Troops in Support of the War

This is a test. Following are seven comments posted to my blog re “Ayatollah, Don’t Khomieni Closer” (4/11/06). Question 1: Which ones sound like the words of intelligent people? Question 2: Which have weight? Question 3: Who would you trust with our national security? (Hint: None of the answers are “anonymous.”) Thank you, Cowboy and Jen.

Anonymous said…. Hey Bill, just curious if you ever served in the military? It seems like it's precisely those who beat the war drums the most are the ones who've never been in combat.

Anonymous said… Looks like Bill's been reading too much Tom Clancy. For most of these chickenhawks, war is a boardgame, kind of like Stratego. They have pictures of marines hanging out in Djibouti, but have never been in a combat zone to see those young people die.

Yolo Cowboy said... Hey Bill, it seems like the first two anonymous guests don't have a problem with a lunatic possessing a nuclear bomb and the blind ambition to bring about the coming of the 12th Imam. Sometimes there is no alternative to stopping a mentally disturbed Islamo-fascist before he attains the means to start WWIII. If you think a very small yield, tactical nuclear warhead taking out this madman’s nuclear arsenal is bad, what do think of a full scale nuclear exchange with Iran and North Korea?

Anonymous said... Yolo, Hate to harp on this, but are you of military age and/or did you serve? We need less soldiers with the 101st Keyboard Brigade and more able bodied soldiers to "liberate" Iraq.

fetching jen said... Such hostility with the liberal anon posters... I wasn’t able to serve but come from a military family. Even my liberal sister supports the war (she was in Iraq for one year). She was in combat and met Iraqi's who are grateful for America.

Anonymous said... Bill, You are one sick SOB. Please get some help….E.J. Saperstein

Yolo Cowboy said... First Anon, I would like to thank you for your service. I don't what your status has to do with the threat posed by a madman who is enriching uranium. Either, your views have merit or they don't, the messenger has little to do with it.

Anony seems to have a military background, but so did John Kerry (He served in Vietnam, you know.) but I have no respect for his opinions and thank God that he is not the Commander-in-Chief. There are active military men who have the bona-fides to speak for the troops, including Col. Dave McCarthy, Major Rob Barry, Cpl. Brian Weiss and Sgt. John Walton.

A vet who can speak for the troops is Wade Zirkle who served two tours in Iraq with the Marines before being wounded in action. Wade is a founder and executive director of about Vets for Freedom, the new organization made up of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who are getting the word out about the accomplishments of the fighting military. Zirkle’s op-ed in this morning's Washington Post, "Troops in Support of the War," addresses the antiwar lefties who pretend to speak for the troops. Following are excerpts.

Earlier this year there was a town hall meeting on the Iraq war, sponsored by Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.), and featuring Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), a former Marine who had become an outspoken critic of the war, with the participation of such antiwar organizations as CodePink and MoveOn.org. To this Iraq war veteran, it was a good example of something that's become all too common: People from politics, the media and elsewhere purporting to represent "our" views. With all due respect, most often they don't.

John Murtha has earned the right to speak. But his comments supposedly expressing the negative views of those who have and are now serving in the Middle East run counter to what I and others know and hear from our own colleagues -- from junior officers to the enlisted backbone of our fighting force. Murtha undoubtedly knows full well that the greatest single thing that drags on morale in war is the loss of a buddy. But second to that is politicians questioning, in amplified tones, the validity of that loss to our families, colleagues, the nation and the world.

While we don't question his motives, we do question his assumptions. When he called for an immediate withdrawal from Iraq, there was a sense of respectful disagreement among most military personnel. But when he subsequently stated that he would not join today's military, he made clear to the majority of us that he is out of touch with the troops. Quite frankly, it was received as a slap in the face.

The morale of the trigger-pulling class of today's fighting force is strong. Unfortunately, we have not had a microphone or media audience willing to report our comments.

I believe it is our responsibility as Americans to amplify the words of these American heroes. Don’t forget to visit their site Vets for Freedom, and contribute to their cause and ours.

ps. I'm listening to Wade Zirkle on Hugh Hewitt's show right now. He is an eloquent spokesman for our military.