I am the wife of Staff Sgt. Greg Gourley, who was killed in Iraq on Feb. 22, 2006. Ever since his death, I have made a commitment to make sure his death was not in vain. I have sat back and listened to Mayor Rocky Anderson's opinions and foolish antics and kept my mouth shut, until now.

After 9/11, our government leaders were criticized by many, because it was said that there were tidbits of information that may have hinted to the upcoming disaster. Never in the history of the world could anyone have imagined such a tragedy, yet our government was criticized for not taking action. Prior to our invasion of Iraq, we had very credible evidence of weapons of mass destruction. So this time we acted on that information, and once again our government is criticized. Our military prevented terrorism from once again penetrating American soil by keeping the conflict on foreign ground. Our only mistake was waiting too long. Iraq had plenty of time to hide their weapons.

Regardless of your viewpoint of the war, I am here to tell you that our soldiers are doing good in Iraq. Unfortunately, the nightly news thrives on the bad. My husband spent most of 2003 in Iraq and sent home many letters and photos of the positive things that our military is doing. They are improving the lives of these people. After his first deployment, many people would tell my husband that America needed to get out of Iraq. He would immediately and adamantly remind them that our own American Revolution took time, as would the revolution of a nation of people who had been governed by violence for years and years. He wholeheartedly believed in his cause and knew that the rest of the world would one day understand.

My husband and I were born and raised in Salt Lake City, and I moved back here with my four children after the death of my husband. I am ashamed to have Rocky Anderson representing this great city. He is a waste of space and energy. To think that he is protesting my husband's commander in chief makes me extremely irritated. I wholeheartedly agree with Cpl. Adam Galvez's parents when they said that he is partly responsible for the deaths of our soldiers. As far as I'm concerned, it's either black or white — there is no gray area here. You are either in support of our military troops, or you are on the terrorists' side. I think Rocky has made it clear what side he is on.

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Collette Gourley is the surviving spouse of Staff Sgt. Greg Gourley, killed in action, Feb. 22, 2006.