Support the Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan

I find it quite ironic that in "supporting" the troops with this emblem, none of the revenue goes to any type of troop support.

I have heard many say, "I support the troops, but I don't support the war in Iraq."

In my opinion, that is the same as listening to a pastor give a sermon about God and then telling that pastor you support his belief in God but you don't support God. You cannot support the Pastor without supporting his belief and you cannot support the troops without supporting the cause they are there for.

It does not matter that one may believe this war is about weapons, oil, or power. The bottom line is the troops are there, they are dying for their belief!

Many do not seem to know the true reason the Iraq war started. More correctly, they do not know the reason it "resumed."

Let me explain. Many believe we are in Iraq because of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). That is their sole belief we are there. When none were found, they are quick to point and say, "SEE!"

However, notice I said "resumed."

In 1991 American forces as well as NATO forces invaded Iraq in order to get Saddam Hussein to get his invading armies out of Kuwait and return their country to them. That war never ended. A "cease-fire" agreement was put in place whereby Saddam Hussein agreed that in exchange for NATO forces not totally decimating his country, he would retrieve his troops, in addition he would not restrict nor hinder in any way the U.N. Arms inspectors as they journeyed around his country ensuring he was not violating his agreements by checking for weapons he had agreed to not manufacture and verifying he did not possess missiles that could travel in flight further than allowed. He would also honor an agreement to allow NATO forces to fly over and around Iraq to ensure compliance. This was in 1991, that war was not ended, but further military action was delayed conditional on Hussein's agreement to this cease-fire agreement.

A decade passes, then a few additional years. During this time the agreement Hussein made to get the NATO troops out of his country were violated constantly. He shot at NATO planes flying around his country against the agreed provisions in the cease-fire. He repeatedly hindered U.N. arms inspectors. Prohibiting their inspections of certain areas (in violation of the cease-fire agreement terms), sometimes holding them against their will before escorting them to the nearest border.

This list of infractions grew from 1991 until our invasion. Our President tried futilely to get the United Nations to bring Hussein back under his previous agreement. The U.N. refused and continued to try "diplomatic reasoning" which was failing as the infractions continued to mount.

There comes a time when someone has to say "enough!" Unfortunately, in this case, maybe we had more on our plate with the attacks on 9-11 and our fighting in Afghanistan, but if not in 2003, we would have been back to Iraq eventually.

Why didn't Hussein honor his commitments made in the cease-fire? By constantly targeting the arms inspectors, it appeared, at least to me, that he had something to hide. For those that gloat nothing was found, remember, nothing was found, which does not mean it isn't there.

Study a map of Iraq. It is a harsh country, numerous mountains and deserts. We know the Iraqi people had the technological knowledge to build tunnels as seen in some arms seizures. Not found does not mean non-existent. Maybe they are there, maybe not. We will only learn the true answer to this many decades in the future when someone locates them and uses them (or forces seize them).

Hussein invaded Kuwait. Rest assured this isn't something he did on a lark. There were underlying plans involved.

I will say that the planning and execution of this war effort has been less than admirable, but we would have been to Iraq.

Those countries that turned their backs on our efforts to contain a ticking bomb in their backyard, such as France, would have been pleading if Hussein had lobbed a missile their way, even more so if it contained chemical warfare or otherwise resulted in a great loss of life.

Instead, they stand against us; at least for now. History has a way of making believers out of those who don't believe at some point.

Support the troops because many volunteered to go help. Many more are dying or returning injured for their belief that what is being done over there is a positive thing. It isn't the citizens attacking troops; it is militant groups trying to continue with dis-harmony to keep their country in turmoil.

As the lyrics in the Clint Black song go, "pray for peace, prepare for war."