Should the US Congress speed funding for more armor-protected vehicles to save soldiers' lives in Iraq?

Yes

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by Arthur Gibson

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Congress has an obligation to do everything in its power to support our troops not only in Iraq and Afghanistan but where ever they may be stationed. This includes speeding up the funding for more armor-protected vehicles to save lives. Our men and women in the military have entered into a contractual agreement with the government to put their lives on the line daily to protect our way of life. In return Congress needs to live up to its contractual agreement to support our men and women with the equipment they need to succeed.

However, since the Korean Conflict in the early 50s Congress has frequently failed to live up to it's end of the bargain. In what has been almost continual disagreement between the Executive and Legislative Branches of the Government, our troops needs have, at times, been forgotten or ignored. And new or improved equipment which might benefit our troops has either failed to receive the necessary funding or been ignored completely. Congress has the responsibility to provide our troops with the funding and equipment needed for them to not only complete the tasks assigned, but to do so in the safest manner possible.

Yet, in the course of political dominance on Capitol Hill this does not always happen. It is amazing to check the actions of Congress with regard to our military in recent conflicts. All too often, Congress has initially backed the sitting President when our troops were sent into battle, and then done a complete 180 when the mission wasn't rapidly and successfully concluded. It appears that once it becomes apparent that the conflict, Korea, Vietnam, and today Iraq, is going to take time, perhaps years to end, partisan politics immediately rears its ugly head. And vicious in-fighting, often within a party, becomes the norm. And suddenly there is a push for a negotiated settlement or even a complete withdrawal of our troops.

Contrary to what many people believe, the military is not full of individuals just sitting around chomping at the bit for the next war to start. The vast majority of our troops train exceptionally hard at being ready to perform tasks they hope never to have to perform in reality. Yet, when the time comes, they take up their arms and head off to battle looking for and expecting the full support of our government and its people. Our military is not full of people just waiting for the chance to legally kill someone. Yet, when they are called upon they are there putting their lives on the line.

Nothing defeats morale in the military quicker than to have the government and the media begin pulling that support out from under them. Nothing hurts recruitment more than more the military to have the media portray their actions as criminal, or inefficient, and to see their Congressional leaders question the reason the troops are there and constantly fight over the funds needed to support them. Is there little wonder that the Army is having difficulty meeting it's manning needs? The real wonder is that as many young people are joining the military as there are. Maybe Congress needs to step back and examine what motivates these young men and women to join the military. It might be that Congress to learn a lesson from these young volunteers about what is really important.

Since the first colonists stepped on the shores of our land, men and women have been putting their lives on the line to protect not only themselves and their homes, but the homes and lives of others. For almost 400 hundred years from that day, through the Revolution, and all the wars since, and those still to come, young people have manned their posts to protect us from all of enemies both foreign and domestic. And they haven't done it for the money, or the glory, but because it's something that must be done for this nation to survive and flourish. As Demi Moore's character in a "Few Good Men" stated "they stand on a wall, saying no one is going to hurt you on my watch." It's past time for Congress to do the right thing and provide the funding our men and women need to get the job done!

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