Don't miss Sgt. Joe Roche's op-ed piece in today's Washington Times. "Wonderful Time To Be A Soldier" is absolutely required reading.
Sgt. Roche criticizes the main stream media for being "asphyxiated with defeatism:"
The message from most journalists would lead you to believe that we soldiers are getting out, that no one is joining anew and that we want to stop fighting. This simply isn't true.
Yes, recruitment is lower, but the caliber of those who are signing up and the rates of re-enlistment are both extremely high.
[. . .]
Before September 11, a lot of soldiers were happy to just enjoy the benefits. Since that day, those soldiers have left. That is fine and not the disaster that defeatist reports are making it seem. Such soldiers were never the types to want to go on long deployments and face combat. Yes, they were heroes for signing up and being in a job that could go that direction, but they had other priorities that made their service contingent on enjoying the benefits rather than serving in war.
That changed on September 11. Now, just as we are told to expect when joining, we are going to combat and many soldiers are getting injured and killed. This is our job, and it is what we know can happen. I don't know why the media insists on trumpeting the idea that all of us are tired and worn out and just want to stop fighting. I don't, and I am not alone.The fact is that we are not experiencing casualty rates anywhere near past conflicts, nor for that matter as bad as during peacetime.
[. . .]
This is a very proud and important time to be serving. Considering that out of a population of 285 million, less than one-tenth of one percent are going to war right now, and considering the huge impact we are having on the world, this is a wonderful time to be a soldier in the U.S. Army.
Sgt. Joe Roche is with the 12th Aviation Battalion and stationed at Fort Belvoir and served in combat duty in Iraq with the 1st Armored Division.
We are truly blessed to have men and women such as Sgt. Roche defending us.
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