People who are against the war but support the troops?

Question

Doesn't it make sense that people who don't support the war are indirectly not supporting the troops. All of the politics going on about the war (Ex. Should we be there or not? Are we winning the war? Should we pull out?) surely aren't doing anything to motivate the troops. The way I look at it, I think that people should support the war effort, whether they agree with the war or not so the troops can get the job done and come home.

I've used this letter in other various responses to questions and another question I asked earlier and I'm going to use it again. It's a very important letter and I think that if more people would read it they might be able to understand how the troops in Iraq really feel about whats going on.

Here's the link to the website with the letter:
http://marklevinshow.com/letters.php

By no means did I say that nobody can question the government, nor did I say that you shouldn't be able to exercise your freedom of speech.

I just find it difficult to understand how you can support the troops while you aren't supporting their mission.

I guess this question was a partisan question before I asked it. The people who think our armed forces shouldn't be in Iraq think they are acting on behalf of the troops by protesting the war. Many people seem to think most of the troops don't think they should be there. From what I've seen, most people in the military who are fighting in Iraq think they should be there (that is why they joined). If that is indeed the case (and I think it is), the American public saying the war is unjust and we shouldn't be there... wouldn't that be a negative for our troops?

Answer 1

I love America and the military...but don't you tell me I HAVE to support this, and if not I'm anti-troop or unpatriotic! Most Americans are against this war and they are Americans just the same! I'm sick and tired of Americans calling Americans
un-patriotic because they think this War is wrong! I fly the flag in my yard because I'm proud to be American....but I don't wrap myself in it and blindly follow what I think is wrong!

Answer 2

Supporting the troops like giving them food and stuff is great but supporting the troops by war is not possible.

Answer 3

I think you are looking at this in a simple light and the world is much more complicated than you are perceiving it.

This is not meant to insult you but I want you to understand what I am saying (so please forgive me if you take this as an insult since I disagree with you). I am a veteran, eight years; about 24 months of that in war time territories (one theater where we were in an actual skirmish where weapons were actively and purposely discharged). I am not against war but I am against this war. The reasoms for it did not, and still not, make sense to me. There were a lot of intelligence that told the administration that there were not WMDs (or were very scarce and not about to expand). Anyone who knows anything about the Middle East knows the difference between a Sunni and a Shiite and Al-Quaeda (Sunni) and Saddam (Shiite, not even a practicing one) were enemies by virtue of those differences in their religion. And yet this administration implied several times that there was a connection.

You can absolutely support the troops and disagree with the Pentagon and the commander-in-chief. It is your right to question the leadership and it is actually American to do so. Questioning our leaders is not the same as questioning the troops. We don't question the factory workers that are layed off in Detroit but we question the executives.

As far as demoralizing the troops... well, I was in teh service and I honestly never had conversations with other soldiers about society's perception of us. We were rugged and adult men who did not honestly care a whit about society's perception. We did the job and did not expect recognition and/or parades and tears. Personally, I have never really seen anyone NOT support the troops... at the same time when I was in the service we did not care. Its nice but not essential.

Answer 4

I disagree. This is a war that shouldn't have happened. This is a war in which there are no true goals.

The reasons for this war have changed so many times. First it was because of alleged WMD's, then it was called Operation Freedom, then it was fighting the war on terror, then it was to establish a democracy in the Middle East. How can our troops do their job properly if the reasons for fighting keep changing?

The support I have for the troops is that I understand they are following orders. But the troops are not the ones who pushed for a war. It was an Administration who are sitting comfortably behind their desks while others put their lives on the line.

The war, or battle that should still be fought is in Afghanistan, where it has not been confirmed whether Osama Bin Laden is still alive, so we have to assume that he is. He attacked America and American interests, Saddam Hussein did not. Is Iraq better off that Hussein is gone? I'm sure. Is the world better off that Osama Bin Laden is still alive? A definite NO!

I would rather see our troops come home to thier families safe and unharmed. If Iraqis want democracy, it is something they should be doing for themselves, that's what we did when we fought for our independence.

If we sent our troops to free every country from dictators, then there are a lot of countries to invade.

It's not about winning or losing at this point. It's about regrouping, reassessing our goals and what is best for our country. Spending billions of dollars and sending priceless lives in harm's way is not the answer.

Answer 5

Here's the problem. we are in a civil war (excuse me, this is a conflict since Congress never declared war as is required by the Constitution).

This conflict will never, ever end. I do pray for our troops and leaders. I want our men and women to be able to come back home to their families and children.

This is how one supports the troops. It's by praying for their safety.

Tell me, define getting the job or "mission" accomplished so our troops can come home when they are never going to come home?

I don't support this conflict because it has promoted instability in the middle east. It has displaced millions of Iraqi's who don't feel safe being in Iraq.

Shoot, this doesn't even touch on the subject of our wounded troops. The ones who have lost limbs and those who have lost their lives. It seems we just kind of put them on the shelve and pretend they don't exist.

What about the Walter Reed debacle? Our soldiers weren't properly treated there. It took breaking news to find out about that.

I'm not saying terrorists don't exist, however; the idea of the U.S. government saying if we leave the middle east, the terrorist will follow us here just doesn't fly in the face of reason.

Tell me, if we have all these different colors (you do remember that terrorist alert system they put into place to forewarn us of terrorist attacks, don't you?) are for the sake of the possibility of terrorists being here, then that means they probably are here already.

If that being the case, it seems to me that we are losing our fight against them there. I mean if we are being told that if we fight them over there, they'll stay there; then how is it that they are here already?

I do support our troops through prayer, however; I do not support this conflict since all it does is bring about death and the displacement of innocent victims--inparticular, the Iraqi's.

Answer 6

You must be very young to even postulate such a thing as supporting a “war effort” in which our nation (a) was the aggressor, and (b) has no intention of “winning.” Win? Win what? Why? So we can have Iran surrounded on 3 sides – so that Halliburton can get their pipeline built before their 40 year contract runs out? And we owe the U.S. "war effort" our children’s lives for that??? I think not! And telling the truth demoralizes our troops? Oh Please! Our troops are really quite bright young ladies and gentlemen. They know exactly what their country has done to them. I am in my 60s – and well remember Vietnam – another “war” we entered with no intention of winning. You have no concept of what this entire nation is going to suffer – for the next half century – from the damage they are allowing this gang of thugs in Washington to do to our soldiers. Our soldiers will all be “damaged” when they come home – and they will always need help – and this country of “good christians” will get tired of it and will want them to “get over it”… And our poor soldiers have no alternative but to continue to serve in harm’s way 7 days a week – knowing they are dying for nothing – but that they will be shot or jailed if they object or refuse. “War effort” – You need to stay out of politics until you are old enough to live through a few U.S. mass murders of its own people.

Answer 7

I do not support the war (in Iraq), but I definitely support the troops. The first is supporting the politics, which I don't. The latter are a bunch of young people that must follow legal orders and may or may not believe in the job they are doing. They signed the papers and are doing their job.

If we cannot honestly express our opinion, we have ceased to be Americans. It is our patriotic duty to object to government policies. We are not supposed to ignorantly support something we do not honestly support. To do so is not patriotic.

Answer 8

No, the people who sent them to be killed and maimed, refused to outfit them with life-saving equipment, slash their pay, cut their leaves, and refuse to take care of the wounded do NOT support the troops.

When something is wrong, it's the obligation of every thinking and feeling person to oppose it.

The people who have caused the deaths and maimings, and keep making everything worse do not SUPPORT the troops, they just keep SAYING they do.

They lie.

It may not bother you at all that people are dying and being maimed.

I say it's wrong, and will not shut up about it.

It's unAmerican to said I should.

Edit after reading parts of the letter: There's much nonsense in it. We violated the Geneva convention first.

There IS outrage at the war crimes committed by the other side, but I don't fund them with my taxes, and they don't represent me. I have a more obligation to speak out against war crimes commited by those in my government.

But this idea that there's no outrage at the war crimes of others is simply untrue.

Your post seems to assume that those over there are all of one mind, which is also not true.

Many serving over there have the same criticisms I do.

But whether they do or not, I have an obligation to speak up when my goverment does wrong.

And, speaking of not being there when they come home, ask your president why he doesn't care whether they live or die, or suffer.

He's the least caring of all.

Answer 9

First, the first to the guy that replied" bullshit" you don't want to meet me anywhere. I cannot agree more with you, our troops need us, and our country needs us, We as the greatest nation in the world needs each and every one of our support. Nobody likes war, but sometimes there is no choice, and we have an obligation to finish what we started. If you don't think that we need to support out troops, and the war effort, then leave, we real Americans don't want you, and if someone comes around me and acts like your first replier, I will show them just what 10 years of special opps has tought me in a very real way. So all of you out there who doesn't support our effort over there, go live in some 3rd world country with a hurtful dictator, and see what you think, but DO NOT EVER PUT DOWN THIS COUNTRY. you don't have that right.

Answer 10

As a Navy veteran of 11 years, I didn't believe in the war, but I did my duty and followed the orders of those appointed over me. I still don't believe in this war and think we need to bring the troops home. We should have started a withdrawal (slowly) as soon as Saddam was captured and put to trial. Iraq is now somewhere between a civil war and in a war supported by several of its neighbors.

The fate of Iraq lies in the hands of the Iraqi people. Until they get tired of being blown up, shot at, and bullied by extremists, and do something about it of their own accord nothing is going to change.

Freedom won by another means almost nothing, freedom won by shedding your own blood and fighting for yourself (even with help) means something. Should we support Iraq in trying to stabilize itself? Yes. Should we continue to use the full (pretty darn close) might of our military to fight the war for them? No.

Supporting the troops and not supporting the war are 2 completely different topics. Supporting the troops means doing everything in your power to ensure that they have whatever they need to fight a war they are sent to fight. Not supporting the war means that you fight the politicians to bring our men and women home, while making sure those same self-serving politicians give our troops everything they need to the war until they are brought home.

Bad things happen in war ... civilians are killed, targets get missed, and numerous other things. These men and women are faced with split second choices about deciding how to react to a given situation. I don't care what branch of the service it is, I am proud of every man or woman serving our country today. The ones that intentionally commit misdeeds deserve the punishment they will get, this group is a very small minority of the actual whole.

Blame the politicians for the mess, that means the Democrats and Republicans. A lot of this mess in the media is political posturing that both sides are using to try and win votes. Our troops deserve better, but at least they don't have to come home and be spit on.

Edit:

To Bill S ... I did 6 months on the ground in the gulf (2002/03). I have every right to say that I don't support the government in this war, as you do to speak your opinion. Notice you have 89-93 listed as your time in the Corps. Guess you think the U.S. Government did right by your fellow Marines, Soldiers, and others on the ground that are now suffering from Gulf War Syndrome from the first Gulf War.

If the Iraqi people aren't willing to rise up in force and throw out the Saudis, Iranians, Syrians, and whatever other countries extremists, as well as the extremists that are Iraqi, then they do not deserve for American Soldiers to shed our blood for them. They want the freedom, they can earn it with their blood right along side us. I can't tell you the difference when faced with 10 people of different Arab origin, I have no idea how to distinguish up close and personal an Iraqi, from an Iranian, from a Saudi, or whatever background is standing in front of me.

Guarantee you that those Iraqis can tell the difference though. Every time I see Iraqi men and women crying in the streets about people killed in a suicide bombing, I wonder why they aren't taking up arms and hunting down these extremists themselves. The Iraqi Army sure isn't getting the job done.

A lot of our troops are doing good things and helping the Iraqi people. They deserve all the hope and support we can give them.

Answer 11

This is a very cheap argument. It basically allows no room for an alternative opinion. It would allow any irresponsible president to undertake any illegal aggressive action and enforce aquiensence from all. That is neither the spirit nor the law of the USA.
It is also demonstrative of massive hypocricy among the right. Where was the concern for the troops when right wing politicians and pundits were criticizing Clinton for preventing genocide in the Balkans.