Something That Should NEVER Have To Be Said

From American Thinker ..

America! Why have you abandoned us?
By Gerd Schroeder


An open letter to the American People


My fellow Americans; what have the American Fighting men and women done to cause you to abandon them in a foreign land, surrounded by sinister people that are bent on killing them and all Americans? Are we ignorant that these people, who think nothing of killing men, women, and children of their own race, culture, and religion, will hesitate a moment if given the chance to destroy us, our families, and our freedoms? And they know that the defense appropriations have ended.


Where is the overwhelming swell of outrage of the people that caused the rather benign "Dubai Ports deal" to be killed in less than a month? Why have the halls of Congress and the Whitehouse not been overwhelmed by citizens outraged over the abandonment of our fighting men and women? Is the silence a sign that shock jocks, and dead playmates are more important to American than our soldiers?


While the U.S. politicians on both sides of the political spectrum have quibbled about timelines, a date for withdrawal from Iraq, and $24 billion in pork to buy votes, the American Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan have been all but forgotten. The silence from the people is morale crushing, and a betrayal. For whatever purpose we believe our soldiers have gone to war, surly abandonment of a hostile, foreign land was not one of them.


Over 200,000 American Warriors, deployed around the world, in austere and hellish conditions, are always in the crosshairs of evil people that are bent on killing them. Over 3350 have freely, and honorably, given their lives; over 24,300 have been wounded and maimed for us, for our families, and for our freedoms in this war. They sacrifice, not for money, education, and world travel-as some have suggested. They sacrifice their lives for their oaths to us. Their oaths are not to the President, Congress, or a military commander. Their oaths are to us. To the American People.


This is the oath of the American enlisted Soldier, Marine, Airman, and Sailor:


"I, (your son, daughter, husband, wife, brother, sister, neighbor, and friend), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."


The oath of an officer is similar:


"I, (your son, daughter, husband, wife, brother, sister, neighbor, and friend), (SSAN), having been appointed an officer in the Army of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of _____ do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God."


The Warrior Ethos:


I am an American Soldier.


I am a Warrior and a member of a team. I serve the people of the United States and live the Army Values.


The following are four examples out of tens of thousands of warriors fulfilling their oaths to you.


I will always place the mission first.


"Mission First" was more than mere words to Sgt. Christian P. Engeldrum. The 39-yearold firefighter from Bronx, N.Y., served on active duty in the Army from 1986 to 1991 and was in Operation Desert Storm. He returned to New York, trading his Army uniform for a policeman's. Several years later, he became a New York City firefighter. He was awarded a N.Y. Fire Department citation for bravery on July 15, 2000, for successfully rescuing two people in a fire on West 110th St. in Manhattan.


September 11, 2001 was a turning point in his life on that day, he and fellow firefighter from Ladder 61 in the Bronx responded to the World Trade Center attacks. For the next few months he assisted in the recovery effort, digging through the rubble. Sgt. Engeldrum then rejoined the Army, serving with the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment, of the New York Army National Guard. He loved his country, he loved being a firefighter and he was "100% Soldier", said his fellow firefighter. Sgt. Engeldrum is the first New York firefighter to die in Iraq since the U.S.-led war began, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. "I join all New Yorkers in mourning his loss and pray that his family finds comfort in the innumerable ways he touched so many lives." Sgt Engeldrum is survived by his wife Sharon and two sons Royce, 16 and Sean, 18.


I will never accept defeat.


The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, March 3, 1863, has awarded, in the name of Congress, the Medal of Honor to


Sergeant First Class Paul R. Smith
United States Army
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:

Sergeant First Class Paul R. Smith distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action with an armed enemy near Baghdad International Airport, Baghdad, Iraq on 4 April 2003. On that day, Sergeant First Class Smith was engaged in the construction of a prisoner of war holding area when his Task Force was violently attacked by a company-sized enemy force. Realizing the vulnerability of over 100 fellow soldiers, Sergeant First Class Smith quickly organized a hasty defense consisting of two platoons of soldiers, one Bradley Fighting Vehicle and three armored personnel carriers. As the fight developed, Sergeant First Class Smith braved hostile enemy fire to personally engage the enemy with hand grenades and anti-tank weapons, and organized the evacuation of three wounded soldiers from an armored personnel carrier struck by a rocket propelled grenade and a 60mm mortar round. Fearing the enemy would overrun their defenses, Sergeant First Class Smith moved under withering enemy fire to man a .50 caliber machine gun mounted on a damaged armored personnel carrier. In total disregard for his own life, he maintained his exposed position in order to engage the attacking enemy force. During this action, he was mortally wounded. His courageous actions helped defeat the enemy attack, and resulted in as many as 50 enemy soldiers killed, while allowing the safe withdrawal of numerous wounded soldiers. Sergeant First Class Smith's extraordinary heroism and uncommon valor are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the Third Infantry Division "Rock of the Marne," and the United States Army.


I will never quit.

Army Capt. David Rozelle, 31, lost part of his right leg below the knee in a June
2003 land mine explosion near Hit, Iraq. But Rozelle was not about to quit. While
going through an oftentimes, painful recovery at Walter Reed Army Medical
Center, he spearheaded the effort to put together a team of other amputees from
the medical center for the Army Ten-Miler race in October 2004. Dubbed the
“Missing (Parts) In Action team–Some Assembly Required”–the team included
troops from each of the military services. Rozelle ran the 10-mile race in just 1 hour, 38 minutes—just 16 months after the loss of his lower leg in what most would term a “debilitating” injury. In addition to running the race, he returned to the Ski Slopes in Colorado at the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic.

But Rozelle was not just interested in his own recovery. He wanted to help other injured Soldiers, thereby giving new meaning. Rozelle sees sports as a healing tool for Soldiers like himself. He is working to establish an amputee support group at his duty station, Fort Carson, Colo, where he knows of other Soldiers with prosthetics. The group will not only focus on networking Soldiers with prosthetics, but getting them involved in outdoor sports as well. “I want to give Soldiers someone to talk to who has made it through what they’re facing, let them ask questions, and have them see me walking,’’ he said. But most incredible of all, Rozelle wanted to remain on active duty and return to Iraq. And, the Army granted him his wish. He was the commanding officer of Regimental Headquarters Troop, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, a unit that deployed to Iraq in early March 2005. While Rozelle’s story is compelling, it is not unique. He is just one of many Soldiers who demonstrates daily their commitment to live by the ideals contained in the Warrior Ethos, “I will never quit” and “I will never accept defeat.”


I will never leave a fallen comrade.


U.S. Army Command Sgt. Major. Ron Riling was awarded the Silver Star for his actions in Al Rammadi Iraq on April 6, 2004. He said he was honored to be awarded the Silver Star, but he‘d gladly give it back if it would bring back the 12 Marines who lost their lives that day in Rammadi. Riling said the decision to enter the fray was an easy one. "The colonel looked at me and said ‘Sgt Major, let's go" Riling quickly organized his forces and rushed to help. They immediately came under fire from every direction. The Marine squad has been pinned down by snipers and was in terrible shape. The squad leader was dead, and three of the seven Marines were seriously wounded. Riling absorbed the Marines into his team and they fought their way out, taking with then all their dead and wounded.

These are our Soldiers
Are the actions above of someone just after money for an education? Of a person seeking a poor paying job? Of a person trying to defraud the American people of their money? If this is what we think, then America is truly in dire straits. We know that this is not how the majority of good Americans view their Soldiers. But then why the lack of strong, decisive action in defense of the American Soldier?


Soldiers like these, and thousands of others like them, have been forsaken by the American people, who are failing to engage the elected officials of this government. By our silence we allow our elected government to play games with Soldiers' lives for personal gain, ego, and selfishness. During the month that this funding cutoff debate debate has gone on, over 100 brave men have lost their lives in Iraq alone, protecting the American people.


Stories like these number in the thousands. Each story is a sacrifice for our families and us. It is imperative that the American People understand their power, and responsibility in compelling the passage of this measure by the elected officials of this country. We must comprehend the critical nature of our action in this matter. Without our intercession, on behalf of our military, the funds that the troops need will not arrive in time. Soldiers will suffer and die needlessly.


The bill that came out of conference, passed by the Congress, and has been vetoed by the President is an embarrassment to this country. It is a slap in the face to all the military and their families that have consecrated their loved ones to us to preserve our freedom.


Perhaps some have waved off the critical nature of this impasse, and think that in the end, and in time, the Congress and President will come together. This is a dangerous assumption. The selfishness and desire to maintain, and gain power, while simultaneously, destroying their political enemies is the politician's only motivation. Heavy pressure from the American People on all 535 members of Congress and the President is the only way to shake them from their power-induced stupor.


Does America deserve the sacrifice of the U.S. Military for them? The people's inaction is an indictment of leadership in the Whitehouse and Congress; but more disheartening it is an indictment of the American People in their abandoning the military in time of war. A blanket of shame has covered this great land, its' leaders, and people. America should hang their heads, for one moment, in shame, then overwhelm the government of this country in protest, in support of the troops in time of war. The protest should not stop until the government concedes to the will of the people.

comment: I dont know how to express just how fuggin mad and upset I am, other than to say that if I could start a revolution and convene a firin squad to execute every one of the sunzabitches in Congress that voted FOR the Bill that President Bush HAD to veto, I'd do it in a heartbeat !!

There is NO excuse for what they did.. The reason they did it was to send the President a message of how much they want to end the War In Iraq, but that aint an excuse.. But their wantin to end the war is only for political reasons and to score political points anyway..

President Bush took a sworn oath to protect this country from enemies such as those in Iraq at the time of the invasion.. Those enemies are still there so G.W. has no choice but to veto anythang that would stop him from doin his sworn duty..

I dont like the war either, but it is somethin that has to be done, for America, the West, and the entire World.. To surrender and pack-up and leave Iraq would be the very worst thang that we could ever do now.. What Al Q had goin in The Stan would be like kindergarden compared to what would happen in Iraq after we left..

The Left and even some in the Middle have such small, narrow minds that they caint fathom the magnitude of the Big War, or The Long War as it is usually called..

Whether we have a Modern Day Crusades depends on what happens in Iraq NOW .. If we prevail and leave a stable Iraq the New Crusade will die.. If we leave and let Al Q and the Radical Mooselimbs to exploit it, then we will only have aided them in their quest to resurrect the Crusades of old..

Those that aint smart enuff to see what the outcome would be of us leavin Iraq to the Crusaders should be removed from power and seen as the FOOLS that they are, and the ones that do see but are more interested in their own gain from it should be shot and buried face down in an unmarked grave !!

We need to give our Warriors what they need to stop What Could Be .. No Haggle.. No Delay .. No Compromise..