Why No Morale Tours?

I can’t remember what it was I was listening to, but something caught my ear in the car as I was driving during the holidays. It was yet another story about the situation in Iraq, with the media painting as much doom and gloom as possible and someone from the Defense Department trying desperately to inject some semblance of accuracy and hope by offering a picture of all that we are doing that is good.

Ah, yes – it was the story about former military personnel, bloggers and authors, who have been asked to come overseas and see for themselves the positive changes that are happening.

And then it occurred to me, that, in addition to the skewed perception of casualty and mortality statistics, something else has changed substantially with regards to how the public views, processes, and comes to its conclusions about this nation’s warfaring: little personal stumping.

It used to be that as a way for the military to boost morale on the home front, it would put its best face forward here at home. The crew of the Memphis Belle, for instance, was promised a cushy stint touring the United States once they completed their required bombing assignments over Europe, in a reward for exceptional service rendered. Even as unpopular as Vietnam was, the Department of Defense would ship soliders, sailors, marines and airmen around the country to do public relations.

As the President has attempted to go on the offensive here at home regarding this war, and making headway I might add, this is another tool at his disposal that he ought to use. The Pentagon should step up now and recruit a cadre – better yet, two cadres. The first of articulate and intelligent military members of all ranks, likeable people who can connect with others, who can explain why we are in Iraq, what we are doing, how we are succeeding, on a variety of intellectual levels.

For instance, nobody to my knowledge has yet to simply put in front of a group a map of the Middle East and point out the fact that we have created a line of neutralization… wait, see the map below, and I’ll illustrate….

As you can see from the map, the shaded nations are nations that are either allied with the United States, or have American troops actively stationed there. We now surround both Iran and Syria (and honestly, I have long been much more concerned about Syria than I have been with Iran).

Anyhow, nobody has made that case to the American people.

But someone needs to be able to answer American’s questions, have them understand just who is overseas making sacrifices for them, just what those sacrifices are, and what we are achieving and have already achieved.

The second cadre would be one of Iraqis themselves. People who were oppressed before the US stepped in and removed a brutal Stalinist thug from power, who bask in the warm light of freedom today.

Civic groups are always clamoring for speakers. Jaycees, rotary clubs, local chambers, etc. Ditto high schools.

If the President really wants to take his message to the people, then he ought to do it with the most effective messengers out there: articulate, likeable soldiers and Iraqis. Those who have been there, seen things firsthand, and can tell the compelling stories that need to be told.

- Andrew Langer