I spent 16 weeks August 1971 at Tank Hill C-3-1. Best 16 weeks of my life. I was very young when I entered on that unit. We moved to the other side of the highway. My tent was in a wooded area and I had a view of an old church from my camp. The unit I spent there was very mixed. Some were inexperienced, some were experienced, some liked to drink, some wanted to do their career and get out of the army. Our platoon was full of young teenagers and the older guys like to take them under control and make them act right. I was not inexperienced and I had to help them to act like men. There was one very tough guy, a real man, and you had to fear him, but all the others liked him. He was in my platoon but later got an other job. When I was about 10, I heard he had died in an accident while working. You are in a unit to do your duty and you did what you had to do. The people behind the chain-link fence was our worst enemy, which was the German people. They were kind enough to give us fruit and nice food, but everytime someone from the army got sick, or injured in a fight or just hurt himself. they all would say that we did all this to them and never helped them. You can see that the people didn't trust them and they were afraid. Many times I would try to find some good souls in the fences to talk to them. I was a young teen and I would try to make friends with them, but they were old and afraid of us. I have been in Korea, Germany and I have been in Vietnam. It was different but we never killed one person or destroyed one house. And we always tried to be friendly, I always would say "Good Evening" and my mother always said "Good evening to you my dear" I always felt good to talk to people and to be nice and friendly. A: I would guess they would say something like "I am an American Soldier. I was sent here to kill you, rape your women, and destroy your country" I am not really sure about the "always nice and friendly" part of the question, but I know that the above sentiment is quite common among the troops I have met. A: Short answer: "You kill, we kill back harder". Long answer: If you're in an illegal war, the other side is likely to believe that you want to kill them and don't give a rat's arse about anything else. You are not in a position to say the same about yourself, which is probably why there was plenty of criticism about the lack of humanitarian effort in Iraq after the fall of Saddam. You'll probably have to look into that subject more as you pursue further research. That said, I found a few articles that are basically an argument of the kind you have above: "I’m an American soldier; You’re a criminal. We invade your country to steal your oil. You shoot us, We will shoot back harder. You kill our innocent children, We kill your innocent children. You use chemical weapons against us, We will use chemical weapons against you. Your leaders are war criminals. We will arrest and prosecute them, and then we will kill them. – Captain “Psycho” Patton" What to Expect When You Serve in Iraq Pentagon: Afghan civilian casualties are the result of the Afghan forces' use of excessive force If I had to take a stab at your actual question ("You could be a bad person, but are you?"), I think most people in Iraq felt like they were doing what they had to do. Many of them also felt as though they did so under the influence of a corrupt government with which they were not in sympathy. I'll let you figure out how you'd do so in a place of that kind, and leave it at that. A: There is a lot more to US presence in Iraq than the fact that there are US troops, as the presence of foreign troops elsewhere in Iraq has always been seen as more of a target for attack. It's unlikely to be a political issue, or people are more likely to see you as a potential target than the actual invader. As long as you stay out of the people's homes, and treat them respectfully, and don't bring them ill will, it should be fine. Even the presence of US troops in Germany is treated as a bad thing in the German populace. "You're here to protect us. How are we supposed to trust you, if you killed hundreds of thousands of our sons." A: This is too long for a comment but I want to say that the tone of the question has a negative effect on your goal of making friends. If I'm asked a question like this on the street it is often a prelude to "can I borrow $20?" But since this forum is for people with common interests I guess it's relevant to suggest that "always nice and friendly" is the type of attitude that would turn most of the world's population off. This is especially true if you consider that you are a foreign occupier and can expect to be viewed with suspicion at every turn. So if you are asked why you came and what your intentions are the answer should always be polite, honest and open. Also - as others have suggested - don't forget that a lot of our foreign policy is based on a nationalistic and expansionist brand of patriotism. So being nice and friendly to everyone in the world is going to come off as fake and hypocritical to many. This is particularly true if you spend your days occupying foreign soil. Lastly, it's highly unlikely you can be as nice to the people you control as you were in college if you are an occupier of a foreign country. A little empathy here will go a long way. On a more positive note, you could say something like: "I'm stationed in the capital of [Place], my mission is to protect the civilians of my country and ensure that the citizens of [Place] have equal access to all aspects of our society." A: The answer lies with your attitude and the way you present yourself. I believe that you come from a civilized country and it will also be difficult for you to find yourself in such a situation. The main question is "How can I present myself as a "friendly" person to these people?" I would answer this question myself in a few ways. Try to figure out what is good in my country. For example, how the US is helping India. If you don't have anything positive to say about your own country, you have to find something positive to say about my country. Try to understand the people. If you do not know them, then don't say anything negative. Instead, try to understand their thinking and find a way that you can serve them without destroying them. Even if you do not have anything positive to say about my country, do not say anything negative. Do not make any jokes. Try to avoid any conversation that might be considered as rude. Do not start an argument unless you are really necessary. Remember this will be your mission, you will be the foreigner and you will be the target of suspicion. Remember, you are not a good guy. If the people are suspicious of you, it is only because you are a foreigner. However, once you make an effort to know them and their culture you can start making them believe that you are a better person than you are. Then it will be easier to convince them to work with you for the good of the country. Also, it is important that you do not treat all the people as your enemies. One thing that I want to point out is, those people that you suspect as enemies are probably thinking of you as the enemy as well. You will need to work on this point by providing reasons and proofs of why they are not your enemies. Hope this helps.