forces are divided on sectarian lines, creating a situation of militia against militia. It's a classic example of imperialism.
VC: Between soldiers and the Iraqi people what was the general atmosphere like?
DC: Before we went there, we had received no cultural training, no language training, no tribal or ancestral training, no history training or anything like that. So basically we were catapulted into this idea that that's the enemy, that's the other. For the most part, the people that we met with or worked with were just peaceful, caught up in this war just like we were. I didn't speak very much Arabic, they didn't speak very much English but we could still communicate on some level.
VC: What do you think the US government should do instead of increasing troops in Iraq?
DC: I completely and fully believe in the sentiment, along with Iraq Veterans Against the War, that the only resolution for the war right now is complete and utter and permanent withdrawal of all military in Iraq. The second would be to pay reparations to the Iraqi people.
VC: Is there anything that you miss about Iraq?
DC: No one has ever asked me that question. The friends that we had and the group that we had was really great. We had a tight, tight, tight platoon.
VC: Is there anything that you learned in Iraq that Vermont students could benefit from?
DC: I celebrated my 21st year over there. I think the biggest thing to realize is that students have a very strong connection with people who are fighting in Iraq right now. It's our demographic. It's your friends from high school- it's the people you'd be sitting next to in class. It's your sister, it's your brother, fighting over there right now.
VC: How did the transition from soldier to student feel?
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