If I oppose Iraq war, do I discourage our soldiers there?

Answer 1

I know many reservists who wish more Americans would protest LOUDER.
Most mature solders would gladly fight to defend our Country...but Iraq was NEVER a threat.
The so-called "war on terror" fought as the war on Iraq is taking place in a country that had nothing to do with 9-11. Iraq posed no threat to the United States except in the minds of those requiring and/or fabricating the reasons for war. Yes, , let us talk of the sickness then. A first strike, preventive war of choice is sick. Bombing a country through "Shock and Awe" because it was expedient to have access to our desperately needing its oil is sick. Adopting and using a policy of extreme rendition where the U.S. government sanctions and fosters the disappearance of people to nations where gross torture is allowed so that surrogates can do the dirty work for it is sick. Lying to Congress, the US people and the world in order to justify going to war is sick. Murdering complete Iraqi families by dropping 1,000 pound bombs on them is sick. Breaking the standard by which human decency is maintained, at least in part, during war, i.e., the Hague Conventions of 1889 and 1907, the Geneva Conventions of 1949, and the Nuremberg Conventions adopted by the United Nations December 11, 1945, is sick. Unloading hundreds of tons of depleted uranium is sick. Dropping cluster bombs is sick. Unexploded cluster bomb bomblets becoming land mines taking off children's limbs is sick. Killing as you would call them precious unborn fetuses by poisoning them with radioactive dust is sick. Our youth dying for the ruling elite and rich man's war for profit is sick. Let us reiterate once again, that going to war with Iraq had nothing to do with any threat from Iraq and it had nothing to do with 9-11. It had everything to do with lying about weapons of mass destruction, lying about aluminum tubes, lying about yellow-cake uranium, lying about mobile biological and chemical weapons labs, lying to the United Nations, lying to the world. That, , is sick. And, it is this sickness that you would project onto those who criticize you and the sickness of this regime. The fact that anyone else, or faction, or nation, may be sicker is not justification for excusing this regime's sickness.

Answer 2

You may discourage some. But have you considered doing something to brighten their world?? Maybe a short note or a card. A care package is HUGE when you are overseas. I've been there six years in the Navy.

Oppose the war, it's your right!! But take an hour out from Yahoo Answers & do something positive for the troops!!

BTW to All Dawgs...it is not illegal for a soldier to oppose a particular war!! Enlisting doesn't mean your rights as an American are gone!!

Answer 3

No. Soldiers are just following orders. It's the ones who gave the orders that you oppose. I have a lot of respect for members of the military, and that's part of why I oppose the war. They're good, brave people who don't deserve to be dying and being injured in this war.

Answer 4

No, you do not discourage the soldiers by opposing the Iraq war. I am a slodier and I oppose the war. Many of us are sick of fighting for a crooked president and his cronies. I volunteered to serve my country and defend it. Now I risk my life everyday to line the pockets of a few already rich folks. I wish more people would oppose the war so that we could concentrate on making our own country stronger.

Answer 5

Depends on how you go about "opposing" the war. No one in their right mind, during a time of war, and when our soldiers are in harms way, appreciates a Jane Fonda type who actually provides hope and comfort to our enemies. It can be estimated that 80% of the casualties in a war is caused by the enemy believing "they can win". Once you remove "hope" from the enemy they give up. Somehow the U.S. has become experts at giving our enemies hope instead of giving our country a chance to succeed.

Answer 6

i have 3 family members over there and 4 friends my husband and i write them letters and send them care packages they know we oppose the war and are protesting they are proud of us they want to come home they feel like they are not doing whats right they are scared and want to come home to enjoy our families and friends they have lost fellow soldiers and friends my cousin hasn't gotten to hold his six month old baby or even meet her in person so yes most of them support us and know that we are not against them we are against the bullshit war i also know some people who have lost love ones there and still support the war and think were wrong but this is not Vietnam when these men and women get to come home no one will spit at them call them murderers we just want them home alive i feel so blessed and i pray every day to keep them safe not just my family and friends but all of them everyone families. iam sure that to some soldiers it is discouraging but you can't please all the people all the time so do whats in your heart

Answer 7

Discourage from what? In fact, you may be giving many discouraged soldiers hope that the wayward adventure that has led to widespread Civil War in Iraq will be ended sooner rather than later. The longer this war goes on the worse off American troops and American society will be. Lost lives. Ruined and injured lives—physically and mentally. War debt that will go on for generations. The longer the U.S. remains in Iraq the worse it will be for American troops. It also leaves the U.S. vulnerable in that we have vastly reduced numbers of troops for real emergencies here and abroad.

Answer 8

As a former Army 98G (RU), I can tell you I would have been gratified to know the American people who protested, cared enough about me and my fellow soldiers to brave reprisal and arrest, to make sure we were being sent off to die for ONLY justifiable reasons.

Does this sound logical? You live on street in between one red house and one blue house. The renters in the blue house break into YOUR house and steal your beloved dining table and destroy it. In retaliation, YOU attack and destroy the RED house, which had nothing to do with the breakin and in fact wouldn't let the blue house renters go through his yard to destroy your table. But you set fire to the red house and have the owner killed anyway, "Just in case".To a lot of intelligent soldiers, this scenario does NOT make sense.

So, no I dont believe it discourages soldiers. If anything it lets them know we DO care for them and their fallen comrades.

Answer 9

Yes, some of them but it is your civic duty to voice your opinion no matter what it is. It is illegal for soldiers to speak out publicly against the war so its our job to do it for them. We must be careful how we do it. Protesters during the Vietnam error did it the wrong way and blamed the soldiers. This caused incredible damage to the returning soldiers and the country in general.

Answer 10

This is a big misconception to think that If we oppose the war that we want want harm done to our soldiers. But its the people that put them their we despise

Answer 11

No, they want us to do more than just complain and get them home. Do you really think the educated soldiers believe what they are doing is right? No. The ones I know believe that they are fighting an unjust battle against people who have already lived under enough death and destruction. It is your duty to speak on behalf of our soldiers and get them out of this mess and back home to their families.

http://www.appealforredress.org/