Honor, Loyalty and Duty

The Congress passed a bill yesterday to continue financing operations in Iraq. Acceding to the wishes of the MAJORITY (60%) of Americans (Newsweek poll 3/23-25/07, scroll down to the bottom), it requires a troop withdrawal by 2008. Predictably the 101st Fighting Keyboardist denounced this bill as the “cut and run act”.

As a 20 year veteran of the US Army, I can ignore the Chicken hawk choir. But for those veterans on the other side who disagree and actually walked the walk, I say this.

I never gave much thought that I was risking death to protect my country, and by the grace of Hashem and/or the Universe I was lucky to avoid 2 wars and 5 police actions while on active duty (see Commander Oggs Rule #5 at the bottom of this blog). I'm a cynic by nature, and while honor, loyalty and duty are the words I may live by, I'll deny in a Court of law that I actually believe in them (One of the reasons I joined the Military was a belief in a steady paycheck and health insurance).

But if I may be serious for a minute (I can do serious), loyalty and duty are a two way street. I never questioned the orders of those appointed above me, but I was lucky enough to serve for most of my career with good officers and civilians who would not throw my life away like sausage in a meat grinder. If I was ever required to storm the beach or take the hill, live or die; I knew that there was a strategy that would lead to victory.

The newly elected Democratic MAJORITY in Congress has sent this Administration a message: After four years of war without a valid operational, tactical or strategic plan, enough is enough! Accountability is the new watch word. No more sound bites, patriotic slogans or pimping 9/11. No more sausage. And if the clueless Gang of 500 is too stupid to see that, f*ck'em.

If ordered back to duty I would go tomorrow. But I will no longer support a war that the in my opinion the President has ordered us to loose (or at least delay). Given recent polling data From the Pew Research Center, odds look good for a Democratic to take the Presidency in 2008. It would be in Bush's best interest to try and dump this mess in the lap of the new administration to protect his legacy as the Commander in Chief.