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Support the Troops
John Lenotte
(08/03/07)
Given the current conflict in
Iraq, this is constantly in the news.
The politicians are debating this in the halls of
Congress and those running for office, be it President or
for Marty Meehan’s seat. Everyone is taking a
stance. They all claim to be the voice of the
people. But let us remember the troops and very much the
families of the troops.
I referenced this in a previous column but this bears
saying again. In many ways we are starting to
repeat the errors made during the Vietnam
War. Politicians are trying to run the war
instead of letting the military perform their
mission. It can be argued as to what the
mission really might be. But for the troops, it is
securing and rebuilding Iraq.
We cannot just pull out and leave that country in the
mess it is in.
We would only create more of a mess and a bigger
danger to the region and the world. And to
dictate and publicize when we would pull out does not
make any sense. The enemy is watching as
much, if not more, of the news on CNN as we are!
They are not stupid.
They are playing into the politics for their own
purposes.
They have learned the lessons of Vietnam.
They not only want to win, the terrorist element wants to
eliminate us and our way of life. This is a
war as we have not seen before.
We must let the current “surge” run its course
and let the military take control. If it works out
differently then we will have to adapt. Let’s
not let presidential politics rule the current course of
events.
As an amateur historian, I am aware of the concerns about
the limits of presidential power. And freedom
sometimes has a heavy price. But we must be
concerned about tomorrow as well as
today. As citizens we have an
obligation that unfortunately most do not
fulfill. We need to make our voices
heard. Let our representatives know what is
in our hearts and minds. We need to first do this
either in person, by mail or email.
And as important, we need to show our voices at the
ballot box.
We need to also continue to show our support by
contributing to groups that send packages to the troops.
I congratulate Jim Sergio-Waring for his continued
efforts in sending packages to the troops overseas and to
both Jim and State Representative Linda Dean Campbell for
promoting a ‘support the troops’ license
plate. I know there are a lot of folks who
will buy this plate when it becomes available.
Again, let us not forget the families of the troops who
are all anxious about their safe return. Especially the
family of Alex Jimenez of Lawrence. Our thoughts and
prayers reach out for his safe return.
There is another issue that needs to be addressed:
support for the troops when they return. Our
military does a decent job at debriefing and working with
the troops upon their return and then the troops are put
into the VA healthcare system. Most veterans
would agree that the VA is a great system.
However, the American Legion along with other veterans
groups are constantly reporting to Congress and lobbying
for additional funding. Many facilities are
in need of upgrading. Additional staff are needed.
There are many veterans who desperately need help. Even
with budget increases, a major factor is that the funds
are discretionary. Our representatives
in Congress need to make the funding mandatory. We have
many more veterans who now or in the future will need
help. They have defended our
freedoms. We as citizens need to make certain
their health care needs are taken care of.
Again, this will only happen when we let our elected
officials know we are concerned. God Bless America and
our courageous defenders.
John Lenotte is the American Legion, Commander,
Wilbur M. Comeau Post 4 Haverhill and Vice Commander,
Department of Massachusetts. You can Email him at JohnLDistrict8@verizon.net
*Send your questions comments to ValleyPatriot@aol.com
The August 2007 Edition
of the Valley Patriot
The Valley Patriot is a Monthly
Publication.
All Contents (C) 2007, Valley Patriot, Inc.
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