Iraq Veteran to the U.S. CongressWritten by Joe GishTuesday, 13 February 2007
Dear Members of Congress,
As a veteran of the war in Iraq and a currently serving military officer, I am writing to respectfully express my strong opposition to House Concurrent Resolution 63. We appreciate your expressions of support. But this resolution does not help us.
Operation Iraqi Freedom was authorized by the United States Congress. You cannot wash your hands of this responsibility. It is not my place, nor my intention, to instruct you how to do your job. I may only give you my perspective as a loyal American citizen, who is proud to serve his nation during these tumultuous times.
In my view, there are only two honorable courses of action for Congress to take regarding the war in Iraq. The first option is to get behind the war effort. While the security situation in Iraq has deteriorated over the past year, the situation is not beyond hope. The Iraqi Army has gained in strength, competence and confidence. Moqtada al Sadr has fled the country. The terrorist Zarqawi has been killed, and the Sunni Arabs are banding together in an increasingly successful effort to expel the remnants of al Qaeda from their communities.
All of this would not have been possible without the hard work of the U.S. military. But if we were to leave tomorrow, we would abandon the long-suffering Iraqi people to the terrorists and extremists. Such an outcome would not sit well with my conscience, nor should it with yours…
If, on the other hand, you have come to the conclusion that we can do no more to save the people of Iraq from such an horrific fate, the only responsible course of action would be to remove our forces from that country as expeditiously as possible. To be clear, this is not my point-of-view. Nevertheless, just as the Constitution granted Congress the authority to initiate this conflict, it is also within your power to end it. And though I would follow such orders with a heavy heart, I would respect such a decision as the expressed will of the people’s representatives, and faithfully carry out my duty.
I will not pretend to understand the pressures you face from your constituents. But I will remind you that brave Americans are sacrificing, fighting and dying every day in Iraq. To succeed in our mission, we require steadfast leadership from our Commander-in-Chief, moral support from the American people, and material support from the United States Congress.
The responsibility lies with you. I have no use for empty, non-binding resolutions. If you believe that a positive outcome in Iraq is impossible, then you should act on that conviction and withdraw us from that country. But if you are truly serious about supporting the troops, I urge you to give us the money, tools, and manpower that we need to achieve victory.
Once again, I humbly thank you for your support.
Very respectfully,
“Joe Gish”
The above letter was well written and the undertone is this: your antics are stupid. A non-binding resolution means nothing and the intent of the resolution is obvious.
Labels: Voices From The War, War In Iraq
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