Boehner Column: "An Appeal for Courage from Those Serving to Protect Us"

Via email:

Webster’s dictionary defines courage as a “lack of fear; bravery; valor.”

Nearly 3,000 U.S. troops recently showed courage in petitioning Congress to stop calls for retreat in Iraq and the Global War on Terror. I accepted this petition along with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and other Members of Congress so that we can share this with our colleagues. The strength of this petition rests in its simple wording:

“As an American currently serving my nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to fully support our mission in Iraq and halt calls for retreat. I also respectfully urge my political leaders to actively oppose media efforts which embolden my enemy while demoralizing American support at home. The War in Iraq is a necessary and just effort to bring freedom back to the Middle East and protect America from further attack.”

The petition and the number of active duty troops who continue to sign it may be viewed at www.appealforcourage.com.

The two soldiers who started this petition – Lt. Jason Nichols, a Navy Information Professional officer stationed in Baghdad and Staff Sgt. David Thul, currently serving with the 34th Infantry Division in Iraq through the Minnesota National guard – are very clear in their intentions.

“We believe we are winning the war,” Nichols told Bob Wallace, executive director of Veterans of Foreign Wars, who worked with Nichols and Thul to garner support for the appeal. “We need the support of the full Congress for the mission [they] sent us on.”

In fact, our troops believe so strongly in their mission that all branches of the service either met or exceeded their retention goals in April. And new enlistments are also meeting or exceeding goals last month:

Army: Goal 5,400; Enlisted 5,804.
Navy: Goal 2,718; Enlisted 2,718.
Marine Corps: Goal 1,345; Enlisted 1,899.
Air Force: Goal 2,040; Enlisted 2,040.

Last month, the 1st Calvary Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team marked its 450th re-enlistment at Camp Taji , north of Baghdad where the team deployed in mid-October. Also last month, an Army Staff Sergeant recovering from a broken foot sustained in an IED attack re-enlisted for three more years in the Army Reserve from his hospital bed.

Our soldiers believe in what they’re doing. And they’re asking us to support them by not insulting their mission, by not calling for a retreat and by not telling them that this war is lost.

More than 95 days ago, President Bush asked Congress for an emergency troop spending bill that doesn’t restrict our troops, doesn’t handcuff our generals on the ground and doesn’t include billions of dollars in unnecessary pork. Instead, Congress passed one spending bill that the President already vetoed and another one that rations funding to our troops as though they were children on an allowance.

Our troops understand that if we back down from the threat of terrorism, we’re putting the security of the American people at risk. Instead of demeaning our soldiers with political strings and billions in excessive, non-military spending, we should work together to resolve our differences and get our troops the resources they need to be successful. Let’s show our troops that we can be courageous, too.

Boehner represents Ohio ’s 8th District, which includes all of Darke, Miami and Preble counties, most of Butler and Mercer counties, and the northeastern corner of Montgomery County. He was first elected to Congress in 1990.