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War in Iraq
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RSS FeedConflict in Iraq: Is it possible to support the troops but not the war?
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| No | 23% | 142 votes | Total: 631 votes | |
| Yes | 77% | 489 votes |
No
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Add to FavoritesAnything IS possible.
I just read today that an ordinary house cat took the GED high school diploma test, online of course, and passed it. Her name is Oreo and I hear her next step is community college ( She doesn't want to make the commitment needed at a university until she has a little more experience on her side ).
Anything is NOT probable, however.
I believe it is highly suspect when someone tells me that they support the troops, but not the war. Isn't that a bit like supporting MADD and then getting behind the wheel when drunk? A touch contradictory at best!
When you are really supporting someone, you respect what they do, you learn what is important to them both personally and professionally. That is not to say that there must be complete agreement in all aspects, but it generally leads to a stronger commitment when both sides are in agreement on the most important of issues.
Military personnel are as different and varied as the population it represents. Each one of those souls have their own opinion and stance on each and every topic imaginable. When it comes Iraq, many disagree with the proper resolution, but never have I heard one say that they're hoping we fail. Not one.
The trickier definition is what IS a success when it comes to such a battle. What is the best possible outcome at this point? Again, each define it differently. Yet each hope that the presence of the troops will give the area a greater stability, a chance at a better future, and freedoms many in the USA often take for granted.
Military people take honor, commitments, and duty very seriously. It seems the longer one serves, the more important such traits become. Those who feel like they can support the troops and not the war, overlook the fact that at this particular juncture, the war is as much a part of the military as ACUs and rucks.
It IS a part of military life. It IS a reality that is faced on a daily basis, not a ten minute blurb on the evening news. it becomes a part of that troop, whether they see the sandbox or are state-side pulling extra duty because they are shorthanded at the barracks. It is not possible to separate one from the other.
I support the troops and I support the war because of the ideas that both stand for.
Not blood and gore and hate and bombs, but the concept that freedom may come with time. I look beyond the particular battle and can foresee a brighter future for the people of Iraq.
Perfect? Not hardly.
Instant? No way.
Rather, something far on the horizon to reach for. A goal made possible because of our involvement. A gift given by our troops, paid for by blood, sweat, and tears from both themselves and their families. And this, this is far to precious to take for granted, this is the ultimate sacrifice, and because of it, there's no way that I could NOT stand behind them in every way possible.
Learn more about this author, J.R. Lewis.
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Yes
I have often been asked, when I was the wife of a soldier deployed to Iraq, and now as the wife of an Iraq Veteran, how it is possible for me to say that I support the troops but I do not support the war. I often turn the question around and ask, "Well, what is it you do to support the troops?" Most people can not formulate an answer. The truth is, that most people do not think much on the phrase "Support the Troops" past the moment that they stick the yellow ribbon magnet on the back of their vehicle. It's an empty phrase, something they like to think they do, but in reality never put into action.
It is very much possible to support the troops, the men and women who volunteered to serve our nation, to honor the sacrifices that they and their families make every day, to mourn their losses with them, and still not support this war. Support is an action.
For me, supporting the troops means utilizing the very rights that they swore to uphold when they took their oath to join the military. It means using my voice to question my government, its methods, and its actions. Thomas Jefferson said, "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism;" the responsibility to maintain the checks and balances in your elected government are not only a guaranteed rights, it is our patriotic duty. What kind of support are you really giving them if you stand silently by and watch policies enacted that only bring them death and injury?
We have been given a multitude of ever-changing reasons for this war, as each reason was proven false, the spin machines of the administration came up with a new justification. They touted the tragedy of September 11th and utilized the atmosphere of fear created in its wake to push this nation into war in a country that was never connected with the events of that day. We sent our best and brightest into the desert without body armor, without armored vehicles, without adequate supplies. We took away the self sufficiency of military units by bringing in companies like KBR to cater and build, compromising troop security as local Iraqis were hired to build and work on military sites. We sacrificed our men and women for profit. There was no planning for the occupation of Iraq, there is still no end in sight, there are still troops deploying every day, some for their second, third, or even fourth time. Our military hospitals and veterans administrations were not prepared to deal with the influx of so many into the system, leaving our wounded soldiers without timely and adequate care.
Not only is it possible to support the troops without supporting this war, we owe it to the troops to do so. We owe it to them to see that they are never again sent into a war under false pretenses, undergeared, undertrained, past the termination of their individual contracts, and without an exit strategy.We owe it to them to pressure our government to ensure that they receive those things that they so desperately need. We owe it to them to ensure that they are taken care of when they return home, that we as a grateful nation show our support for the trials they have endured. The men and women of the US Armed Forces joined for various individual reasons. They all took an oath swearing to uphold the US Constitution and to serve this nation. They did so with the implicit understanding that their gift of service would not be used in vain. We owe it to them to support them with our action, not our empty rhetoric.
Learn more about this author, Jessica Salamon.
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