Iraq War supporters, including the President himself, like to say that criticism of Bush's war policies or of our infallible generals hurts the morale of "the troops" in the field. The implication is that some soldier in Iraq hears that John Kerry criticized Bush for not putting enough soldiers in Iraq to begin with, and so he becomes to dispondent to raise his gun and fire when a guerrilla starts firing on his unit.
It's always struck me as pretty unlikely. Since that recent poll showed that a huge majority of the soldiers in Iraq thought the war had not been worth it, if that claim were true, it's hard to see how we could be having the unbroken string of victories we keep hearing about from the administration and other war supporters.
I thought of that when I read this: On 3rd anniversary, sense of obligation motivates troops by John Koopman San Francisco Chronicle 03/19/06. Koopman reports:
People have debated throughout the war over the meaning of the invasion and whether it was the right thing to do. But not the troops.
Which is not to say they don't discuss the topic privately. Many wonder about the reasons for the war, but it's really a moot point to most of them. They signed a contract, put on the uniform and picked up a gun. They were told to go to Iraq, and they went.
In any case, whatever the reasons for the invasion, there is always talk in Iraq of fixing what has been broken. You hear the phrase "moral obligation" a lot.
Meza has a wife and two kids back home.
"They understand it's my obligation and duty to come here," he said. "I'm doing it because I want to do it, not because I'm forced to. I could have found a different job or found some way to get around it."
Why does he want to be here?
"It's my obligation as a Marine and as a man," Meza said. "If I didn't stand up for this, what else would I stand up for?"
Capt. Melissa Schroth, 26, of Westchester, Pa., has been in the corps for five years and is on her first tour in Iraq.
"I had no reservations about coming," she said. "Wherever the Marines need me to go, I go." (my emphasis)
The article does mention some of the strains the war is putting on individuals and the Army and Marines:
For the American troops, the constant strain of moving in and out of Iraq is starting to take a toll. As motivated as the Marines and soldiers may be, their families are having a hard time dealing with absent fathers and mothers.
Oliva said he has missed half of his 6-year-old daughter's life. He calls himself selfish for doing what he wanted to do, and leaving his family behind. After this tour, he said, he wants to find a position in the Marines that will allow him to stay in the States for a while. He owes it to his family, he said.
Meza said he hears more and more stories of wives leaving husbands, or worse - a buddy called home recently and the phone was answered by his wife's boyfriend. [God, don't you hate it when that happens?]
Retention is down, and so is recruiting. People in Washington have started calling the global war on terrorism "the long war," but it's unclear whether anyone has thought about the impact that line of thinking has on the troops on the ground.
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