| The Armed Forces Press Service recently | | | | representatives he warned that support for |
| quoted Army Chief of Staff General Peter J. | | | | the war effort had been "tepid." In fact, he |
| Schoomaker as saying that the current level | | | | said, only 4% of the nation's gross national |
| of soldiers in Iraq could remain constant | | | | product had been committed to defense, |
| through 2010. Naturally, this sounded alarms | | | | compared with 38% of GNP during the Second |
| in the mainstream media, which had been | | | | World War. "Ultimately, victory requires a |
| reporting for some time that the Army planned | | | | national consensus...in words and actions," |
| to reduce troop levels significantly during | | | | he said. "Another 9/11 should not have to |
| late 2006 and into 2007.There are two | | | | occur to shake us into action."While |
| important things to note here. The first is | | | | politicians and the public alike complain |
| pretty straightforward: troop levels are | | | | about the money being spent in the two war |
| constantly adjusted to meet the conditions on | | | | zones, a figure quoted at over $1 billion per |
| the ground. When the level of violence dipped | | | | week, military members across the country are |
| in Iraq, the commanders on the ground reduced | | | | cutting back on nonessential expenditures so |
| the number of troops in the country to just | | | | that every available dollar can be used in |
| over 100,000 and talked about further | | | | support of the men and women on the ground in |
| possible reductions. As the level of violence | | | | Afghanistan and Iraq.On military posts |
| steadily increased this year, though, troop | | | | throughout America, quality of life projects |
| levels again went up, with some deployments | | | | and family support programs are cutting back |
| accelerated and some re-deployments delayed. | | | | to free desperately needed funds for the war |
| The same held true in Afghanistan, where NATO | | | | effort. The very people who volunteer to |
| countries were called upon to increase troop | | | | sacrifice so much for the rest of us are |
| levels in response to increased Taliban | | | | bearing the entire burden of the War on |
| activity in the southern part of the | | | | Terror while average citizens complain about |
| country.The point is that there is no magic | | | | gas prices or discuss Madonna's adoption of a |
| formula for the number of soldiers on the | | | | child from Malawi. As General Schoomaker |
| ground. Troop levels rise or fall in direct | | | | said, providing the military with the funds |
| proportion to the levels of violence in Iraq | | | | it needs "...is a matter of national |
| and Afghanistan. Calls for massive troop | | | | priority, not a matter of affordability."Most |
| reductions ignore the realities in both | | | | Americans don't equate the War on Terror with |
| countries. The fight is far from over and | | | | World War II. The fight against the Axis in |
| Afghanistan and Iraq could easily be lost if | | | | the 1940s was viewed as a fight for survival |
| our resolve wavers.The second thing to note | | | | requiring the support of the entire country. |
| is a bit more conceptual and thus more | | | | Americans need to understand that we are |
| difficult for people to understand: we are an | | | | again locked in a life-and-death struggle |
| Army (and Navy, and Air Force, and Marine | | | | with a radical ideology bent on our |
| Corps) at war, but we are not a nation at | | | | subjugation and eventual |
| war. What I mean by this is that everyday | | | | destruction.Americans accept Afghanistan |
| Americans go about their lives largely | | | | because they can link the Taliban and Osama |
| unaffected by the carnage in Iraq and | | | | bin Laden to the attacks of 9/11. Iraq may or |
| Afghanistan. The vast majority of the | | | | may not have been a front in the Global War |
| population doesn't serve in the military and | | | | on Terror in March 2003. Intelligent people |
| only a small number of people even know | | | | can debate that topic equally well from both |
| someone in the service, much less in the two | | | | points of view. But there is no question that |
| primary theaters of the war on | | | | Iraq has now joined Afghanistan as a central |
| terror.Everything they know about Baghdad, | | | | battleground in the fight against radical |
| Fallujah, Ramadi, Kandahar, Bagram, and any | | | | Islam. Jihadists from across the globe have |
| number of other key battlegrounds is obtained | | | | flocked to Iraq to wage war on the United |
| from their nightly news broadcasts and local | | | | States and the west.Secretary of Defense |
| papers.The soldiers, sailors, airmen, and | | | | Donald Rumsfeld said in an October 16 speech |
| marines currently forward deployed understand | | | | that "There's no way the United States can |
| what they are involved in. They risk their | | | | lose militarily against the terrorists, but |
| lives everyday while we argue over "stay the | | | | the center of gravity of the war in Iraq is |
| course" and "cut and run." Unlike World War | | | | not in Iraq, it's in Washington, D.C."If we |
| II, when the entire nation was engaged in the | | | | pull out of Iraq now, our enemies will be |
| war effort against Germany and Japan, the | | | | emboldened. If we leave before the job is |
| Global War on Terror is witness to a select | | | | done, we will breathe new life into the cause |
| few volunteers putting everything on the line | | | | of Muslim fundamentalists, much as the Soviet |
| while the rest of us go about our daily | | | | Union did when it pulled out of Afghanistan |
| routines in ignorant bliss.This attitude | | | | in 1989. The calls for troop withdrawals must |
| concerns General Schoomaker. In a recent | | | | be resisted, and we must stay until the fight |
| speech to soldiers and defense industry | | | | is over. |