Veteran Reflects On Iraq
by Larry Gill

As a young Marine, the most difficult obstacle to overcome (besides my Drill Instructor!) was not the hard training to prepare for every mission detail. That military training was literally drilled into me where mission details included the three B’s: Beans, Bullets, and Bandages. What was the most difficult obstacle to overcome then as a young Marine (and now as a disabled Iraqi War Veteran) is that some Americans don’t support our Military Mission. It seems especially that many Democratic Party “Leaders” from this recent election don’t support our Military Mission in this war on terror.

I entered into the Fleet Marine Force (FMF) during the year of a Democratic President. As a young Military Policeman, I enjoyed my work issuing summons, filing reports and apprehending the occasional drunken and pugnacious sailor (Marines never drink or fight!) I remember one occasion when I went to my supply sergeant to get some pens to write an arrest report. How shocked I was to be told, “We are out of supplies until the next fiscal year!” “What the Hell,” I thought! How can we plan the three B’s for a military mission, when there wasn’t enough funding and support for ordinary supplies?

Today is no different. Do our newly elected Democratic leaders really care about funding and supporting our military mission in this war on terror? To the ordinary military man and women on the ground, that question is literally one of life and death.

With the recent change in the balance of political power among our elected officials in Washington, I fear history is about to repeat itself. You see, unlike many of today’s men and women in this War on Terror, I have seen first hand the military funding and support transitions from the Democrats to Republicans, back to the Democrats, then to the Republicans, and now going back again to the Democrats. After 22 years in the military and seeing these troubling transitions to Democratic power, I question the commitment of Democrats to fund and support our military mission in this war on terror.

In each of these political transitions instances under Democratic rule of Congress, men and women in the military had to scrape the bottom of the barrel for the most basic mission supplies. We lost funding for equipment, essential weapons programs, and a huge portion of our forces under Democrats. The Democrats called it “Downsizing.” In today’s world with fiercely and fatalistic terrorists around the world to fight, we cannot afford to “downsize” our military. We as a Nation cannot afford to have these self-styled Democratic Liberals direct our Nation’s military mission against terror.

The irony is that these same Democrats who desire to “downsize” our military, are the same Democrats screaming and shouting, pointing fingers and ridiculing my President, my Commander and Chief, saying, “Our military is stretched too thin!” Well, no kidding Mr. and Ms. Democrat!

Never have I heard such a public display of disrespect and contempt for our Commander-in-Chief as from our now elected officials as I heard in this recent 2006 Election. While I have personally served in the military for twenty-two years to keep these folks free (earning two Purple Heart Medals along the way, the first one in Beirut and the recent one in Iraq) so Democrats can exercise their free speech and other rights, here is what these Liberal Democrats do not understand. These screaming and shouting politicians are feeding our enemies and making them stronger. These “loose lips” in opposition to our President are putting our military in the Middle East in mortal danger. The fight against terror must be won not only in the Arab Street, but in America on Main Street where both Democrats and Republicans live. Here is why.

The only English speaking television channels our troops are now able to watch while in Iraq or Afghanistan are the American news channels. Almost all of these channels have regular and outspoken contempt of our Commander-in-Chief from Democratic “leaders” used in this media driven anti-war on terror effort. This lack of support causes our military men and women overseas to second-guess what they are doing. And when they begin second-guessing, they begin hesitating. And when our troops are hesitating, their responses are slowed leading to more injuries and death. Democrats are changing the supply of our military mission from Beans, Bullets and Bandages to “Backstabbing, Berating and Bereavement”.

Enough is enough! We are all Americans fighting this war on terror! The only way to eliminate this disrespectful, anti-military mission thinking of our politicians (usually Democrat, but sometimes Republican) is for our already elected “leaders” to consider how the war against Nazi terror in WWII would be hindered by speaking out against then Democratic President Roosevelt as Commander-in-Chief. As for our newly elected anti-military mission politicians, instead of spending time and money for these new members of Congress and the Senate to decorate their offices and have receptions, send them through thirteen weeks of training at Paris Island, South Carolina!

Until it is required that our elected officials have respect for our military (who protects all our rights including the right to vote for them) prior to being eligible for elected office, then and only then will America remain a force for freedom to be reckoned with in this war on terror. The patriotism, determination, work ethic, and commitment to God, Country, and family of our military are clearly unappreciated by those who take our freedoms for granted. Americans generally and Democratic “leaders” particularly need to support our Military and their mission in this war on terror. “Cutting and running” (whether fancied up as a “Phased Redeployment”), denouncing our Commander-in-chief and not supplying our military needs are truly anti-military and anti-American. Freedom has never been free as our military families who support this mission well know.

Larry Gill is a 22 year military veteran with multiple military decorations. Former Staff. Sgt. Gill lost part of his leg in Iraq and now is President of First Person, Inc. a company that provides Speakers supporting our war on terror. For more information, visit the First Person-War on Terror website www.firstperson-waronterror.com.