Supporting Our Troops

"Support the troops" has become the rallying cry of almost every commentator of contemporary politics. For some, "support the troops" provides cover for anti-American ideals such as the squelching of dissent and calling for the death of those who voice disagreement with our president. For others, "support the troops" means calling for the immediate and total withdrawal of American soldiers from harm's way in Iraq. Still others think it means that all soldiers deserve to be lauded as heroes, regardless of their circumstances or deeds.

Some commentators have suggested that the time for questioning the decision to start the war, or criticims of the inept conduct of the war, or discussion of withdrawal, is only after the troops are home. In effect, these people would postpone examination of these important issues until they are irrelevant. While I respect their willingness to follow leadership, I refuse to allow current events to run their course without hoping to influence them.

I don't want to cause any of the troops to suffer from lower morale, but I certainly am not going to be quiet about my opinions on the wrong-headed nature of their mission. I sincerely believe they are there because the White House was captured by a weak man controlled by ambitious men with a poorly-thought-out, arrogant and optimistic conception that if we could somehow attack Iraq and install a functioning democracy, we would have a friendly source of oil and a domino with which to topple the various anti-western democratic governments in the Middle East. I believe that the White House intentionally sought to use the nation's warlike mood following 9-11 to lead us into a war it had hoped for long before taking office.

I believe that the White House hyped evidence that supported a decision to invade Iraq, and downplayed conflicting evidence. I believe they chose to focus on WMDs because they knew that, in a post 9-11 America, fear would sell a war. I believe that they knew the evidence supporting WMDs was weak, but they pushed it and engaged in group-think to convince themselves and others that the threat of a mushroom cloud justified an invasion. I believe that they intentionally understaffed the war, in the hopes that they really could pull off a cheap war and get greeted in the streets with rose petals. I believe that their mistaken optimism and inept handling of the immediate post-invasion aftermath resulted in a war that has become a quagmire, and will inspire more terrorism long into future generations.

Now, with all that said, what do I think about our troops? Well, I have a more balanced view than many. I don't believe they are all volunteer heroes. Some most certainly are, but some joined up because it was a way to win the respect of a hometown that never treated them with the respect they sought, or because it seemed like a decent career option, or because they thought they might get to kill a fire monster on a bridge.

I remember when I was growing up and contemplating college. My family could not afford to pay for college, and I looked into ROTC opportunities. I ruled out that option when I read the solemn pledge I would be required to take:

I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.

In a nutshell, to become a soldier, you must pledge to follow orders, no matter how much you disagree with them, so long as they are proper under regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. As a teenager who grew up when Nixon was in the White House, I was unwilling to surrender my conscience. I can see why that pledge is a necessary part of running an orderly military, but it didn't make any sense for a young man who was questioning everything up to and including God to make a pledge that I would kill people based upon the say-so of God-knows-whom.

I don't believe the troops are all above reproach. We know some of them have done awful things over there. On the other hand, I'm confident that I could do the same things in certain circumstances. In short, we have a bunch of teenagers and twenty-somethings out there with guns in their hands, surrounded by people they don't understand and who may want to kill them. In that environment, mistakes are bound to happen, and the anti-Westerners are going to exploit them for full propaganda purposes.

I respect our troops, and I think the job they are being called upon to do is insanely difficult. I don't think they are flawless heroes, but I think they are, as a whole, a remarkable achievement of discipline and effectiveness. I thank them for their service - directly and eye to eye when I meet them.

But when I read that criticism of our president or of the optional war he has thrown them into amounts to criticism of the troops, or decreases their morale, I don't have any sympathy. They did not choose this mission, and, though I understand their desire to complete it, they are not the mission. If they don't understand that fundamental fact, it's not my fault.