Support the Troops? Why and How?

Our troops and our citizens deserve better than this.  The backdrop for heroism is not imperialism

with its contrived glories.  The backdrop
for heroism is service where war has become inevitable.

This Administration has skillfully juxtaposed the War in Iraq with
military gallantry.  It is a chapter out
of the "Fecal Veneer Theory," where the coating of manure that encases this
dubious war is made beautiful to the eye and the heart, obscuring its origins
and its reality.  It is national denial
taken to an art form.

Yellow ribbons abound on cars, on lawns and on lapels.  Dead soldiers are elevated to sainthood.  Funerals are mass gatherings with barely a
dry eye.  Politicians are heard to extol
the bravery of the 50,000, more or less, American soldiers killed or wounded
for the sake of our national pride.

Those who come home in body bags – those vaulted into glory
– are the lucky ones.  The 25,000, more
or less, who come home with missing limbs, missing minds and PTSD (Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder) have been tucked away under another layer of feces –
disinterested and bloated bureaucracy. 

There is no place in America for lives broken by this
national obsession with glory and honor. 
While war is Hell, the glamour of war is the stuff of purpose and dreams
for a nation with an insatiable appetite for nothing less than purpose and
dreams. 

Today's America, suffering from nostalgia of World War triumphs
of long ago, has forgotten that at previous times in our history war has been a
reluctant defense against the inevitable – not the end product of a relentless
search for new tyrants on whom to resurrect its flagging sense of destiny and
virility. 

A steady stream of flag-draped coffins has become the stuff
by which the dreams of a colonialist empire in search of new horizons are kept
alive.  As the world becomes smaller and
more accessible, America regresses
from New World Citizen to Dodge City
reborn.

Currently, there are some 150,000, more or less, military
personnel stationed in Iraq.  Estimates as high as 100,000 private contract
soldiers have been hired as construction workers and "bodyguards" for US
diplomats hidden behind a recently-constructed 104 acre, $1B walled fortress on
the banks of the Tigris River, leaving no doubt as to who, when the dust has
settled and the troops are home, is in charge in Iraq. 

Of the 150,000 or more troops, an estimated 40% are National
Guard and reservists.  These are civilian
soldiers accustomed to acting as a stand-by militia while they live out their
normal lives with families and jobs. 
Known as "Weekend Warriors," these citizens have assumed their roles for
a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the opportunity to earn a
little extra money and retirement benefits for themselves and their
families.  Instead, they often find
themselves torn from careers and family and denied entitlements such as
educational benefits and mental health assistance by their government.  The divorce rate among returning military is
nearly 50% higher than for the civilian population and climbing.

The mantra of "Support Our Troops" as a smokescreen for a
war of dubious merit is a shameful chapter in our nation's history.  Not only has it stifled legitimate debate
over the efficacy of the war, it has been used to cover a multitude of sins
against those whose lives have been shattered. 
The core reason the Congress of the United States has been unable to
confront this travesty is fear of appearing to demoralize the troops. 

In the long run, however, what can be more demoralizing to
the troops than a nation that stands idly by, pinning medals on broken lives?

These people are no more heroes than are our police forces,
our public school teachers and our fire fighters.  They are like a lot of other Americans –
duty-bound and loyal.  To thrust them
into the role as "hero" is to rob them of their freedom of speech and to rob
the American people of the benefits and wisdom of their experience. 

We are told that our troops are keeping America safe –
that they are in harm's way for the safety and security of those of us at home.  There being no connection between the War in Iraq and the safety of America, this is a lie, the
repercussions of which will be felt for decades to come in the form of distrust
of our government and reluctance to serve in the civilian armed forces.

Our troops and our citizens deserve better than this.  The backdrop for heroism is not imperialism
with its contrived glories.  The backdrop
for heroism is service where war has become inevitable.