Vets for Victory - Victory tour Day 6: Vermont Eagles
April 30, 2007
The Vermont GOE is supporting the Vets for Victory tour through Vermont. Please contact Kathy Upton, VT State Coordinator, if you would like to attend. Her email address is: eaglesvt@gmail.com
May 6 - Sun Rutland 2:00-4:00pm Loyalty Day Parade and the Loyalty day Rally where a large turnout is needed!
May 6 Sun Rutland 5:00-7:00pm Main Street Park Gazebo (after parade)
The organizers of the tour, Sandy Combs and David Ayer, have invited me to spread the GoE mission by speaking at the rally.
Vets for Victory - Victory tour Day 5: Vermont Eagles
April 30, 2007
The Vermont GOE is supporting the Vets for Victory tour through Vermont. Please contact Kathy Upton, VT State Coordinator, if you would like to attend. Her email address is: eaglesvt@gmail.com
May 5 - Montpelier 6:00pm VFW Post #792 Annual Loyalty Day Banquet
http://www.montpelier-vt.org/detail.cfm?event=2096
Vets for Victory - Victory tour Day 4: Vermont Eagles
April 30, 2007
The Vermont GOE is supporting the Vets for Victory tour through Vermont. Please contact Kathy Upton, VT State Coordinator, if you would like to attend. Her email address is: eaglesvt@gmail.com
May 4 - Newport 6:00-8:00pm AL Post #21
Vets for Victory - Victory tour Day 3: Vermont Eagles
April 30, 2007
The Vermont GOE is supporting the Vets for Victory tour through Vermont. Please contact Kathy Upton, VT State Coordinator, if you would like to attend. Her email address is: eaglesvt@gmail.com
May 3 - Burlington 6:00-8:00pm VFWPost #782
Vets for Victory - Victory tour Day 2: Vermont Eagles
April 30, 2007
The Vermont GOE is sponsoring the Vets for Victory tour through Vermont. Please contact Kathy Upton, VT State Coordinator, if you would like to attend. Her email address is: eaglesvt@gmail.com
May 2 - Bennington 8:00-10:00pm Legion Post #13
Vets for Victory - Victory tour Day 1: Vermont Eagles
April 30, 2007
The Vermont GOE is sponsoring the Vets for Victory tour through Vermont. Please contact Kathy Upton, VT State Coordinator, if you would like to attend. Her email address is: eaglesvt@gmail.com
May 1 - Chester 7:30-9:30pm Legion Post #67
Thousands of bikers head for Public Square to support U.S. service members
April 30, 2007
(Cleveland) - The roar could be heard all over Cleveland’s downtown. Thousands of motorcyclists descended on Public Square for the 5th annual Rally For The Troops Sunday. The event featured prayer, song, and the comments of those who’ve lost loved ones overseas.
Jim Boskovitch was among those who spoke. His son Jeff was one of the Brook Park Marines killed two years ago in Iraq. Boskovitch says his family has received great support from the community, and he has never felt alone as he’s struggled to cope with the loss of his son.
http://wtam.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=122520&article=2052893 (More photos at link)
(Copyright 2007 by Clear Channel. All rights reserved.)
Raise Your Voice
April 29, 2007
April 28, 2007 UNC Chapel Hill, N.C.
Mission: Raise Your Voice
Report by Ross ‘Bubba’ McDowell - GOE member and supporter
Perhaps for the first time ever, a group of patriots went to the North Carolina Moonbat Head-quarters - Chapel Hill - to deliver a message of pro-American, pro-Conservative, pro-Military hope and faith in the American way. This message was delivered in the heart of a liberal univeristy campus. It was delivered loudly, firmly and with conviction.
Although our numbers were not what we had hoped for, the objective was realized none the less. In a place dominated by the liberal mind, patriots stood and recited the Pledge of Allegiance. Patriots stood with covered hearts for the National Anthem. Patriots stood and listened to the words and songs of fellow patriotic Americans, including Vietnam and Iraq Veterans.
Some wept.
So, did the liberals and moonbats listen? Probably not. Did we change any minds? Probably not. Did we make a difference today? Most definately so.
The American left has enjoyed unchallenged freedom of speech for decades. Today, hundreds, maybe thousands of liberal minded or liberal influenced knew that the voices being raised were not damning America, not calling for impeachment, not hoping for defeat. The voices they heard today proclaimed the nobility of America, the honor and gratitude owed to the American soldier and the less than honorable and sometimes traitorous behavior of our brethren on the left.
Maybe, just maybe the next time some of them pick up there ‘impeach’ or ‘bush lied’ signs in preparation for another anti-war hissy fit - the words of patriots will ring in their ears, minds and hearts.
Perhaps at least one of them will decide they need to open their minds to the possibility that they have been acting on and repeating the lies of traitors. If so, then ….
Mission Accomplished
Tonight on The Front Line: A Marine Live From Iraq
April 27, 2007
Tonight I’ll be talking to Marine CPL Rob Smith, with Regimental Combat Team 2 in Al-Asad, Iraq. He is on his third combat tour, and at the age of 21 is in charge of a fire team, entrusted with the lives of other Marines under fire. He served under 2LT Ilario Pantano, and has distinguished himself several times in combat. That’s not counting his close call–which you’ll hear about tonight.
It will truly be an honor to talk with CPL Smith, and I especially look forward to hearing his opinion on Harry Reid and the Democratic Congress–as well as Gathering of Eagles! Tune in tonight at 10 pm Eastern to The Front Line, and feel free to call in, offer support, or ask him a question. He’ll be live, at 646-915-9926!
UPDATE:  You missed an incredible show. You can hear it all right here.
Listen to the whole thing–when that Marine’s mother calls into the show to talk to him, it will choke you up. I love our boys over there so much…God bless each and every one of them.
The Final Word on GOE Finances
April 26, 2007
I am here, as part of the Gathering of Eagles leadership, to address–again–some underhanded and false accusations about the integrity of Gathering of Eagles as an organization, as well as the personal honor of its leaders.
Gathering of Eagles began as an event, a single stand by thousands who wanted to be heard. Early on, thousands of emails came in, literally begging us to never lose the momentum. Eagles themselves asked us how we could think of simply going home after the rally, back to our lives—back to silence. Troops in Afghanistan and Iraq cried out for continued support, even as they cheered our event. There was no way we could possibly say no.
As you know, there have been accusations leveled almost continuously since the rally. Men like Jere Beery and Gene Simes claim that Larry Bailey is somehow “anti-vet� because he chose not to involve GOE in a controversial political issue. What’s worse, Beery claims that we “helped ourselves� to the funds so generously donated to GOE by Americans all over the world.
“…[T]he ‘new’ GOE cut them selves’ in on the charity money,â€? claimed Jere Beery in an email to me yesterday. “Theoretically, any funds you are taking in NOW could be considered surplus to the expense of GOE-1 and rightfully belongs to charity. Apparently, someone at your end determined it would be OK to use the funds earmarked for charity to build the GOE. I take exception to that.â€? This statement is false and ridiculous, but I’ll deal with that in a minute.
Beery also says it should have taken us only $10,000 to pay for GOE 1.
“If I allow $10,000 for the stage, sound system, bleachers, extra tent, permits, clean up, and porta potties, that leaves $50,000,” he pontificates. “Can you provide me with a hint to where this money went? And at what point did GOE decide to change the ground rules and not send the entire surplus of funds raised to a charity as pledged?â€?
I realize that when Beery and Simes put on events, no one actually shows up, but to think that an event could be put on for 30,000 people on a $10,000 budget is insane. In fact, I’ll answer his first question now: Where did the money go? Exactly where we said it did.
All told, we raised a little over $62,000 and some change between when we first started taking donations and about 2 weeks ago, before the latest funds appeal. We had a little over $51,500 in expenses–almost $40,000 of that went to the rally itself. The rest was for online presence, press conferences, inventory in the GOE store, etc. We set aside all donations that have come in after the first event, to be put toward the second event and ongoing efforts, about $10,000. Once all bills were paid, that left us with a surplus of slightly over $200.
Now, I’ll answer his second question: “[A]t what point did GOE decide to change the ground rules and not send the entire surplus of funds raised to a charity as pledged?�
Here’s the simple answer: Never. We never “changed any rules.” We are excited about donating to Sew Much Comfort; so much so, in fact, that we will be making a $1000 donation in the next few days, in the name of Gathering of Eagles.
The facts don’t matter to Jere Beery, of course. A few moments ago, I received this email:
“I’m certain Sew Much Comfort is a great organization. And I know they are just blown away with the $201 donation. That equals out to less than 1/3 of 1 percent of 60,000 in DONATED funds. WOW! LUCKY THEM! You guys really went all out! Supporting your troops…?”
Like I said: facts don’t matter.
Mr. Beery claims that we had no right to apply donated funds to setting up the organization—that it all should have gone to the rally event or to charity. I disagree, and I stand by the GOE’s leadership decision to become more than a one-time flash in the pan, even though there were those who told us it couldn’t be done—and those who said GOE should stay as a single moment, instead of beginning a new age. Some even said we wouldn’t be needed after March 17th.
They were all wrong. It can be done, and it is being done, in cities and towns all over the country. In two short months we have become a force to be reckoned with, a vocal part of the majority of Americans who support our men and women in uniform. We have hundreds of volunteers, working in their own communities to bring back pride in our military and belief in what makes our nation great. We are answering people like Cindy Sheehan, matching her appearances and ensuring that she does not appear in public without her treason being answered. We are growing, and making it impossible for the media to continue to ignore the truth—that a large section of Americans support the troops AND their mission.
There is still so much to be done. Senators claim openly that the war is lost, Army deserters are being hailed as heroes by a cowardly and anti-American Left, recruiters are being banned from school after school, and our troops are being prosecuted for killing the enemy. There has never been in our history such a need for GOE to exist.
My having to defend accusations from disgruntled veterans like Jere Beery and Gene Simes is wrong. It is wrong because there are men dying in Iraq and Afghanistan as we speak, and there is a greater threat to our nation than the personal attacks these men have chosen to level against me and against Captain Bailey. It is wrong because there was no misconduct to answer for. There was no “fleecing,� there were no “illegal� tactics employed to raise money, and there was no misleading of the American people. In fact, the people involved with Gathering of Eagles are some of the most honorable, most open, most amazing people I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. They love their country above all else, and they would never dream of mishandling or “stealing� funds, as Mr. Beery and Mr. Simes have so gleefully insinuated, all the while claiming, of course, that they’re “just asking the hard questions.� The Eagles I work with also wouldn’t engage in the type of sexual remarks and inappropriate questioning that I’ve seen addressed to me, and about me, from Jere Beery.
We did the best we could with the funds for GOE 1, and we did it proudly and honestly. The people who give so valiantly of their time, their careers, their money, and their lives to ensure that Gathering of Eagles is a viable and effective organization did—and do—so at great disadvantage to themselves. I am proud of myself for the work I have done, and I am even more proud of my countrymen, who continue to answer the desperate call of sanity and patriotism every day in their communities as “Eagles,� a breed of American much needed in our time.
I will no longer answer questions about our finances, or about my integrity. Neither of them needs defending, and it only detracts from the mission at hand. I will, however, keep my word, and appear on Stardust Radio next week to answer, one last time, the “hard questions� that Mr. Beery and Mr. Simes have demanded that I address. Hopefully none of those will be about my anatomy or sex life.
Thank you for your continued support and for your faith in us. We will not let you down.
Marines on Trial, Part 2
April 25, 2007
Part two of my show on Haditha and Hamdania is tonight, with parents of the Pendleton 8 on the show to talk about why one of their sons took a plea and why the other is standing strong in his claim of innocence.
Tune in at 10 pm Eastern, and feel free to call in at 646-915-9926.
Reminder: 28 Apr GOE rally at Chapel Hill NC
April 25, 2007
UNC-Chapel Hill Rally
The Gathering of Eagles together with the Conservative Women’s Voice of UNC-Chapel Hill is proud to announce a pro-America event!
UNC and GOE will unite and Support our Troops, Support their mission, and Support the United States of America!
This event is NOT a counter-protest. This is our time to make our voices heard! This is our time to speak out, and let the world know that we are PROUD to be Americans, that we are PROUD of our military, that we are PROUD to live in the Land of the Free because of the Brave!
What the GOE along with Rolling Thunder and others did on March 17th was a spectacular beginning. We will show the world that we are here to stay! We will be the Silent Majority NO MORE!
WHEN: Saturday, April 28th, 2007
Noon-3:00PM
WHERE: Polk Place, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Come join us for live music and speakers, including Iraq war veterans and UNC students. Check back for more details on presenters and musician–coming soon!
Of course, the event is free and open to the public, so if you are in the area or plan to be, feel free to join us! We are still trying to raise money for the event as well. Please consider a contribution to the Gathering of Eagles, or directly to the Conservative Women’s Voice of UNC. For GoE contributions, see the sidebar on the right. For CWV contributions, contact Anthony Stevenson via CWV -at- unc -dot- edu.
That’s CWV@unc.edu!
Checks may be sent to Gathering of Eagles, Box 291; Chocowinity, NC 27817. They should be made payable to “GOE� and noted “For UNC Rally.�
Directions to UNC-CH can be found here:
http://www.unc.edu/visitors/directions.html Information on parking
will be here available here soon, so check back for updates.
Polk Place is located off South Road on campus, next to the Wilson Library. An interactive campus map can be found here:
http://www.unc.edu/tour/LEVEL_2/polk.htm
The Eagles Will Soar–Again!
Army Deserter Gets Award From Lefty Group
April 25, 2007
At the GOE event in Greensboro last weekend, Terri Johnson, an 18-year-old woman, received a “People’s Commendation Award” from World Can’t Wait, a Communist, antiwar group.
Johnson told the crowd that deserting really wasn’t that bad. She walked away from her final fitness test in boot camp at Fort Jackson, and simply left the base.
“All you got to do is leave,” she said. “Throw the towel in. They cannot stop you. Stay gone for thirty-one days. Get you a two-way ticket to Louisville, Kentucky. The MPs will meet you there and pat you down. You will be there [in detention at Fort Knox] for four days and eat this horrible food. The only thing you cannot do is get a federal job. Okay, I wasn’t that interested in working for the federal government anyway. The other thing you can’t do is re-enlist in another branch of the military.”
Johnson’s a modest sort, though, and said she doesn’t see herself as a hero. (She doesn’t even deserve to use the word in conversation.)
“I really don’t look at myself as a hero,” Johnson explained. “I was just doing it for me because [the war] wasn’t for me. There were a lot of my buddies who didn’t want to finish. I wanted to them to drop out like me, but they didn’t have the courage to make the decision I did.”
The idea of deserters getting awards from the Communist Party in our own country should tell you something about the state of our nation. When walking away from a commitment is something to be cheered, when being a selfish coward is award-worthy, we are truly in a sad state of affairs.
All the more reason for us to stand up and fight for what is right.
EAGLES UP!
- Kit
Web Buttons Now Available
April 24, 2007
Do you want to link your site to Gathering of Eagles? Well now you can use this nifty little button instead of a regular old link:
All you have to do is copy and paste the code below into your webpage code wherever you want the button:
<a href="http://www.gatheringofeagles.org/"><img src="http://gatheringofeagles.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/main_button1.png" title="Main Button" alt="GatheringOfEagles.org" height="100" width="175"></a>
If you’d like to have the Gathering of Eagles site open in a new window (that way your visitors never leave your site), just use this code instead:
<a href="http://www.gatheringofeagles.org/" target="_blank"><img src="http://gatheringofeagles.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/main_button1.png" title="Main Button" alt="GatheringOfEagles.org" height="100" width="175"></a>
We’re working on getting more buttons made for you guys, so sit tight!
By the way, guys, this is my first post! 
–Andrew
Update on Operation Recruiter Appreciation (24 Apr)
April 24, 2007
Click here to see a nationwide map of ORA Participation.
Greetings!
It’s been just over two weeks since we announced Operation Recruiter Appreciation (ORA), and I’m happy to report that the response has been quite impressive! I have fielded hundreds upon hundreds of inquiries. To my knowledge there has been no media coverage on ORA at all. Yet as of today we have 136 commitments covering 40 states. With many other efforts underway at state and local levels that are not yet reflected in our total count.
If you’re not yet familiar with ORA, and/or would like to know how to locate a recruiter near you, please read the original post here:
http://gatheringofeagles.org/?p=257
Eagle Gerb was kind enough to put together a map showing which states are currently participating, along with icons marking sites within those states where ORA events are taking place. If you have any questions about this map or other aspects of ORA events, please contact me at coopbsure [at] yahoo [com].
If you are considering taking part in or are already planning ORA events, please either contact your state GOE coordinator (if you have one and know his/her name) or E-mail me at the above address with the following information:
-Your name
-Three initials of your choosing to be used to identify you on an image map and/or spreadsheet
-Type of recruiter (Service or Services using this office)
-Location of recruiter (City, state and ZIP code are sufficient if it’s a sole office; include address if there’s more than one to choose from in a particular zip code)
-How you are planning to honor our military recruiters (don’t be shy — gimme details!)
In case you’re wondering why Gathering of Eagles is sponsoring a recruiter appreciation effort, please take a look at these examples of vandalism and other attacks on recruiters (all in the name of peace, mind you!).
These are compliments of our Houston TX district coordinator, KA.
21 Arrested at Violent Protest: http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/6585292.html
Protests, Vandalism Greet Recruiting Center’s Opening:
http://www.newsobserver.com/161/story/522085.html
Marine Recruiting Office Vandalized:
https://tv.ku.edu/news/2005/01/26/marine-recruting-office-vandalized/
Pittsburgh: Marine Recruiting Office Vandalized After Protest http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=20070405075111801
Update: Arrests Made in War Protest: http://www.jsonline.com/watch/?watch=1&date=3/19/2007&id=20830
Watch this video. Between 2:00-3:45 see these “peaceful” protesters swarm an Armed Forces Recruiting Center. Notice how “peacefully” they interact with police officers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvcVpSCJMpA
And this response from a member of a very active grassroots “Support the Troops” organization:
[Coop]
I … am very patriotic and support our troops but am royally against Bush and this false, unperpetuated war in Iraq. Since I am a [member of troop supporting group] was forwarded the message about National Recruiter’s Day…which is the last thing I would be celebrating!
From all that I hear and read which is A LOT, these recruiters are not nice, good people to be commended. Many of them lie and lie some more to innocent, white-collar, young people throughout the country to get them to enlist. They paint a picture full of deception and lies.
WHY would you be celebrating them??
Thanks.
T. Kurland
All that garbage listed above (which is just a sample) is piled onto an already difficult job. I’d like to thank T. Kurland for reinforcing exactly why I will be honoring recruiters on or near May 19th.
Thank you all for caring! Please consider getting involved, and don’t let a limited budget stop you. Even a handshake and a smile can go a long way to brightening a recruiter’s day.
Silent no more.
Coop
Web Staff Needed
April 23, 2007
We are looking for a few good men–or women.
I need to expand the GOE web team. This is a volunteer position, with a time commitment of between 5-10 hours a week (more if you want). The positions I’m looking to fill are as follows:
Content Editor:
This person will be responsible for receiving and posting updates from state and regional coordinators about upcoming and recent events. You will be expected to get updates up on the website in 24 hours or less once you’ve received them.
Skills required:
-Â Understanding of how to post content (removing any email formatting, cleaning up the text, etc.)
-Â Wordpress knowledge would be helpful, but I can train you.
- Willingness to work in a close team and to be accountable for your tasks. We work hard, but we won’t ask anything of you that we’re not already doing.
Benefits:
- A email address at gatheringofeagles.org.
- Access to see GOE on a grand scale, and really get a feel for the incredible span that the organization is already having.
- The knowledge that you are contributing to something that can save our nation.
- Meeting new people all across the country who love their country as you do.
Comment Moderator:
This person’s job will be to keep track of comments made on the website and ensure that spam gets whisked away to oblivion, member comments are posted asap, and trolls don’t overrun the place. You will also need to report any IP addresses that need to be banned to the senior webstaff. No real experience needed, but you will need to be okay with seeing a lot of nasty things in comments. Spammers are disgusting. Expect to see all manner of porn comments advertising things you’d never talk about anywhere near your mother. And that’s not even counting the hippie trolls.
User Account Technician:
This job is simple. Answer incoming user account issues and make sure the members get fixed up. This would include resetting passwords, helping folks get set up in the forums if need be, and just making sure our members are taken care of when they have issues or questions about the site. Customer service experience will be helpful here, as would teaching experience. You also would need to be computer literate enough to walk people through issues that they don’t understand.
Assistant Web Coder:
This person will help Anthony and I maintain the website on the Wordpress side. You will be working directly with theme files, images, and text.
Skills Required:
- Experience working with PHP or Wordpress.
- Experience with Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, or Flash is a big point in your favor.
- Experience with CSS will earn you two big points.
- Experience working with a support issue tracking system such as Arctic is a plus but not required.
I am accepting several people per position, so please feel free to apply if you have any of the above skills. You must be a verifiable member of GOE.
I am excited about bringing new faces and talents on board, so please don’t hesitate to apply or ask questions. Thanks again!
If you are interested in helping us, please send a brief resume to Kit Jarrell at kit@gatheringofeagles.org.
Eagles UP!
–Kit Jarrell
Webmistress
GI Film Festival
April 23, 2007
Looking for something to do in D.C. after the GOE II rally is over?
From their website:
The GI Film Festival (GIFF) is the first film festival in the nation to exclusively celebrate the successes and sacrifices of the American military through the medium of film. The three-day festival will be held on May 26-28, 2007 , Memorial Day Weekend, in Washington , DC , at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center . The GIFF will present films from new and established international and domestic filmmakers that honor the heroic stories of the American Armed Forces and the worldwide struggle for freedom and liberty. Some of the films screened will be fan favorites. Others will be screened for the first time. All will in some way express the courage and selflessness of our fighting men and women and the value of their work.
The GI Film Festival is open to filmmakers of every experience level, from first-timers to veteran directors and producers. Prizes will be awarded to winners of three main categories: feature, documentary, and film shorts.
Sounds like a great time to me–and a great way to honor our men and women in uniform.
Appeal for Funds
April 22, 2007
Eagles, the time has come. We are at that crucial point in our development that requires us to ask you for financial help.
What you have done so far has been incredible! Without our having asked you for it, you have contributed over SIXTY THOUSAND DOLLARS to Gathering of Eagles, and all our debts for GOE I have been paid. We even had a few hundred dollars left over, and we’re going to honor Harry Riley’s commitment to donate anything left over from the Gathering to a worthwhile veteran-support charity. We’ve already identified that charity: “Sew Much Comfort,â€? an organization that creates hand-sewn personal items for wounded military personnel.
So far, GOE has continued down the path we envisioned it would follow–that of a highly decentralized group of patriotic Americans who are tired of the liberal-left propaganda that is endangering not only our nation but the entire Western world. It is pathetic that those who would save the country must pay for its salvation out of their own pockets, but that’s the situation we have.
I’m not going to belabor the point. I will simply state that we have a need for enough cash to carry us through the next two months, which will see major efforts launched at the University of NC and Washington, DC. In addition, and perhaps most importantly, we are leaning forward in the trenches to counter new efforts by the Cindy Sheehan crowd. When we learn where she and her ilk are going to be spewing their anti-American, anti-military poison, you can color us “gone!” We intend that she will no longer get a free ride for her treasonous activities.
We have a vision. That vision is to tap into the reservoir of patriotism that has been stifled for so long by the likes of Jane Fonda, Cindy Sheehan, and the peace-at-any-price crowd. Please help us realize it.
Send your donation by PayPal (via the button on the left sidebar) or by personal check (payable to “GOE” or “Gathering of Eagles”). Send it to “GOE; Box 291; Chocowinity, NC 27817.”
Thank you. We’re going to make you proud to be Americans!
Eagles Up!
Larry Bailey
Chairman
Preliminary AAR from Greensboro Rally
April 21, 2007
Larry Bailey called in to report that there were approximately equal numbers of Eagles to protestors. The rally was well-attended by both the Patriot Guard and Rolling Thunder, and the Eagles had bullhorns in their designated area. Bailey says a fantastic time was had by all.
More info coming. Feel free to submit your own story in the comments!
UPDATE: It needs to be clarified that while some of the Eagles who attended the rally are also PGR members, there was no official PGR sponsorship of the event, as per their mission statement. PGR is not a protest organization; however, their members are free to participate as they wish in GOE events.
An Open Letter to Senator Reid on His Declaration of Defeat
April 21, 2007
The following letter was written by Lt. Jason Nichols, a Naval officer who is currently serving in Baghdad. He is also the head of Appeal for Courage, a group of American active duty and reserve service personnel who are appealing to Congress to stay and finish the war.
Senator Reid:
When you say we’ve lost in Iraq, I don’t think you understand the effect of your words. The Iraqis I speak with are the good guys here, fighting to build a stable government. They hear what you say, but they don’t understand it. They don’t know about the political game, they don’t know about a Presidential veto, and they don’t know about party politics.
But they do know that if they help us, they are noticed by terrorists and extremists. They decide to help us if they think we can protect them from those terrorists. They tell us where caches of weapons are hidden. They call and report small groups of men who are strangers to the neighborhood, men that look the same to us, but are obvious to them as a foreign suicide cell.
To be brief, your words are killing us. Your statements make the Iraqis afraid to help us for fear we’ll leave them unprotected in the future. They don’t report a cache, and its weapons blow up my friends in a convoy. They don’t report a foreign fighter, and that fighter sends a mortar onto my base. Your statements are noticed, and they have an effect.
Finally, you are mistaken when you say we are losing. We are winning, I see it every day. However, we will win with fewer casualties if you help us. Will you?
Respectfully,
LT Jason Nichols, USN
MNF-I, Baghdad
