Soldiers are committed to our mission in Iraq [Iraqi Veteran & Silver Star Recipient Slams Murtha]

Buffalo News ^ | December 13, 2005 | DAVID BELLAVIA

[West Coast Conservative]

David Bellavia, of Batavia, earned the Silver Star in Iraq and has been recommended for the Medal of Honor.

As the debris continues to settle from the explosion detonated by the defeatist comments by Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., I wonder how he expected his statements to be perceived. As an infantryman whose boots are still caked with blood and dust from Iraq, I am beyond confused by the insistence by Democratic Reps. Nancy Pelosi and Louise Slaughter that he preserve his title as a combat visionary. As rancor and hyperbole peak, we continue to be fed bastardized statistics and a complete denial that Iraq, according to al-Qaida intercepts, is indeed the front line in the war on terror.

When then-President Bill Clinton sent 15,000 troops into post-hostile Bosnia to get the job done, it was the equivalent of keeping 585,000 troops in Iraq post-invasion, when equating terrain and population. Tellingly, the silence from the left is deafening. To the leftists in America, Clinton understood war like no other: Pull out when the blood starts to flow (Somalia) and overcommit when there is no chance of loss (Kosovo and Bosnia).

I am no John Zogby, but I conclude 100 percent of Iraqis want us out - eventually. They very much want us there while Islamo-fascists continue to blow them up as they worship and apply to serve the cause of freedom. My peers are not appreciative of the elitists, like Sens. Ted Kennedy and John Kerry, who daily attempt to uncover mistakes made by this administration while my brothers under fire bleed to death thousands of miles from home.

Iraqi veterans are without apologies for not finding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Former administrations ignored the danger present in this region for years, and we in the trenches now pay the price for our past inability to confront our enemies. Each day, the enemy hopes that one more 10-plus death toll inflicted against the coalition via a roadside bomb will be the last straw of the American collective will.

Make no mistake. This is a middle- to lower-class war, fought by volunteers of the greatest generation of American warriors ever born. I have written more than 47 recommendations for Bronze Star valor awards for the members of my 34-man infantry platoon. That award, alarmingly, is growing more and more common during this fight. And yet my peers cannot use their awards as a platform to defend their noble struggle, because they are still deep in the fight.

Neither Murtha, who wears his Bronze Star as his badge of authority, nor any other congressional representative has held a position in a skirmish line under fire in Iraq, yet they pontificate to the masses from "their war" experience. Not one has borne witness to the extreme close-quarter nature of this fight or commented on the tearful thanks from a deserving and proud people who need us to stay the course.

Yet Murtha has the extreme audacity to call my peers "broken." Funny how a man like Murtha, who made his career on detailing his heroism under fire, is the first to chip away at my generation's valor.

Each day, the Iraqi war veteran grows closer to the embarrassing disrespect of the Vietnam warrior. Each day, legislators like Murtha move us closer to losing a winnable war and abandoning a worthy ally. Staying the course isn't a campaign slogan; it is a life support message to my peers. Like Vietnam, the American soldier cannot be defeated on the field of battle, only by the failure of the political class to stomach the hardships of combat.

[Chuck54]

bttt

[rightinthemiddle]

Can you say "Senator Bellavia?"

[sully777]

Can someone read this for the congressional record?

[Peach]

Oh, what an excellent point that man made about Murtha's "peers".

[Fudd Fan]

Thank you for posting this.

WOO-HOO!

[3dognight]

Bookmark - excellent article. Prayers for this generation of soldiers. May they continue in strength and courage. What a contrast to the murtha's and kerry's.

[cll]

Band of Brothers ping!

[Chena]

BRAVO!!! I thank God every day for courageous men and women like Dave Bellavia. His article hits the nail on the proverbial head. Excellent article!

Thanks for posting it, West Coast Conservative.

[wallcrawlr]

excellent post.

thanks for that

[Paradox]

Wow, this is awesome, and look at this guys face, not exactly the kind of face you'd be afraid to bump into at a bar or in some dark alley. This guy is obviously DEADLY when he needs to be.

[aculeus]

Yet Murtha has the extreme audacity to call my peers "broken." Funny how a man like Murtha, who made his career on detailing his heroism under fire, is the first to chip away at my generation's valor.

Murtha suffers from inter-generational jealousy. His generation's was was 'Nam ... not a victory. He loathes the prospect of the current generation of warriors coming home victorious.

[Jim Robinson]

Great post!!

[GoforBroke]

If this gets picked up by the MSM it will leave a mark.

[OXENinFLA]

PING...

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

Hey, "Senator " Bellavia...how about doing all the TV talk shows as soon as possible...starting with Meet The Depressed! Wouldn't he be a hoot with Biden?ha/.

[ohioWfan]

I'll BUMP your BUMP!!

Thanks for the pings!

[MNJohnnie]

This thread should be nailed to the Free Republic Mast head.

[domenad]

Like Tom "The Hammer" Delay, I can envision a great moniker for this guy:

David "Asskick" Bellavia.

[TheDon]

Murtha is a traitor.

[Castigar]

I know David Bellavia's father through a business relationship. He kept me and others up to date by email when David was in Iraq and when he was wounded. He is very proud of his son, as we all should be.