For nearly five years, our nation’s soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines have dedicated their lives to war against terror in Iraq.
They have endured strained manpower and dwindling morale because extended time spent in theater.
Last Wednesday, the Senate had an opportunity to alleviate the burden our men and women have had to bear.
Senators Jim Webb, D-Va., and Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., proposed a bill that would have allowed soldiers serving overseas an equal amount of downtime before being eligible for redeployment.
The bill garnered 56 votes, four votes short of the number needed to prevent a filibuster. The chest thumping between the Democrats and Republicans began almost immediately with each claiming the other side was threatening the war effort.
The Republicans, under pressure from the White House, claimed passage of the bill would have an adverse effect on the commanders in the field. It would limit their abilities to quell sectarian violence and support an abysmal and unorganized Iraqi military, police force and government.
Hagel, one of a few Republicans voting in favor of the proposal, claimed the administration remains steadfast in its handling of the war.
“It’s stay the course, part 2,” he said.
Apart from the long deployments and relatively short visits home, the biggest supporters of the troops go largely ignored.
The families, the supporters of our fighting men, are bearing the brunt of the decisions made by those sitting in air-conditioned offices thousands of miles away from combat. The nonsensical debates and incessant quibbling are taking a toll on all Americans, but most of all it is affecting the backbone of those serving overseas.
In order to understand the sacrifices they make, one need look no further than the rising divorce and suicide rates to which the separations can be attributed.
The billions of dollars pumped into a seemingly endless conflict appears irrelevant when faced with the fact that when we fight, we choose to do so to preserve our way of life, our culture and, most of all, our families.
But at what point do we as Americans say enough is enough and demand some type of action by our elected officials?
When will we as a people begin to understand that action needs to take the place of rhetoric? When will we realize in order to make a change, we must demand change from those who claim to speak on our behalf?
It is easy to degrade and condemn the view of another while standing in the halls of Congress or stumping for a presidential wannabe. But what it all boils down to is who is going to step up and truly have our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines’ best interest in mind and consider the sacrifices made day after day?
Especially when it comes to their loved ones waiting for them here at home.
To quote from Troy, “War is young men dying and old men talking.”
