Sam Spade's San Francisco

Representative Jack Murtha is pushing a plan to prohibit sending troops to Iraq who are under-equipped or exhausted from multiple tours of duty. Amazingly, Republicans are calling this plan -- which would protect the men and women in our armed forces -- anti-troop! This outrageous allegation is becoming conventional wisdom in the media and we must immediately work together to stop it.

Think about writing a letter to the editor of a newspaper debunking this smear. Post your comments on the blogs and let the local TV and radio stations know where you stand. Most of them have blogs set up for viewer/listener comments. You will find a list of media links at the end of this posting.

Here are some talking points:

* Supporting the troops means protecting them from being sent into the middle of a civil war inadequately equipped and under-prepared.

* It's outrageous that Republicans are labeling Democrats' plans to provide soldiers with proper equipment and training "anti-troop". It is the Republicans who have repeatedly sent our armed forces into conflict inadequately equipped and under-prepared.

Facts: The forces we are sending to Iraq are not adequately equipped:

* Service members in Iraq and Afghanistan have experienced shortages of force-protection equipment, including up-armored vehicles, electronic countermeasure devices, crew-served weapons and communications equipment. 1

* The military has been borrowing gear from units stationed in the United States, reducing their ability to respond in case of other military threats around the world. 2

* The Arkansas National Guard's 39th Brigade Combat Team, scheduled to return to Iraq next year, is 600 rifles short for its 3,500 soldiers.3

The forces we are sending to Iraq are not adequately trained:

* "Soldiers of the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division had so little time between deployments to Iraq they had to cram more than a year's worth of training into four months."4

* "Two army brigades heading to Iraq due to the escalation are skipping their counterinsurgency training session at the Army's premier training range."5

Our injured troops from Iraq and Afghanistan are not being adequately treated:

* Soldiers recovering from injuries suffered in Iraq and Afghanistan at the Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital, a mere five miles from the White House, were found living in rooms infested with mold, soiled carpet and cockroaches.6

* More than 30 percent of all soldiers meet the criteria for a mental disorders related to emotional problems from deployment stress. Military health providers are straining under the pressure and are unable to meet the psychological health needs of our soldiers and their families.7,8

Sources:

1. "Gates, Pace Give Update on Iraq, Afghanistan, Readiness" American Forces Press Service, February 15, 2007 http://www.defenselink.mil/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=3076

2. "Corners cut in rush to add troops" San Francisco Chronicle, February 4, 2007 http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/02/04/MNG9ONUKVT1.DTL

3. "National Guard May Undertake Iraq Duty Early" New York Times, February 22, 2007 http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/22/washington/22military.htm

4. "Corners cut in rush to add troops" San Francisco Chronicle, February 4, 2007 http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/02/04/MNG9ONUKVT1.DTL

5. "2 Army Units Will Forgo Desert Training" Associated Press, February 27, 2007 http://www.examiner.com/a-587827~2_Army_Units_Will_Forgo_Desert_Training.html

6. "Soldiers Face Neglect, Frustration At Army's Top Medical Facility" Washington Post, February 18, 2007 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/17/AR2007021701172.html

7. "Psychological Needs of Military Personnel and Their Families are Increasing - Straining Military Health Care System" American Psychological Association, February 25, 2007 http://www.apa.org/releases/military_health.html

8. "Panel: Military Health System Needs Help" Washington Post, February 26, 2007 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/25/AR2007022500974.html

Local Media Contacts:

San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
blogs
Bay Area Reporter
San Francisco Examiner
San Francisco Bay Times
SF Weekly
San Francisco Business Times
San Francisco Bay Guardian
San Francisco State University news and press
City College of San Francisco - email the Guardsman at:
City College of San Francisco - web site
CBS-5
ABC-7
KRON-4
Indybay (SF Independent Media Center)