The United States military continues to impress me – time after time. In 2007, Thomas L. Day, a U.S. Army public affairs officer, published the book entitled “Along the Tigris.” It’s a fascinating look at the War in Iraq during its early stages.

Five years ago, to the day, there were no less than three divisions of Army officers sitting on the Kuwait boarder waiting to enter Iraq in search of weapons of mass destruction — and they were joined by reporters.

As we all watched the war unfold, I often wondered about the reltationship between the battalion commanders and the reporters that were imbeded in their units. Is it smart and appropriate to allow the news to witness first hand the military at work? Well, in short, most of the commanders thought it was a good thing. They had nothing to hide and they were 100 % comfortable with letting the American public witness their efforts in Iraq – provided, of course, that the reporter was smart enough not to relay tactical information to the world. (Jeraldo, are you listening?)

I was surprised. With so much to worry about, including the lives of each and every soilder in the battalion, why would a commander welcome the presence of a reporter who had his or her own reasons for being in Iraq?

Well, most commanders see this as a simple equation: our country is great because of its openness and transparency and that applies to the U.S. military as much as it applies to everyone else. Talk about being consistent….

I was also surprised to learn that so many reporters joined forces with the battalions they covered and fought when necessary. In one case, the reporter shaved his head, military style, in order to show solidarity.

The Iraq war will live with us forever. And, hopefully, we will remember just how exceptional our U.S. military is and we will continue to support them, period.