Sep
10
2008
I'm on the fence. I'll admit it. While I support the troops, do I support the mission?
I've been one that has said that if one supports the troops, one supports the mission. It's an oxymoron not to; one cannot support fighting without supporting the cause. I hear a lot of "I support the troops, but I don't support the mission".
I'm not naive and I know that conflict brings casualties, but I don't want our troops dying while fighting in conflicts that are happening halfway around the world. I don't. The one thing I was proud of PM Chretien for was refusing to support the US in Iraq. He made a stand, and I was proud of him for it.
Soldiers are being killed for trying to make a better life for the Afgan people. Should we be there? History tells us we should be but it's hard to swallow. I could have been one of those men fighting overseas. I have a real hard time accepting that our troops are dying trying to make a difference in a world I don't know. Especially when I have spoken to soldiers and know how they are unequipped, unprepared, and under appreciated.
Yet they still go. I guess that is what makes us Canadian. Willing to sacrifice not only for own, but others. If anything makes us unique and gives us an identity that has to be it. While it pains me to hear of Canadian soldiers dying; I support the cause. I have to.
Not doing so is not Canadian.