Can you FULLY 'support the troops' if you are against the war in Iraq?

Question

My stepdad thinks he knows it all, so I didn't even begin to argue with him when this topic of conversation came up. My husband is in the Army and is currently in Iraq. {Well, technically he is in Kuwait, he's on his way home for two weeks!!!! HEHE... :) }

Anyway, What do you civilians think about this?

To the soldiers, if someone were to tell you that they are against the war in Iraq but support you, what would you think or feel?

What if a servicemember believes what he or she is doing is right and just? My husband worked over there with a guy who fully believed in what he was there to do.

If you read my question, you will see I didn't give my opinion.

Rissi and Leann seem to understand my point. Thanks girls. :)

Answer 1

DON'T SAY ANYTHING. Telling him you are against the war is like telling a plumber that you are against plumming. It is not a good move. Just let it go by if you really care. Last thing you need is a husband coming back from a war, and having his wife tell him she is against it. He's probably been through a lot.

Answer 2

Well, from a Republican veteran.

I think the invasion of Iraq was a mistake, was poorly planned and poorly thought out by the civilan leadership and brass.

Im not letting the Joints Chiefs off the hook.

Now considering im a vet, my father is a 30 year disabled vet and my brother-n-law is a vet.

I support the troops.

But that has nothing to do with whether I think the War was a good idea or not.

But now, since we are there, we have to deal with the facts as they stand now.

And i do not believe that pulling the troops out now, is such a good idea.

I believe we have to give the iraqi's ( privately, not publicly ) a timeline for them to get their act together.

And after that timeline, we start redeploying out troops, some stay in iraq outside the cities to hunt terrorist and some to kuwait and some back to their post.

But that is just my opinion, if i wanted to run the country, I should run for president.

Answer 3

The real question is Do the people who say they support the troops and not the war really support the troops? I think you would find that most of them would agree with John Kerry. Those in the military are because they had no other options. The fact is whether they say they support the troops or not usually they stand against everything the troops defend. What they stand against are conservative ideals not the war in Iraq. Where were they during the Somalia escapade and the problems in Rwanda?

Answer 4

You can absolutely be against the war and be fully supportive of the troops. The same as you can be against certain political leaders ex. the President and still be for the greater good of the country. Regardless of a persons views of the war in Iraq or war in general usually their philosophies are based on religious, personal or political views. Most people would agree soldiers do not have a hand in politics so their "hands are clean" of any contribution to their discontent of war. I am pro troop because I am supportive of young men and women who have no choice whether or not they serve in the war. I wish them no harm and hope they are given all available weaponry and armor protection to give them the greatest chance of survival. Anyone who says you cannot be anti war and pro troops is simply arguing political views.

Answer 5

no one is obligated to support the war, but so many americans are way too quick to doubt everything we do and look for sinister motives or a conspiracy behind everything. the hatred for bush is so out of control, a phrase has even been coined for it - "bush derangement syndrome." there are exceptions, but most of the troops understand the world enough to recognize they're doing what's in america's best interest.

there are so many shades of grey with this particular conflict in iraq. it's nothing like vietnam. if we had pulled out of vietnam in the first month, the vc wouldn't have been sitting over there trying to figure out how to attack american soil. it is proven that given the time and opportunity, the radical muslims will carry out sensational attacks agains us.

it's easy to see why people are against this war. day in and day out they hear the media beating the drum, same old message - "this is iraq's problem, it's a civil war, etc". but the things that could happen if we leave are disturbing. we already know that multiple countries hostile to the united states are aiding the insurgents. it stands to reason that iran would become very influential in iraq, becoming an even greater menace not only to our security, but the entire world.

maybe it's better to say you can't fully support america's future and not support victory in iraq. i will admit i hate the fact that we have to be there. i think this is the most complicated situation we've ever been in, but it can't be blamed on one person. calling bush names does nothing but make people look childish. cutting off the funding for our troops or speaking out agains what they are doing is certainly not helping them.

Answer 6

Yes you can, I know a few soldiers serving in Iraq and 2 of them tell me they dont feel it at first because when you say this war is bad and should end, you are telling someone who has been trained to complete the mission at all costs that he should not complete the mission. To them that is treason. But when they really sit down and think about it, a lot of them say they realize its not the mission theyre protesting, but the principle of the war. So i think it is possible to be against the war in Iraq and support the troops.

Answer 7

Yes, because I'm completely against the war in Iraq, but I have two sisters in the Army and I completely support both of them 100% even though I disagree with why there fighting. To be honest they don't even agree with the war them selves but they have to do their jobs.

Answer 8

Supporting the troops and supporting the war are two distinct things.

Just think - if supporting the troops means you HAVE to always support war, then you would have to support any war, no matter how unjust.

I support out troops because they signed up to defend my country and I am greatful for their devotion. However, I do not think that they are being used to defend our country in Iraq. I think they are being abused by our government. I am supporting them by calling for an end to our military involvement in the Iraq civil war.

Sorry, but that's the way I see it.

Answer 9

There are countless U.S. soldiers who do not support this unconstitutional and illegal war that Bush created. Yes, I believe it's possible to fully support our troops while still vehemently opposing this immoral war.
Bush unjustifiably invaded another sovereign nation for three inane, insipid reasons:
1) His family had a vendetta against Hussein ever since George H.W. Bush was humiliated during Desert Storm and highly criticized for not 'finishing the job';
2) Dick Cheney and his Exxon-Mobil buddies want to get richer and richer and richer by continuing to feed America's dependency on cheap, easily-accessible foreign OIL underneath Iraq's sands;
3) The giant U.S. military-industrial complex needed another 'war' to boost its sagging profits. Ever since World War II, industrialists reaized the profitability of war; thus, the U.S. has been dragged into the Korean Conflict; the Cuban Missile Crisis; the Cold War; Vietnam; and Desert Storm, all for MONEY and OIL - regardless of the cost in human lives.
I support our troops and believe they should be taken out of harm's way in Iraq. Perhaps we could send troops to Darfur where people are starving, women are being raped, and villages are being systematically destroyed. But we pay scant attention to Farfur. Why? Because there is no cheap, easily-accessible OIL in the Sudan! There is no profit in fighting just to defeat an evil injustice. The U.S. only involves itself in conflicts in which it has a special interest or a profit motive. -RKO-

Answer 10

I sure hope a person can be against the war in Iraq and still be supportive of our service men and women that are there because my daughter is at Balad right now.

Answer 11

Absolutely. The two are unrelated.

The soldiers are following orders, doing their job, and putting their lives at risk. Supporting the troops means respecting their loyalty, respecting what they do, and being proud of them for doing their job well.

That has nothing to do with whether you think the orders are valid, or rational, or whether the orders should have been given in the first place.

Blaming the troops for being in Iraq is like shooting the messenger for delivering bad news. It's not their fault, even if the person who sent them there is at fault.

So, we thank them for volunteering to do a dangerous job, and support them by doing everything we can to ensure that they remain as safe possible. Which includes not making foolish decisions about where to send them.