In a few threads that I've been invlolved in, people have asked my advice about supporting the soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some Kossacks have asked me if I needed anything, some have just asked what sort of things are helpful. I'll be the first to admint that I'm not an expert on this subject. Some of the users here, such as Sonnergrunt, have seen combat much closer than I have and probably would have something to add to this diary, and I hope they do. But I do have some thoughts on how best to send the message that liberals support soldiers. It seems to me that it would be a good thing if liberals could be seen as pulling out all the stops to make sure that soldiers are taken care of while they are deployed, even if they don't support the deployment. Sort of a "support the soldier, not the war" meme.
There are several sites that can be used to reach soldiers who don't have family at home to support them.
Soldier's angels and
Any Soldier are both good ones, and there are several more out there. These websites are excellent because soldiers are able to register themselves and their units to recieve care packages from people who wish to send them, by unit gets 2 or 3 a week from these organizations. Individual soldiers can also register with their email addresses if they wish to begin a relationship with an "adoptee."
These websites have been met with a great deal of support since the beginning of operations, but I see one flaw in them. Of the packages that we have recieved, it seems that the majority of them are from supporters of the war itself, and they are often sent with religious overtones. I don't want to say I don't appreciate these packages, but it seems to me that there is a real opportunity here to prove to America that while we may not support the actions of an administration, human lives come first with us, and that means supporting people in need. The same facts that lead progressives to support individual choice and universal healthcare would lead us to support those deployed overseas.
Stories are still told today about the mistreatment that many soldiers exterienced at the hands of war protestors. I was not alive at that time, so I can't say whether or not they are completely true, but they have nontheless left a bad taste in the mouths of many Americans regarding anti-war demonstration. This war and these websites provide an excellent chance for us to turn those feelings around. My suggestion is that, as a group, we settle on a website and "adopt it." Not that we should make it a tool of the left, or anything like that, it should just be obvious who is supporting the soldiers in this war.