Obama Forgets Victory

Sunday, March 01, 2009 10:18 PM

Watching President Obama’s address at Camp Lejeune, I was struck by the significance of the moment. This was it. This was truly the transition point, when George Bush’s war became Obama’s war, and by extension, all of ours as well. This was the moment when those who opposed the war and those who believed in it would be brought together by the overriding necessity of sensible policy decisions and the irrefutable conditions on the ground in Iraq. For those of us who served in that country, in this war, the power of this pregnant moment dwarfed partisan sentiment or ideological contentions. For us, the opportunity to recognize our historic achievements and heal the internal rifts in our own country was evident and inspiring.

We have fought for many years against public perception here at home even while struggling against and eventually overcoming impossible odds in a foreign land. We know better than most, deep within our psyches, that many Americans still wish to deny us the victory that we have won. It is towards this goal that we have scratched and clawed through years of strife and turmoil, danger and death, anxiety and uncertainty. It is for this purpose that we have lost our brothers and sisters to the chaos of countless battlefields, and continued on in spite of our misery. But it is this word, victory, which was missing from our President’s speech on Thursday.

Perhaps this may seem to be a trifling issue to many, a mere quibble that can be explained by political pressures and the importance of avoiding incendiary words or expressions that could upset the President’s supporters. Have we now reached the day when victory is politically incorrect? Are we now so afraid of causing offense or appearing insensitive that we must refrain from using the word “victory” to describe the achievement of our military goals? Veterans are not the only ones to notice this tone, politically savvy but empty of the conviction and courage that define American volunteer military service. Tom Donnelly wrote:

This is a very subtle form of the soldier-as-victim trope that is fast becoming an Iraq legacy. For soldiers throughout history--those who have endured physical and emotional sufferings of an essential similar quality, if less clinically expressed--the trials of war were at least partially ameliorated by the salve of personal honor and, if the battle went well, the celebration of a victory.

Jennifer Rubin weighed in as well:

Still, his subordinates are left to confirm the obvious — the surge made our success possible. But the president does not come out and say what we virtually all know to be true: we are on the precipice of a remarkable accomplishment. The members of the armed services didn’t just suffer or carry a burden — they did so to achieve a great victory.

Veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom know what we achieved. We watched the recent Iraqi elections and saw in the peaceful exercise of this basic human right a validation of our efforts and sacrifices. We were there during the confusion of 2003 and 2004, through the rise of al Sadr and his militia, through the Al Qaeda inspired Sunni insurgency and the horrific sectarian violence. We created the conditions for the Anbar Awakening movement and fueled it as it spread like wildfire to consume the enemies of democracy and freedom. We trained the Iraqi Army and police forces, and fought and bled with them to secure the population and defeat the foreign fighters hiding amongst them. We are the witnesses to history, and we will make sure it is told accurately.

It is now President Obama’s war, and he will be hard pressed to deflect the blame for future failures given the current conditions on the ground and the positive developments over the last year and a half. Political speeches may give him room to maneuver in Washington, but on the battlefield they are no substitute for wise leadership or prudent decisions grounded in an understanding of the conflict. I hope that in future addresses and strategic decisions President Obama remembers that victory is the objective of military campaigns, not withdrawal. If he is not sure that we have yet achieved it, then the proper way to honor us is to help us finish the job. It is in fact the only way to properly honor us, and those we have lost.

Semper Fi.

Published at New Majority