What was this war about? (re: Iraq)

[kandrathe]

Yeah, all it takes is one insensitive American soldier, and a frenetic world press corp to muck up the entire socio-political environment for the next 5 years. I heard this morning that orders went out from the top that NO flags will be displayed by American soldiers, period.

"I was just trying my best to get the chain around his neck and put the flag on his head," Cpl. Edward Chin, 23, said Thursday on ABC-TV's Good Morning America.

Chin said he had second thoughts about what message the use of the flag might send the Iraqi people. Some said later it suggested U.S. occupation.

"At the moment, I was just doing what I was told to do by my commanding officer," Chin said. "... I had to get the job done just like we've been doing out here in Iraq."

Chin was quickly ordered to take the U.S. flag down and replace it with an Iraqi flag. Moments later, the towering bronze statue was pulled down, and cheering Iraqis tore it to pieces.

Cpl Edward Chin from New York of the 3rd battalion, 4th Marines regiment, set up the star and stripes flag on the face of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's statue before told to tear down it, in downtown Bagdad, Wednesday, April 9, 2003. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)

It didn't seem to make the headlines on Al Jazeera, though.