Students talk to generals in Iraq

Naperville high school students got a firsthand account of the situation in Iraq Thursday straight from two generals in Baghdad.

U.S. Army Lt. Gen. James Dubik and Iraqi Gen. Nasier Abadi spoke to military history students from both Naperville Central and North high schools via live video feed.

"What I want you to get out of this is the ability to communicate transparently and to think critically and figure out for yourself where you stand on certain issues," Lt. Col. John Amberg, director of Army public affairs in the Midwest, told students before the talk.

The teens spent an hour asking the generals questions, including what kind of progress is being made in Iraq, how Iraqis feel about American troops and the tactics and logistics involved in fighting the war.

Dubik, commander of multi-national security transition command, said every war is a combination of what happens politically and diplomatically in addition to what occurs on the battlefield.

"The aim of the United States has been to have an Iraq that remains unified, democratic, federal, can protect itself, govern itself, is an ally in the war against terrorism and can sustain its own armed forces and economy," he said.

The situation is improving in many parts of the country, he said, with Iraqi security forces growing and the new government passing laws proving its legitimacy. But not all areas are making progress.

"The war is still on and the opponents to stability, the opponents to democracy, the opponents to … Iraq governing itself, they're very active, they're very shrewd … and will stop at nothing," Dubik said.

Presidential candidates continually discuss their strategies for the war if elected, but Dubik did not say whether he would prefer an extended surge or phased withdrawal of troops. He said it's not a matter of choosing one or the other but of basing action on the latest progress reports at a given time.

"One of the things about war for sure -- this war or any other war -- is there's a limited shelf life for facts," he said.

The Iraqi perception of American troops also came up several times during the discussion.

Abadi, vice chief of staff for the Iraqi Joint Forces, said while some initially viewed Americans as invaders wanting oil, many now believe they are friends who are there to help.

"The Iraqis are very thankful to the American people for what they did liberating them from Saddam and providing the opportunity to (form) our own government and have democracy," Abadi said. "A democracy we've never had."

Students also asked how the Iraqi government is going about gaining the trust of its own people.

Abadi said the Iraqis need to be able to rely on their government for basic services.

"If I'm a family man, what would I want?" Abadi asked. "I would like to have a job so that I can get a salary and be able to provide food to my family … I need my kids to be able to go to school. When they're sick I want to be able to take them to the hospital. I would like essential services like electricity, fuel."

Logistics have been a challenge throughout the war for both countries. For Iraqi forces the issue is training soldiers and buying weapons. For the U.S., it's fighting overseas.

"Imagine getting every person in Naperville collected in one spot and moved to Iraq and then once they're here, dispersed through the country," Dubik said. "Feed them, give them water, give them electricity, give them power, make sure they have a place to stay and have a place and a way to communicate among themselves and back to the United States.

"Oh, by the way, too, people are trying to kill you and people are trying to interrupt the flow."

Roughly 275 students participated in the teleconference.

Dubik told them the security of the U.S. is a shared responsibility between the government and its citizens. But he warned them to be wary of easy solutions.

"This is a very complex situation," he said. "A bumper sticker doesn't work. A sound bite doesn't work. A one-size-fits-all solution doesn't work."

Central junior Max Caldwell said the experience gave him a better understanding of what's happening in Iraq.

"It was great," he said. "Once in a lifetime."