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Troops Tired of Hearing “I support the troops but not the war” Speak Out
January 30, 2007
Matt over at Blackfive posted about a link to a video that was shown on NBC, under the thread “Support The Troops? Then Support Us All The Way!” about how people saying that they “support the troops, but not the war” affects them and their morale. This video says it all, right from the mouths of the troops themselves. I’ve said all along that I don’t understand how someone thinks by saying this that they’re showing support for the troops. It’s obvious that the troops themselves feel the same way. I’ll include the link to the video here as well.
QandO and NBC
I fully agree with what these soldiers are saying. It’s not enough to just say “I Support The Troops” or to put a magnet on the bumper of your car that says “Support The Troops”. We need to SHOW these men and women that we’re behind them 100%, with our ACTIONS, not just our words. I can imagine how demoralizing it is to these men and women, to take a break from the fight, turn on the television to watch some news for that “little piece of home” and to see something splashed across the television screen about the war protest in Washington DC over the weekend. How seeing something like that would make them feel that America has forgotten them and doesn’t give a damn about them and the job they’re doing. In their position, I’d probably feel the same way.
My challenge to everyone, those who support the war and even those say that they support the troops but not the war, is this:
Get involved in one of the many troop support organizations out there, which you can find at America Supports You. Write to the troops and show them your support. Send them care packages. Visit the wounded troops at Walter Reed, Brooke Army Medical Center, Bethesda and VA hospitals across the country. When you see a soldier, go up to him or her, shake their hand and tell them Thank You for your sacrifices. REALLY show them that you care, by your actions, not just your words. That’s my challenge to EACH and EVERY one of you. In other words, let’s put our money where our mouth is!
Comments
16 Responses to “Troops Tired of Hearing “I support the troops but not the war” Speak Out”
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Great post Terri.
Thanks Anthony! I think this video needs to be spread FAR and WIDE! People need to know how their “false support” of the troops is REALLY viewed by you all.
Terri,
I accept your challenge and readily admit that I can and probably should do more to “actively” support the troops. But we remain in sharp disagreement that one cannot both support the troops and not support the war. Bush’s approval rating re the Iraq war is somewhere near 30% and, thus, by Matt’s logic, 70% of Americans do not support the troops. I find that statistic a bit hard to swallow.
Good I’m glad that you accept the challenge Nephi. All of us need to ACTIVELY support the troops, not just say we do and becoming actively involved in the support groups, regardless of your political beliefs is one way to “put your money where your mouth is” so to speak.
I think you’ll find Nephi if you do become involved in one of the many troop support programs out there, that’s it’s a very rewarding thing to do. I’ve made some lifelong friends by doing this and have never regretted the time or money that I’ve put into it. It’s the least that I can do, in return for the sacrifices they make
Nephi,
It is pretty hard for a Soldier to believe that you support him/her from what is displayed on television. While yelling and screaming we support the troops our actions prove otherwise. People protest the funerals of fallen Soldiers, protests of the war, and the news media can’t stop showing the “atrocities” Soldiers are reportedly committing. How can someone who doesn’t support the mission honestly say they support the troop who carries out that mission?
You’re so right Anthony. What the American public sees on television is just what the media wants us to see and hear. They could care less about the progress and improvements being made over there everyday. I see the news and think back to the way our troops were portrayed in Viet Nam and the way they were treated when they came home. Which only fuels my desire to do even more than I already am doing to support the troops, both at home and away from home. It makes me even more determined to do my part in making sure that the troops serving today, don’t come home to that sort of treatment, to make sure something like that NEVER happens to our troops again.
Thank you!
Supporting the troops and their work. On my mind and in my heart and prayers.
“How can someone who doesn’t support the mission honestly say they support the troop who carries out that mission?”
Easy! I do it everyday! Now, here is a follow up question: How can someone who does not support industrial polution of the enviromnent support the factory worker? You can, of course.
Nephi you say you support the troops, the protest last weekend say they support the troops, but when they are hearing and seeing things on the news that, it’s pretty hard for them to believe. That’s why I made the challenge I made to everyone; to actually show them with actions that you support them.
Welcome Norma and Thank You for supporting our troops! Hope to see you more often.
I’ve written about this very topic in my blog on several occassions as well and I could not agree with you more!
I have challenged any member of the anti war members to explain a few fundementals of their opposition to the war and nobody has even made the attempt. I have yet to hear from any of them a logical argument that makes any real sense. And I have not figured out (I guess you haven’t either), how one can claim to support the troops without supporting their efforts, how do you do that exactly? From what I’ve been able to gather, our troops want to succeed in Iraq, why doesn’t all of America get behind them in this endeavour? Afterall, what sacrafices have we back here at home been asked to make? None! I’m personally getting sick and tired of hearing the ever changing excuses and pessimism of war opponents.
As a retired NCO (US Army) and combat veteran myself, I know how important troop moral is. There is nothing that can bolster the troops more than knowing the folks back home are behind them all the way, well, getting mail is up near the top as well. But generally speaking, support from the American public can make or break our efforts in Iraq.
Thankfully, over the past few days I have begun to see some reporting of positive, encouraging events regarding Iraq and I hope this is a trend that will grow.
But the bottom line is, if you support the troops, you must support the mission they are embarked upon. The troops aren’t asking to come home, they are asking for our support. Even some General Officers have publicly made such comments. So how about it America? Do you have the guts?
SGT Rock,
In case you haven’t noticed, the troops serve at the pleasure of the President, and the President serves at the pleasure of the American public; and right now, the American public says enough is enough. Please understand that one can support the troops but not the war (or the mission), and your assertion to the contrary simply makes no sense whatsoever! Sorry, but Repug Bush supporters may not have a monopoly on support for the troops at the expense of those who are amazed at the continuing blundering of BushCo.
As I’ve said before in this thread Nephi, I hear you saying that you support the troops but not the war, however, ACTIONS speak MUCH louder than words. You say you accept my challenge to actively support the troops by more than just your words. I’m eagerly waiting to hear about some of the things you’re becoming involved in to do just that, as well as eagerly waiting to hear how that affects you as a person. I personally keep a scrapbook of all the letters I’ve gotten from the troops I’ve supported, little momentos they’ve sent me, pictures they’ve sent and it’s something that I treasure. For myself, supporting the troops in a REAL and tangible way, is not only another way that I can serve my country, but it’s also a way that I can “give back” to those who give so much. It’s also very personally rewarding. Supporting our troops, REALLY supporting our troops, as I’m sure you’ve noticed is a passion of mine and one that’s not going to change. So, I hope you’re honest in your acceptance of this challenge and I’m sure we’ll all be waiting to hear your reports back.
Nephi,
I do not want to debate your support of the troops, I don’t know you. It is not my place to say that you don’t because you don’t support the war.
However, you say that the American people don’t support the war and we in-turn support the American people. True statement, I agree. I think a large majority of the American people don’t support the war because the news media picks and chooses what to show. The media shows only those things that will bring ratings, which unfortunately is only the negatives. For some reason Americans love to watch violence, death, and other such things; it is just the nature of us.
The American people need to stop embracing this type of media coverage. The news media will eventually catch on that people don’t want to see just one side of the war. Maybe then they will begin covering some of the positive accomplishments in Iraq. I personally like to check out some of the foreign new media. They aren’t as concerned with the American rating and therefore cover both sides of the issue.
I think your right, America needs to wake-up! They need to realize that what they see on TV and in the papers is not the only thing that is happening. They need to demand fare coverage of the events. It is hard for a Soldier downrange to feel supported when all he sees on TV is anti-war protests, fallen Soldiers funerals being disgraced, and other such non-sense. The news media needs to cover the daily occurrence of Soldiers accomplishing their missions, they need to cover the positive support that is happening here in the States. Only then can the Soldier downrange feel truly supported and appreciated.
SSG Rock,
Thanks for the excellent comment. I just checked out your blog, great stuff. I’ll be stopping in more regularly.
You are absolutely right Anthony. If the American media for once began showing some of the progress and positive changes in Iraq and Afghanistan instead of all the destruction and negative things they report, perhaps the American people would feel differently about the War. Unfortunately, with the media in America, I don’t see that happening anytime soon, so it’s up to us here on these blogs to let people see the entire story.
I too want to thank SSG Rock for his comments. Unfortunately I’m here at Fort Hood and the darn system will allow me to view and post this blog but not his, so I’ll check it out when I get home later this afternoon.