As you continue to hear John Kerry accuse our soldiers of fighting the “wrong war at the wrong time in the wrong place” and as you hear John Kerry proclaiming from every black church he can pander to that there is “great potential” for a new military draft to replace ‘overextended’ U.S. troops in Iraq if President Bush wins, I want you to think about these folks:
George Perez - Lost his leg to a roadside bomb in Iraq more than a year ago, but despite the phantom pains that haunt him, he says he is determined to prove to the Army that he is no less of a man � and no less of a soldier. When he arrived at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., for his rehabilitation, Perez asked a pair of generals who visited his bedside if it was possible for him to stay in the Army. Perez intends to show a medical board he can run an eight-minute mile, jump out of airplanes and pass all the other paratrooper tests that will allow him to go with his regiment to Afghanistan next year.
Staff Sgt. Daniel Metzdorf - Lost his right leg above the knee in a Jan. 27 blast. He appealed three times before the fitness board allowed him to stay on.
Sgt. Chuck Bartles - A reservist who lost his right arm in a roadside bombing in Iraq re-enlisted in the Army on the same day he received a Bronze Star for his service. Bartles twice appealed to a medical board at Walter Reed. Satisfied that he could perform his duties, they agreed to let him re-enlist.
Army Sgt. Joshua Forbess - Was one of just five soldiers who survived a fiery Black Hawk helicopter collision over Mosul, Iraq, last November. While he continues to recover from his injuries � a process that, including reconstruction surgery, could take two or three years � he’s back working at Fort Campbell, Ky., and committed to returning to full duty with his unit, the 320th Field Artillery Regiment’s 1st Battalion.
U.S. ArmyCapt. David Rozelle - In June, 2003, Capt. David Rozelle’s Humvee rolled over a land mine while on patrol in Iraq, and he lost his right foot. Rozelle’s whirlwind year also included two meetings with President Bush, who agreed to go jogging with Rozelle next year. “I’m going to hold him to it,” he said. After nine difficult months of rehabilitation and the fitting of an artificial leg, Capt. Rozelle was certified as “fit for duty.” In June, within days of the first anniversary of losing his foot, he made his return to Iraq to take command of the 3rd Armored Cavalry’s headquarters unit. (I take special pride in this story because David and I played high school football together in what now seems like another era, a distant generation)
These are just a few examples of our heroic men and women who are sitting in the battlefield of a war John Kerry calls “wrong”. These are the men and women serving at the direction of their Commander-in-Chief, George W. Bush. These are the men and women whose lives have been forever altered by this battle… and these are the men and women fighting like hell to return to service.
Do they feel “misled“? Do they feel part of a “colossal error in judgment“? Do they feel “we need a regime change in the United States“? Do they share the ‘value’ of playing politics and being “proud to say that John [Edwards] joined me in voting against that $87 billion when we knew the policy had to be changed“?
The recent Annenberg Poll “found that 69 percent had a “favorable” view of Bush, while 29 percent professed a favorable view of Kerry.”
It also said that “on Iraq, 64 percent of those surveyed in the military group said going to war there was worth it, although among those who had served in Iraq or Afghanistan, the figure dropped to 55 percent. An even closer split emerged on the question of whether the war had reduced or raised the risk of terrorist attacks on the United States, with 47 percent saying the risk was down and 42 percent saying it had gone up.”
Democrats will undoubtedly point to that last figure as well as this: “Respondents also were narrowly divided on whether Bush has a clear solution for Iraq: 47 percent said he does; 48 percent said he lacks a plan” to claim a victory in this survey.
But I would simply say that even in the face of those numbers regarding a plan and risk of terrorist attacks, these folks STILL have a 69% favorable view of Bush and 29% favorable view of Kerry.
So that tells me even when things aren’t going there best, our soldiers still prefer the leadership of President George W. Bush. But don’t just take my word for it.
