Letters

Person of the Year

"Too often we take for granted our freedoms and those who serve to protect them. Thank you for recognizing such deserving people." DAVID EADIE Fredericksburg, Va.

I have fond memories of my family's noisy, heated discussions about whom TIME would select as Person of the Year [Dec. 29--Jan. 5]. Whoever guessed right had bragging rights for the next year. I applaud your wonderful choice of the American soldier. These men and women most likely did not expect to go to war when they signed up, yet there they are, day after day, doing their job, fighting for freedom. They deserve our thanks, support, accolades and prayers. FRANCINE M. SCUDERI Stewart Manor, N.Y.

The designation of the American soldier as Person of the Year brought a lump to this old soldier's throat and is a fitting tribute to today's generation. These young people have proved that we old veterans can now relax, knowing that the task of defending America is in good hands. I suspect the selection was a very difficult one, as so many newsmakers, good and bad, were in contention. May I congratulate your staff for a truly spectacular choice! RICHARD BROWN, U.S. ARMY (RET.) Springfield, Mo.

I'm sure you made your choice with the best intentions. I am worried, however, that it reflects a country too much in love with its own military might. The U.S.'s armed forces are an extension of American foreign policy, not the savior of the world. To start thinking of service members as infallible crusaders for freedom is delusional and dangerous to the rest of the world. Let's remember what our military really is: a group of Americans sworn to defend the freedom of the U.S. and its Constitution. They are not the U.N.'s Blue Helmets, dedicated to keeping peace around the globe. LANCE CPL. PAUL METCALF, U.S.M.C. Okinawa

I was extremely upset by TIME's selection. While you were right to point out the bravery and courage of U.S. soldiers, you ignored the armed forces from other nations that are fighting alongside the Americans. George W. Bush and Tony Blair are trying to portray the Iraq conflict as one fought by the international community against evil and tyranny. TIME needs to provide an explanation to the families of Italian, Spanish, British and Polish soldiers who have fought and died in Iraq. Why weren't their lives and sacrifices recognized as noble and noteworthy like those of Americans? MAREK WITKO London

I was overcome with pride and emotion by your selection. At age 22, my son is, like countless others, a "war veteran." He has served twice in Afghanistan and is preparing for deployment to Iraq. I'm grateful to TIME for looking past the glitter and gloss of celebrities to say "Thank you" to our true American heroes. BEVERLY D. GENDA Greenville, N.C.

Although I feel great sympathy and even a certain admiration for what the U.S. military is doing in Iraq, the choice of the American soldier as Person of the Year was extremely disappointing to me. It is sad to select a symbol of man's continuing and predictable stupidity. If a great and powerful nation like the U.S. cannot find a more compassionate and creative way to deal with international discord, we are all doomed. FRANCOIS HEBERT Montreal

As a German who grew up after World War II, I have always regarded any glorification of the military with skepticism and suspicion. Despite knowing how much Germans owe to the Allied forces that liberated us from Nazi terror, and acknowledging that the majority of Iraqis rejoice that they are rid of Saddam Hussein because of the efforts of American and coalition troops, I wish that others would not forget that an army uses force and violence. Innocent people have always suffered in wartime, no matter what the motives of the military. ECKHARD KORFF Lippborg, Germany

Some argued that Osama Bin Laden should have been 2001's Person of the Year, but I understood TIME's wish to choose an inspirational figure like New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani after the horrific attacks of 9/11. In 2003, however, one person dominated the media on an almost daily basis for an entire year, culminating with his capture fully covered by the world's press. The Person of the Year should have been Saddam Hussein. ROHIN FRANCIS London

TIME's selection was understandable. To many, the U.S. warrior is the epitome of patriotism and a manifestation of selfless commitment to the defense of the homeland. But the same can be said of the troops of all countries. Unfortunately, the revered image of American soldiers has become tarnished over the decades. Their deployment in Iraq has given them the character of the Roman legions sent forth by a decadent and malevolent Emperor. The U.S. soldier is a pawn in a war that is not only unpopular but also wrong. ALEX KETTLE Bundaberg, Australia

By choosing the American soldier, TIME insulted non-Americans. The war in Iraq was illegal, fought by service members who would have done well to object to the U.S.'s invasion by refusing to fight, much like those who resisted the draft during the Vietnam War. Instead, the troops marched into a sovereign country under a false pretext, only to learn that the people they liberated wanted the occupiers out at any cost. TIME should not demean the sensibilities of the rest of the world by glorifying the wrongs of a nation and its people. JAGDEEP PARSRAM Bombay

As someone who spent 15 years in the military and saw active service in Borneo and Yemen, I found your selection appalling. I would not question the bravery or professionalism of U.S. soldiers in combat, but they are totally untrained for the role of an occupying force. I hope they learn quickly, before the whole of Iraq turns against them. NEVILLE DE SOUSA Northampton, England

--TIME's choice of the American soldier as Person of the Year prompted objections from readers who felt the word soldier referred only to members of the U.S. Army. But as managing editor Jim Kelly explained in his From the Editor column, TIME used soldier "in its broadest sense, to stand for all of those in a U.S. uniform who go in harm's way." Other readers were upset because they mistakenly thought that female service personnel were not represented in our cover photo. They failed to notice that the soldier in the center of the picture is a woman, Army medic Billie Grimes.

One Platoon's Story

Your article "Portrait of a Platoon," about the U.S. Army's 1st Armored Division Survey Platoon, nicknamed the Tomb Raiders, was thought-provoking [Dec. 29--Jan. 5]. After I read the profiles of platoon members, I felt I knew them like my family. Every American should be proud of them. The account of how TIME journalists Michael Weisskopf and James Nachtwey were injured after Weisskopf grabbed a grenade thrown into their humvee, saving the lives of several soldiers, gave sharp insight into what is really going on in Iraq. I understood what our troops face every day. Thank you for this honest and valuable report. TAMARA M. ANTHONY Shrewsbury, Mass.

A dispassionate reading of your Portrait of Tomb Raider platoon leader Second Lieut. Benjamin Colgan, who was killed while on patrol, left me wanting to salute the memory of people like this brave soldier. He represents those stationed on all the battlefields of contemporary history who are defending liberty. Colgan's life and sacrifice offer a testament to courage and patriotism. EMMANUEL FRANKLYNE OGBUNWEZEH Frankfurt, Germany

The Deputy's Decisions

Your article "The Godfather of the Iraq War," about Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz [Dec. 29--Jan. 5], contained some false and unfair criticism of him. Recently the Administration decided to allow U.S. taxpayer dollars to fund prime contractors only from the U.S., Iraq, other coalition partners and nations contributing forces to the effort in Iraq. This was a correct, principled decision and was approved by the President and all members of his national security team. To lay any criticism of this decision at Wolfowitz's doorstep is unfair. He is an important member of the President's national security team. President Bush values his counsel, judgment and principled leadership. STEVE HADLEY, ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER Washington

Although you described Wolfowitz as an "intellectual" and the first to push Bush to topple Saddam after 9/11, he has surely not mastered the subject of history. If he had been in one of the history classes that I taught, he would have learned how democracy took root in England in 1215 with the Magna Carta and developed over the course of centuries. He would have studied the French Revolution and the travails of that country as it struggled to emerge as the France of today. Does Wolfowitz realize how difficult it is to bring democracy to a people who have no democratic tradition? Perhaps he might have a better grasp of the situation in Iraq if he accompanied our troops on a night mission to root out insurgents. HERBERT DODGE Los Angeles

Snaring Saddam

Why am I not terribly relieved by the capture of Saddam Hussein [Dec. 22]? It took an awfully long time to capture him, and in the sorry state he was found, he seemed hardly a threat to anyone. But what's worse, the Americans got the wrong man. It wasn't Saddam who masterminded 9/11, nor was it Iraqis who flew the planes that day. The man to go after is Osama bin Laden, and the one Arab nation we want to keep our eyes on is Saudi Arabia, where 15 of the 19 hijacking terrorists came from. ODD TERJE DOVIK Kristiansand, Norway

By broadcasting the videotape of the medical examination of Saddam, the Americans aimed to humiliate the whole Arab world. They divested Saddam of human dignity by filming him during the procedures that he was forced to undergo. Arabs felt a deep disappointment about this tactlessness. Whether such stratagems will help U.S. efforts to achieve good relations with the Arab population remains highly questionable. IRFAN QAYEESH Damascus

Mistakes Were Made

In "The Year of Living Erroneously" [Dec. 29-Jan. 5], Andrew Sullivan wrote that in 2003, "The more sure of things we were, the more sharply our reality got checked." But was the "we" supposed to refer to average people? As Sullivan's examples point out, it was often the press that reported information that was supposedly accurate but in fact wasn't. Average consumers of news were not living erroneously. We were just watching the media's standards sink lower, into more uncharted depths. JOHN STUVER Burbank, Calif.

According to Sullivan, we are all to blame for the state of the world--even for the invasion of Iraq, since the war "was at least partly built on a series of deceptions, mistakes and failures. By everyone." But foreign countries are rarely invaded because of my mistakes. In fact, if I thought my actions would have serious global consequences, I might spend a little more time gathering facts. However, Sullivan's allusion to Frodo Baggins, hero of The Lord of the Rings, was an unintentionally brilliant commentary on Bush and his crusade against terrorism: a small being wandering in a world of good and evil, solely responsible for the fate of all. Unfortunately, we don't live in Middle-earth, and there was never a Fellowship. And perhaps Frodo was more capable of understanding the complexities of our world than Bush is. TOM PATRICK Evanston, Ill.

An Unkind Cut

I found it offensive that in your section of people who had "15 Minutes of Fame" in 2003 [Dec. 29--Jan. 5], you included mountaineer Aron Ralston, the climber who had been pinned by a boulder and freed himself by cutting off his arm. What Ralston did was courageous and necessary to save his life. Instead of having 15 minutes of fame, Ralston I am sure would rather still have his right arm. JUDY SEBASTIAN Chester Springs, Pa.

Libya Comes Clean

The Bush administration scored a victory when Libya's Muammar Gaddafi agreed to dismantle his secret unconventional-weapons program [Dec. 29--Jan. 5]. Gaddafi may have seen Saddam's fate and become worried that the war on terrorism might be moving toward him. It is encouraging that Libya has come clean about its attempt to develop weapons of mass destruction (WMD). But there is a strong possibility that countries not listed as rogue states or as part of the "axis of evil" may still be producing WMD. Let us hope that nations like North Korea and Iran are paying attention. HAROLD AYODO Aurangabad, India