An Open Letter to War Protestors and Bush Haters

I understand that you have the right to free speech and I support that right as much as I disagree with how you choose to exercise it. I also think that people who criticize the war and our commander-in-chief fail to recognize that with those rights comes a responsibility. That responsibility is understanding that words have consequences. One of the consequences of the anti-war or anti-Bush rhetoric is that it does have a negative impact on morale. How would you feel if you were deployed to Iraq and heard Harry Reid announce that the war was lost? Such a declaration indicates a conclusion to hostilities yet the incoming mortars still interrupt our sleep and the little enjoyment we get from a hot meal at the DFAC.

Since most of these critics of the war haven’t even been to Iraq our military finds itself fighting a war in Iraq and another war at home to inform our countrymen of the truth the mainstream media seems either incapable or unwilling to report.

I’ve heard how you refer to yourselves as patriots. Apparently, we differ on what constitutes a patriot. I know real patriots. I’ve been deployed with them and shared a tent with them. I’ve seen them homesick, covered in mud and somehow still able to crack a joke. I’ve seen them emerge from an incoming mortar attack with a smile when they realize they and their buddies survived another one. I’ve seen them volunteer at the base hospital and return as different men. To me, a true patriot takes action especially when that’s the unpopular thing to do. A patriot isn’t somebody who exercises his right to freedom of speech by objecting to taking action while enjoying the comfort of his living room. A patriot doesn’t protest and carry signs in the relative safety of our country while our military men and women are being attacked overseas. You’re no patriot and I doubt that you’ll ever know one. You see, its just human nature to congregate towards those whom we share common experiences with. The typical war protestor hasn’t been to Iraq or Afghanistan and the closest they’ve ever come to risking their life for something is attending a day after Thanksgiving Day sale. As frightening as that experience may have been for you it doesn’t compare to having somebody firing an RPG at you or trying to drop a mortar on your head. No sir, I won’t tell you to shut up. Instead, I’ll simply ask that you carefully consider the consequences of your words before you speak.

Sincerely,
An OIF Vet