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Military fears critics will hurt morale
WASHINGTON TIMES ^ | November 21, 2005 | Rowan Scarborough

Posted on 11/21/2005 2:50:59 AM PST by baystaterebel

Pentagon officials say they are increasingly worried that Washington's political fight over the Iraq war will dampen what has been high morale among troops fighting a tenacious and deadly enemy. Commanders are telling Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld that ground troops do not understand the generally negative press that their missions receive, despite what they consider significant achievements in rebuilding Iraq and instilling democracy. The commanders also worry about the public's declining support for the mission and what may be a growing movement inside the Democratic Party to advocate troop withdrawal from Iraq. "They say morale is very high," said a senior Pentagon official of reports filed by commanders with Washington. "But they relate comments from troops asking, 'What the heck is going on back here' and why America isn't seeing the progress they are making or appreciating the mission the way those on the ground there do. My take is that they are wondering if America is still behind them."

(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 109th; dod; iraq; morale; murtha; rowanscarborough; sedition; supportourtroops; suppportthetroops; troopsupport; zot
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Comment #161 Removed by Moderator

To: Matrix33

The difference between Iraq and Vietnam is that we are fighting an enemy (AQ) who declared war on us and attacked us repeatedly culminating with 9/11, which inflicted more casualties than Pearl Harbor. Iraq is just one front of the War On Terror.


162 posted on 11/22/2005 8:22:30 AM PST by kabar
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To: Marine_Uncle

Will do.


163 posted on 11/22/2005 8:24:20 AM PST by Cautor
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To: Howston Born

I totally agree with the ability of our soldiers' and their commanders' to overcome the stupidity of politics in the states. However, my concern is regarding those who would like nothing better than to wreak havoc upon our nation. They see all the fighting and cackling between the parties, and the turmoil it stirs up within our people. They have determined how to use that against us. Remember, divide and conquer? Well, division clearly exists, so all that's left is the conquering part.


164 posted on 11/22/2005 9:23:01 AM PST by Mrs. Darla Ruth Schwerin
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To: FreeReign

So the Republicans finally stiffened their spines and forced an up-or-down vote on immediate withdrawal?

Fine! Excellent, for a change. Now they need to challenge the Democrats to:

A urinalysis for illegal drugs 100%. Every member of Congress should be required to pee in the bottle in front of a witness.

If I as a deployed (and about to be redeployed) Reservist do so on a regular basis, then damn well so should they!

BTW, my urine comes up so cold you can use it for antifreeze. How about you, Cong. Pelosi?


165 posted on 11/22/2005 4:53:14 PM PST by elcid1970
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To: Coop
If counterprotests aren't your thing, drop off lunch at a nearby recruiter's office

This last Saturday my son, his two best buddies, the recruiting Sgt. and his co-recruiter (also Sgt.), and two of his fresh prospects all joined together at the Richmond Rod and Gun Club.

Recruiters don't get to shoot much...and if they get stationed in California(bay area)..they cant even bring their own weapons into the state.

The kids he brought along hadn't fired weapons in years.

I brought my 2 AR-15's, a Rem700 PSS sniper rifle(trick), 2 H&K USP compact .45UCP's and a ruger 10/22.

I supplied the ammo for all of us. That would be 8 people.

We clipped through 1k of .223, 400rds of .45, and 120 rds of .308...not to mention a brick of rim.

As to the recruiters: their fresh prospects were treated to a day of ripp'en fun.

I extended an open invitation to the recruiters that if they have some guys on the fence...and they want jazz em up a bit...give me a call. I will more than happy to supply all ammo and pay for range fees...no problem.

When the day was over I gave the both Sgt.'s each two(4) fresh caught and cooked crabs I had pulled (from pots) on Friday.

WHAT A FINE DAY

I myself didn't shoot much: I was packing clips all day for 'My' guests. My freaking fingers were shreaded.

166 posted on 11/22/2005 9:13:58 PM PST by antaresequity (PUSH 1 FOR ENGLISH, PUSH 2 TO BE DEPORTED)
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To: All

The most ridiculous thing I find is letting the politicians in their 3 piece suits in DC try to run the war by a rule book, instead of letting those in the field take charge and do what needs to be done.
I have a nephew in the SAS over there right now and he tells me they are now hesitating before firing at the enemy because of all the ridiculous charges that are being brought up against them, as a result the body count is going up.


167 posted on 11/23/2005 12:03:01 AM PST by AmeriBrit (DEMOCRATS LIE AND OUR TROOPS DIE!)
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To: antaresequity

Very nice story. Thanks for sharing, and especially thanks for looking out for the recruiters. I take it your son is either signing up or considering it? Which service?


168 posted on 11/23/2005 4:03:03 AM PST by Coop (FR = a lotta talk, but little action)
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To: Coop

Army, ships out for basic training on Jan 4

Airborne and he will be watched by the spec ops guys...he scored very high on his tests


169 posted on 11/23/2005 9:58:57 AM PST by antaresequity (PUSH 1 FOR ENGLISH, PUSH 2 TO BE DEPORTED)
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To: antaresequity

Thanks to you and your son for his service to our country. And your tagline cracks me up!


170 posted on 11/23/2005 10:00:49 AM PST by Coop (FR = a lotta talk, but little action)
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To: baystaterebel; ALOHA RONNIE; mhking; Vets_Husband_and_Wife; 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub; MeekOneGOP; ..

Headline - Military fears critics will hurt morale.

Well, the critics try their best, don't they? Here's one soldier's voice, about Cindy Sheehan, et al.

"Taste of Freedom:
A Soldier's Letter to America
USA/SGT Walter J. Rausch & 1st Platoon 101st Airborne Division
November 21, 2005 - The following is a letter sent to the Mother of an American soldier currently serving with the 101st Airborne Division in Iraq. Per his request - via his Mother - we offer it to you. Special thanks to Jack and Carol Ott for getting this to us:
Mom,

Be my voice. I want this message heard. It is mine and my platoon’s to the country. A man I know lost his legs the other night. He is in another company in our battalion. I can no longer be silent after watching the sacrifices made by Iraqis and Americans everyday. Send it to a congressman if you have to. Send it to FOX news if you have to. Let this message be heard please…

My fellow Americans, I have a task for those with the courage and fortitude to take it. I have a message that needs not fall on deaf ears. A vision the blind need to see. I am not a political man nor one with great wisdom. I am just a soldier who finds himself helping rebuild a country that he helped liberate a couple years ago.

I have watched on television how the American public questions why their mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters are fighting and dying in a country 9000 miles away from their own soil. Take the word of a soldier, for that is all I am, that our cause is a noble one. The reason we are here is one worth fighting for. A cause that has been the most costly and sought after cause in our small span of existence on our little planet. Bought in blood and paid for by those brave enough to give the ultimate sacrifice to obtain it. A right that is given to every man, woman, and child I believe by God. I am talking of freedom.

Freedom. One word but yet countless words could never capture it’s true meaning or power. “For those who have fought for it, freedom has a taste the protected will never know.” I read that once and it couldn’t be more true. It’s not the average American’s fault that he or she is “blind and deaf” to the taste of freedom. Most American’s are born into their God given right so it is all they ever know. I was once one of them. I would even dare to say that it isn’t surprising that they take for granted what they have had all their life. My experiences in the military however opened my eyes to the truth.

Ironically you will find the biggest outcries of opposition to our cause from those who have had no military experience and haven’t had to fight for freedom. I challenge all of those who are daring enough to question such a noble cause to come here for just a month and see it first hand. I have a feeling that many voices would be silenced.

I watched Cindy Sheehan sit on the President’s lawn and say that America isn’t worth dying for. Later she corrected herself and said Iraq isn’t worth dying for. She badmouthed all that her son had fought and died for. I bet he is rolling over in his grave.

Ladies and gentleman I ask you this. What if you lived in a country that wasn’t free? What if someone told you when you could have heat, electricity, and water? What if you had no sewage systems so human waste flowed into the streets? What if someone would kill you for bad-mouthing your government? What if you weren’t allowed to watch TV, connect to the internet, or have cell phones unless under extreme censorship? What if you couldn’t put shoes on your child’s feet?

You need not to have a great understanding of the world but rather common sense to realize that it is our duty as HUMAN BEINGS to free the oppressed. If you lived that way would you not want someone to help you????

The Iraqi’s pour into the streets to wave at us and when we liberated the cities during the war they gathered in the thousands to cheer, hug and kiss us. It was what the soldier’s in WW2 experienced, yet no one questioned their cause!! Saddam was no better than Hitler! He tortured and killed thousands of innocent people. We are heroes over here, yet American’s badmouth our President for having us here.

Every police station here has a dozen or more memorials for officers that were murdered trying to ensure that their people live free. These are husbands, fathers, and sons killed every day. What if it were your country? What would your choice be? Everything we fight for is worth the blood that may be shed. The media never reports the true HEROISM I witness everyday in the Iraqi’s. Yes there are bad one’s here, but I assure you they are a minuscule percent. Yet they are a number big enough to cause worry in this country’s future.

I have watched brave souls give their all and lose their lives and limbs for this cause. I will no longer stand silent and let the “deaf and blind” be the only voice shouting. Stonewall Jackson once said, “All that I have, all that I am is at the service of the country.” For these brave souls who gave the ultimate sacrifice, including your son Cindy Sheehan, I will shout till I can no longer. These men and women are heroes. Their spirit lives on in their military and they will never be forgotten. They did not die in vain but rather for a cause that is larger than all of us.

My fellow countrymen and women, we are not overseas for our country alone but also another. We are here to spread democracy and freedom to those who KNOW the true taste of it because they fight for it everyday. You can see the desire in their eyes and I am honored to fight alongside them as an Infantryman in the 101st Airborne.

Freedom is not free, but yet it is everyone’s right to have. Ironic isn’t it? That is why we are here. Though you will always have the skeptics, I know that most of our military will agree with this message. Please, at the request of this soldier spread this message to all you know. We are in Operation Iraqi Freedom and that is our goal. It is a cause that I and thousands of others stand ready to pay the ultimate sacrifice for because, Cindy Sheehan, freedom is worth dying for, no matter what country it is! And after the world is free only then can we hope to have peace.

SGT Walter J. Rausch and 1st Platoon
101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)"



http://www.therant.us/staff/guest/american_soldier/11212005.htm


171 posted on 11/23/2005 5:53:02 PM PST by JLO (http://operationminnesotanice.com/)
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To: antaresequity

That's a great recruiting method!


172 posted on 11/23/2005 6:31:45 PM PST by lastmanstanding
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To: JLO; All

.


The one thing the LOVE Itself needs more of in this world, for GOD is LOVE, is more...


...LOVE.

And that only comes when people are...


...FREE.



This makes American Soldiers now bringing FREEDOM around the world and their loved ones who wait for them to come home or not...

...HOLY.



Signed:.."ALOHA RONNIE" Guyer
Veteran-"WE WERE SOLDIERS" Battle of IA DRANG-1965

http://www.lzxray.com/guyer_set1.htm
(Photos)

.


173 posted on 11/24/2005 9:43:36 AM PST by ALOHA RONNIE ("ALOHA RONNIE" Guyer/Veteran-"WE WERE SOLDIERS" Battle of IA DRANG-1965 http://www.lzxray.com)
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To: daybreakcoming

In any of a thousand ways the American people speak to GI's all the time loud and clear.

To have a some fella you don't know from Adam nod and smile as you provide your ID for medical care at the doctors office or a young women with a couple kids in tow see the base sticker on your truck walk out of her way to to some old guy and say "thank you for your service" counts for far more than anything you read in the press or the words of some Professor advocating you or your younger brothers murder one another.

It takes a while but in time it is the GI who comes to realize what a wonderful privilage they have had to serve such a people.




174 posted on 11/24/2005 12:08:17 PM PST by WLR
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To: SIDENET

FeeinTN sent me this link:

http://www.therealitycheck.org/GuestColumnist/jkouri112105.htm

Terrorists Possess Multimillion Dollar Intelligence Network
by Jim Kouri, CPP

(an excerpt)
 
CBS News reports that "as the US military death toll continues to rise, officials have determined that the insurgents are utilizing media reports to outsmart armed forces."

Perhaps that's overstating the problem. I won't denigrate our military by alleging the insurgents our outsmarting our military, but I will admit that it seems as if the insurgents in Iraq and the terrorists across the globe are outsmarting the news media and their comrades on the left. These members of the elite, who suffer from the delusion that they're the smartest people in the room, are not difficult to outsmart by their own admission.


175 posted on 11/24/2005 6:05:26 PM PST by Fruit of the Spirit
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To: SkyPilot

"The ratings of the "Big Three" networks are so low by comparison to 30 (or even 10) years ago that they are on the verge of extinction."

People are subscribing to their websites.


176 posted on 11/24/2005 6:06:43 PM PST by Fruit of the Spirit
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To: ALOHA RONNIE

Thanks for the note, Ronnie. Lots of love here from current enlisted:

http://www.operationminnesotanice.com/feedback.html

Hope you had a good Thanksgiving, Ronnie!


177 posted on 11/24/2005 6:09:37 PM PST by JLO (http://www/operationminnesotanice.com)
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To: Coop; Raycpa
To: Raycpa

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

I get so angry at these FR idiots that I just cannot engage them rationally. I'd say you just did a fine job. My sincere thanks for your son's service and the sacrifices of your entire family. When you get angry just click on a few of my above links to cheer yourself up. You'll see some people that truly value our military and are trying in various ways to let the military members know it. 28 posted on 11/21/2005 8:46:35 AM CST by Coop (FR = a lotta talk, but little action) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies | Report Abuse ]

178 posted on 11/24/2005 6:44:50 PM PST by JLO (http://www/operationminnesotanice.com)
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To: JLO

Please don't ping me anymore. Thank you.


179 posted on 11/24/2005 6:53:07 PM PST by Coop (FR = a lotta talk, but little action)
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To: JLO

That picture is a riot,


180 posted on 11/24/2005 7:10:28 PM PST by Raycpa
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