Obama and Democrats make U.S. Troops feel like Sitting Ducks

A soldier finds solace during a Sunday service at the Airborne chapel - but morale is falling fast, say the chaplains

Captain Sam Rico, chaplain, blames the rules of engagement for low morale. "The troops feel like sitting ducks"

My child is serving in Afghanistan. I remember months ago seeing the brave unit get on buses to deploy. One could feel the proud resolve emanating from the group of them. My thought was it was pride in the belief that they are going over there to do what they are trained to do.

Last week I received a call from my young warrior the following was said. Morale was low and they were not doing what they were trained to do.

My young patriot had a lot to, “get of my chest,” but couldn’t speak about it just then.

Was I worried? You bet, I was and I still am. One of the things that we discussed was what impression of the war was here in America. I attempted best I could to give a synopsis of the overall uneven media coverage and the propaganda coming from the White House. I stated that we do have General McChrysal asking for reinforcements.

“I met General McChrysal, shook his hand!” I was told over the phone. That was the only pride about the deployment that I heard in the entire conversation.

Then I saw this article written in the UK Times online punctuating the fact that the plaintive tone in my child’s voice was not an insular isolated occurrence. (see article)

American soldiers serving in Afghanistan are depressed and deeply disillusioned, according to the chaplains of two US battalions that have spent nine months on the front line in the war against the Taleban.

Many feel that they are risking their lives — and that colleagues have died — for a futile mission --Martin Fletcher

After we ended our call I thought about what this administration is doing with its new rules of engagement and the Mirandizing of enemy combatants. I thought about how the present administration has no clear delineated plans for victory and no clear objectives to win in Afghanistan. What are we are asking our young men and women to accomplish in Afghanistan? Why did President Soetoro send them there?

I thought about how the left in this country rode President Bush because they claimed that he didn’t have an exit strategy in place for Iraq and I though of their general opposition against the Iraq war.

I thought about all of the meetings that this president is having and all of his policies that have essentially made our troops sitting ducks in a war that he choose to wage. I thought about the troop request of General McChrystal’s that has been sitting on this president’s desk since April.

If the decision to send additional troops into Afghanistan is too hard for this president and his administration, then do the next best thing for our troops. Bring them home.

But just don’t leave them sitting in Afghanistan while your Party wrings its hands in indecision. Our troops deserve better than that.

Your indecision president Soetoro has reached our troops and it is causing havoc among them. They feel that the situation that you have placed them in is senseless and dangerous.

We’re lost — that’s how I feel. I’m not exactly sure why we’re here,” said Specialist Raquime Mercer, 20, whose closest friend was shot dead by a renegade Afghan policeman last Friday. “I need a clear-cut purpose if I’m going to get hurt out here or if I’m going to die.”

According to Martin Fletcher of the Times, Sergeant Christopher Hughes, 37, from Detroit , has lost six colleagues and survived two roadside bombs. Asked if the mission was worthwhile, he replied: “If I knew exactly what the mission was, probably so, but I don’t.”

The men are frustrated by the lack of obvious purpose or progress. “The soldiers’ biggest question is: what can we do to make this war stop. Catch one person? Assault one objective? Soldiers want definite answers, other than to stop the Taleban, because that almost seems impossible. It’s hard to catch someone you can’t see,” said Specialist Mercer.

The soldiers complain that rules of engagement designed to minimise civilian casualties mean that they fight with one arm tied behind their backs. “They’re a joke,” said one.

“You get shot at but can do nothing about it. You have to see the person with the weapon. It’s not enough to know which house the shooting’s coming from.”

Our troops feel like sitting ducks in a war that president Barry Hussein Soetoro chose to escalate, a war in which he has no plan to win and which he has no exit plan in place.

Because of Soetoro’s dithering our troops are languishing in the desert in Afghanistan with no hope.


My young Patriot enlisted to protect and serve this country. 9/11 was the motivant and George W. Bush was president.

I’m afraid that our troops are losing faith in this president, this administration, and this command. If that happens it will be because of what Barry Hussein Soetoro has implemented in his rules of engagement and because of his six to seven months of indecision regarding troop reinforcement which would help win the Afghanistan war. I’m afraid that our troops will suffer mentally, physically and spiritually un-needlessly because of Democrat Liberal Ideology.

To use your words president Soetoro, now is the time for decisions not later and not two weeks from now. We can’t afford just to do nothing. Doing nothing will only make our troops situation worst. We can ill afford to play politics with our military like Democrats have done in the past, but no, not this time, not now.

If you’re not going to support ‘em Mr. president, and if you don’t have victory as a clear cut objective then bring ‘em home!

If it is this hard for you to decide what even Hillary Clinton or John McCain would have been able to decided weeks ago then clearly you’re not ready to be Commander-in-Chief.

Just make it simple on yourself Mr. president if you are not going to finish what you started. If you are not going to win then just bring our guys and girls home.