Copy of material I referred to in another diary entry

On 2-2-07 I received an email with permission by the author of the statement below (Deb Johns) to disseminate it freely:

Hello Ladies:
Well I have had enough of the politicians and their bickering about our troops and using them as pawns in a chess game.
Here is my six page letter in response to their b.s.
Please feel free to send this letter to anyone you want.
Love and Hugs
Deborah Johns


Deborah Johns
dkwj@earthlink.net
EarthLink Revolves Around You.

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Semper Fidelis -These are not just mere words! They mean Always Faithful.
Not only is this the Motto of the United States Marines, but their families and it has also spilled over into the hearts of all those who serve in our military and their families as well.


Always Faithful to God, Always Faithful to your brother who serves along side you Always Faithful to your Country, Always Faithful to your Family, Always Faithful to your Commander in Chief


People ask me every day how do you get through the days with a son serving in Iraq. Well Always Faithful to God, Always Faithful to his brother who serves along side him Always Faithful to the Commander in Chief, Always Faithful to my Country


However, it does not seem that the politicians have remained Always Faithful


I have traveled across this country and I have listened to the American people. I have heard the support our military and that the American people do support the war on terror. They just want communication. They just want to know what the goals and objectives are. I understand that the American people wanted change in leadership in the House and Congress. I understand the American people want things to go better in Iraq so our troops can come home. However, none of this can be accomplished because of the partisan politics that is going on, which is ultimately hurting our military who are being used as noting more than pawns in a chess game as to when the Democrats are going to put the President in Check Mate.


I am tired of Democrats saying they are patriotic and then insulting the President in the way he goes about his job.


I am tired of Democrats who tell me they support our troops who have their boots on the ground, then say the best plan to win this war is with a "phased redeployment" (liberal-speak for retreat) out of the combat zone to someplace like Okinawa.


I am tired of the Democrats whining for months on T.V., in the New York Times, and in the House and Senate that we need more troops to win the war in Iraq, and then when the President plans to do just that, they say that this is the wrong plan, it won't work, and we need a "new direction." Yet they don’t offer any new direction or a better plan.


I am tired of hearing about every Battalion Sergeant Major and Command Sergeant Major over in Iraq being more concerned about whether or not some enlisted man or woman is wearing their uniform in the "spot on," most garrison-like manner; instead of asking whether or not they are getting the equipment needed to win the fight. Providing them with encouragement and support from the chain of command to keep on and go above and beyond working conditions that no one here in the States can possibly imagine. Working 32 hours on, 4 hours of sleep, 32 hours on, 4 hours of sleep. No one should be expected to have to continue to endure that type of schedule. Lack of sleep, lack of food, not able to shower and wear clean cloths for 15 days or longer. Yet we demand that of our military and you know what they are Always Faithful to serve.


I am tired of junior and senior officers continually doubting the technical expertise of junior enlisted Marines and soldiers who are trained far better to do the jobs they are trained for than these officers believe.


I am tired of senior officers and commanders who fight this war with more of an eye on the media than on the enemy, who desperately needs killing.


I am tired of the decisions of Sergeants and Privates made in the heat of battle being scrutinized by lawyers who were not there and will never really know the state of mind of the young Marines or soldiers who were there and what is asked of them in order to survive.


I am tired of CNN claiming that they are showing "news," with videotape sent to them by terrorists, of Marines and Soldiers being shot at by snipers, but refusing to show what happens when our military builds a new school, paves a road, hands out food and water to children, opens a water treatment plant, provides much needed medical supplies to children in an orphanage.


I am tired of the politicians Monday morning arm chair second guessing quarterbacking of this war and our military men and women. If you cannot stand behind our military and support them, go stand in front of them. Far better you stand in front of them than their parents because they have to follow the Rules of Engagement and we don’t!


I am tired of the thousands of people in the rear who claim that they are working hard to support the troops and their way of supporting them is to bring them home. When was the last time any of you who made this statement went out to the airport to greet them when they did come home? When was the last time any of you helped out a grieving widow or mother? When was the last time any of you provided help at the facilities for the wounded? When was the last time any of you send Christmas Cards, or a care Packages.


I am tired of Politicians who are running for office suddenly show up at the opening of rehab facilities for our wounded for their photo opportunities as if they really supported our troops in the first place.


I am tired of Code Pink, Daily Kos, Al-Jazzera, CNN, Reuters, the Associated Press, ABC, NBC, CBS, the ACLU, and CAIR thinking that they somehow get to have a vote in how our troops on the ground blast, shoot and kill these terrorist who have no regard for human life and who would seek to subdue and destroy us every chance they get.


I am sick and tired of people like Cindy Sheehan who not only go around the United States bashing our military, our President, but goes around the world and hugs thugs like Hugo Chavez, as if he has been her best friend her entire life. Cindy Sheehan "You Don’t Speak for Me and you need to Shut Up and Go Home! You are hurting our American Military and their Families.


I am sick and tired of the politicians and their whining about this war, because it is the constant whining that is emboldening the terrorists to continue to kill and injure our troops and kill innocent civilians in Iraq. Take your bickering behind close doors and put your personal agendas aside for the good of our troops.


I am tired of people like Meredith Vieria from NBC asking oxygen thieves like Senator Chuck Hagel questions like "Senator, at this point, do you think we are fighting and dying for nothing?" Meredith might not get it, but Marines and soldiers do know the difference between fighting and dying for something and fighting and dying for nothing.


I am tired of hearing multiple stories from both combat theaters about snipers begging to do their jobs while commanders worry about how the media might portray the possible casualties and what might happen to their career.


I am tired of hearing that the Battalion Tactical Operations Center got a new plasma screen monitor for daily briefings, but rifle scope rings for sniper rifles, extra magazines, and necessary field gear were disapproved by the unit supply system.


I am tired of out of touch general officers, senators, congressmen and defense officials who think that supplying our military with some more heavy body armor to wear is helping them to stay alive. Speed is life in combat and wearing 55 to 90 pounds of gear for 12 to 20 hours a day puts them at a great tactical disadvantage to the idiot, mindless terrorist who is wearing no armor at all and carrying an AK-47 and a pistol, bran new made from Germany and supplied to them by Iran, who is paying these terrorists to cause havoc in Iraq.


I am tired of journalists like William Arkin who say "So, we pay the soldiers a decent wage, take care of their families, provide them with housing and medical care and vast social support systems and ship obscene amenities into the war zone for them, we support them in every possible way, and their attitude is that we should in addition roll over and play dead, defer to the military and the generals and let them fight their war, and give up our rights and responsibilities to speak up because they are above society?" Please tell me what a decent wage looks like for them Mr. Arkin? You need to Shut Up and Go Home too. I am tired of people whining about this war when they hear of a casualty when you have no idea what we as families go through when we hear 12 Marines killed; 8 Soldiers killed. You cannot even imagine the pain and difficulty we experience with the instantaneous news in our face on a daily basis. We grieve for the loss of a hero, we grieve for their families and we feel tremendous guilt when we feel relieved that it was not us who received that knock at the door. I am tired of senior officers and commanders who take it out and "measure" every time they want to have a piece of the action with their helicopters or their artillery; instead of putting their egos aside and using their equipment to support the grunt on the ground.


I am tired of senior officers and commanders who are too afraid for their careers to tell the truth about what they need to win this war to their bosses so that the Marines and soldiers can get on with ass kicking of these terrorists that needs to be done once and for all. What happened to the initial Shock and Awe in the beginning of this war? Why did we let up on that?


I am tired of Rules of Engagement being made by JAG lawyers and not Combat Commanders; and politicians who have never served in the military second guessing everything after the fact. Our military is not playing Hopscotch over there. There is no 2nd place trophy either. I think that if the enemy knew some rough treatment and some deprivation was at hand for them, instead of prayer rugs, special diets and free Korans; this might help get their terrorist minds "right."


I am tired of seeing Active Duty Army and Marine units being extended past their original redeployment dates, when there are National Guard Units that have yet to deploy to a combat zone in the last 40 years.


I am tired of hearing people say to me I am glad it is your son and not mine. Well you know what me too, because I would not want your coward of a son serving next to mine because it might be him and his lack of back bone that would cost my son his life. So you just let your kid go to college and be a whip while mine defends this great Nation with Honor, Courage, and Commitment. My son does not have that problem, but your apparently does.


I am tired of hearing that my son has to stand down when being shot at by terrorists from inside of a Mosque, inside a home with women and children, and using them as human shields, like the first battle in Fallujah instead of being turned loose so that this war can be over and he can finally come home from his third deployment.


Those who fight this war want to win it and go home to their families. Prolonging it with attempts to do things like collect "evidence" or present whiz bang briefings on a new plasma screen TV is wasteful and ultimately, dulls the edge of our Infantry Marines and soldiers who are trained to kill people and break things, and not necessarily in that order. They are trained to unleash a fury worse than a Georgia Thunder Strom. No one can beat our military on the field of battle, except the politicians who want to use them as pawns in chess game and the media who has such hatred towards this President and his administration that there is no longer any such thing as fair and unbiased reporting.


We are not in Iraq and Afghanistan to build nations. We are there to kill our enemies. It is only possible to defeat an enemy who kills indiscriminately by utterly destroying him. He cannot be made to yield or surrender or sit down and talk nicely about the situation. This is not Barney "I Love You, You Love Me and we are one big happy family." These terrorists will fight to the death by the hundreds to kill the infidels who do not believe in their way of life and that means you and me and our Marines and Soldiers serving in Iraq.


So far with the Presidents Plan to win this war on terror since 9/11, all of our "games" have been "away games," and I don't know about the ignorant, treasonous Politicians and the completely insane radical leftists and their thoughts on the matter, but I would like to keep this war as an away game road schedule.


As the President asked in his recent speech to the Nation. Please all of you put down your own selfish agendas. Take a good long look at what you are doing. Because I am telling you your actions, the mud slinging you all have going on against one another is hurting and hindering our military men and women and their families.


All of you politicians had access to the same intelligence the President had when you voted for this war. So the problem is no longer that we did or did not find WMD, poor intelligence. The fact is that we are in Iraq and Afghanistan, and our Military need our support to get the job done so they can come home, and all of you politicians need to stop acting like a bunch of dam whining 2 year-olds who are not getting your way. I am telling you if you cut the funding to our military and do not provide them with the manpower and equipment they need to get this job done, you are no better than the terrorists who shot at them and try to kill them. You have then just sent them to a war with a gun and no bullets. I know the American People want change in Iraq, our military wants change and so do their families. We want all of you to stop your dam bickering and come together to support our sons and daughters.


Providing the right amount of troop support will lessen the fatigue, give them ability to clear and hold areas, and gain the confidence of the locals who will then take an ownership interest in their cities and countries, allow free enterprise to come in so that they can have jobs to provide for their families. The people need to be supported, encouraged and shown how free enterprise works. You politicians seem to want to give the same Constitutional Rights to the prisoners in Aubu Grabe, so why don’t you afford the same Constitutional Rights of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness to the people of Iraq.


Please, as a Mother of a Marine serving his third tour of duty, on his behalf, on the behalf of his brothers serving along side him, our troops, and their families, lay down your anger towards one another and do what is right and in the best interests of our Military and that is to provide more troops and the best equipment possible so they can win this war, get Iraq running on its own so they can all come home. God Bless them until they come home, God Bless those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice, God Bless their families who are Always Faithful and God Bless this Country.


Semper Fidelis
Deborah K. Johns
Very Proud Marine Mom of SGT William Johns, USMC 3rd Tour of Duty in Iraq