Despite what you’ve heard, the troops want to finish the job
A nagging feeling I had as I was preparing to leave Iraq was the thought that I was leaving the job unfinished. I knew there were follow-on forces to take up where I was leaving off after my tour, but I still would not be around to see this country really up on its feet. Perhaps, in another tour.
The Liberals like to say, “Support the troops by bringing them home.” Do troops in Iraq want to be there? Of course not, they want to be home with their families and friends. But do they think it’s a good idea for the United States to pull out of Iraq before it is stable? A vast majority, I would say, will tell you “no”.
A recent article in the Washington Post supports my stance, with similar views expressed by other soldiers - some who describe themselves as liberal. Here’s some excerpts:
With a potentially historic U.S. midterm election on Tuesday and the war in Iraq a major issue at the polls, many soldiers said the United States should not abandon its effort here. Such a move, enlisted soldiers and officers said, would set Iraq on a path to civil war, give new life to the insurgency and create the possibility of a failed state after nearly four years of fighting to implant democracy.
Leading Democrats have argued for a timeline to bring U.S. troops home, because obvious progress has been elusive, especially in Baghdad, and even some Republican lawmakers have recently called for a change in strategy. But soldiers criticized the idea of a precipitate withdrawal, largely because they believe their hard work would go for naught.
Capt. Jim Modlin, 26, of Oceanport, N.J., said he thought the situation in Iraq had improved between his deployment in 2003 and his return this year as a liaison officer to Iraqi security forces with the 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, based here on FOB Sykes outside Tall Afar. Modlin described himself as more liberal than conservative and said he had already cast his absentee ballot in Texas. He said he believed that U.S. elected officials would lead the military in the right direction, regardless of what happens Tuesday.
“Pulling out now would be as bad or worse than going forward with no changes,” Modlin said. “Sectarian violence would be rampant, democracy would cease to exist, and the rule of law would be decimated. It’s not ’stay the course,’ and it’s not ‘cut and run’ or other political catchphrases. There are people’s lives here. There are so many different dynamics that go on here that a simple solution just isn’t possible.” (Hat tip Captain’s Quarters)
Meanwhile, something that you didn’t see in the MSM - a group of Gold Star families traveled to Iraq IN SUPPORT of the war effort (via NE Intelligencer). They visited various bases and met with service members to express their support of the efforts of the U.S. forces and to see for themselves what their now departed family members were fighting for. Since, of course, Cindy Sheehan was nowhere to be found, no one from the MSM bothered to report on it. I’m guessing I won’t be seeing reports of that trip in the DailyKos or Smirking Chimp either.
Update - Black Five has a good post supporting what I am saying above, using emails he’s received from service members in Iraq.
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