Posted on 02/16/2007 9:38:01 PM PST by jazusamo
SPOTSYLVANIA, Va. -- He was an American hero. On his second tour of duty in Iraq, he had already served in the Western Pacific and a prior combat tour in Afghanistan. On Friday afternoon, Feb. 16, when Sgt. Joshua Frazier, USMC, was laid to rest in the soil of his native Virginia, his comrades in arms from the 1st Battalion, 6th Marines were fighting terrorists on the mean streets of Ramadi, in Iraq's bloody Al Anbar Province. As Sgt. Frazier's grieving mother was being presented with a carefully folded American flag, the Congress of the United States was debating a meaningless "non-binding resolution" attacking the commander in chief.
Heroes aren't athletes who set new sports records or Hollywood actors who make "daring" films or politicians who make bold promises. Heroes are people who place themselves at risk for the benefit of others. Joshua Frazier was certainly such a man. Unfortunately, there are far too few members of Congress who fit the definition.
At Joshua's funeral, I gave his parents photographs of their son that had been taken a few weeks ago while I was embedded with his unit in Iraq. We had just returned from a patrol to a newly re-opened school where little Iraqi girls were being taught arithmetic. Standing around us in the photo are the Sunni police officers and Shia soldiers who had accompanied us on the mission. Sweat stains from his 40-pound flak jacket are still evident on his uniform and he is smiling through exhaustion into the lens. He and his squad of Marines had been up for more than 24 hours chasing down an enemy sniper. His is one of more than two dozen Army, Marine, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard units whose tours will be extended in Iraq in order to increase U.S. troop levels by 21,500. These are the young Americans who will bear the brunt of what Congress is doing.
Sgt. Frazier is one of more than 2,500 U.S. military personnel killed in action in Iraq. Speaker Nancy Pelosi claims the resolution being debated by the House of Representatives is a measure that "will continue to support and protect" U.S. military personnel. Yet, she also says it shows "Congress disapproves of the decision of President George W. Bush announced on Jan. 10, 2007, to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq." How this does anything but damage U.S. and Iraqi morale and embolden America's adversaries is beyond comprehension.
"The American people have lost faith in President Bush's course of action in Iraq," Pelosi said Tuesday as the resolution was introduced. She said the president's plan "is based on the judgment that the way out of Iraq lies in sending more troops in," adding, "our experience has proven just the opposite."
At the risk of pointing out the obvious, "our experience," in Pelosi's words, has proven that pulling U.S. forces out before the war is won is a formula for disaster. In Korea, the decision to withdraw U.N. troops to the 38th parallel resulted in stalemate and today's despotic, nuclear-armed regime in Pyongyang. In Vietnam, the congressional cut-off of funds in December 1974 precipitated the North Vietnamese communist takeover of the entire country less than five months later. The combined losses in both wars -- more than 108,000 Americans killed in action -- should be an object lesson for this Congress. Pulling out, holding back, withdrawing support, "de-funding" the war -- whatever it's called -- is tantamount to squandering lives.
Is that where this Congress is heading? Are the lives of courageous young American volunteers like Joshua Frazier worth so little to our Congress that they would ignore our peril for perverse personal political profit?
If the morale of America's soldiers, sailors, airmen, Guardsmen and Marines doesn't have meaning to our legislators, then perhaps they should look at what America's enemies are doing. While Congress debates hollow, but ultimately damaging legislation, there is new assertiveness in Iran -- on everything from acquiring nuclear arms to supplying terror cells in Iraq with advanced weaponry. Tehran's radical Islamic theocracy headed by Grand Ayatollah Khamenei doesn't have to worry about "resolutions of non-support," but they are very adept at measuring American ambivalence and uncertainty.
This week's "show and tell" of captured Iranian sniper rifles, surface-to-air missiles, mortar rounds, sophisticated "explosively formed penetrators" and evidence of Iranian complicity in killing more than 170 Americans elicited nary a peep from the new Congressional leadership. They were more concerned with their pet resolution -- and getting Pelosi a bigger military airplane for her commute between Washington and San Francisco. That's a telling signal to Tehran that our Congress is backing away from protecting our vital interests and our troops.
Nero fiddled as Rome burned. Today, Congress diddles as Americans die. Tomorrow, we may all pay the price.
Oliver North is the founder and honorary chairman of Freedom Alliance and author of The Assassins
Oliver North ping!
Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought that Ollie was opposed to the surge.
After reading the title I assumed this would be an essay about the Bush Administration's inaction with regards to Iranians killing our troops with impunity.
Our Troops will beat the enemies in Iraq and the congress.
Pray for W and Our Troops
Nam Vet
The American Eagle with a tear comes to mind!
What would happen to these real Rats if the American public was told the truth? It`s time to for us to put heat on them and force White House to hit back at the defeatists. Karl Rove knows how to do this, let him loose .</p>
Let's not play semantics here anymore, and call this treasonous act EXACTLY by the headline it deserves...
"Democrats Pass Non-Binding Surrender Resolution"
This is nothing more than an invitation to the America-haters to KILL MORE TROOPS so they can make the Surrender binding.
The blood is on the DEMOCRAT'S hands, and no one will hold them acountable for it, but us....
The topper is the Dems are trying to limit his power and forbid action by him regarding Iran even though he says there's no intent to attack them at this time.
I believe they will too.
Uh, thats kinda the problem. Iran's attacking our troops, our commander in chief tiwddles his thumbs and your excuse is that Bush's hands are tied due to a nonbinding House resolution on Iraq?
There is one, probably more. They would be exposed in a free and open Iraq. IMO, this is why the Dems are fighting so hard to end our involvement there.
There's two: Jim Marshall and Gene Taylor, they voted against the resolution today.
There are a lot of us who wish Nancy's father had pulled our early. Murtha, Durbin, Reid and others as well.
Here's the 17 Repub traitors that voted for the resolution.
MikeCastle
1233Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-4165
Howard Coble
2468 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-3306
Phone: (202) 225-3065
Fax: (202) 225-8611
Tom Davis
2348 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-4611
Phone: (202) 225-1492
Fax: (202) 225-3071
John Duncan
2207 Rayburn Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-5435
Fax: (202) 225-6440
Phil English (PA)
2332 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-5406
Fax: 202-225-3103
Wayne Gilchrest
2245 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone 202-225-5311
Fax 202-225-0254
Bob Inglis (SC)
330 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-6030
Fax: 202-226-1177
Tim Johnson (IL)
1229 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: 202-225-2371
Fax: 202-226-0791
Walter Jones (NC)
2333 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington DC 20515
Phone: 202 225-3415
Fax: 202 225-3286
Ric Keller
419 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2176
Fax: (202) 225-0999
Mark Kirk
1030 Longworth HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: 202-225-4835
Fax: 202-225-0837
Steven LaTourette
2453 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-5731
Ron Paul
203 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone Number: (202) 225-2831
Thomas Petri
2462 Rayburn Building
Washington, DC 20515
Tel: 202/225-2476
Fax: 202/225-2356
Jim Ramstad
103 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2871
Fax: (202) 225-6351
Fred Upton
2183 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-3761
Fax: (202) 225-4986
Jim Walsh (NY)
2372 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-3701
Fax: (202) 225-4042
bookmark for later printing.
I'm not making excuses, I'm just saying what the Dems are threatening. I want to see him take action to go after the Iranians.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.