Go immediately to The Wall Street Journal Opinion Journal You will be treated to a story from a man who did two tours in Iraq as he remembers two fallen warriors, Maj. Douglas A. Zembiec and Maj. Ray Mendoza. You will also read his honest appraisal of the situation here at homeit is heartbreakingly TRUE! Let it in.
Find it here: http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110010592
Our New National Divide
America’s soldiers are committed to the war. But they’re not going to lie about its progress, by Owen West – Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Nearly six years into the war on terror–which is being fought by less than 30% of the military and less than one-half of 1% of the nation–and the stark irony of America in modern war has emerged. Our professional warriors who take the most risk believe the nation must commit to a long-term fight that includes Iraq in some form. Overall support for the endeavor wanes with distance. *** This divergence isn’t new. Those who have battled the enemy up close have always been more heavily invested in the cause. What’s different is that in past wars, the nation was tied to its soldiers and had a familial barometer. Today most Americans have never met a Gold Star family, let alone shaken the hand of a fallen soldier. The military community is increasingly insulated even as the burden of global war swells.
It has become commonplace to assert that the nation’s most precious resource is our children. God knows the debt the nation owes the three little ones Doug and Ray left behind, and the hundreds of other shattered families. But during wartime our greatest asset may be our guardians. We should take solace that while we are off to a terrible start in the long war, having allowed the Iraqi battlefield to embitter and weaken the country, our nation produced men like Mendoza and Zembiec. And right now somewhere some other American walks their tracks. *** The public recognizes this blessing. In July’s Gallup Poll on America’s most trusted institutions, the military ranked highest with a 69% confidence rating. Congress ranked last (below HMOs), with a 14% confidence rating. *** So it was surprising to see that, according to an August CNN poll, 68% of Americans said Gen. David Petraeus’s congressional testimony on Iraq this week would not sway their personal view one way or the other. Worse, 53% of Americans do not trust him to report what’s really going on in Iraq, according to a USA Today/Gallup Poll published Monday. *** This wrenching inconsistency indicates a deeper problem than a fickle public or an inherent distrust in hierarchy. The poisonous partisan climate in Washington has seeped beyond the Beltway and is now harming the public’s trust in the institution that will continue to sacrifice most in the coming years.
My own emotions are all over the map…from deep deep gratitude and admiration for such men, to incredible shame and anger at the response of many Americans and the MSM, to determination and renewed personal resolve to lend whatever support I can offer. God bless these fine, fine men and women. And God bless their leaders who must fight this war both in battle and at home in the once venerated, but now terribly tarnished, halls of Congress…incredible.