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.

[nopardons]

Thanks for the oing! :-)

[nopardons]

Thanks for the ping! :-)

[strategofr]

"someone has to figure out quickly, if we are fighting wars or political campaigns/media events.."

We fight both. No way to separate them. It has happened before, such as in the Civil War (not a great example I'll admit; I don't know about others.)

The the enemy within is strong in the US today. Not only do we have to fight them in the middle of a war, but, to be realistic, they probably limit the duration of war, we can usually engage in.

In this war, we will have to fight the domestic battle to extend the president's unfettered authority past November 2006. Realistically, I believe we will have to get American troops out of central Iraq (out of practically all Iraqi cities) by November, 2008. I would prefer not to withdraw them from the country, but rather to form an impenetrable iron ring of force inside the borders---protecting against invasion and infiltration, all with very minimal US casualties. Of course, this would require the Iraqi army, to be able to handle the fight against the insurgents themselves.

If the Republican administration cannot pull this off by November 2008, I believe the Democrats will win the election and stage an immediate unconditional total pullout.

[randog]

It must have pained 'Pravda on the Lake' (Buffalo News) to publish this honest review of the war in Iraq.

Lefty newspapers will print a letter like this once a year, then trot it out when 'bias' charges are leveled.

[True Republican Patriot]

Truly a Hero and it is a real honor for You to know his father. Please give him Our Praise, Respect. Honor and Thanks! His story should be presented by all of the Media, at least by Hannity and Rush and Laura and why don't we all try O'Reilly for a change.Freep them all!

[ichabod1]

Hey Murtha, cowards cut and run, Marines never do.

[blackie]

David Bellavia is a real hero ~ Bump!

[zot]

Real words by a real hero.

[Pirate21]

Neither Murtha...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.

Dang straight. They're like the retired military commentators on TV who provide clueless "insight" (and of all things, suggestions as to how a battle should be fought) based on experience in a completely different generation of warfare. I'm grateful for their service, but unless they're currently on active duty, they need the humble "insight" that their strategies are likely out-of-date. As for the cowards' strategy, running is still running.

Thanks, West Coast Conservative, for highlighting this articulate editorial. There's not a morsel of it that isn't to be savored.

[RetiredArmy]

God, I love these people in uniform. God bless every one of you. Thank the Good Lord everyday we have them.

[Chieftain]

He would NEVER get elected in NYC, and that's where most of the NY state voters are. They want Hillary and Chuckie and that's what they deserve.

[Recovering Hermit]

Staying the course isn't a campaign slogan; it is a life support message to my peers.

Great post.

[MileHi]

ping

[King Prout]

spread the word

[King Prout]

bumping greatness

[msnimje]

Murtha, like Kerry, are an embarrassment to the United States Military.

[R. Scott]

If anyone wants to find out what veteran Army Transporters from the Viet am Era think – check out these (my) people.

[TASMANIANRED]

Calling it like it is.

[R. Scott]

Possibly - my husband thinks there is something wrong with his mind - senility or something.

But Murtha is a “Hero” – just like Hanoi John. Just ask him. Murtha had a couple years active duty and a lot of years reserve – he really know what he is saying, just like Hanoi John. A real expert on combat. < /sarcasm>

[DBeers]

Yes!

BTTT