Military fears critics will hurt morale

WASHINGTON TIMES ^ | November 21, 2005 | Rowan Scarborough

[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."

[Cboldt]

-bump-

[FreeReign]

We need to suspend the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, declare martial law, and arrest or deport anyone who asks when we're going to withdraw from Iraq. We should proceed with summary executions of any MSM reporters who questions these actions. Otherwise, the troops might be demoralized.

Your straw-man fallacy is pathetic.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

.

How's this for a morale builder?


MEL's -PASSION- was sparked by -WE WERE SOLDIERS-

http://www.Freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1085111/posts


For...

Sacrifice begets Sacrifice?

.

[Coop]

FYI

[NCjim]

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, has labeled the war a "grotesque mistake."

If she wants to see a grotesque mistake, all she has to do is look in the mirror. Or in other words, it takes one to know one...

[FreeReign]

Oh, puh-leeze. Yeah, right, a few politicians popping their pie holes in Washington are more demoralizing than random sneak attacks in the field.

Gee, politicians popping holes are less demoralizing than random sneak attacks. Whoop-de-doo!

That's a justification?

[Redleg Duke]

That is the most important difference today. The military makes sure that the troops can get to the INTERNET, and hence the truth. That is what is defeating the MSM and the RATS.

[Redleg Duke]

Consider yourself caned!

[daybreakcoming]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1525151/posts

After this week's message of "cut and run" outrage this may seem like a small thing but one positive thing we can do right now for our
troops is send them a Christmas message of support. No rants - just letting them know the ways that we love and support them. They need to hear this more than ever and what better way than a Christmas letter.

Thanks.

Working with FR's own Merry Band of Patriots, you can FReepmail me the message from you/your family. No need for your full name but your location would be nice so the troops can see these messages come from all over the USA. I will print them out of Christmas stationary and send them Priority Mail to our contacts around Iraq and Afghanistan. These contacts will see that our guys/gals get to see your messages to them.

[freema]

"Regardless of bogus, contrived polls.."

CORRECTION:
Regardless of bogus, contrived AND FREEPED polls..that scientifically prove the inaccuracy of polls !)

[Landry Fan]

bump

[toldyou]

This might help to thank them and let them know we care.

http://www.anysoldier.com

Choose a branch of the military, a country, and an individual. Randomly, I picked and read one letter from a Mike Glover, stationed in Afghanistan. Very interesting to read how he lives and what he's asking for. He includes pictures.

Here's one that will tug at the heartstrings. It's not on "anysoldier," but someone posted it on FR after he/she read it on another forum:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1523606/posts

[Coop]

I deserved it. [rubbing backside]

[Coop]

I'm curious -- how many people have sent messages to you so far?

[ohioWfan]

Excellent! Thanks for the link, and thanks for what you're doing!!

[nuconvert]

"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."

To answer their question....what's going on is a campaign by the democrats/Left, msm against President Bush. And having the war go badly or reporting that the war is going badly, is a major part of the campaign.

Wouldn't it be something if a petition was circulated among the miliiatry in Iraq, telling the msm and dems/leftist politicians to leave the war out of their attack on Pres. Bush, and start reporting all the accomplishments being made? How about a full page ad in several newspapers showing the petition? How about an ad on tv? Maybe an ad from the families of those serving overseas?

[George W. Bush]

... one positive thing we can do right now for our troops is send them a Christmas message of support.

I agree. I just opened my restricted ground this weekend for the first time in years to two local Iraq veterans to hunt. They just got back last week. I'm afraid they don't have quite as rosy a picture of Iraq as is routinely parroted here at FR. However, some of you are free to discount this as we have always been somewhat of an isolationist rural enclave, heeding Madison's advice not to seek monsters abroad to slay.

I'm going to talk to another veteran who just got back from his second deployment and see what he thinks.

I decided to work with a local supporter of the troops to help buy nice Christmas stuff for troops from within my own state, hopefully, those from my own area. Websites like AnySoldier.com are quite good but don't identify troop origins closely enough to know where within your state the troops came from. They list, for instance, five troop units from my state and info about when they went and will return but nothing more. I guess that's for security though. The AnySoldier site also helps by telling about shipping, item restrictions, etc. Worth a read.

Hopefully, we'll see more threads just after Thanksgiving on how to give to our troops at the holidays, a hard time for them being so young and far from home. I would guess that it will take 2-4 weeks for stuff to arrive so we're already getting up against package shipment deadlines.

[ohioWfan]

I am WITH you, Ray!

My son's been home for a while now, but there is harm being done to our young vets as well as our troops in the field, with this treacherous garbage.

Prayers for your dear, brave, courageous son! We are WITH him!!!

God BLESS our troops!

[daybreakcoming]

Without going back and counting - I would say around 25. Out of patriciaruth's ping list of hundreds. Color me surprised/stuned when it only takes a few keystrokes to do something so positive without costing anyone but me a dime.