Finish the job, war backers say

By KEVIN FERRIS

PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

It won’t exactly be a ticker-tape parade, but expect a considerable amount of support for the troops, the mission and Gen. David Petraeus as he presents his long-awaited report on Iraq this week.

Some of that backing is grounded in politics, but the motivation for many is the strong belief that wars should be won, commitments to allies should be honored, and any attempt to dishonor those who serve should not go unanswered.

There are already TV ads featuring Iraqi war veterans and Gold Star moms, courtesy of Freedoms Watch (www. freedomswatch.org). Move America Forward has a pro-troop, cross-country caravan under way, with 27 events planned as the group makes its way from California to a Sept. 15 rally in Washington. The Gathering of Eagles, which twice this year has turned out veterans and troop supporters in response to antiwar demonstrations, also will be out in force.

Bradley Blakeman, president of the month-old Freedoms Watch, says he and his group’s supporters felt that “a defeatist message was taking over the airwaves,” ignoring the progress being made in Iraq.

He calls the group’s $15 million in ads a leveling of the playing field that has generated an “unbelievable response.”

“People are fired up,” he says. “They see us as the cavalry coming.”

Move America Forward (www.-MoveAmericaForward.com) has been in the pro-troop business since 2004, sponsoring rallies and caravans, sending radio talk-show hosts to Iraq, and supplying the troops with goodies — about 30 tons of coffee, cookies, Gatorade and beef jerky so far.

Sal Russo, the group’s chief strategist, acknowledges the setbacks and mistakes of the war, and the Bush administration’s poor job in communicating the stakes in Iraq. But he hopes this week’s reports will help unite Americans.

“We can’t lose sight of the fact that war was declared against us by Islamic terrorists,” he says. “This is a battle for ideas. We have to prevail and can’t be discouraged.”

Terry English, 60, of Ringoes, N.J., understands the discouragement but doesn’t want to see his country repeat the mistakes of Vietnam.

“It’s not easy to think about the kids getting killed, the general tensions it creates with our allies and around the world,” he says. “But, overall, I think we’re doing the right thing.”

Counterinsurgency

As a Green Beret, English saw the successes of a counterinsurgency strategy that emphasized providing security for the people and building up local forces, the same policy Petraeus is pursuing in Iraq. English witnessed a well-trained South Vietnamese army repulse the Easter offensive of ’72. But once home, he was disgusted when his country turned its back on its allies and the veterans who fought the war.

“That burns at my gut,” he says.

English says Americans have to prepare for the long haul, both in fighting the war and in stabilizing Iraq and Afghanistan. And they have to expect problems and setbacks. Transforming societies from dictatorship to democracy is time-consuming, frustrating work. He’s seen the difficulties as an investment manager for funds in former Soviet republics.

If Americans need examples of the resolve and courage needed to win, he says, look to the troops.

“Kids in the Army today are really special,” he says.

“There are always a percentage of hard-core warriors who will never quit or admit they’ve lost,” he says, “but when you talk to these troops, they’re all committed.”

Rewarding and honoring that commitment is part of what the rallies and gatherings are about. The other, more difficult, part: securing the same commitment from a war-weary public and Congress.

X Kevin Ferris is commentary page editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune.