My remarks to the troops of the 324th Replacement Batallion and the 114th Field Artillery are below. It was my intent to let them know that they are doing what is right and not be too political. I was fortunate to have read some recent articles by those who have been in Iraq who had a diffferent view from the primarily liberal media.

One of the questions I often get is why are we having to call on our Reserve and National Guard to fight this war? Those of us in the uniform know the answer to that question. We are getting the call because that is the way the system was designed to work. Our Reserve and Guard forces are not second-rate troops used only when we run out of active forces; they are our best and our brightest. The Reserve and Guard of today lives and fights alongside the active duty forces, and in many cases bring capabilities that do not even exist in the active forces. The Reserve and Guard are no longer the back-up troops like they used to be in the Cold War era; they are now an integral part of our nation’s military and are necessary for our country to fight and win wars.

We call on the Reserve and the Guard to ensure that we have the support of the American public for this war. It has been said that we won the Vietnam War on the ground, in the water, and in the air in Southeast Asia but that we lost it in the hearts and minds of our citizens in America. We lost the support of the American People, and no war, from the Peloponnesian War in 431 BC to the War on Terror has been won without the support of the people at home. I hope it is clear today, that these troops have our support, they have our prayers, and they have our best wishes.

The job they have done or are going to do is a noble one. Much has been said on the television and in papers about the reasons for the war, but as Lieutenant Colonel (Select) Stanton Coerr, United States Marine Corps Reserve said in a recent article in the US Naval Institute Proceedings, none of those commentators have carried a rifle or flown an aircraft in OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM. Lieutenant Colonel Coerr, one of our Nation’s best and brightest, goes on to say, “Having studied political science at Duke University and government at Harvard University, I understand realpolitik, geopolitical jujitsu, economics, and the realities of the Arab world. I am not a blind follower. But the war made sense then—and our presence there makes sense now.”

Colonel Coerr then relates a story of going into a town and being swamped by Iraqis bringing food and drink and pictures of their children to the forces. He said much was lost in language differences but his clear impression was: “Thank God, someone has arrived with bigger men and bigger guns to be on our side at last.” He said they saw in the eyes of the people how a generation of fear reflects in the human soul.

Earlier this week, in a New York Times editorial, another Marine spoke up. Major Glen Butler referred to an interview of Michael Moore by Bill O’Reilly. In the commentary he said, “Michael Moore recently asked Bill O’Reilly if he would sacrifice his son for Falluja. A clever rhetorical device, but it’s the wrong question: this war is about Des Moines, not Falluja. This country (Iraq) is breeding and attracting militants who are eager to grab box cutters, dirty bombs, suicide vests or biological weapons, and then come fight us in Chicago, Santa Monica or Long Island…No, I would not sacrifice myself, my parents would not sacrifice me, and President Bush would not sacrifice a single Marine or Soldier simply for Falluja. Rather, that symbolic city is but one step toward a free and democratic Iraq, which is one step closer to a more safe and secure America. I miss my family, my friends and my country, but right now there is nowhere else I’d rather be. I am a United States Marine.”

Soldiers, you, I, this community have a job to do. We will do it. You will be in Iraq, we will be here, but rest assured we will all be working together. You will miss your families and they will miss you, but those are the sacrifices we made when we chose to wear the uniform, raised our hands, and swore to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. You will come home, and we will be here to welcome you back.
Soldiers of the 324th, you know this better than most. You have been to Kuwait, you have done your duty, and we are appreciative of it. Our nation is more secure because of what you have done. Your efforts have brought freedom to an entire nation and hope to a new generation of Iraqis. Well done and welcome back.

Thank you all for your service. May God bless you and your families. And may Gob bless the United States of America.

Now, if they will only return safely.