Posted on 06/24/2005 7:00:25 AM PDT by Millee
Every day I see ribbon-shaped bumper stickers bearing the message "Support Our Troops." While most of us clamor to see the latest movie or ride our bikes on the weekends or plan our summer vacations, these bumper stickers remind us that there are American soldiers still fighting in Iraq, and we shouldn't forget them.
Each soldier is someone's father, mother, brother, sister, son or daughter, and while fewer and fewer Americans are paying attention to the war, our troops are still getting maimed and killed. So far, more than 1,700 soldiers have died in Iraq and more than 13,000 have been injured.
When the war started three years ago, most Americans believed that it was justified and necessary. Back then, supporting the troops meant standing behind President Bush, presenting a united front to Saddam Hussein, encouraging our soldiers to do well and sending care packages.
Early in the war, we learned that despite enormous military budgets, thousands of troops did not have bullet-proof vests, and many Humvees were not equipped with armored plates to protect occupants from mines and car bombs. Communities all over the country responded with impressive fundraising and scrap-metal campaigns to directly support the troops.
However, as time passed, the public has grown weary of the war. If this weariness had turned into outrage, it might have been useful for the troops. An outraged public might have demanded more information and more planning from leaders in both parties.
Unfortunately, Americans have grown increasingly apathetic about the war. We're not as interested in news about the latest insurgent attacks; we're not sending as many care packages; we're not organizing as many fundraisers; we're not discussing the progress of the new Iraqi government; and we're not holding as many debates about the efficacy of the war.
At most, we engage in partisan sniping in which one side insists that the war is a complete disaster while the other insists that the war is a complete success. This type of bickering doesn't help our soldiers.
The bumper stickers urge us to "Support Our Troops," but exactly what should we do?
The best possible support would be to pull our soldiers out of Iraq today and return them to their families. Obviously, given the size of our forces and the continuing instability in Iraq, leaving today is neither practical nor possible.
But we must press Congress and the Bush administration to develop an exit strategy. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld insists that he has a "victory strategy" rather than an exit strategy, and that's fine. In either case, we need a rough timeline, because we can't simply order our soldiers to enter hostile territory and then leave them there for years while we move on to other things.
We owe them better than that. Rumsfeld said this week that "timing in war is never predictable." That's true, but we have many subject-matter experts in our government who should be able to advise the administration about the rough costs of war, the lives that are likely to be lost, and the estimated time it will take to achieve various objectives.
Supporting our troops means that we must demand answers to questions that our troops can't ask themselves. We must do everything we can to make sure they don't languish in harm's way longer than necessary. Our soldiers have families that they would love to return to, and we should help make that happen.
The general public should follow the advice of another bumper sticker that reads: "Support Our Troops - Bring Them Home!"
uhhh... "Quit stabbing them in the back" comes to mind.
Pacifist's Unite!!!!!
Some people have no stamina.
These idiots would rather see stickers like "Turn tail and run."
I'll admit that I don't follow what's happening in Iraq very closely ...I also must admit that my support for the war ( not for the troops mind you ) is dwindling ...Ghosts of Vietnam haunting me in my slumber ...It's time to give the Iraqis THE ultimatum ...
Did we have an exit strategy for WW1 and WW2? It is just the silliest thing to imagine we can have a timeline for a war. War is not like writing a novel or planning a vacation.
susie
Oh really?? Speak for yourself a-hole!!
If we bring our troops home before the mission is complete, there is a good chance Iraq could sink back into what it was before. And all of those soldiers would have died for nothing.
But an Iraqi democracy - that's an accomplishment on a level most of us wouldn't achieve if we live to be 300.
They are always slamming those stickers, they really hate them!
Sort of like they shrink from the flag, like vampires.
Imagine if WWII had been fought this way? Tell Germany and Japan in 1941 how long we plan to be fighting and here's the timetable for our withdrawal.
Here's a novel approach. How about supporting the effort and doing what needs to be done until it's accomplished? In my book, that might include actions in Syria and Iran.
The two "Support the Troops" stickers are probably why I have had some truly ugly loking people tailgating me lately.
Just like Vampires they will such every ounce of red blood you
have.
Reggie Rivers isn't worth getting upset over. He's an ex-Bronco football player, not failed but wasn't on the team all that long. He has few people reading his column and fewer listening to his radio program. He's one of our token liberals on radio and loved by the liberal Denver Post.
Our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are doing what has to be done.
I WOULD like to see troops NOT where they AREN'T needed. Why do we needs tens of thousands of troops sitting idle in Germany? They admit that there is nothing for them to do. They AREN'T the Iraq feeder troops either. They sit there, old-USSR, NATO style, doing absolutely nothing.
However, I DO agree with your assessment of the author. It's just more butthump from the 4th estate.
LOL. I know what you mean.
You should try having a "BUSH/CHENEY" sticker on your car in the San Francisco bay area. Fingers and glares. Harhar.
Had someone try to bash my window out because of the Bush Cheney window cling I had.
Had to take that down as I can't afford to keep replacing windows and fixing dents.
It's infuriating to me that liberals wrap themselves in the mantle of patriotism and support for the troops by demanding "bring them home".
Of course, we would love for our family members to be home and out of harm's way. But I can tell you, that when most military people are actually home, they itch to get back into the fight. They want to be where the action is and to be doing what they were trained to do.
Of course, none of them want war but they are ready, willing and able to do what has to be done unless and until their services are no longer required.
Who is 'they'?
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