Troops in Iraq

To the editor: Men and women are risking their lives in the Middle East trying to restore peace to an oppressed population and trying to defeat the enemies of freedom. Meanwhile, after the U.S. Senate passage of a War on Terrorism supplemental funding bill tying funding with troop withdrawal plans, the full Congress is sending our troops the message that their efforts are being wasted and that they cannot accomplish their mission. Bad morale — especially when fueled back home by politics played out in the public eye — can impact the fighting ability of even the toughest warrior. As a Vietnam veteran, trust me — getting signals from back home that your mission is not being supported by Congress cuts deep. Any conduct that emboldens the enemy and gives them strategic information to use against our troops is very irresponsible and lessens troop morale. That is the impact of Congress’ decision to force through the troop withdrawal amendment while publicly sharing details about their plans for the troops. It was reckless because withdrawing troops requires repositioning them, reducing their strength and changing military objectives — any of these can put them in danger if the enemy knows what is coming next. The insurgents who are keeping our troops from bringing peace to Iraqi people can plan how and when to use their resources. Congressional blunders like that lose wars and cost lives. Regardless of where you stand on the current War on Terror, we owe those in uniform our full support — in resources, in spirit and in the messages we send to the world. It is irresponsible when politicians bash the very reason military personnel put themselves in harm’s way. It is unwise when lawmakers try to be military strategists. To show that they fully support the troops and want them to achieve their mission, Congress should immediately pass a clean war funding bill so fighting men and women have all of the combat equipment, supplies and personnel they need to be the most effective fighting force possible. Remove the amendment that tells the military how to fight; that is not the way to win a war. The VFW wants our troops home as soon as possible, but until the mission is achieved the nation must be totally committed to winning wars that protect freedom. You can’t say that you support the troops, then trash their mission and hold up funding that guarantees them the full resources of our nation. Dominic DeFranco Pennsylvania VFW State Commander