Get in the Fight

Get in the Fight


My husband and I watch the news together on the few occasions he is home, and never cease to vent to one another about the “anti-war” sentiment thrown around in the race for the Presidency of this nation. During a recent family reunion we were asked repeatedly “how do the Soldiers fighting the war feel about it and the election?” Both of us had assumed that the opinions of Soldiers were well known. I am a proud Army wife and mom, my husband has recently returned from his third tour in Iraq, my son after having been deployed to Afghanistan, returned and is currently deployed in Iraq. Both of them believe in the war and in their reasons for being there. The problem is that Soldiers are prohibited from participating in politics as Soldiers, and that is exactly what is needed. Having heard all that I could stand from the other side I decided to pick up the fight for my guys the way they have carried the fight for all of us, I will speak for them.
Code Pink, Veterans For Freedom, and the rest of the left over hippies protest the war on terror saying it began on a lie, and that it is an unjust war decrying all of our casualties. As you watch the news listen to debates about the Global War on Terrorism, listen to the pundits bicker over the reasons for and against the war. The one critical reason has completely been forgotten and you will not hear it discussed, honor. Sometime after World War II we appear to have forgotten how to fight wars because they were right and the little guy deserved a fair chance at life. In an Army family we deal in quantifiable facts, don’t walk into our house and say “this is screwed up.” In an Army household you better specifically know what is screwed up, how it got screwed up, and you better have a very specific plan for how to unscrew it. So Presidential slogans like “CHANGE” do very little to spark our interest, “Bring them home NOW!” seems very short on particulars addressing how you bring Soldiers home from wars, but I digress. The collective memory of the United States is doing just fine, at least around Texas, but as you get nearer to the Atlantic and Pacific it gets steadily worse reaching near absolute amnesia at this nations media centers. This war was brought to our doorsteps by terrorists at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a lonely field in Pennsylvania. We saved Afghanistan from the brutal rule of the Taliban, and in Iraq we removed a ruthless dictator who both savaged his own people and thumbed his nose at the world community. President Bush told us when this all began that this would be a long and painful process, that the failures would be well publicized and the successes would often go unheard of. Again our memories can be short, so lets answer the most common questions we get. Could the Iraqi government support itself without us right now? Probably not. Are they improving? Yes. How long should we stay? A Soldier’s opinion, we are still in Germany, stay until its over. Did we go to war for oil? Obviously not, although most of the Soldiers we know agree they would be perfectly willing to put their lives on the line for $2.00 a gallon gas.
The reasons we are still fighting in Iraq are simple, this is our fight and Americans don’t run, or walk away from a half finished fight. Second, this is the “Global War on Terrorism” is it easier to chase Al Qaeda all over the world, or would it be smarter to bring them to us, preferably outside of the United States, someplace like Iraq. Third, the Iraqi people deserve a chance at a peaceful life. As a fortunate side effect most of the world’s suicide bombers are far too busy to attack the U.S., in any society there are only so many people you can find that will be willing to strap a bomb to themselves or drive an explosive laden car into a crowd, right now we have every last one of them tied up in Iraq. It is admitted not an intended result of the invasion, but as we argue over how to secure our borders, it is certainly good to keep most of the world’s suicide bombers busy. No matter what the Iranians say, having us working next door keeps them from venturing too far outside of the world’s moral limits. The perceived loss in Vietnam scarred our nation deeply, and many Americans lost the stomach for a toe to toe fight in its aftermath. It showed in Clinton’s hesitancy to step into the genocide in the former Yugoslavia, and far worse in Somalia when Clinton chose not to stand and fight. My family and I intimately understand how horrible even a single casualty can be, but if you have a few minutes sometime, get online and see how many wars in the history of the world have lasted six years with one side suffering only 4000 deaths. The simple answer is that you won’t find any unless your research includes the Bible, I think that fact shows plainly that the Lord is on our side, but again, I digress. Though we did the right thing in Operation Desert Storm the world was left to perceive us as a people lacking direction and resolve because Saddam remained in power when we left. The people of the United States of America need an unqualified win, we need to stand up and remember that we are the world’s policeman, and it is an honor to have that job. My husband and son each work with men who repeatedly reenlist to return to the fight, these are not animals or war mongers, they are not adrenaline junkies or hunting for glory, they are just a product of their fathers and grandfathers and prefer that those who have risked nothing in the fight keep their opinions to themselves, that includes the Democratic Presidential candidate. These men who fight our wars know they are well supported at home, America truly has learned that lesson from Vietnam, but the new hippie mantra “support the Soldiers but not the war” holds no water with these men. With an all volunteer Army it is easy to see the Soldier’s opinion, if they felt this war was wrong they would not reenlist, but they do, over and over. My son and husband, our families and friends, the people who safeguard this nation are proud of President George Bush, he is a man of conviction who isn’t afraid to do the right thing for no other reason than that it is right. Similarly, Senator McCain has our absolute faith, confidence, and prayers, as Republicans he has occasionally left us scratching our heads as he crossed party lines to achieve goals he fervently believed in, but he is what this great nation needs in order to continue grow and prosper. For what it is worth the Cooke family and our friends whole heartedly support him.