Washington Post contributer Wade Zirkle reported on a recent townhall meeting sponsored by Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.). The meeting was also sponsored by ultra-liberal, anti-war groups MoveOn.org and CodePink and included Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) among it's attendees.
Mr. Zirkle, executive director of Vets for Freedom, is a Marine who served two tours in Iraq before he was wounded in action. He knows a little about what it is like to be in the military, in Iraq and to sacrifice for his country. To him, this is personal and real. For this reason, his opinion on the state of the troops and the Iraq/Afghanistan wars seems more credible than most, to me. He says, "'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.'"
During the town hall meeting, an injured Afghanistan veteran stood up to give his opinion on the state of the troops' morale. Here are his words: "'If I didn't have a herniated disc, I would volunteer to go to Iraq in a second with my troops," said Mark Seavey, a former Army sergeant who had recently returned from Afghanistan. "I know you keep saying how you have talked to the troops and the troops are demoralized, and I really resent that characterization. The morale of the troops I talk to is phenomenal, which is why my troops are volunteering to go back despite the hardships. . . ."'
Sgt. Seavey went on, directly addressing Rep. Moran: '''And, Congressman Moran, 200 of your constituents just arrived back from Afghanistan -- we never got a letter, we never got a visit from you, you didn't come to our homecoming. The only thing we got was a letter from the governor of this state thanking us for our service in Iraq, when we were in Afghanistan. That's reprehensible. I don't know who you two are talking to, but the morale of the troops is very high."'
The response from the Congressmen said it all. They were at first silent, then tried to redirect the conversation, rather than answer the charges. Rep. Moran said, "'That wasn't in the form of a question, it was a statement."'
No kidding.
With that statement, Sgt. Seavey completely discredited the charges of so many politicians and members of the MSM. Yet they were totally unwilling to even address his comments or, for that matter, thank Sgt. Seavey for his sacrifice. I think the two democratic members of congress present sent a message loud and clear that evening: We neither respect your sacrifice on our behalf nor support your efforts to make us safer.
I encourage you to read Mr. Zirkle's entire article at the Washington Post, but I will end by including his summation: '''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. Despite this frustration, our military continues to proudly dedicate itself to the mission at hand: a free, democratic and stable Iraq and a more secure America. All citizens have a right to express their views on this important national challenge, and all should be heard. Veterans ask no more, and they deserve no less.'''
Well said, Mr. Zirkle. And thank you for sacrificing for our country.
2 comments:
My representative is Jim Moran.
He sometimes takes some embarassing positions like making anti-semite comments in a catholic church. Though I share his concern about the troops, victory in Iraq is more important now that islamist terrorists are involved. Their idealogy is worser than communism. Cutting and running will leave many non-muslim contries in the region vulnerable. America is uniquely positioned to counter such idealogy. Many countries in Asia silently want America to succeed in this. Many do not want to support America openly as they are afraid of Islamist terrorists/sympathisers in their country. I really wish for a day when overwhelming majority of muslim's would care more about their non-muslim neighbour's than some islamist somewhere.
Anonymous,
Thanks for your comments. I too, share your concern for the troops. I certainly cannot hold a genuine concern for our men and women in harm's way against anyone, no matter which side of the political aisle they may be on.
However, when the "concern" over the troops is not true concern and is merely being used for political gain, or when taking our troops out of harm's way endangers the mission and/or the safety of Americans and our freedoms, then the politicians are in the wrong, as I believe Reps. Moran and Murtha are.
I agree that America must stay the course if we want to see real results in Iraq. Leaving now would only make things much worse, both for the Middle East and America. Radical islamic ideology is a very dangerous threat to freedom and must be faced head-on before it gains an even greater foothold around the world.
Thanks for your comment and come back again.
Post a Comment