Who Supports Our Troops?

War protesters are constantly faced with the criticism that they are not supporting the troops. It is hard for us to understand how we could be more supportive than to pull them out of unnecessary harm’s way. If our critics can’t understand that, how do they frame this from The Center for American Progress Action Fund?:

IRAQ -- ARMY DENIES BENEFITS TO NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS WHO SERVED 22 MONTHS IN IRAQ: Approximately 2,600 members of the Minnesota National Guard recently returned home after serving serving 22 months tours -- longer than any other ground combat unit. Members of the group suffered nine fatalities and were awarded dozens of Purple Hearts. But the Army wrote the orders for 1,162 of these soldiers for 729 days, making them ineligible for full educational benefits under the GI Bill, which requires written orders saying they were deployed for 730 days or more. These soldiers were shorted more than $200 per month for college. First Lt. Jon Anderson believes that the military deliberately cut short their orders to avoid paying the soldiers' education benefits. "I think it was a scheme to save money, personally," he said. "I think it was a leadership failure by the senior Washington leadership." Six members of Minnesota’s congressional delegation, as well as Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D) and Norm Coleman (R), have asked Secretary of the Army Pete Geren to investigate the matter. Coleman said that it's "simply irresponsible to deny education benefits to those soldiers who just completed the longest tour of duty of any unit in Iraq." Geren has reportedly assured the lawmakers that the cases "will be reviewed on an expedited basis, so that those who qualify can attend school next semester."

Now I ask you. Who is more supportive of the troops; the critics of the war or the engineers of the war?

Be the change you wish to see in the world. -- M. K. Gandhi

Individually we have little voice. Collectively we cannot be ignored.
But in silence we surrender our power. Yours in Peace -- BR

The reason for going was to keep the crude flowing and raise a false flag abroad. – from a poem by Jack Evans titled 3500 Souls - http://www.myspace.com/paralegal_eagle