Military personnel are loathe to get politically involved. There are many rules preventing them from doing so, but much deeper is the instinct that tells soldiers that politics and soldiering don't mix. I've always believed that politicians feel intimidated and inferior to soldiers which probably stems from the fact that most soldiers have a very low opinion of politicians as desk jockeys that have evolved into vote whores to the media. They'd be right.
In 2006 a group of soldiers, about 1,000, signed the “Appeal for Redress” which was an anti-war screed that could have been written by an intern from the Berkeley Art Department for the San Francisco Treat. This "redress" was protected by military rules that allow military personnel to directly appeal to Congress with grievances. Thus the 2007 “Appeal for Courage” is protected as well.
The difference is that one is a cut and run appeal while the newer appeal is one that asks Congress to stop being defeatist and allow the military to do their job, i.e., win. These soldiers believe they will win in Iraq. At the very least they don't want to be stabbed in the back by a group of desk jockeys with their own agendas half a world away while cowardly murders try to stab them on the other three sides. They'd be right.
In the past few weeks “Appeal for Courage” has collected over 1,200 signatures.
“The primary military lesson of Vietnam was that you could win a war on
the battlefield, but lose it at home,” he said in an e-mail to Stars and
Stripes. “We feel that although there are still tough days ahead, we are going
to win the war in Iraq as long as we are allowed to stay until our job is
done.”
To some, short pumps mean effective fire power while to others short pumps mean premature evaculation.
