Support our Marines, now more than ever
Support our Marines, now more than ever
By: North County Times opinion staff
Our view: As Iraq war enters new phase, U.S. public must recommit to respecting troops
With the war in Iraq bleeding into its 46th month, Americans are increasingly registering their displeasure with the course of that conflict. Poll after poll reveals
a growing opposition to the American military effort
there. The numerical milestone of 3,000 killed in action
there is loudly lamented in some quarters and viewed as a
relatively small sacrifice in others.
But if there's one thing still binding the American
people in regard to the Iraq war, if there is one aspect
of our divisive debate of which to be proud, it is our
near-unanimous refusal to repeat at least one mistake of
the past:
So far, Americans by and large have done an admirable job
of separating the warriors from the war. Though passions
have run high since before the March 2003 invasion of
Iraq, the vast majority of even the war's most vocal
opponents have refrained from attacking the men and women
doing the fighting.
Nestled between the protection of Camp Pendleton to the
north and Miramar Marine Corps Air Station to the south,
North County is well-acquainted with the Marines
shouldering the heavy load in Iraq. That we greet them
with cheers at the airports and harbor and appreciative
nods and smiles at the supermarket is appropriate.
From the start, anti-war activists also took great pains
to frame their arguments in terms of "support for the
troops" ---- though some military families and war
supporters bristle at the logic. The very fact that
"supporting the troops" has always buttressed arguments
for and against this war in Iraq is a welcome sign of how
far we've come as a nation since the Vietnam War, when
returning soldiers too often came home to a
less-than-proud reception.
Instead of spittle, we should be greeting these men and
women with respect and admiration. For today's Marines,
especially, are unquestionably the best trained, most
restrained professional fighting force in history.
A few scandalous incidents involving serious charges
against a few soldiers, Marines and at least one Navy
corpsman are the exception, and should not threaten to
undermine the widespread appreciation for today's
American military forces. After the Abu Ghraib prison
abuse scandal, and more recently in the wake of
prosecutions of Camp Pendleton-based Marines for actions
in Hamdania and Haditha, a few critics have painted all
of our troops with too broad a condemnatory brush. They
must remember ---- we all must remember ---- that a few
bad apples don't come close to spoiling this worthy bunch.
The young men and women who make up the vast majority of
our fighting forces are doing the best they can in
appallingly difficult circumstances. They are attempting
to provide safety and security for the beleaguered Iraqi
people in the face of sectarian violence and an
al-Qaida-propelled insurgency whose brutality knows no
bounds. They are fighting enemies who usually wear no
uniforms but occasionally don the uniforms of the Iraqi
police and army recruits whose training is vital to the
mission's success. They are enduring long tours of duty
away from loved ones and in the middle of chaotic
violence.
President Bush promises a new Iraq strategy in the coming
weeks. He has strongly hinted that he will direct a
"surge" of additional troops into Baghdad in a last-ditch
attempt to foster stability in the all-important capital
city. How a distressed American public and a newly
Democratic Congress respond to that escalation remains to
be seen.
But Americans of every political persuasion must recommit
to this unifying principle: Whatever one thinks of the
war in Iraq, the men and women serving their country
there are deserving of our support.
Ellie
