In response to the anti-Iraq war sentiment expressed by filmmaker Eugene Jarecki during his recent appearance on campus, several local groups brought in a speaker of their own to provide a different perspective on the war.
Retired Army Lt. Col. Scott Rutter, who works for Fox News as a senior military analyst, spoke to a crowd of about 18 people on Friday about his experiences in the Iraq war and the advancements being made in the country.
"Marquette saw one anti-war sentiment in Jarecki, but Rutter gave Marquette students an opportunity to hear someone who was actually there," said Daniel Maciejewski, College of Arts & Sciences junior and president of Marquette University College Republicans, which sponsored the event on campus. The Young America's Foundation, a conservative organization based in Herndon, Va., that provides educational opportunities to young people, and the 4th District Republican Party of Wisconsin also sponsored Rutter's appearance.
Rutter was the commander of the Army's 2nd Battalion 7th Infantry Regiment when it played a key role in the capture of Baghdad International Airport in early 2003. He earned a Silver Star for his efforts. Rutter retired from the armed services later that year after three tours in Iraq, and he joined Fox News in mid-2004.
"I'm proud to speak to Marquette students about what your generation is doing to help those in need," Rutter said. "Your generation is teaching compassion. You are teaching your parents and your professors to get with it and be a part of the solution."
Jarecki asked "why we fight" in his film, but according to Rutter, the fight did not start when the physical war began.
"This war has been going on for over a decade; just because there weren't soldiers there does not mean war wasn't happening," Rutter said. "(Former Secretary of State) Madeline Albright and the rest of the Clinton administration conducted economic warfare throughout the 1990s that harmed more people than the application of force in the war in Iraq.
"The war in Iraq focused on taking care of the Iraqi people," he said. "Now, for the first time since Saddam Hussein came to power, Iraq is stockpiling baby formula instead of weapons."
For some students, hearing Rutter speak changed their entire outlook on the war in Iraq.
"I was anti-war in general, but my views have changed since I realized what actually went on," said College of Business Administration freshman Laura Ferrari. "It's refreshing to hear a real perspective from someone who was actually there."
According to Rutter, that "real perspective" is not always delivered by the news media.
"You can't completely trust what you hear on TV," he said.
For example, Iraqis are now "stepping up to the plate" in the rebuilding process, Rutter said, something the media do not always show.
"For every bad thing that you hear about in the news there are six good things that happen. Iraq is rebuilding their government, their infrastructure and are bringing people together," he said.
Rutter concluded the speech by challenging Jarecki to a debate.
"Talk to your professors, talk to your sponsors, talk to Jarecki and talk to whomever you have to talk to in order to make it happen," he said. "Maybe then we would be able to get down to the real truth of the war in Iraq."