March 18, 2005
Creative Deserters Get a Boost from the NYT
An article by Monica Davey in today's edition of the New York Times is entitled "Un-Volunteering: Troops Improvise to Find Way Out." In it, Davey chronicles the struggles of a handful of soldiers in an all-volunteer army to get out of going back to Iraq.
Word of such cases spread among soldiers. Some reacted with disgust, accusing their colleagues of cowardice: how could they let down other soldiers in a time of war, when, unlike the draftees of the Vietnam War, they had all volunteered? Others, though, say the cases made them think more about their ambivalence. "What I've seen is that soldiers are more afraid to make a stand for themselves than they are to go into combat," said Sergeant Mejia, who was released in February after nearly nine months of confinement at Fort Sill, Okla., for desertion. "Until I took a stand, I was really going against my own conscience. I was so afraid to be called a coward."
Davey conveniently uses no direct quotes from those soldiers who react with "disgust." I suppose it would have ruined the left-wing tilt of her story, and we all know how important continuity is, as presenting both sides of the story might confuse the reader.
It's interesting how so much emphasis is put on these soldiers who, after signing up for a stint in the armed forces, decide now that their conscience can't allow them to go back and do a job they promised to do. And those soldiers who do stay and do their duty, as difficult as it may be, are ignored. Those like Sergeant Mejia, quoted above, are lauded for standing up to the bullies otherwise known as the U.S. Army.
Desertion is nothing new in the armed forces, both in America and other countries. For example, during World War II, there were 40,000 deserters reported from the U.S. Army and 100,000 from the British Army. Of course, a good number of those soldiers were drafted, and the death rate was approximately 1 in 14. Today, the number is much lower, with an early estimate as being only 1 in 1,100 (source: Keeping Down Casualties).
Have we wondered why 6,000 troops from the Army and 1,300 from the Marines (according to Pentagon records) have deserted since the beginning of the war in Iraq? Could it possibly have anything to do with the overwhelming negativity emanating from the left-leaning mainstream media and scads of protests from hate-America faux peace groups like Code Pink? What about former presidential candidate John Kerry, and his so-called support for the troops but not the war?
Why would anyone want to fight for a cause that is ostensibly so unpopular at home?
More citizens support the war than the MSM would like to report. So they ignore the rest of us, and use their power to influence the outcome. By demoralizing our soldiers, the MSM threatens the chance for success in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East.
But don't you dare question their patriotism!
Show Comments »
