Service To Self Or Country?

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This is a must read article written by Oliver North about the cowardly conduct and statements made by Murtha recently:

A few days after returning from my seventh trip to Iraq for FOX News, I was called upon to comment on the most recent affront to those who are fighting terrorists in Saddam’s former fiefdom. The offense occurred during the January 2nd broadcast of ABC News’ “Nightline,” when Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., a combat-decorated Marine veteran of Korea and Vietnam, was asked by interviewer John Donovan about the Congressman’s willingness to serve in our Armed Forces:

Q: “Would you join today?”

A: “No.”

Donovan then opined, “And I think you’re saying that the average guy out there who’s considering recruitment is justified in saying I don’t want to serve.”

A: “Well, exactly right.”

Set aside for a moment whatever might be happening in Murtha’s private, personal or political life that has prompted him to become the point-man for the “surrender now” wing of the Democrat party — and consider the latent effect of such an exchange on an all-volunteer military in the midst of a war. This is not just dissent. It is at best, discouraging to young Americans who consider donning a uniform to be a noble way of serving their country. At worst, it is potentially disastrous.

Murtha’s echo of the ’60s mantra, “Hell no, I won’t go,” heard chanted on college campuses during the Vietnam war, is a step further into defeatism for the anti-military, blame-America-first leaders of his party. Fortunately, few of the soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines I have interviewed in Iraq have ever heard of Murtha. Unfortunately, thanks to the efforts of the so-called mainstream media, his words may well prompt some here at home to dismiss military service. In the midst of a war against brutal terrorists who fly airplanes into buildings, blow up trains and sever the heads of innocents, it undermines both America’s effort in Iraq and presents problems for our national security as a whole.

Discouraging young Americans from joining our Armed Forces has implications well beyond Mesopotamia. The young men and women who have chosen the honor of wearing this country’s uniform also serve around the globe. There are 100,000 troops in Europe, roughly 35,000 in both Korea and Japan, and 15,000 more in Afghanistan. Our Air Force has aircraft — and personnel — on every continent. The U.S. Navy has ships and sailors in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, the Mediterranean Sea, the Persian Gulf and off North Korea and China. Marines routinely deploy to every theater. All of them are volunteers. All of them are, at minimum, high-school graduates — members of the brightest, best-educated, trained, equipped and combat-experienced military force in history. If the “don’t serve now” movement takes hold in the opposition party, defending America’s interests around the world could soon become impossible.

Murtha’s defenders say he is just being “sincere” in his opposition to the war he voted for in 2002. That may be so, but it doesn’t make him right, nor should his prior military service inoculate him from criticism.

[…]

I couldn’t of titled this article better.? That is what it comes down to, the “me” generation.? What is in it for me??

Thankfully there are still many many people who don’t think of themselves first, but love of country.

UPDATE

Bookworm pointed me to this post from Scott’s Conservative News where he picks apart Murtha piece by piece, here is just a sample:

For any elected official, of any party, of any responsibility let alone someone sitting on a House Armed Services committee, to make such comments actively discouraging American citizens from serving their nation is not only dereliction, it is indeed treason. It is irresponsible, and it not only causes our Armed Forces to employ more manpower and financial resources in order to meet the mission of enlisting servicemembers, but decreases American capability and places current soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines in danger.

And just one more reason to have NO respect for Democrats such as these.? They are weak spiny jellyfish.? The cowardly conduct of Murtha lately makes me wonder how in the world he received any medals in Vietnam…..maybe he pulled a Kerry?

UPDATE II

Mudville Gazette writes about a soldier who took on Murtha at a town hall meeting recently:

“Yes sir my name is Mark Seavey and I just want to thank you for coming up here. Until about a month ago I was Sgt Mark Seavey infantry squad leader, I returned from Afghanistan. My question to you, (applause)

“Like yourself I dropped out of college two years ago to volunteer to go to Afghanistan, and I went and I came back. If I didn’t have a herniated disk now I would volunteer to go to Iraq in a second with my troops, three of which have already volunteered to go to Iraq. I keep hearing you say how you talk to the troops and the troops are demoralized, and I really resent that characterization. (applause) The morale of the troops that I talk to is phenomenal, which is why my troops are volunteering to go back, despite the hardships they had to endure in Afghanistan.

“And Congressman Moran, 200 of your constituents just returned from Afghanistan. We never got a letter from you; we never got a visit from you. You didn’t come to our homecoming. The only thing we got from any of our elected officials was one letter from the governor of this state thanking us for our service in Iraq, when we were in Afghanistan. That’s reprehensible. I don’t know who you two are talking to but the morale of the troops is very high.”

Moran – who is one of the few congressmen supporting Charlie Rangel’s call to restore the draft – responded quickly: “That wasn’t in the form of a question, it was in the form of a statement. But, uhh… let’s go over here.” And he took the next question.

Greyhawk then writes about Murtha’s other recent statement, which I was unaware of, where he basically defended Cindy Sheehan’s “freedom fighters”:

Bin Laden said he attacked the United States because of the troops in Saudi Arabia. That’s terrorism. Terrorism was in London. Terrorism was in Spain. Terrorism was, obviously, in the United States.

That’s completely separate from what’s going on in Iraq. Iraq is an insurgency.
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“Very small proportion of the people that are involved in the insurgency are terrorists or how I would interpret them as terrorists.”

What a vile and disgusting man this guy is.

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Thanks for the link Curt, and thanks Bookie for pointing me out! I feel special.

Ollie North’s column was right on, and I’m glad to see you linked it. This is un-American behavior for loony citizens, let alone a Congressman.

My blog friend, Scott, who is in the military also had a great take on Murtha’s quote. He is truly horrified and really takes it apart.