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Lin Williams, Guest columnist Published 6:00 a.m. ET Nov. 11, 2020

Lin Williams(Photo: COURTESY PHOTO)

When I read of the troubles our Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are having, it breaks my heart. I offer this open letter to those veterans from a family who knows war and has returned home.

My family has a simple tradition. If there is war, the men join. So I've known veterans, all family members, from six wars.I knew them well because each summer we would gather at my grandparents'ranch in Idaho to harvest the hay and brand the calves.

We heard of my granddad who, beside his two brothers, fought in the trenches of World War I;of my three uncles in World War II, and of my dad and uncle who served during Korea. Soon, each of my cousins went to Vietnam. I was the youngest to go. That made nine of us for that war.

So I offer this from the perspective of men who know war. Our judgment is that you, the veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, were dealt a pretty rough hand.

A lot of you were in a war zone too long. Most Americans were in the trenches of WWI less than a year. WWII, because of the scale of the war,involved months of preparation before days and weeks of intense battle. Korean and Vietnam veterans typically served one year in country.

Because of IED's, suicide vests, and random rocket attacks, you were in a combat zone every day. And you were probably sent back, or volunteered, for your second, third, sometimes fifth, tour.

You served with dangerous rules of engagement, while required to be culturally sensitive. I don't know how you fight a war without beer. Or how you came in from the field and video-chatted with your loved ones in a reassuring way.

Coming home was rough.

When my granddad came home, he was able to homestead land and begin a respected life. The WWII, Korean, and Vietnam veterans came home to a more functional veteran's program. You're getting an underfunded program and a "Thank you for your service." You were rode hard and put away wet not because of you, but because of our culture.

After you serve, it's normal to be jacked up on adrenaline for two years. It feels like the world is moving in slow motion and every conversation is trivial. Thetreatment of choice usually involves fast cars and rough bars; don't mix the two. My cousin, who served with the Long Range Recon Patrol on the Cambodian border, made that mistake. He took two innocent people with him and he was a good man.

You will not be the most patient person in any room for at least 10 years. Say "I'm sorry" when you should. It will make you and them feel better.

You can't look for validation from an ambivalent public.Think as a father might who, after working adouble shift, looks in on his children all snuggly and asleep.Feel that pride, knowing you carried the water for your family, your country, though they live lives unaware of your sacrifice. Hold that pride in yourheart forever.You earned it.

Spendtimewith people like you. In college, there was one table where veterans drank coffee between classes. We never talked about the war. We were just together and it made us feel less alone.

Don't fall into a gumption trap. Go to college, start an apprenticeship, find a job you don't hate, and apply the discipline and energy you have in you. You will be successful and then you take the next step. Most of us never had a master plan.

The night before we buried my granddad, all the men in the family gathered in my grandma's kitchen. Every branch of service was represented. Men from three wars were there. My brother and a cousin were destined for your wars. We were burying a man from a sixth. We played poker for nickels, drank whiskey, and smoked until dawn. We told stories of harvests and hunts, liberties in foreign ports, and granddad.

You would have been welcome in my grandma's kitchen that night. Uncle Johnie would have slapped you on the back, poured you a whiskey, and asked if you brought any nickels. We would have found another milk can for you to sit on and dealt you in. You would've felt like one of us, because you are one of us.

The next morning, you would have been invited to the funeral. You would have smiled to see us, all in dress uniform, focus hard to walk granddad in a straight line from the hearse to his grave. When they played "Taps," you would have fought back tears of pride, because we are the people who make it possible for our country to sleep all snuggly and warm each night, oblivious to the realities that we know.

Lin Williams, who served two tours off the coast of Vietnam as an aviation ordnanceman, lives in Venice.

Read or Share this story: https://www.floridatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/11/11/veterans-day-tribute-those-who-serve-iraq-and-afghanistan/6234058002/

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All war veterans deserve thanks, but Iraq and Afghanistan vets stand out | Opinion - Florida Today

Chevron, Occidental, and oil trading giant Trafigura have agreed to explore the idea to price the light U.S. crude they export to Asia off the upcoming ICE Murban Futures contract for light sweet crude, the operator Intercontinental Exchange ICE said in a statement.

The Murban futures contract will be an alternative pricing benchmark to the benchmark Oman/Dubai average, which is currently the most used benchmark in the Middle East and off which the oil exporters from the Middle East price their oil going to Asia.

The Murban futures contract for light crude could spare Asian buyers the use of Brent Crude futures for hedging, according to Reuters.

Trafigura and U.S. oil majors Chevron and Occidental are the largest exporters of U.S. crude oil, and using the new futures contract to be launched in March next year to price their oil to Asia shows the growing importance of U.S. crude oil exports on the international oil markets.

As one of the largest exporters of US crude to Asia, we are pleased to explore opportunities to utilize the new price benchmark for light sweet crude oil that Murban Futures will provide, Fred Forthuber, President, Oxy Energy Services, said in ICEs statement. Murban moving to forward looking pricing, as a futures contract, is another great step in the evolution of the oil market, Forthuber added.

The Murban Futures Contract is a positive development in enhancing transparency for oil markets and very relevant to us as an active participant in crude oil trading in the Arabian Gulf and as the largest exporter of US crude. We look forward to playing an active part in the new benchmark, Daniel Yuen, Head of Crude Asia for Trafigura, said.

Earlier this week, ICE said it plans to launch ICE Futures Abu Dhabi (IFAD) and the worlds first futures contracts based on Murban crude oil on March 29, 2021, subject to the completion of regulatory approvals.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and nine of the worlds biggest energy tradersincluding BP, Shell, Total, and Vitolpartnered in November last year to launch the crude oil futures exchange in Abu Dhabi and the Murban crude oil futures contract.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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Meanwhile, Joshua Preston had just pulled a 12-hour night shift. He was pretty tired and thought he might be seeing things when he spotted someone on the other side of the street who liked like his father.

I yelled out Daddy, and others turned around, it was pretty funny, Joshua Preston said. I was so surprised that it was actually him, because I didnt even know that he was in Iraq, too.

The two sat down at a bus stop to catch up. They ate a few meals together, the son gave a quick tour of his duty station, and the father was able to witness his sons reenlistment ceremony.

It was pretty amazing that I could be there for that, the father said, to which his son added: It made one day during this time a little bit more normal for me, he said.

They werent the only ones who enjoyed the unscheduled reunion. Back home in Spotsylvania County, Sally PrestonTonys wife and Joshuas motherwas thrilled to hear about their brief time together.

It was very difficult to have a husband there, but even more difficult to have your first baby there as well, she said in an email.

Three of her four childrenJoshua, Elijah and Ethanjoined the armed forces, and Joshua and Elijah also married service members.

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Fatherson veterans from Spotsylvania recall improbable reunion in Iraq - Fredericksburg.com

November 23-25, 2020

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2020 has seen the advent of crisis after crisis in Iraq: from the assassinations of Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mehdi al-Muhandis and a series of clashes between US and Iran-aligned militias, to the months-long political crisis over the appointment of a new government, the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Iraqs crumbling healthcare system, the collapse of oil prices and delays in paying public salaries, and rumblings from a resurgent ISIS.

Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi is attempting to pursue a reform agenda to pull the country back from the brink, but political wrangling over the early elections proposed for next year, ongoing popular protests revealing deeper societal grievances and escalating violence in the streets may be an indication that Iraq is heading in the wrong direction.

At the 2019 Chatham House Iraq conference, the countrys transition to a period of peace and stability was on the agenda. A year later, Iraq looks to be in an altogether more precarious place, once again facing the possibility of the outbreak of conflict.

This virtual conference, part of the Chatham House Iraq Initiative, will bring together Iraqi and international policymakers, academics and activists to discuss the critical issues for Iraq as it navigates this challenging period.

The conference will be held on the record.

Please note that the conference will take place via the Conference+ platform. For best experience, please use either Google Chrome, Firefox or Microsoft Edge when signing in to the platform. Each session will be hosted on Zoom, with simultaneous interpretation available in Arabic and English.

Event Contact: Georgia Cooke, project manager, MENA Programme, gcooke@chathamhouse.org

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Iraq: Navigating Reform, Collapse and the Status Quo - The Media Line

Rep. Andy Biggs(Photo: David Kadlubowski/The Republic)

Rep. Andy Biggs wants President Donald Trump to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan and Iraq before the holidays.

In a letter to Trump datedWednesday,Biggs, R-Ariz., characterized the service members' exit from the countriesa "gift" for the upcomingseason.

In the letter, Biggs asks Trump to "look abroad and continue to strategically draw down our nations military presence in Afghanistan and Iraq."

Biggs cites the lack of progress in counterterrorism, nation-building efforts and the human and financial cost of the war as reasons to continue thewithdrawal of U.S. troops.

"Nation-building doesnt work, as you immediately recognized upon taking office: Afghanistan and Iraq today are clearly not beacons of democracy, stability, or prosperity, despite the thousands of American lives and trillions of dollars we have sacrificed to try to remake these countries," Biggs said in the letter.

The U.S. has spent or obligated $6.4 trillion dollars on fighting in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan through 2020, according to Brown University. Additionally, at least 800,000 people have been killed by war violence in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemenand Pakistan, with more than 310,000 civilians being killed since 2001.

Biggs claimed that the Taliban retain control of much of Afghanistan with no change in the situationsince 2001. Biggs said that the achievementsthe U.S. have made in Iraq were not worth the cost.

"Today, Iraqs government is shaky at best, addicted to continuing foreign assistance, and easily susceptible to pressure from outside actors, especially Iran," he wrote.

Biggsclarified that his comments in the letter were not a criticism of the service members who have served in the Middle East and other overseas engagements.

"Instead, it is an indictment of Washingtons broken foreign policy establishment, which is dominated by arm-chair idealists who never seem to grasp the messy realities on the ground," he wrote.

The U.S. first entered the war in Afghanistan 19 years ago after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In February, the U.S. entered an agreement with the Taliban that soughtto reduce the amount of violence in the war and withdraw the remaining U.S. troops by April 2021.

However, in October, Trump tweeted that service members in Afghanistan should be home by Christmas, a sentiment shared by Biggs in his letter.

"I urge you to continue to aggressively pursue these and all other related efforts in the coming weeks," Biggs said in the letter."What greater gift could we give the American people as we head into the holiday season?"

Contact the reporteratjoseignacio.castaneda@arizonarepublic.com or connect with him on Twitter @joseicastaneda.

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Rep. Andy Biggs asks Trump to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, Iraq in time for holidays - The Arizona Republic