What will you do to support our troops?

Question

Beyond waving flags and buying bumper stickersw, we civilians have done practically nothing to support our troops. This is my major beef with the war at this point. Lots of folks say "if you support the war, enlist". Well, we've sent troops into battle undersupported, with multiple extensions of the tour of duty, and Walter Reed as the example of how injured vets may be cared for. Plus we've been told there'll be progress "any day now" for ages. It doesn't presently inspire confidence.

I'm not for pulling out of Iraq, but I'm also against waging a half-assed war where a small number of people and their families pay a terrible price while we sit around. So what would you do to support the troops?

Support a draft and/or enlist?
Pay higher taxes?
Cut back on energy consumption?

And if you are family to a soldier, what would you like to see the rest of the country due to help shoulder the burden?

Answer 1

Myself? I enlisted.

Its not just family of soldiers that read this stuff. Im active duty Air Force at Camp Bucca, Iraq.

Myself and my buddies out here all feel that the best thing that can be done in support is to show it. It is really important to us all that people remember that, whether you are for or against the war, the troops dont control what happens. Either support the war or dont, but either way, support our men and women over here sacrificing their time and risking their lives to defend a country we loves.

It the daily stuff we go through starts to suck when it feels like the people back home dont care, or worse, are against us.

Your politcal beliefs are up to you, but support US out here. Support your troops by remembering how precious your family is and that people are giving up theirs so you can have yours.

Support your troops by remembering that this isnt a bipartisan chess game. People are losing their lives out their, so it is a topic to be treated with respect.

Support your troops by supporting military spending. Maybe not in areas of operations and strategic command, but in the areas of equipment and readiness.

Support your troops by going to www.bluestarmoms.com and seeing what is needed out here and sacrificing some of your time and maybe a little money to write a letter of appreciation and send a care package if you can.

Answer 2

I would throw flowers at their feet if I thought that that would change anything. I support the troops and would do anything to help their lives or their families lives in anyway. How do you say Thank you to a person who has put their life on the line so that I can be free from harm. With all of the political games that are being played with this war we have no Idea how to, or what to do. We only know that if we speak out against the war we don't support the troops. Well I support the troops I just don't support the the General in command.

Answer 3

You said, "I could see not supporting the war, that's understandable, but why would you not support the people fighting and losing their lives over there?" I think the problem is that the folks that don't support the troops can't see the bigger picture and are unable to separate the men and women fighting the war from the policies that brought the war. I think, if you could get the people with the signs saying "Don't support the troops" to think about the people and not the policy, you'd find that more people support the troops than don't.

Answer 4

In past wars, the civilian public was asked to help in variety of ways, from purchasing War Bonds to conservation measures to free up war materials (like gasoline, rubber, and so forth).

Today, there's no such involvement. The bonds funding the war are just sold on the open investment market, no differently from any other treasury security. The government wants the American people to spend spend spend to keep the economy going, instead of divert production to the war - stronger economy means more taxes without having to 'raise' taxes - so no sacrifices are asked for.

So, beyond a flag or a bumper sticker, there's not much we are being asked to do, which is, IMHO, very sad. It makes the war seem unreal to most of us. It's easy to oppose something that's theoretically bad (and expensive) when you're not in any way vested in it, and the anti-war movement is well-organized and vocal and capitalizes on that.

If you're against the war, there's plenty to do: rallies and protests to attend, pro-defeat candidates to vote for, and of course, trolling the internet calling people 'chickenhawks.'

If you support the war at all, the only thing to do is either enlist, if you're young enough, maybe send care packages to random soldiers if you're not - or troll the internet calling people traitors.

:shrug:

Answer 5

I will keep working on having them brought home.

If you support the war, however, I believe the only way to support the troops is to enlist and take your turn in Iraq.

I will work against a draft even harder then I do at bringing the troops home. Unless there are absolutely zero loopholes for the rich kids to get out of it.

Answer 6

You just don't get it. You are not seeing the forest through the trees on this one. If you can't see by now that the war is lost and its not the troops fault and only way to support the troops is to bring them home by any means necessary you are probably to brain washed to make it back but here it goes:

The war is going exactly the way they "the elite" want it to. This war was to accomplish 3 things:
1-Drive up the price of oil by removing Saddam from power because he was pumping too much oil.
2-Destabilize to middle east by causing a secular civil war that has potential to draw Saudi Arabia and Iran into conflict.(DIVIDE) In hopes of the corporations being able to pump the oil out of the region in the aftermath using contracts made with puppet governments.(CONQUER)
3-Fleece the American public of Trillions in debt to the FEDERAL RESERVE BANK. In turn bankrupting the empire of the united states.

They would never even consider having a draft because the war would instantly turn the way of Vietnam with massive protests and a counter culture movement.

What would you like them to tax? The income tax goes straight to the FEDERAL RESERVE Bankers for interest on the debt. All the other taxes are used to run the country.

The elite want you to feel the need to cut back on energy. When prices go up, so do profits and people cut back so it allows the corporations to make those profits longer. Prices never come down. Gas will be at the high 3 dollars this year and then drop back to high 2's low 3's and we will forget all about those days when we only paid 2.55 post 911.

WAR IS RACKET and the government hates the troops, They are less then pawns in the rule of the world. They feel like they can milk this cow forever as long as the general public doesn't have to make any real sacrifice.

In the WAR on Terror the army is the wrong tool for the job. Its about intelligence and boarder security and overseas surveillance. Put the army on the boarders, CIA agents and wiretaps in the middle east, and screen everyone/thing that come into the country and through the ports/boarders.

Answer 7

Ideally, I would like to travel back in times, move to Florida and vote for Gore.
Like you, I don't know whether to stay or leave the war-torn country.
Like they say, "war and politics should not go together."
We should expedite more advanced technologies for our soldiers to use. The administration was slow in providing an effective armored personnel carrier. We should have calculated that urban warfare was going to be a factor.

Answer 8

I support out troops with my vote. Those politicians who believe they know more about war than the Generals who earned their rank and have spent their entire lifetime learning the "art of war", should be run out of office. They are merely using the unpopularity of war to further their own political desires instead of doing what is right for our country.

To those politicians I say, solve the social security problem, our broken healthcare system, and our illegal immigration woes and leave the war to the military.

Answer 9

Bring them home out of harms way. Best way to support the troops.

Answer 10

Impeach the Bush administration.