We know there is a huge debate, and of course the President insists that we stay the course, but do you think it is time to leave? What do you think it will mean to the Iraqis and to the fight against terrorism, if we pull our troops out and come home? No matter what, our troops need our support, but do you think that we are doing well or do you think we have accomplished our mission by taking out Saddam and now its time to come home?

I am sure this is going to be a big battle in the upcoming elections, and of course the Democrats are proposing that we get out of Iraq as fast as possible, but I wonder what the impact of that would truly be. We were, and still are, supposed to be there until Iraq becomes a state that can operate under its own power and as a democracy, however with all of the insurgents that are becoming increasingly difficult it seems an endless battle and meanwhile the bloodshed continues. Of course we need to think of what is the best course of action for both our troops as well as the citizens of Iraq.

Now, two United States Senators are pushing the debate even further when Senator Joseph Biden made the announcement that the reality of seeing a government in Iraq wouldn’t happen during this lifetime. The fact is that the unrest is growing at an unprecedented rate in Iraq, and civilians are fleeing in huge numbers, roughly 100,000 people a month are leaving.

In addition, United States Senator Lindsey Graham just returned from Iraq and he states that after coming home from Air Force Reserve duty, that he believes the troops are making a difference and it is just a matter of time before the Iraqi government begins to take shape and Iraq will function as a state. The debate is based on whether or not we should keep our troops in place until we see Iraq operate with full autonomy.

Now with the upcoming elections, the debate is even greater. If we wait until Iraq is established, and keep just enough troops back to help train the Iraqi soldiers many people wonder just how long that will take.

Meanwhile there is an issue that is being overlooked, and that is the toll that the war is taking on our soldiers. Our troops are coming home wounded, battered, and scarred. How will this war affect the future of American citizens?

However, amidst all of the controversy, one thing is certain. Many people have compared the Iraq War with Vietnam, and they are definitely not the same. Vietnam had initiated a draft and the amount of American lives lost was immense. Iraq is not seeing the death toll that Vietnam saw and that is one good point regarding the war. However, no one wants to see our troops hurt, injured, or suffering and one can only stop and wonder how this war will effect our troops thirty or forty years from now. Today, we still have numerous Vietnam veterans who are continually suffering from the horrors they experienced in Vietnam, hopefully we won’t see that in the coming years with the veterans of the Iraq war.

Cindy Sheehan will be running against Republican Nancy Pelosi, in a bid for the US House. She made her threat that if Pelosi didn’t move to impeach President George Bush by July 23, Cindy would challenge her. True to her words, Cindy Sheehan made the announcement last Thursday that she will run.

Nancy Pelosi states that she is adamant about bringing the troops home, but believes that it must be done in a timely and safe manner. Apparently, that isn’t good enough for Sheehan.

Sheehan made world headlines, as she has undoubtedly been the war’s loudest voice of protest. Her son, Casey was killed while serving in Iraq. He was just 24 years old. It is understandable that Sheehan is sad and distraught over the loss of her son, however it amazes me that she never focuses on the fact that he willingly volunteered for the armed forces.

It is one thing, to protest the war, when there has been a draft, as with Vietnam, however there is no draft. Casey wasn’t killed because President George Bush sent him into combat against his will. Casey was a grown adult, who made a conscientious decision to defend the rights of his fellow Americans. He served his country and died receiving the highest honor any military member could receive.

Yes, it is painful and the sorrow is great. However, we cannot ignore the fact that Casey, like countless thousands in our Armed forces, knew that war is part of the Military package. Is it really fair to blame the President for his death?

Personally, I think not.

I also don’t think that Cindy Sheehan is going to get very far with her run against Nancy Pelosi. First, Nancy Pelosi has been in politics for a very long time, and she has been in Congress since 1987. The odds are immensely stacked against Sheehan. It has been reported that she has absolutely no financial backing (despite experience), and is refusing to accept money donated from companies.

I think this woman has lost her mind.

I’d like to know if she really believes that her son Casey would be proud of what she is doing. First, he joined the military willingly. He swore on an oath, to serve this country with his life. He did that. He knew what he was doing. He obviously didn’t ask his mother’s permission to join. Would he appreciate her vehement attack upon the nation and the president as well?

Military personnel are sworn to uphold the decisions of the president, whether they personally agree with them or not. The president is the head commander in chief. All military personnel know this. Casey joined the military and vowed to follow President Bush’s orders. He did follow the president’s orders, honorably and self-sacrificially. Would he find his mother’s behavior honorable? Would he find the actions of his mother honorable?

My gut says that he wouldn’t. If he felt the way she did, he would have run from the military as soon as he had a chance. Maybe Cindy Sheehan should stop running her mouth, and follow the example her son left as his legacy.

When I come across an inspiring story of heroism and true courage, I like to share it. It is important that we never lose sight of the individual acts of incredible sacrifice and commitment to brothers in arms. The mainstream media may want to make the war on terror about international relations and politics and party debates, but the real war is about the men and women who see the faces of our enemy and then take up their weapons to keep that enemy from our shores.

The story of Private First Class Stephen Sanford is a story you should know. On November 19, 2005 Pfc. Sanford serving with the 2d Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 172d Stryker Brigade Combat Team in Mosul, Iraq. When his squad became involved in an intense firefight in a home, PFC. Sanford was shot in the leg. Despite his injury, he remained with his squad for a second assault on the target and later remained to assist in the evacuation of casualties. He returned to the home a second time to provide covering fire while the final injured soldiers were evacuated. When the last soldier to leave the house was shot in the neck, PFC. Sanford ran to his fallen comrade’s side and began to perform CPR. As he was attempting to revive the soldier, he was shot twice in the back. PFC. Sanford managed to return fire and kill an insurgent. He was then shot two more times, but he continued to return fire and shield the fallen soldier until he was incapacitated by his own loss of blood. PFC. Sanford was just awarded the Distinguished Service Cross which is second only to the Medal of Honor.

This act of selflessness and unhesitating sacrifice for a fellow solider is what we should be talking about. But you won’t hear this story on the news, you won’t see PFC Sanford on cable talking about what the war means to him. Instead you will continue to see politicians and pundits sitting at desks and discussing what the war means to the world and many will presume to talk about what the war means to our troops. But no one is asking PFC Sanford or the men he fought with what the war means. Because their answer might not be one that takes sides on the war. Their answer might just be that the war for them is about the men standing beside them. The men they have laughed with, fought with and bleed with.

There is a church in Topeka, Kansas that has made it a mission to picket military funerals. The Westboro Baptist Church has been regularly picketing the White House and streets in their hometown. They hold signs and mill around generally trying to draw attention to themselves and their message. Are they war protestors? Are they anti-Bush activists? Are the using their freedom of speech and protest to speak out against our presences in Iraq? No, they are protesting against homosexuality. And now they are exploiting our fallen soldiers.

This church, though truly I hesitate to use that word to describe such a hate filled group, has decided to use the funerals of our fallen heroes to draw attention to their anti-gay rhetoric. They find scheduled military funerals and publish the dates and locations on their website. Then they organize a group to travel to the funeral and picket. They hold signs that say that God killed those service members because the United States is too tolerant of homosexuals. Examples of their signs (freely offered by their website) read “FAGS DOOM NATIONS, THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS, FAG TROOPS, GOD BLEW UP THE TROOPS, GOD HATES AMERICA.” I repeat, they do this at military funerals. They line up as close as they can get to the flag draped casket of a hero who died defending this country and hold up a sign that says “Thank God for Dead Soldiers” in front of his widow, his parents, his children and his friends. If you are not appalled by this desecration of the final honors given to our fallen troops, you need to be.

One family who was subjected to the cruelty of the Westboro Baptist Church has taken the group to court and won. The parents of Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder sued the group for picketing their son’s funeral and posting pictures of their demonstration on their website. The family has been awarded $3,000 by a federal judge. The church is of course outraged. I am outraged too, but only because a monetary award will never make up for the pain and suffering those picketers caused the Snyder family.

It’s one thing to assemble and protest and yell at the wind if you feel the need to. But it is not acceptable to mock and desecrate the honorable sacrifice of a young man or woman who gave their life for this country. The actions of this group are beyond disgusting. They are beyond disrespectful. They are nothing short of cruel.

In 480 BCE a small group of warriors stood against millions. They knew they faced almost certain death. They knew that they probably would not receive reinforcements. And yet they held their ground, they refused to retreat and their actions did nothing less than save Western civilization. This is the story of 300 Spartans who held off the two million man army of Xerxes of Persia. Xerxes stood on the brink of defeating and enslaving all of Greece and he was held off by the determination and commitment of 300 well trained men.

The story of the Spartans stand in Thermoplyae is one of the most inspiring in all of military history. It has been immortalized in fiction, graphic novels and now the wildly successful movie 300. It is the story of a king who saw the threat posed by Xerxes and his fanaticism. King Leonidas knew the destruction and devastation that would befall Greece if Xerxes was not stopped. The Greek politicians were afraid and reluctant to confront the Persian threat. They stalled and debated and bickered while Xerxes built his army and moved closer to Greece. Leonidas took action. He chose a small squad of Spartan soliders and marched off to fight the largest army the world has ever known. He chose a narrow mountain pass to make his stand. Every Spartan save the one left to tell the story died on the battlefield. But their sacrifice and their incredible bravery rallied the rest of Greece and a year later the Greek army defeated Xerxes. Democracy was saved in its infancy by the selfless actions of a few.

This story is an endless source of inspiration. It teaches us about courage, esprit de corps and sacrifice. Today as war rages on in Iraq it teaches us about the spirit of those who serve this country. While our politicians and public debate the war, threaten to cut funding and use it as a political platform, our soldiers fight. While people back home debate and criticize and second guess the war, our Marines engage the enemy. While the media dwells on casualties and tragedies, our sailors, airmen and national guardsmen are holding the line. Leonidas and the Spartans who fought beside him saw the threat facing their nation. They looked out across the mountains and saw the army waiting to destroy their homes, murder their families and enslave their children. Our troops today have looked the enemy in the eye. They have seen the brutality and the fanaticism the terrorists have in mind for our country. Our troops are making a stand against an enemy that wants to destroy our culture. They are an inspiration as well. And in the years to come, perhaps their sacrifices will get the honor they deserve and serve to unite freemen and women against those who would enslave us.

I have been asked recently by a reader if I am for real. Can I be serious in my views? How can I truly believe that victory in Iraq is possible? Am I just blowing smoke and talking about the impossible for money, fame or attention? That’s a fair question and here is the answer…yes I am for real. Yes, I am serious. Yes, I believe victory in Iraq is possible. And no I am not in it for money or fame (though I wouldn’t say not to either one).

I absolutely believe that we can win in Iraq. It is not a secret that we have one of the strongest and best equipped militaries in the world. We have the man-power, we have the technology and we have the weaponry to devastate any country in the world. That is not something we need to be ashamed of. That is the simple truth. Is there anyone who believes that we lack the practical means to wipe Iraq off the face of the earth? No.

We have not won in Iraq yet because we have been fighting a civilized war. That is far more than we can say for our enemies. We are fighting fanatics who leave IED’s and don’t care if they kill military of civilian targets. We are fighting terrorists who willfully and with premeditation target innocent men, women and children to press their own extremist agenda. We are not the bad guys. The bad guys attacked us. The bad guys killed 2,973 people on September 11th and were disappointed that they hadn’t killed more. The simple reason that we have not won in Iraq is because we are the good guys and we are fighting fair.

Our troops are putting themselves at greater risk out of their concern for the Iraqi people. They are circumspect in their actions, they are carefully in who the arrest. They are working not only to preserve the infrastructure of Iraq as much as possible; they are also working to rebuild that which has been destroyed. They are not only rebuilding the damage caused by the Iraq War, but damage caused by the oppressive rule of Saddam Hussein.

Is victory in Iraq possible? Absolutely. But we want a just victory; a victory that honors those who have fallen, that benefits the Iraqi people and that makes our country safer. So victory will take longer than we want because we are fighting the good fight. Which is far more than we can about our enemies.

They days of an objective and impartial media reporting the news are long gone. Every news report we see has a slant to it. It could be right or left of the political spectrum, but our media has becoming increasingly biased. One of the most obvious examples of this slant has been the overwhelmingly negative bias towards the war in Iraq that has developed over the past few years. Stories on the war are repeatedly colored with an anti-war brush. The good work being done by our troops, the successes we have experienced, the victories won are not being reported. The media has truly gone from an objective bystander simply showing the events as they happen, to a much more editorial entity, reporting their views as truth.

One retired soldier has apparently had enough of the media’s reporting tactics and has sent an open letter to members of the media. An angry retired Army Sergeant Major said the following in his letter:

“American news media, the New YorkTimes particularly. Each time you publish stories about national defense secrets and our intelligence gathering methods, you become one with the sub-human pieces of camel dung that torture and mutilate the bodies of American Soldiers. You can’t strike up the courage to publish cartoons, but you can help Al Qaeda destroy my country. Actually, you are more dangerous to us than Al Qaeda is. Think about that each time you face Mecca to admire your Pulitzer.

You are America’s axis of idiots. Your collective stupidity will destroy us. Self-serving politics and terrorist abetting news scoops are more important to you than our national security or the lives of innocent civilians and Soldiers. It bothers you that defending ourselves gets in the way of your elitist sport of politics and your ignorant editorializing.” (From Wake Up America)

Many times when I see our troops on the ground in Iraq or Afghanistan or even here in the United States training for war, I am struck by how separate they often seem, like they do truly exist in a different world. While the debate about the war wages on all around them, they seem somehow removed from it. They don’t fight with words, they don’t argue about the politics of the war, they train to fight the war. They are prepared to do their duty whatever and wherever that will be. However, it is inspiring to see someone who has worn the uniform and who has served this country speak up with pride and passion.

Turn on the news any night of the week and you are likely to be bombarded by story after story of the violence in Iraq. Media commentators and reporters are quick to point out the many ways the Iraqi people are still suffering. They are just as quick to blame the Unites States and the war for the troubles of the citizens of Iraq. No one wants to talk about the horrors these people endured under Saddam Hussein’s regime. And even more telling, no one wants to tall about the good that is being done in Iraq. American troops are not just waging a war to establish peace and security. They are also providing humanitarian aid in countless ways. From immunizations to blankets to food to toys for children, our troops are actively looking for ways to help the Iraqi people.

One organization that is helping provide aid to the Iraqis is Operation Iraqi Children. This organization was founded in March 2004 by Gary Sinise (Forrest Gump, CSI: New York) and Laura Hillenbrand (Seabiscuit: An American Legend). Sinise and Hillenbrand started Operation Iraqi Children after talking and visiting with American troops who were trying give school supplies to the children in the towns and villages of Iraq. American troops were stunned to see the dilapidated condition of the schools in Iraq. The schools had been horribly neglected under Saddam Hussein and Iraqi students often lacked even the most basic of school supplies. Schools were often cramped one room buildings without solid floors, fans or even toilets. Many students didn’t have access to books, paper or pencils. American troops often took it upon themselves to rebuild the squalid schools and many asked family members back home to send school supplies that they could distribute to the Iraqi children. But the need is great.

Sinise and Hillendbrand were so inspired by these stories of compassion that they wanted to find a way to help. They started Operation Iraqi Children to help send even more school supplies to our troops to distribute. Through their School Supplies Kit Program, individuals, groups, churches and schools can gather the needed school supplies and send them to the Operation Iraqi Children warehouse in Kansas where they will be boxed and sent to our troops in Iraqi who will then pass them on to the children of Iraq.

It is an important element of the Operation Iraqi Children program that the school supply kits are sent tour troops to distribute. Sinise and Hillenbrand believe that when our troops pass out the kits, they are fostering trust and understanding and making progress in their efforts to win the hearts of the Iraqi people. You can find out more by visiting their website at www.operationitaqichildren.org.

I recently shared the heartbreaking story of Marine Corporal DJ Emery. DJ was gravely wounded when a suicide bomber attacked the checkpoint he was manning. DJ’s life was saved only because of the selfless act of another Marine. This Marine saw the terrorist approaching, suspected that he was a suicide bomber and immediately put himself between the bomber and his Marines. When the bomber detonated himself this heroic Marine was killed instantly, but he saved the life of DJ Emery who is right now fighting for his life in Bethesda Naval Hospital. The Marine who saved his life was Sergeant Major Joseph Ellis.

Sergeant Major Ellis was 40 years old when he stepped in front of a terrorist. He had volunteered for three tours in Iraq because he wanted to make a difference. Joseph Ellis enlisted in the Marine Corps when he was only 17 years old. He spent 23 years in the Corps, most of it in reconnaissance units. He spent more than a year in the Middle East during Operation Desert Storm before returning to the United States. He eventually reached the Marine Corps’ highest enlisted rank and was the battalion Sergeant Major for Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 15 Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is a special operations team when he was killed. Sergeant Major Ellis had been planning to retire in May and return to North Carolina. Instead, he gave his life to protect his Marines. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

I wanted to share the name and story of this brave Marine because he is truly a hero. When he saw a terrorist approaching his Marines, he didn’t stop to consider the political ramifications of his actions, he didn’t waste precious moments while he considered the moral foundation of the war in Iraq. He saw a threat to the men he was fighting with and he stepped in front of them. He put his body between the men he had trained, the Marines he had fought with and bled with and a suicide bomber. Sergeant Major Ellis knew why he was in Iraq. He was there to fight for this country, to fight for his Marines and he made the ultimate sacrifice.

That kind of selfless devotion to this country and to one’s comrades in arms is being exemplified every day by the brave men and women who are willing to give their lives to protect each other. It is a shame that our troops cannot depend on that same kind of commitment from the politicians who sent them to Iraq in the first place.

The outgoing US ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, has confirmed whispered rumors that the United States military is participating in talks with Sunni militias in an effort to turn the militias against Al-Qaeda groups operating in Iraq. The potential alliance between militias and the US military may signal a shift in the mindset of the Sunni militias that have been responsible for much of the continued violence in Iraq. For years the militias have been reluctant to work with the US military because their chief demand had been the immediate withdrawal of American forces from Iraq. This new alliance is possible evidence that the goal of the militias has shifted to fighting Al-Qaeda and ridding Iraq of the terrorist organization.

Al-Qaeda has been responsible for series of attacks in the Al-Anbar province of Iraq. Al-Qaeda has been actively intimidating Iraqis in the Anbar region through murder and kidnappings. US and Iraqis forces have launched an aggressive operation in the region to combat Al-Qaeda groups. An alliance with the Sunni militias would be an additional weapon in the fight against Al-Qaeda and its efforts to undermine security in Iraq.

What is so interesting about this alliance is that is demonstrates how far Iraqis are willing to go to defend their newly free country. That same determination has not been demonstrated by the political leaders of this nation. Sunni Iraqis who are feeling excluded form the Shiites dominated government and who still want the US to leave Iraq, are willing to set aside their differences in order to fight against the real enemy…Islamofascists who see a US defeat in Iraq as an opportunity to further their war against freedom and impose their own twisted views on the rest of the world.

It has taken years of violence, but perhaps this conversion of certain militias is a sign that the Iraqi people are finally prepared to take responsibility for the security of their country. Sunni militias that have fought so aggressively against our troops are turning their weapons against the terrorists who have moved into Iraq. Al-Qaeda is operating in Iraq, undermining our efforts, prolonging the violence and the suffering of the Iraqi people for its own perverted ideological goals.

As Americans, we must acknowledge that it is both eye opening and disturbing that our military can get the support and cooperation they need to defeat terrorists bent on our destruction from their former enemies, but not from the political body that sent them to Iraq in the first place.

The House has passed its pro-defeat in Iraq bill.  The much debated bill that Democrats claimed was committed to pulling United States service members out of Iraq, turned out to be nothing more than a pile of pork.  House Democrats have proven that they have no real interest in our troops and no desire to win the war in Iraq.  Democrats who publicly claimed that they were worried about the men and women serving this country, quickly showed their true colors behind closed doors.  While they told the media and their anti-war supporters that they wanted to bring our troops home, they were truly only concerned with getting their share of bacon. 

How else can we explain a bill that is meant to be about the war, but has more than $20 billion in domestic spending hidden within its pages?  If the Democrats were really only concerned with the war, there would not have been any spending for peanuts, spinach and shrimp included in a bill meant to address our troops in Iraq.  This bill is concerned with only two things:  rewarding Democrats with supplemental funding for their pet projects that couldn’t other wise get a piece of the pig, and ensuring our defeat in Iraq to help the Democrats win the White House in 2008.  This pork filled defeatist bill will undermine the ability of our military to fight the war, give aid to the terrorists who want to take over Iraq as soon as we leave, and give the Democrats a platform in the next Presidential election. 

The most maddening part of this bill is the fact that these members of Congress are willing to sacrifice ever victory we have won in Iraq.  They are not concerned with the morale of our troops, they don’t care about those who have already given their lives in this war and they certainly don’t care about the stability of Iraq.  This is just another example of how our service members are being used as pawns in a political game.  The Democrats want us to lose in Iraq so they can blame the President for our defeat and move their own candidate into the White House next year.   

We should not stand for our politicians engaging in such game playing.  No matter which side of the aisle you are on, the well being of this country should come first.  We are in a war.  Orchestrating defeat will not erase the war.  It will not bring back those who have died.  It will only undermine our strength as a country, damage the morale of our troops and leave the Iraqi people at the mercy of terrorists.   Our troops are committed to victory, we must do the same.

One of the arguments against the war we often hear is that the war is taking to long.  The American people are tired of hearing about the war, casualties, bombings and the instability of post-Saddam Iraq.  The sense is that we should have crossed into Iraq, deposed Saddam, established the democracy, repaired the infrastructure and been home by dinner.  We don’t seem to have the patience or the tolerance for loss of American lives to continue to endure years of war in Iraq. 

This sense of impatience with the war is one of the reasons why the public is turning against the war and why Democrats in Congress feel emboldened enough to demand an end date to our presence in Iraq.  The problem with this “let’s move on” attitude is that it will lead to the failure of our mission in Iraq.  Demanding an end to a war that we have grown tired of watching is the quickest way to ensure defeat.  The only benchmark for our withdrawal from Iraq should be victory.   

This battle coverage fatigue afflicting the American public coupled with a natural reluctance to witness casualties has hampered the war effort from the beginning.  It is impossible to escape the fact that some of the military decisions made regarding the prosecution of the war were influenced to a certain degree by the unblinking eye of the media.  We went into Iraq with a small, but highly trained force of troops and successfully deposed a dictator.  However, we did not follow up with the sizable force needed to hold the country.  We did not go in with an overwhelming and irresistible force.  No one wanted us to be the country that literally wiped Iraq off the map in order to rebuild it.  Instead we tried to fight a clean war.  We tried to be the nice military and play by rules that made the war fit for prime time television.  This plan has clearly backfired.   

The media and segments of the American public have grown tired of a war that they feel has gone on too long.  But instead of being willing to give our military the support they need to finish the mission, they are instead calling for a retreat.  Call it a withdrawal, call is a turnover of responsibility, but if we pull out of Iraq before we have finished the mission, it is a retreat.  But this retreat won’t be sounded because of he enemy, but because of an American public that is unwilling to give our military the added force they need to win.