Morale of U.S. troops in Iraq is high

By JOHN P. BOWN III

Last week, I had the opportunity to visit with our troops and military leaders serving in Iraq. My counterparts from the VFW and the Military Officers Association of America and I were briefed on the situation in Iraq by Gen. David Petraeus.

From Petraeus’ briefing, we learned that our military is moving away from a tactical role and serving in an advisory role with the Iraqi security forces, as violence continues to decline.

According to Gen. Petraeus, the Iraqi infrastructure is taking shape, security forces are growing in size and capability, and al-Qaida forces are losing their effectiveness. I sawe this progress for myself while accompanying our troops to a handful of cities around Iraq, including Fallujah. The progress Gen. Petraeus reported has allowed a number of units to return home and combat tours to be shortened.

While on the ground, I also witnessed first-hand the way that our uniformed services work in a joint environment. Today’s forces on the battlefield are so intricately woven together that you can’t tell a sailor, soldier, airman or Marine from the other without reading a nametape. This is something we must celebrate in the larger veterans’ community, regardless of petty quarrels between the services. We all raised our right hand, we swore to uphold and defend the Constitution, and put our lives on the line for this country.

While speaking with our fighting men and women, I saw that morale was high, and our troops seem to only have two concerns: Their mission at hand and the welfare of their families back home.

Many of the troops that I had an opportunity to meet came from National Guard or Reserve units. To these citizen-soldiers, the most pressing issue was family readiness. They wanted to know that their spouses and children were taken care of while they were called away to serve. They also wanted to be sure that their employer remained supportive of their service, and that a job would be waiting for them upon their return.

Vitally important service

I took this concern to heart, and I was pleased to report that our organization was doing everything in our power to help with this vitally important service. AMVETS is the only veterans’ service organization with a memorandum of understanding with the National Guard Bureau, allowing our posts and departments nationwide to work directly with their local National Guard units and family readiness groups.

Before National Guard troops deploy, AMVETS routinely conducts briefings for both the troops and their families, highlighting services that will be available to the veteran upon their return and programs in place to meet the needs of their loved ones during their absence.

AMVETS remains engaged throughout each deployment, ensuring that families have the resources to succeed. Upon the troop’s return, AMVETS National Service Officers are available to further explain VA benefits and assist in claims processing, should the service member need it.

All of these programs are provided to troops at absolutely no cost or obligation. This keeps with the greatest tradition of AMVETS: Veterans serving veterans.

AMVETS is on the right course with our programs to serve the veterans’ community. However, there are lessons that the old guard, including myself, must learn as a new generation of heroes joins our ranks.

If we want to engage our young veterans we must give them responsibilities within our organization. The idea that “We’ve never done that before,” is no longer sufficient to accomplishing our mission.

In my time as national commander, I feel we have done a tremendous job listening to our younger veterans. We successfully lobbied for the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill on Capitol Hill, leading to the president’s approval of this long-overdue education entitlement. When I spoke to our troops in Iraq about the new G.I. Bill, they were excited about the opportunities that will be available when they return home.

Veterans’ changing needs

AMVETS is open to anyone who has served honorably in the military. This diverse membership base allows AMVETS to effect change quickly within the community.

During the just-concluded convention in Orlando, Fla, we elected new national officers, who I am confident will continue as good stewards of the veterans’ community. I am proud to have served this year as national commander of this stellar organization, and I look forward to what our future leaders will accomplish for our veterans.

X John P. “JP” Brown III, a Youngstown native, is national commander of AMVETS.