Backtalk: A surge in support

[unhappycamper]

Backtalk: A surge in support
By Gerald T. Peil

Camp Ramadi, Iraq — ’Twas the holiday season, when larger-than-usual numbers of Americans rallied to remember those deployed overseas. They are of all ages and differing backgrounds, from churches, schools, businesses, organizations and homes around the country. Their spirited gestures came to us as care packages, cards, letters, photos, gifts, homemade posters and banners. you can’t turn a corner without running into a batch of cookies, boxes filled with goodies or walls decorated with the homemade greeting cards of schoolchildren. This surge of good will elevated everyone’s spirits here and reminded me of a time past when every day for deployed troops felt like this.

Generations of warriors who have fought and won America’s battles relied a great deal on their fellow countrymen for emotional and spiritual strength. I recall clearly how, during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, our military benefited from the support of what seemed like an entire nation. I could actually feel the presence of patriotic Americans as if they were right by my side.

The care packages we received and the stacks of mail addressed to Any Service Member kept our morale high. These letters and cards were uplifting, even entertaining. More important, what was written within those pages and on those cards defined the attitudes of a grateful nation. We were made to feel invincible based almost solely on the moral support of millions of Americans. It remained that way from the first day I stepped foot in Iraq straight through to the day I returned home.

Fifteen years later, I deployed to the Middle East once more for Operation Iraqi Freedom III, then again for Iraqi Freedom V. It was painfully obvious that our involvement in Iraq was under attack and ridicule on the home front. America’s sons and daughters actively engaged in the fight of their lives were void of the kind of support that had virtually guaranteed success only years before.

Even as we make progress, the prevailing attitudes of Americans who oppose our efforts in Iraq register as confusion and frustration among troops. America’s dogged opposition is baffling. Over a decade ago, our country rallied to the defense of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, yet in the case of the current wars, opposition arises, though our nation was brutally attacked by an enemy we had never before envisioned. I often ask myself, “Can so many of my fellow Americans be this fickle?” Not every battle can be won in 100 hours or every war in a couple of months, as was the case in the Gulf War.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/community/opinion/army_backtalk_backing_080114/



uhc comment: Well Mr. Peil, I would suggest that occupations are endured, never 'won'.