BlackFive

Via Tanker Brothers (brat), I received an email from a Chaplain (COL) who has been making his rounds in Iraq and Afghanistan - his email is about our politicians.  You know the disregard that the military holds for our White Flag Republicans and Defeatist Democrats is really bad when even the chaplain has something to say about it...

I believe what SGT [redacted] says is correct as I have found few if any soldiers ready to do what the democrats seem to want.  I've been tardy writing my own letter because I wanted to give myself time to see and hear from more soldiers to be sure I had an understanding of what they were really thinking.  Well, I'm ready to write another letter and after reading what this NCO says wanted to give you a little bit of a heads up to part of what I will say.  SGT [redacted] is typical when he says he's not willing to question anyone's patriotism.  But treason; yes I think most soldiers feel betrayed by our elected officials in both houses of congress.

How?  They listen to the incessant chatter of the politicians how they support what we do and wouldn't want to do anything that would hurt them.  But you see, that is just it, they haven't given us everything we need to do the job.  As much as we need the money and equipment, we need the moral and emotional support of our people and elected officials, otherwise the ground is cut out from under us.  This is what too many Americans fail to realize, what their military needs right now is the moral and emotional support to finish the job.  The soldiers, marines, airmen, and sailors on the front line know what they see and that a lot of good things are happening in their area.  They can see the opportunity for victory.  But when all we hear is how much our people hate what we are doing, and want us out before the job is complete, it causes some in the military to begin questioning whether we should even be here, in spite of the good things they see.  After all, who wants to risks their life for a conflict no one back home cares about?  Once that way of thinking takes hold of a military, they are compromised as a fighting force.  And I understand our senators, congress people, and media sitting in their comfortable little offices in their ivory towers would deny that is their intent.  Deny as they may though, that is precisely what they are doing to the United States military.

The bottom line, measured by the number of attacks daily, things are improving in Baghdad and Al Anbar Province.  Since those are the last two places that have to be pacified for is to stabilize Iraq we know we can win the war.  The question is not can we win this war, it is do the  American people have the will to win?

If you feel as the good Chaplain does, go on over to the Victory Caucus and join our effort to support pro-victory politicans and candidates.

By the way, the Chaplain echoes my first blog entry at the Victory Caucus where I wrote (with regards to my favorite Thucydides quote that Athens was built by men who knew their duty and had the courage to do it):

Of course, we can't really begin to proceed to a real victory until, like our soldiers,  the majority of our politicians know their duty and have the courage to do it.