Canada Free Press -- ARCHIVES

Because without America, there is no free world.

Return to Canada Free Press

War on terror

Do We Truly Support the Troops?

By Felicia (Fee) Benamon

Friday, July 13, 2007

One way we can honor the lives of those who have fought in wars past and present is to not only actively support them while they are engaged in battle, but here at home, being mindful of what is going on in our country and working to bring about positive change. It is positive to support our troops, to pray for them, our President, our nation,and our leaders in Washington. We must also act to let our voices be heard.

Like many of you, I've endured hearing of more troop deaths in the War on Terror.Frankly, I'm getting sick of it as our leaders in Washington have not sent our men and women to war with all that they need. The main function of the military during times of war is not so much nation building as we are doing now (although that is good), but it is to search and destroy the enemy. We have to be on the offense, eliminating the threat. That MUST be the case all the time. But since we only go on the offensive only half of the time in Iraq specifically, perhaps we should be looking at other ways to be successful in Iraq.

Fouryears into the war in Iraq,ourtroops are still fighting, but they have had to wait forhelpful resources that could have saved lives. Meanwhile, the enemy plots and plans and carries out gruesome attacks on our soldiers through roadside bombs and IEDs. Thenumber of IEDdeaths our troops have sustained, has risen.AndAmerican troopsare now just receiving the newerMine Resistant Ambush Protectedcombat vehicles to protect them from IEDs, but why so late?

When you send men and women into battle in confidence and honor, you are saying "I respect you and I respect your ability to do what you have trained and dedicated your life to doing, therefore I will give you the appropriate tools (atthe beginning of thewar)to carry out the mission." To do less than that, is mocking them.

Why are we so callous with our troops' lives? Why are we not taking care of them as we should? The mainstream media would be happy to report any failing on the part of the Bush administration to supply our troops with all they need, and the Bush administration is helpingto solidifythat view, I believe.

I would caution that my voice does NOT equate to those who are against the war on the Left. I am simply asking the tough questions and writing in defense of our brave men and women who deserve all the best we can give them. It is fine to voice an opinion if one thinks that there have been mistakes made; mistakes that we REALLY should correct so that we may be victorious.

Our leaders in Washington must know...ourtroops aren'texpendable as they fight and die while our government makes decisions as we go along. We must know what needs to be done and execute it quickly.

AlternateStrategy

It has been okay to say that we will press forward and fight; we must be successful in the War on Terror. But what good will it do if all we are doing is running on defensive measureswith limited resources? That's what is fueling my frustration.

Since we have failed to use more offensive tacticsin the war in Iraq, leaders in Washington are looking at alternative ways to move forward in Iraq.More Republican senators have come forth and expressed their dissatisfaction with what is occurring currently. They are thinking logically.

Senator Lamar Alexander, a Republican senator from my state of Tennessee has come together with other Republican and Democrat senators and recommended that the advice of theIraq Study Group be taken intoconsiderationin the future when dealing withoperations in Iraq.

The DOD Authorization Bill would have an "amendment" attached that would set benchmarks that the Iraqi government must meet in order for us to continue giving support to them. It would require troops to mainly be provided for "training"...and their overall mission would either be for "training, force protection, and counter-terrorism." A new "diplomatic offensive" in Iraq would include the help of those neighboring countries in the regionto help Iraqstabilize itself.

Read more: http://alexander.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_Id=1217

An operation that completely includes our allies and the help of willing neighboring countries of Iraq will yield a better result in getting Iraq under control.

American soldiers are not occupiers of any country. The longer we stay in Iraq, the more that label holds. Coming up with a strategy to draw down our troops little by little is more responsible than plunging full speed ahead without an offensive strategy. Employing more troops to the battlefield won't do any good if there is no clear action to take to remove the enemy from this earth. A successful offensive military strategy would show the full power of the US military andsee our enemy defeated, which wouldhelp inthe speedy recovery of Iraq and return home of our troops. But that's not happening.

As wehead towards a 5th yearat war in Iraq, we mustremember our troops who are working SO hard to provide freedoms for others. But they need every tool at their disposal to be successful.

I would urge the President to consider how long and hard our troops have been working in Iraq to help that country up on its feet, and that they need help. As a country, we may also face future threats and we need our military to be in top notch from.That meansthe troops need the prayers of the American people,and our completebacking (including the backing of those in Washington)of their role in Iraq. And it isn't"anti-war" to consider other alternatives to handling our current situation in Iraq.

When we say we support the troops, we must mean it. They are our countrymen and we must remember their needs as if they were our own.

Our troopsmust not grow weary in Iraq.


Pursuant to Title 17 U.S.C. 107, other copyrighted work is provided for educational purposes, research, critical comment, or debate without profit or payment. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for your own purposes beyond the 'fair use' exception, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Views are those of authors and not necessarily those of Canada Free Press. Content is Copyright 1997-2018 the individual authors. Site Copyright 1997-2018 Canada Free Press.Com Privacy Statement