And let's not bicker about the "mission" of the Iraq War. It doesn't matter...
Are you kidding me?
Are you really okay with blowing thousands of our lives, hundreds of thousands of their lives, and trillions of our dollars, all for a mission that "doesn't matter"? Why bother with a mission at all next time, then? Perhaps think you would feel differently if your country had been overrun, your way of life upended, your livelihood scrapped, your family members killed, and your civil liberties tattered.
But as it is you don't care, because the mission--whatever it is--is "accomplished" (even though it's not). Why? I can only speculate that you've supported the war for all this time and finally want to be validated in your support of it. Or maybe you just listen to too much right-wing media. Same thing.
Ignorance like yours is a menace to the world. You need to think about the consequences of your beliefs and the implications of your ideology.
The boys on the ground believe in what we did, or else so many of them wouldn't have signed up for a second tour.
Many of the people serving their second, third, fourth, and fifth tours in Iraq did not exactly "sign up" for it. As for those who did, the usual reasons apply and they only occasionally imply support for the war effort:
1) Combat service is a major avenue of career advancement in the military.
2) Our troops are indoctrinated to support their missions and their service regardless of their personal feelings.
3) People have a tendency to support a venture that they feel they own.
4) The military has a notorious ability to attract immature males with power fantasies.
So for the 12,000 that have just pulled out, and for the 100,000 more that will over the next two years, I say "mission accomplished." They've done their part, don't they deserve their recognition for their accomplishments despite being able to come home earlier?
The troops deserve recognition for their service, sure. But that's not "mission accomplished." Those aren't just words. You can't declare something to be over when it isn't over, and you can't declare it to be victory when it obviously isn't. Our troops are mostly not coming home yet. How would you feel if you were over in some nasty desert shoveling shit while a bunch of pricks back home forgot you were still there and decided to throw a victory party for all the shit you have yet to shovel?
Lastly, since you really seem not to get it: Those of our troops that
are coming home are not exactly doing so in disgrace, but strategically and democratically we failed in Iraq. That means our troops died for nothing. It doesn't make their service any less noble, but it does make their sacrifice meaningless.
This is no time for a celebration.
