Hood CSM: Army tired, undermanned but resolute

When I post about what is going on in Iraq, this is part of what I have a huge problem with. The soldiers are still willing to do their duty no matter how they are treated. They are still willing to lay down their lives no matter what happens at the top of the food chain.

Hood CSM: Army tired, undermanned but resolute

The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jul 2, 2008 5:59:56 EDT

KILLEEN, Texas — A three-decade Army veteran called a “steel spine” by the defense secretary says he and most other soldiers would prefer never to deploy and fight again because they are tired, undermanned and under-equipped.

“We, the Army, have been rode hard and put up wet,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Neil L. Ciotola, Fort Hood’s senior noncommissioned officer. “We’re catching ourselves coming and going. ... In all honesty, ladies and gentlemen, I and the majority of us in uniform, and those that repeatedly support us are tired.”

Ciotola spoke at the Central Texas-Fort Hood Chapter of the Association of the United States Army where he was given an award for leadership Monday night.
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http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/07/ap_hood_csm_070108/

When it was clear they were sent into Iraq, into the "quagmire" as predicted by Dick Cheney in the 90's when he played the role of Secretary of Defense, they were willing to go and give the administration a chance to prove themselves. They failed and the troops were left to fend for themselves. Given no grandiose plans to accomplish the mission they were sent on, given no back up with diplomatic warfare to engage the Iraqi people to participate, they still did their duty.

When it was clear the claims that Iraq was not a threat to us, they switched mode from fighting against into fighting for the Iraqi people. The Iraqi people however decided they wanted to fight against the troops. Fracture by sectarian inclinations instead of nationalism, old hatred and hunger for revenge, they then turned on each other while trying to kill the troops in their spare time.

When commanders decided that they would pay the people to stop fighting the troops, it seemed to work but no one knows what will happen when soon the money stops flowing from the US and the Iraqi government has not decided they will pay these militias instead.

When pressure was put on the administration to change the plans, yet excuses and demands to continue staying the course, prevented any kind of resolution of the occupation. Yet the troops still were willing to do their duty.

When they came home wounded and were neglected by the system never addressed to take care of their wounds, they were still willing to serve. When no one in Washington was paying attention to their suffering, they were still willing to serve. When the Army study on redeployments proved the fact they would increase the risk of PTSD by 50%, yet they did them anyway, the troops were still willing to do their duty.

Throughout all of these years, these men and women, no matter what was done to them and not done for them, they were still willing to serve. Yet instead of this nation stepping up to force the administration to pay attention to these men and women, they either decided that they would support the administration no matter what, or just ignore it entirely.

We cannot stop the occupation of Iraq anymore than we can accomplish the mission in Afghanistan, the forgotten occupation that should have been the top report since 2001, but what we can do today is make sure they are taken care of. We can make sure they get the rest between deployments that is necessary. We can make sure the National Guard and Reservists do not suffer financially for their lost incomes. We can make sure that when they come home wounded, they are treated with the dignity and respect they have all earned.

The Secretaries of the VA have regarded them as if they do not matter for far too long. James Peake will indicate that the administration has been moving mountains to address PTSD one day and the next he's dismissing the suffering as if they really don't matter. We can make sure that we do not ignore what they claim they are doing and demand proof of it.

While Battlemind, the program they are claiming is all so important, the facts prove the program does not work. If it worked there would not be an increase in the suicides and attempted suicides. Is anyone demanding proof to show how Battlemind is really performing? The media has been reporting on the claims of accomplishments as well as the devastating consequences but none of them have managed to put the two together. Are they paying attention enough? It's doubtful when we pick up a newspaper one day about more suicides one day and the next the administration is being patted on the back for something they claim is happening. We can make sure the media does their job reporting facts instead of just what they are told by people without proof.

There are things we can do for the sake of the troops even if we cannot bring them home. We can bring them home to a nation that actually lives up to being grateful for their willingness to serve no matter what the administration is putting them through. We cannot go on ignoring them. We all want them home as soon as possible but what are we doing to them between now and then and what are we expecting them to come home to?

Senior Chaplain Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
www.Namguardianangel.org
www.Woundedtimes.blogspot.com
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington