Vets for Freedom's National Heroes Tour Update
Bus Tour Kicks off Tomorrow!
It’s almost here.
The tour bus has been wrapped, t-shirts and flyers printed, and itineraries finalized. In less than 48 hours, The National Heroes Tour kicks off on the deck of the USS Midway in San Diego. Over the next three weeks, there will be town halls, barbeques, wreath ceremonies, media availabilities, and many other events through 14 states.
Along the way the Tour will highlight some highly decorated and amazing heroes. We will also thank America's men and women who risk their lives by having served — and are currently serving—in the armed forces; thank their families; and thank supporters for the conviction and commitment to completing the missions in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Be a part of this historic event by coming out to be a part of the Tour visit the National Heroes Tour website and see where the tour is stopping in your area. See you there!
Frontline Focus
A Surge of Support
It’s been a tough couple of weeks for the uncompromising and unrelenting opponents of winning the war in Iraq.
First, editorial pages from major national newspapers began changing their tune on the war and began reluctantly admitting that the surge is working.
Next, United States Senators of all stripes took to the Senate floor to bash a retreat proposal and spotlight documented success in Iraq. Lawmakers had refused to debate this proposal five times over the past 20 months, but had a sudden change of heart, taking advantage of the opportunity to present the facts on the ground.
"There’s been so much improvement in the situation in Iraq. Since [surge opponents] are the ones who want to turn their back to the subject, we’d like to spend the time talking about the dramatic improvements in Iraq," Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the top Republican in the Senate, explained to reporters when questioned about his sudden willingness to vote on a pull-out measure.
And highlight the successes they did.
Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) got the ball rolling with an impassioned speech that summed up the frustrations of many
Sen. Jospeh Lieberman on the Floor of the U.S. Senate
February 28, 2008
"A year ago, al-Qaida in Iraq was entrenched, in control of, exercising murderous control in Anbar Province and Baghdad. Now those evil forces of Islamist extremism are facing their single greatest and most humiliating defeat since 2001.
"This is not just my opinion. It is a matter of fact. In Baghdad, a fact: sectarian killings are down 95 percent in the last year; suicide bombings are down nearly 70 percent; IED attacks have been cut nearly in half.
"In the face of those extraordinary improvements in Iraq—and many more I will speak of in a moment in the social and political and economic life of that great country—however, antiwar forces here in America have reacted not with sighs of relief and gratitude but, instead, by doing everything in their power to downplay or diminish our hard-won gains in Iraq.
"Rather than admit the possibility that they had been wrong about the surge and about the capability of re-establishing security in Iraq, they, instead, reached for another rationale for retreat. What they argued was the lack of political progress in Iraq and, therefore, that the surge had failed. But this argument has also now been defeated by facts on the ground in Iraq." |
Then, Iraq opponents were dealt an even more humiliating blow. A Pew Research Institute poll was released that clearly shows public opinion of the surge shifting over the past year
Finally, the unthinkable happened. A prominent liberal activist from the Hollywood elite penned an op-ed in The Washington Post defending America’s presence in Iraq. Below is a taste of what Angelina Jolie had to say.
Staying to Help in Iraq
February 28, 2008
"Today's humanitarian crisis in Iraq—and the potential consequences for our national security—are great. Can the United States afford to gamble that 4 million or more poor and displaced people, in the heart of Middle East, won't explode in violent desperation, sending the whole region into further disorder?
"What we cannot afford, in my view, is to squander the progress that has been made. In fact, we should step up our financial and material assistance."
"As for the question of whether the surge is working, I can only state what I witnessed: U.N. staff and those of non-governmental organizations seem to feel they have the right set of circumstances to attempt to scale up their programs. And when I asked the troops if they wanted to go home as soon as possible, they said that they miss home but feel invested in Iraq. They have lost many friends and want to be a part of the humanitarian progress they now feel is possible." |
The bottom line: Despite what a handful of naysayers claim, things are improving in Iraq, and American forces are succeeding—they just need to be given a chance to finish the job.
Read more about the Progress our Troops are making in Iraq and Afghanistan on the Vets for Freedom Website.
Vets for Freedom In the News
Op-ed by California Vets for Freedom State Captain Jeremy Christiansen
The Price of Freedon
By Jeremy Christiansen
It was a stifling, windy June day in 2004 on Balad Air Base in Iraq, and members of my company and I were itching to board a cargo plane, waiting to fly us out of the dust back to greener shores. We were cheering, whooping it up like school kids, beside ourselves with the anticipation of seeing family and other loved ones when suddenly we realized that right next to us on the tarmac, waiting for a second cargo plane, was another group of soldiers also going home to their families.
They were waiting silently - in caskets.
It was at this exact moment that the full price of our tour overseas struck me, but so did the overwhelming conviction that the only way to honor the efforts of our fallen colleagues was to stay committed to completing the missions at hand.
Yes, it could have been me on that second cargo plane. By some divine act, it wasn’t. Instead, I’ve been given the opportunity to give voice to those who didn’t make it home—to tell you that the enemies in Iraq aren’t Iraqis, they are foreigners who have infiltrated the region. If we were to leave Iraq prematurely, these foreign elements would overtake the country, and no semblance of Iraq would remain.