Friday's NBC Nightly News included a story from my colleague and friend Richard Engel, who was embedded with an active duty Army infantry battalion from Fort Lewis, Washington.
Engel relayed how "troops here say they are increasingly frustrated by American criticism of the war. Many take it personally, believing it is also criticism of what they've been fighting for."
So despite people saying they support the troops but not the cause, they are still feeling as though it is a shot at them. When people say we should pull out and things aren't going well you can't help but think how bad the troops would feel. You are basically saying we should give up because it is a mess and call it quits. You are taking shots at the troops, whether you meant it or not.
First up was 21 year old junior enlisted man Tyler Johnson, whom Engel said was frustrated about war skepticism and thinks that critics "should come over and see what it's like firsthand before criticizing."
"You may support or say we support the troops, but, so you're not supporting what they do, what they're here sweating for, what we bleed for, what we die for. It just don't make sense to me," Johnson said.
This is the quote that really makes sense to me. How can you support the troops but not what they are doing!?! There are so many defeatists you there yet they claim they still support the troops. They say they support the troops because they have to but their actions show otherwise. People want to cut the funds to the war yet they still support the troops? Unbelievable.
Next up was Staff Sergeant Manuel Sahagun, who is on his second tour in Iraq. He complained that "one thing I don't like is when people back home say they support the troops, but they don't support the war. If they're going to support us, support us all the way."
Makes sense to me.
Next was Specialist Peter Manna: "If they don't think we're doing a good job, everything that we've done here is all in vain," he said.
Yes...this is the key quote to me! Why would you want to pull out of Iraq now and admit mistake? You are letting all those who have died die in vain. This is the biggest problem Vietnam veterans have with the war. You pull out and let the region call into mayhem and all those who died are forgotten and died for a "mistake". You have to want to win this fight. The troops might want to go home personally but they don't want the military occupation to end. They want to win the damn war.
The article I am quoting for, however, turns out to be an article that is against the troops. You want to hear some nasty and ugly quotes from the author of the article? He said this about the troops speaking up about their frustrations.
These soldiers should be grateful that the American public, which by all polls overwhelmingly disapproves of the Iraq war and the President's handling of it, do still offer their support to them, and their respect.
What a joke. These guys are putting their lives on the line every single day and they don't have the right to voice their opinion? Americans at home bitch and moan about the war and about how we should pull out and forget about it but nobody ever thinks about how the troops think. The soldiers should be grateful? Give me a fucking break. Americans should be grateful.
Through every Abu Ghraib and Haditha, through every rape and murder, the American public has indulged those in uniform, accepting that the incidents were the product of bad apples or even of some administration or command order.
An even lower low. Now the soldiers are discrediting the American public and the American public is simply sticking up for the troops. This guy has balls, I'll give him that.
So, we pay the soldiers a decent wage, take care of their families, provide them with housing and medical care and vast social support systems and ship obscene amenities into the war zone for them, we support them in every possible way, and their attitude is that we should in addition roll over and play dead, defer to the military and the generals and let them fight their war, and give up our rights and responsibilities to speak up because they are above society?
This guy is a fucking retard. First off, soldiers don't get good wages but that is besides the point. THEY ARE IN A FUCKING WARZONE!!!!!!! They don't want the American people to give up their rights (they are fighting to protect those rights!) but they want them to stop saying they support the troops but not the war. The troops feel you are either all in or all out. It is a reasonable stance and there is no reason why this guy should be attacking them like this.
But it is the United States, and the recent NBC report is just an ugly reminder of the price we pay for a mercenary - oops sorry, volunteer - force that thinks it is doing the dirty work.
This one sent me over the edge. He has no respect for those who are overseas fighting. *shakes head*
America needs to ponder what it is we really owe those in uniform.
WOW! We need to ponder what we really owe these people? Yes...we owe them a lot! We owe them our thanks. Our gratitude. Our un-divided support. Our loyalties. Our money. They deserve a lot.
This guy, by the war, is named William M. Arkin and he writes for the Washington Post. The interviews about the troops were on NBC's Nightly News. This guy is a douche and should be reminded of that daily.
Thoughts?
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