A Veteran Speaks

In the WaPo today, Wayne Zirkle, Executive Director of Vets for Freedom, writes about an incident that occurred during a Town Hall meeting with Rep Jim Moran D-VA and Rep John Murtha D-PA.

The tenor of the town meeting was mostly what one might expect, but during the question-and-answer period, a veteran injured in Afghanistan stood up to offer his view. "If I didn't have a herniated disc, I would volunteer to go to Iraq in a second with my troops," said Mark Seavey, a former Army sergeant who had recently returned from Afghanistan. "I know you keep saying how you have talked to the troops and the troops are demoralized, and I really resent that characterization. The morale of the troops I talk to is phenomenal, which is why my troops are volunteering to go back despite the hardships. . . ." [emphasis added]

Ok, fair enough. Mark Seavey is a former squad leader sadly injured in Afghanistan fighting the good war. Commendably, all, or at least the vast majority, of his troops are volunteering for duty in Iraq. I decided to look further into what Sgt. Seavey said:

"Yes sir my name is Mark Seavey and I just want to thank you for coming up here. Until about a month ago I was Sgt Mark Seavey infantry squad leader, I returned from Afghanistan. My question to you, (applause)

"Like yourself I dropped out of college two years ago to volunteer to go to Afghanistan, and I went and I came back. If I didn't have a herniated disk now I would volunteer to go to Iraq in a second with my troops, three of which have already volunteered to go to Iraq. I keep hearing you say how you talk to the troops and the troops are demoralized, and I really resent that characterization. (applause) The morale of the troops that I talk to is phenomenal, which is why my troops are volunteering to go back, despite the hardships they had to endure in Afghanistan." [emphasis added]

Wait a minute... He's a former infantry squad leader. An Army infantry squad holds 9-16 soldiers depending on the organization, so let's go for the average which is about 12.

So 3 of Sgt. Seavey's 12 soldiers have volunteered to go to Iraq? That seems like a different perception than the one I got while reading Mr. Zirkle's piece. Hmmm. Doesn't that actually roughly line up with the Stars & Stripes poll from 3.1.2006 that says:

Seventy-two percent of troops on the ground in Iraq think U.S. military forces should get out of the country within a year...

Further reading of the poll finds:

The poll also shows that 42 percent of the troops surveyed are unsure of their mission in Iraq, and that 85 percent believe a major reason they were sent into war was “to retaliate for Saddam’s role in the Sept. 11 attacks.” Ninety-three percent said finding and destroying weapons of mass destruction is not a reason for the ongoing military action.

Yes, who is it again that may be forming the basis for Reps Moran and Murtha's opinions regarding troop demoralization, Mr. Zirkle? Maybe the troops themselves.

And, lest you think Mr. Zirkle has no ulterior motive, Vets for Freedom asks that you join them "in a nationwide grassroots movement to support the mission for freedom and democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan." And it gets better:

The Global War on Terror is being fought on two fronts. Our troops are performing magnificently in Iraq fighting a tough and dirty enemy. We are winning in Iraq through a combined military, political, diplomatic and economic effort. However, we are losing the war for the will of the American public to see this conflict through because of the distorted means by which it is too often portrayed.

Oh shit - Wade's declared a second war - and it's on you & me & the media (including pictures of Keith Olbermann & Cindy Sheehan). But you know what? I have a bone to pick with Mr. Zirkle regarding hypocrisy. As he wraps up his WaPropaganda, he seems to want to support the first amendment and appear to be all about 'freedom':

All citizens have a right to express their views on this important national challenge, and all should be heard.

Uh, yet doesn't he go out of his way to say (in so many words) that Rep. Murtha has a responsibility not to exercise that right solely because he is an elected official?

Murtha undoubtedly knows full well that the greatest single thing that drags on morale in war is the loss of a buddy. But second to that is politicians questioning, in amplified tones, the validity of that loss to our families, colleagues, the nation and the world. [emphasis added]

Apparently Murtha is doing more harm than good by questioning the purpose of this war. Murtha should just be a good soldier, shut up and toe the party line. Soldier On, as they say, and never mind that SNAFU to your left or that things are FUBAR over on the right.

You can't have it both ways, Mr. Zirkle. I admire your sacrifice; it's one unlike any I've ever known. My military career was brief but uneventful, unlike yours. I am thankful every day for that fact. But you're going to have to make another sacrifice here. You're going to have to sacrifice that corrupt Republican bullshit that questioning the war is aiding and abetting the enemy. If you want to have true freedom, you're going to have to accept that not everybody agrees with you and that they have the right to voice their own opinions too. You'll be thankful you still have that right after the midterms in 2006 and even more thankful when the rest of the corrupt Republican trash (and whatever the hell Cheney is) are swept out in 2008.

UPDATE: Why Do West Point Grads Hate Our Freedom??