Do we truly support the troops? By Felicia Benamon

Felicia Benamon Felicia (Fee) Benamon

July 12, 2007

One way we can honor the lives of those who have fought in wars past and present is to not only actively support them while they are engaged in battle, but here at home, being mindful of what is going on in our country and working to bring about positive change. It is positive to support our troops, to pray for them, our President, our nation, and our leaders in Washington. We must also act to let our voices be heard.

Like many of you, I've endured hearing of more troop deaths in the War on Terror. Frankly, I'm getting sick of it as our leaders in Washington have not sent our men and women to war with all that they need. The main function of the military during times of war is not so much nation building as we are doing now (although that is good), but it is to search and destroy the enemy. We have to be on the offense, eliminating the threat. That MUST be the case all the time. But since we only go on the offensive only half of the time in Iraq specifically, perhaps we should be looking at other ways to be successful in Iraq.

Four years into the war in Iraq, our troops are still fighting, but they have had to wait for helpful resources that could have saved lives. Meanwhile, the enemy plots and plans and carries out gruesome attacks on our soldiers through roadside bombs and IEDs. The number of IED deaths our troops have sustained, has risen. And American troops are now just receiving the newer Mine Resistant Ambush Protected combat vehicles to protect them from IEDs, but why so late?

When you send men and women into battle in confidence and honor, you are saying "I respect you and I respect your ability to do what you have trained and dedicated your life to doing, therefore I will give you the appropriate tools (at the beginning of the war) to carry out the mission." To do less than that, is mocking them.

Why are we so callous with our troops' lives? Why are we not taking care of them as we should? The mainstream media would be happy to report any failing on the part of the Bush administration to supply our troops with all they need, and the Bush administration is helping to solidify that view, I believe.

I would caution that my voice does NOT equate to those who are against the war on the Left. I am simply asking the tough questions and writing in defense of our brave men and women who deserve all the best we can give them. It is fine to voice an opinion if one thinks that there have been mistakes made; mistakes that we REALLY should correct so that we may be victorious.

Our leaders in Washington must know...our troops aren't expendable as they fight and die while our government makes decisions as we go along. We must know what needs to be done and execute it quickly.

Alternate Strategy

It has been okay to say that we will press forward and fight; we must be successful in the War on Terror. But what good will it do if all we are doing is running on defensive measures with limited resources? That's what is fueling my frustration.

Since we have failed to use more offensive tactics in the war in Iraq, leaders in Washington are looking at alternative ways to move forward in Iraq. More Republican senators have come forth and expressed their dissatisfaction with what is occurring currently. They are thinking logically.

Senator Lamar Alexander, a Republican senator from my state of Tennessee has come together with other Republican and Democrat senators and recommended that the advice of the Iraq Study Group be taken into consideration in the future when dealing with operations in Iraq.

The DOD Authorization Bill would have an "amendment" attached that would set benchmarks that the Iraqi government must meet in order for us to continue giving support to them. It would require troops to mainly be provided for "training"...and their overall mission would either be for "training, force protection, and counter-terrorism." A new "diplomatic offensive" in Iraq would include the help of those neighboring countries in the region to help Iraq stabilize itself.

Read more: http://alexander.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_Id=1217

An operation that completely includes our allies and the help of willing neighboring countries of Iraq will yield a better result in getting Iraq under control.

American soldiers are not occupiers of any country. The longer we stay in Iraq, the more that label holds. Coming up with a strategy to draw down our troops little by little is more responsible than plunging full speed ahead without an offensive strategy. Employing more troops to the battlefield won't do any good if there is no clear action to take to remove the enemy from this earth. A successful offensive military strategy would show the full power of the US military and see our enemy defeated, which would help in the speedy recovery of Iraq and return home of our troops. But that's not happening.

As we head towards a 5th year at war in Iraq, we must remember our troops who are working SO hard to provide freedoms for others. But they need every tool at their disposal to be successful.

I would urge the President to consider how long and hard our troops have been working in Iraq to help that country up on its feet, and that they need help. As a country, we may also face future threats and we need our military to be in top notch from. That means the troops need the prayers of the American people, and our complete backing (including the backing of those in Washington) of their role in Iraq. And it isn't "anti-war" to consider other alternatives to handling our current situation in Iraq.

When we say we support the troops, we must mean it. They are our countrymen and we must remember their needs as if they were our own.

Our troops must not grow weary in Iraq.

Felicia (Fee) Benamon is a political columnist who writes for various conservative sites including RenewAmerica.us, Michnews.com, Daley-Times Post, Renaissance Women ( http://www.rwnetwork.net/ ), Capitolhillcoffeehouse.com, TheConservativeVoice.com, Mensnewsdaily.com, ConservativeCrusader.com, and other news sites like AmericanChronicle.com. She is a columnist and a reporter for the Mid-South Patriot ( www.freewebs.com/midsouth-patriot ) in Memphis, TN. Felicia hails from a military background, and has been politically active since the 2000 elections. She has been a guest speaker on KYAL2K, conservative talk radio (www.k-talk.com), Salt Lake City, UT, America Talks, conservative internet talk radio, with David Zublick (www.americatalks.com), and KFNX News talk radio in Arizona with Clancy Jayne ( www.insidepoliticswithclancyjayne.com ).

© Copyright 2007 by Felicia Benamonhttp://www.renewamerica.us/columns/benamon/070712