Supporting the troops means protecting them from being sent into the middle of a civil war inadequately equipped and under-prepared. It’s outrageous that Republicans are labeling Democrats’ plans to provide soldiers with proper equipment and training “anti-troop.” It is the Republicans who have repeatedly sent our armed forces into conflict inadequately equipped and under-prepared.
The forces we are sending to Iraq are not adequately equipped. Service members in Iraq and Afghanistan have experienced shortages of force-protection equipment, including up-armored vehicles, electronic countermeasure devices, crew-served weapons and communications equipment.
The military has been borrowing gear from units stationed in the United States, reducing their ability to respond in case of other military threats around the world. The Arkansas National Guard’s 39th Brigade Combat Team, scheduled to return to Iraq next year, is 600 rifles short for its 3,500 soldiers.
The forces we are sending to Iraq are not adequately trained. Soldiers of the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division had so little time between deployments to Iraq they had to cram more than a year’s worth of training into four months. Two army brigades heading to Iraq due to the escalation are skipping their counterinsurgency training session at the Army’s premier training range.
Our injured troops from Iraq and Afghanistan are not being adequately treated. Soldiers recovering from injuries suffered in Iraq and Afghanistan at the Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital, a mere five miles from the White House, were found living in rooms infested with mold, soiled carpet and cockroaches.
More than 30 percent of all soldiers meet the criteria for a mental disorder related to emotional problems from deployment stress. Military health providers are straining under the pressure and are unable to meet the psychological health needs of our soldiers and their families.
Enough is enough!
Leslie Fox