ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN BUMPER STICKERS

I am having much difficulty with the sloganeering and the cliche-ridden hyperbole associated with the idea that we must “Support Our Troops.”

Of course, support of our people in uniform is essential, but what do we really mean by the word support? If we drive around town with a bumper sticker demanding that we “support the troops” are we truly supporting them?

We hear or read of “wind-bag” politicians ranting about “cutting and running,” we hear from them about “slashing” funds, and we watch as the sunshine patriots wave the flag but will never step into harm’s way to help bring peace and stability to a broken world. I want them to do something else. I want them to do what is truly needed to support the troops.

A few weeks ago I read an article about the way badly wounded soldiers are being treated after they have completed their hospitalization. Because these soldiers still have many months of rehabilitation to go through and cannot return to civilian life, they remain at the military hospital as out-patients.

The living conditions of these soldiers are appalling (if the news report is correct). The soldiers in these living conditions have lost limbs, parts of their brains, and sensory organs, and have profound mental problems. Regardless, now they have been robbed of their dignity.

What about supporting “the troops” now?

Congress has systematically reduced funding for the facilities where these soldiers are being treated. The Defense Department has let the facilities in which they live and the support the wounded soldiers need to deteriorate to a point that some of these “troops” consider suicide, have a sense of abandonment, and feel totally lost in a system that talks about support but leaves them exposed to elements and conditions they cannot defend against.

My plea is that you will support the men and women who wear the uniform of our country in this terrible time in world history by doing something — support the USO, the Fisher Homes, the Red Cross mission to the military, write letters, and give some form of support to a soldier’s family.

Instead of cliches, bumper stickers, and slogans, be proactive. Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen will feel supported when we pay attention to their needs and not to ours to look and feel patriotic.

Source: TAD
(Author Unknown)

Published By:
Silicon Valley Chapter
“The Bulletin”
Col Keith Giles, USAF-Ret, Editor
October 2007 Issue

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