Questioning war doesn’t mean questioning troops

I read Frank Broomell’s opinion piece (Sept. 9, pg. 4) with some confusion. Retain respect for the troops? I didn’t even think there was an issue in this department. The American public at large has been incredibly supportive of our soldiers in Iraq even as support for the increasingly desperate situation they were thrust into declines steadily.

Who are these people who don’t support our troops? I’ve never even met one! I can’t think of a single liberal I’ve ever met who didn’t completely support and who didn’t have the greatest sympathy for the men and women of the U.S. military in Iraq. The question then becomes, why are we always reminded so incessantly to support the troops if so many of us already do so? Even Mr. Broomell asserts that “GW’s students, along with most college students across the country, have been vigilant thus far about separating” the soldiers from the politicians who created the mess in Iraq.

In my opinion, “support the troops” has been hijacked as a slogan by those who really want us to “support President Bush’s war in Iraq.” Just because I don’t slap a yellow ribbon on the back of my Hummer doesn’t mean I don’t support the troops, just as when I assert that I am not a “pro-lifer” it doesn’t automatically make me “pro-death.”

Throughout the war, support our men and women in uniform but who do not agree with the war. With General Petraeus testifying before Congress, I think people should not have to hear about how they should remember to support the troops. The vast majority of Americans already do. Instead, I think people should start considering how best to salvage the situation in Iraq, even if that means supporting a withdrawal from Iraq, without fear of being labeled unpatriotic for not supporting the troops.

Patrick Burgwinkle, Sophomore

Supporting troops admist politics

I was unaware that there was an epidemic of students slandering U.S. servicemen and women on campus. If there is, by all means then the offending students should be shouted down from all corners of campus – and loudly. But in my three years on this campus, the only reference to the troops that I have ever seen has been on the GW College Republican’s recruitment banner. These days, “Support our troops” has become less a statement in charity than a political invective hurled by pro-war types towards anyone who even dares suggest that perhaps the mission in Iraq isn’t on the right track.

Is Mr. Broomell (Sept. 9, p. 4) suggesting that there are simply too many Democrats on one of the most liberal campuses in the nation? Should we all rush and join the College Republicans? Of course I exaggerate. By all means send a soldier a care package and thank your fellow students in the ROTC program: yet in today’s hyper-policitized climate, The Hatchet should be aware next time it publishes an editorial out of the blue with such a politically charged slogan attached.

Jake Melville, Senior