It is almost a mantra in America today to hear people say they support the troops. We hear it on television and radio. We see it on bumper stickers. It's almost the de facto disclaimer of any politician anymore. But it raises the question: What does it mean to support the troops?
Here's what I think it means.
To begin with, we should never ask our troops to put their lives on the line unless it is for one of two reasons: to defend against a direct attack against the United States, or to make us more secure in some easily definable way. The Iraq war fails both tests. We did not attack the country that attacked us, and we are LESS secure as a result of this war.
Now if Americans are serious about supporting the troops, then we should start with increased pay, more veterans benefits, more and better equipment, fewer deployments and shorter deployments away from home and family, and no more broken promises. When I mention broken promises, I mean a couple of things. First, we should honor the contracts we sign with troops. Stop loss orders, which hold people in the military beyond the date of their contract, are immoral and show how little the Bush Administration really cares about the troops.
We should also stop breaking promises about how long troops are going to be in a combat zone. Ken Ballard was the only son of my friend, Karen Meredith. Ken was born July 21st, 1977. He died on May 30th, 2004 in Najaf, Iraq. He was 26 years old when he was killed in action. But here's the real tragedy. Ken's time in Iraq was supposed to be over when he was killed. His unit was on its way home. All his stuff was packed, and his rifle was even turned in to the armory. He was ready to go. But then the Bush Administration broke a promise. They had promised that no unit would stay in Iraq for more than a year.
But Don Rumsfeld had a problem. The generals had all told him that we would need to send 300,000 troops to Iraq to do the job right. Rumsfeld, in his arrogance, said no, we'll do it with fewer than 150,000, and refused all calls for more troops.
As a result, the 1st Armored Division had their stay in Iraq extended for 120 days because there weren't enough troops there for them to leave. They had been promised a tour no longer than one year. That promise was broken, they unpacked, went back into action, and Ken Ballard was killed when he should have been home with his mother.
The Bush Administration and this Republican Congress, including Tom Tancredo, do NOT care about the troops, and they do NOT care about veterans. They never miss an opportunity to cut veteran's funding or to make life more difficult for our troops. It's no accident that the majority of Veteran candidates this year are running as Democrats. The Republican Party leadership has betrayed the troops!
In addition to the things I listed above, I would like to see better support for military families and widows, and better support for reserve and National Guard troops. I know people in the National Guard and Reserve who have lost jobs, and even homes, as a result of being deployed in Iraq. That is absolutely wrong. Our troops shouldn't lose jobs and homes because they served their Country! The Bush Administration and this Republican Congress have also effectively destroyed the National Guard and Reserves as elements of our national defense.
We need to stop privatizing military roles to private companies which cost MORE than the military ever could. Let's be honest about this. The Rumsfeld plan is to turn over as many military functions as possible to private companies so that those companies can make more profit, not so that our security is enhanced. America is worse off because of the Iraq War and Rumsfeld's policies. But Halliburton and others like it are much better off!
We need to fund the VA more fully, both for existing veterans and for the vast number of troops who will come back from Iraq maimed in mind or body. The Bush Administration and the Republican Congress have cut funding for all V.A. programs. When a person volunteers to serve their country in the military, and endures all the hardships that go along with it, I believe our Nation owes them a debt of honor. I'm going to Washington to make sure that debt gets paid.
Bush lovers and supporters of this war say that men like John Murtha, and others who speak out against the war, are hurting the morale of the troops. That is an outright lie. How can someone like Tom Tancredo, or Dick Cheney, or George W. Bush, who all dodged the draft and avoided military service, tell me how the morale of the troops is affected? I AM the troops!
Morale is affected by how long we have to be away from our families, how long our work days are, how much we get paid, how often we are lied to or promises made are broken. In ten years with the Navy and Marine Corps, I never once heard anyone complain because of something a politician said. But I heard plenty of complaints as a result of longer deployments. We need a larger military---more troops, rather than less. We need to make serving in the military something that is common amongst Americans, rather than rare. Rumsfeld is 100% wrong in everything he's done.
And finally, I said we need to give our troops more and better equipment. The New York Times earlier this year reported that 80% of the Marines who died of upper body wounds in the war so far could have been saved if they had better body armor. The Bush Administration was told the body armor was outdated and did nothing. Where is the outrage about this? Where is the outrage that our soldiers were sent to war without enough armored vehicles? Don Rumsfeld should be investigated for negligent homicide.
If we really want to support our troops, then let's hold accountable the people who have sold them down the river--the Bush Administration and this Republican Congress! And then let's make sure we really do take care of our troops. It's the right thing to do!
Bill Winter
http://winterforcongress.com/