Sound Off: Rep. Murtha and Military Service Today

This Sound Off was submitted by Terry Riley. Sound Off is a regular feature of the blog that allows individuals to voice their views on timely issues and controversies. Click on the 'Email Me' link on the upper right-hand side of the page if you'd like to submit your own Sound Off.

I just sent the following e-mail to the Ed Schultz show. I am responding to his attacking Congressman Murtha for recommending that this is not a good time to join the military. (See Reuters article.)

I listened for a while the other day while Ed attacked Congressman Murtha and I appreciated the many callers who supported the Congressman. I can appreciate Ed's comments but I would hope that he has gotten enough information by today to rethink and restate his position. Ed should be supporting the Congressman. I am so pleased to hear a person of such position taking a stand in defense of the potential soldier, the yet unspoiled citizen.

My son's enlistment was extended by this administration's manipulation of the laws to support their illegal military action. No citizen owes any allegiance to a president (lower case intentional) who causes the deaths of people, both American and Iraqi, for business gain at great risk and national consequence. I feel that it is the responsibility of the citizens of this country to stand up and refuse to serve as a statement of conscience and a statement to direct our leaders that they no longer represent our wants or our needs.

I offer the following e-mail from a Counter-Recruiting Yahoo Group that points out many other reasons why so many people recommend to people considering joining the military that today is not a good day.

I support the military and I support our country.  I do not support this administration and their ambitions in the oil acquisitions. We need an energy policy that does not include military might. 

Terry Riley
Son of a Veteran (WWII)
Veteran (Vietnam era)
Brother of a Veteran (Vietnam era)
Father of a Veteran (Gulf War era)
Father of a Veteran (Enduring Freedom)
Member:
Military Families Speak Out
Veterans for Peace
Veterans for Common Sense
Stop The War Machine

I do not know the person who wrote this email but it was posted on a list-serve so that implies permission to reproduce:

After some soul searching, I agree with EVERYTHING that Rep. Murtha said. Upon reflection, I don't believe that I would enlist in the Army today, given what I know concerning OPTEMPO, personnel shortages, stop-loss and the like. When I enlisted in 1995, it was a different world and a six month tour to Bosnia, where no one died, was about as "rough and tumble" a deployment as you could get. Christ, in August of 2001, while in the 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain, the most "shit-hot" mission the Army had was KOSOVO!! Now, that assignment is considered a third-tier NG assignment.

Let's see, a young person enlisting today for a four year hitch can realistically expect to spend three combat tours downrange with the third involving some type of "stop-loss" extending the original commitment. Why on earth would I volunteer or encourage a loved one to volunteer for such a venture, when we have a civilian leadership that refuses to permanently increase the size of the Army or USMC by even one person?

More to the point, we are actively contemplating cutting the ARNG by 30,000 people as there appears no slow down in the need for deployable personnel.

The burden borne by the Active component will only increase, as virtually every reserve BDE sized element has reached or will reach their 24 month COTTAD cap by mid FY 2007. After that, the USAR and ARNG will be "human spackle" to fill force structure holes and will not be able to deploy organic units unless Congress changes the law - It won't, nor should it.

John Murtha has a tremendous amount of credibility on Capitol Hill and much of the Reagan era buildup is directly owed to his efforts in the House. Lest we forget that Reagan BUILT UP the military with a DEMOCRATIC House and Senate. More than one observer has said that on defense issues, Reagan had no better friend in Congress than Jack Murtha.

He has served our nation in combat and was twice wounded. The citizens of his blue-collar Pennsylvania district have already borne a disproportionate share of the sacrifice in this war. Why should he encourage MORE sacrifice from the families of Altoona and Johnstown that he represents, when no sacrifice is being asked of the rest of the nation? Other than a single oblique reference, the POTUS has never asked for volunteerism from the American public to enlist or share in the common defense.

I take great issue when loaded words like "treason" are thrown about by commissioned officers who fail to see that that the Army is collapsing around them. The 5,000 CPT and 3,700 LT vacancies in the USAR are growing, ROTC enrollment has fallen by 26% in a year and CPT attrition, even with stop-loss is keeping pace with the record percentage of seperations seen during 2000-01.

The fact is that we need a larger Army and instead, we have an obstinate leadership (civilian and uniformed) that refuses to acknowledge this obvious reality. The fact is that all through '99 and '00, some of today's biggest "stay the course" champions were featured every week in the Army Times lamenting the fact that 6 month Bosnia and Sinai rotations were "breaking" the force. Now, my old battalion, the 2-14 Infantry, is prepping for its THIRD deployment to OIF. This is simply too much sacrifice to ask from a handful of citizens.

The fact is that John Murtha, no matter what you say about him, speaks for a large number of serving and retired senior officers. Anyone that objectively looks at our personnel situation - particularly in the commissioned ranks - will come to the same conclusion.

If we will not grow the Army and send the same folks back three times in a single enlistment, no, I would not encourage anyone to join the Army today.

Does it hurt me to say this? Hell, Yes. Do I mean it? Damn straight!