Originally Posted by Rochard

When you sign up for any of the United States armed forces, the very first thing you do is take an oath to the President of the United States. It doesn't matter who the President is or if you believe in him (or her) or their polices, but instead you take an oath to the Oval Office and whomever is currently sitting behind that big desk.

My father died a US Marine, and I knew the risks when I signed up. I was lucky that I was in during a period where there was no war. I got out shortly before the Gulf War, and I was considered "Inactive reserve" - subject to be called up at a moment's notice. And yes, I was in fact very concerned.

The problem is the general population no longer belives in the greater good. Take Iraq out of the question and replace it with Africa. Africa has been torn by war for decades, people are starving, and the entire country is being destroyed by AIDS. And we are doing nothing about it. We were in Africa and pulled out after the "Blackhawk Down" incident because "Americans were being killed". Well, I have no other way to put it, but this is what happens when we go to battle. It's called a sacrafice for the greater good.

This is why we went to war in Europe during WWII, and why we went to into Korea. In Europe we assisted Russia in preventing Hilter and the Nazis from their rule (which was brutal), and in Korea we saved everyone in South Korea from the communist rule of North Korea. (Did you know in North Korea they are not allowed to have radios and are fed by the state - meaning they are starving?)

We look at Iraq and all we see are Americans dieing. I hate to put this in such blunt terms while my fellow Americans are dieing, but the numbers are very small and we are making a world of difference in Iraq. Read about the fighting in the South Pacific during WWII and how how tens of thousands of Americans died in a single battle, or Vietnam where hundreds died every day.

You can't tell me we aren't doing good in Iraq. We don't hear how about the new power plants, water treatment plants, and schools that are opened every day. We don't hear about this because these things dosn't sell newspapers - While Americans dieing does sell headlines.

We also need to look at this in a much larger picture. I wonder how many of you drive SUVs that swallow gas as if it was water. We need a stable Middle East to ensure our flow of oil that powers our damn cars. We need a full time military base right in the middle of the region. And that's what we currently have.

It seems like the Iraqis don't want us there. This is because there is a small band of terrorists that use sucide bombers to randomly kill people. You think if the US pulls out that's going to change?

Do I support our troops? Yes. I donate to the USO every month, send out care packages to our troops, and I have friends there - all US Marines - who send me wish lists via email and I do my best to provide them with what they need.