Time to Turn the Page

Last night the US President announced the end of combat mission in Iraqi.  While I applaud his actions, especially with the announcement occurring on my final day in the US Army, it concerns me whether or not it’s being done for the right reasons.

Why the war in Iraq was initiated in the first place is one for historians and politicians to argue and debate in the years to come.  Personally, I am beyond that – too many hours were spent on this particular at the USAWC – now my focus is our extended family that continues the mission in my absence.

The President noted a couple of issues that immediately caught my attention: the “violence will not end” and the remaining US military will redirect their efforts to an “advising and assisting role.”  That being said, of concern is the issue of rules of engagement for the troops in Iraq.  Will they no longer have the ability to adequately protect and defend themselves while in theater?

The President also noted, “We must use all elements of our power.”  That should be a given in times of any crisis – foreign or domestic.  As for “Diplomats, aid workers, and advisors – are moving into the lead,” the question becomes, Where ya been??  Because the State Department was too slow on the upswing of resolving the issues of nation rebuilding as well as a number of the NGOs, the military in many cases had to step up to the traditional civilian roles to put in place civil infrastructure or see to their creation.

In the Q&A session the White House communications office had on uTube following the President’s speech there were a couple of reoccurring questions that probably was on everyone’s mind.  Will the money we have been putting into the war now be used on other things to jump-start the economy? And, How much will ending the Iraq war save in defense spending?

In this time of recession and depression fears these are realistic questions each of us should be asking our elected representatives – especially with elections less than two and a half months away.  But before anyone runs off to play stump the chump with the candidates there’s a couple of tidbits of information to also keep in mind.  One, this war has been for the most part done on the cheap – in terms of money.  In previous wars the nation postured themselves into a wartime footing taking significant amount of funding and materials into the fight. 

While there was significantly more funding available to prepare our military for war from what was allotted prior to 9-11, it was still not at the levels experienced in previous wars.  Of note, the latest weapon, the M-4 rifle, is still not fully fielded throughout the Army; consequently, Soldiers aren’t normally issued the weapon until they are preparing for deployment.  Helicopters lost in the war are not readily replaced, but shifted around from other aviation units not in the deployment window.  Most up-armored vehicles are kept in theater for rotation after rotation after rotation – sooner or later someone is going to have to absorb the cost of their replacement.  And the list goes on.

There are also the post-deployment medical costs that have only just begun.  We the people cannot afford or allow the affects of PTSD, suicide, physical trauma, and other disorders to simply slip to the back pages of everyday life.  These kids stepped forward when our nation called and rode to the sound of the guns to help preserve our way of life.  So, lets not make their care an issue of political contention.

The bottom line, it’s reasonable to assume this war will continue to cost us long after the last Soldier turns out the lights and flies back to the world.

What the President and I do agree on – yes, it’s time to turn the page.