I enlisted into the Army as an Infantryman in March 1998. I ETS'd in 2001 but re-enlisted after war was declared on Iraq. I served in Iraq with the 1st Infantry Division from February 2004 until February 2005 and participated in Operation Phantom Fury in November 2004.

While in Iraq I started questioning our purpose there because it seemed to several of us that all we were doing was sustaining and defending ourselves and not really working toward any military goal.

Also, I was dismayed at the way we were treating the Iraqis that we were there to liberate. Though our rhetoric spoke of freedom and liberation, our actions spoke only of self-preservation. I saw that the "freedom" we were giving the Iraqis was freedom that we, as Americans, wouldn't tolerate in our country.

During my second deployment I realized that if every soldier were to give 110%, there's nothing he or she can work towards or achieve that will get him or her home any sooner and that that, right there, is the definition of a pointless war.

More than anything, know that if you're active duty and against the war in Iraq, you're not alone, and if you're at Ft. Hood, I can be reached at shocked.awed [at] gmail [dot] com.