Vets For War

Proving that they aren't burying stories, the Washington Post is running an article written by Iraqi war veteran Wade Zirkle. Of course, the blogosphere reported on it a couple months ago. Here's the opening of Zirkle's article:

Earlier this year there was a town hall meeting on the Iraq war, sponsored by Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA), with the participation of such antiwar organizations as CodePink and MoveOn.org. The event also featured Rep. John Murtha (D-PA), a former Marine who had become an outspoken critic of the war. To this Iraq war veteran, it was a good example of something that's become all too common: People from politics, the media and elsewhere purporting to represent "our" views. With all due respect, most often they don't.

The tenor of the town meeting was mostly what one might expect, but during the question-and-answer period, a veteran injured in Afghanistan stood up to offer his view. "If I didn't have a herniated disc, I would volunteer to go to Iraq in a second with my troops," said Mark Seavey, a former Army sergeant who had recently returned from Afghanistan. "I know you keep saying how you have talked to the troops and the troops are demoralized, and I really resent that characterization. The morale of the troops I talk to is phenomenal, which is why my troops are volunteering to go back despite the hardships..."

"And, Congressman Moran, 2000 of your constituents just arrived back from Afghanistan, we never got a letter, we never got a visit from you, you didn't come to our homecoming. The only thing we got was a letter from the governor of this state thanking us for our service in Iraq, when we were in Afghanistan. That's reprehensible. I don't know who you two are talking to, but the morale of the troops is very high."

Here's what Powerline wrote about that meeting:

"Yes sir my name is Mark Seavey and I just want to thank you for coming up here. Until about a month ago I was Sgt Mark Seavey infantry squad leader, I returned from Afghanistan. My question to you...(applause).

"Like yourself I dropped out of college two years ago to volunteer to go to Afghanistan, and I went and I came back. If I didn't have a herniated disk now I would volunteer to go to Iraq in a second with my troops, three of which have already volunteered to go to Iraq. I keep hearing you say how you talk to the troops and the troops are demoralized, and I really resent that characterization. (applause) The morale of the troops that I talk to is phenomenal, which is why my troops are volunteering to go back, despite the hardships they had to endure in Afghanistan.

"And Congressman Moran, 200 of your constituents just returned from Afghanistan. We never got a letter from you; we never got a visit from you. You didn't come to our homecoming. The only thing we got from any of our elected officials was one letter from the governor of this state thanking us for our service in Iraq, when we were in Afghanistan. That's reprehensible. I don't know who you two are talking to but the morale of the troops is very high."

Sound familiar? Powerline wrote their article on Jan. 19. Zirkle's article is running today. This isn't to blame Mr. Zirkle. It's meant to blame the Washington Post for not running anything at the time. We can speculate on why they didn't. It isn't unreasonable to think they didn't run it because it would've undercut Murtha's reputation at a time when he was attacking the administration. We simply don't know, though. Still, it's worth asking the question.

---

Posted Thursday, April 13, 2006 11:03 AM

Comment 1 by J.T. Thomas at 14-Apr-06 10:59 AM

The odious aroma of the "Politization" of WAR has begun to seep into even the MS Press.

It is the "GRUNTS" & SPECFOR "operators" that we SHOULD O_N_L_Y solicit info from, since THEY are THERE! ACTUALLY - FACTUALLY!

A_L_L the rest(ESPECIALLY POLITICOS)need N_O_T apply!

"WAR IS HELL!" And, "MURPHY LIVES!", so there ARE going to be BAD THINGS happening. Just make sure you get the TRUE STORY from the ACTUAL PLAYERS!= the Kevin Seavey's, etc.! Good Article! Good Blog!

Comment 2 by Gary Gross at 14-Apr-06 11:16 AM

J.T., Thanks for your kind words about the blog. As for your comments on getting the real story from people on the ground, that's only common sense. You'd think that journalists would know that.

This reflects the gossip-mongering nature of the Agenda Media. This isn't reporting; it's journalism and there's a huge difference.