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Culled from Lew Rockwell's site:
The following are exerpts from an article by Dan Stoffel, a war veteran, on how supporting the troops does not mean supporting the war:
"My parents gave me one of those magnetic "Support the Troops" bumper stickers for Christmas. They know I don't support the war, but from their point of view, as a veteran of Operations Shield/Storm in 1990–91, I have a moral obligation to support the troops. And indeed, I do. But I will never display that bumper sticker.
When I see one of those things on a car, I assume that the owner also supports the current war...
... Not wanting to unintentionally proclaim an allegiance I do not have, I cannot display my support for the troops in that way.
I am going to change tactics with these people. If they wanted to learn what we all know about the war, then they wouldn't limit their war exposure to Fox News...
...There is one soldier I support a great deal. With years of command experience, General Eric Shinseki became the Army Chief of Staff. Having analyzed the initial plan for the deployment to Iraq, General Shinseki stated that it could not be done without many more troops...Shinseki was discredited by the Pentagon brass and treated with disrespect for the crime of disagreeing with the war hawks...
... these troops you support are engaged in what is called second-generation warfare? It is an approach that worked well for the troops in the WWs. But it is failing in Iraq against a smaller force using fourth-generation tactics. This is not at all surprising. Many predicted the growth of an Iraqi insurgency using fourth-generation tactics. A second-generation army can defeat such an enemy, but it will need a 20:1 troop advantage. The US military currently stands at 7:1, and the insurgency continues to grow...
..troop supporters, you have two choices: 1) Speak out loudly for the draft and the continuation of stop-loss policies...additionally, speak out loudly for the incorporation of the new kinds of training our troops need for countering 4th-generation opponents. 2) Realize that our troops over there are in a dangerous situation growing more precarious by the day...
...Realize that to save our troops, we need to bring them home ASAP. Speak out loudly for an end to the war, before it is too late for the troops already there.
...So, go on and support the troops! Except when they offer expert opinions on troop strength. Ignore them then. Or when they are poorly trained for the mission at hand. Ignore them then, too. Oh, and when they complain about the military not honoring its end of an enlistment contract, ignore them. And 20 years from now, when you see one of them, leg-less and in a wheelchair on a street corner, holding out a tin cup for some change, well, you know what to do.
And keep on displaying those magnets and waving those flags and patting yourself on the back for "supporting the troops!" May the troops be safe in spite of your support.
January 26, 2005
Dan Stoffel writes from Western NY and served in the 101st Airborne Infantry in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm."
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