Support the Troops. Protest the War.

The recent occasion of Veterans Day gave me pause and allowed me to reflect not only on my own service, but the service our fighting men and women provide as a whole.  What stood out in my mind, where recent memories lend to greater influence, was the disservice that we are currently conferring upon members of the military.

I speak of this nation’s laudable, though ultimately damaging, unwavering support for the military and all that they do.  No, it is not wrong to support the troops, but we must realize that support without borders is the reason the war in Afghanistan continues.  If we support everything about the military, including the war itself, we are punishing those that we intend to praise.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have claimed the lives of nearly six thousand American service men and women and injured thousands more.  The consequences ripple through our society, as the family and friends of these casualties must soldier on in their own way.  It is the current generation’s charge to provide a strong foundation for the future of our great country.  That foundation has noticeable cracks when good people, like those who choose to serve in a time of war, are lost forever.  Perhaps recent Medal of Honor recipient, Staff Sergeant Salvatore A. Giunta, put it best when he said, “I lost two dear friends of mine.  I would give this back in a second to have my friends with me right now.”   It seems the benefits no longer outweigh the costs.

The importance of the casualties is offhandedly downplayed with the simple axiom that we are an “all-volunteer force.”  I am only able to speak for myself, but I can tell you that is simply not true.  I graduated from Undergraduate Pilot Training in April 2005 and therefore incurred a ten-year commitment to the Air Force.   I signed on the dotted line because being a pilot was just the next in a series of sensible life choices.

What our UPT instructors failed to impress upon us was the grueling deployment requirements.  The Air Force reports that C-17 pilots are deployed, on average, 117 days a year.  This is in stark contrast to the reality of 200 days or more that most pilots endure.  The Air Force is not guilty of cooking the numbers, rather those numbers incorporate more senior officers that have given up flying the jet for career advancement in the form of flying a desk.  The line pilots pick up the slack and feel the crunch.  Furthermore, tracking these deployment numbers has been an inexact science.  Only recently have some units begun to accurately track these rates.

All of this time overseas has led to increased problems at home.  The military suicide rate, which before 2001 was half the national level, has increased to more than double the rest of the country.    Depression and the additional problems it causes, from alcoholism to domestic violence, are tearing apart the fabric of our armed forces.  I myself have battled with persistent depression for more than two years.  From discussion with colleagues I know that, though not always reported, my condition is not a rarity.

All of this has led to extreme levels of fatigue.  This, too, is something that the military tracks.  However, when investigating a mishap they normally review only that mission and twelve hours prior to it. The mental and physical fatigue that two protracted wars cause our soldiers extends well beyond half a day.  Again, I am only speaking from my perspective; I cannot begin to imagine the danger and fatigue that the boots on the ground regularly face.  One thing is for sure: our military is getting old before its time.

So are we a volunteer force?  Sure, but just because we signed a contract years ago doesn’t mean we don’t wish we could take it all back now.

The financial cost of the war is exorbitant.  We have no idea when it will finally be won.  The mission of bringing a stabilized democracy to a nation that has eschewed government for all of history cannot be completed overnight.  When will we, if ever, know when this war is complete?  When Afghanistan’s security forces finally take over in 2014?  When we have Bin Laden’s body?  When terrorism no longer exists?  What will it take?

Economic and sociopolitical reasons aside, we need to end this war because of the toll it is taking our troops.  The longest war in American history is only getting longer, and the ones paying the real price are the boots on the ground.  Public sentiment helped to drive us out of Vietnam.  I do not advocate turning on the troops as some did during Vietnam, but rather standing against the mission that they diligently and earnestly carry out.  We owe it to them.

So if you really want to be a patriot: Support the Troops.  Protest the War.