I received an email this morning from SSG Dave Thul in Al Asad, Iraq, from Appeal for Courage, letting me know that Appeal for Courage will be formally presented to several members of congress today.
Spree-
just a heads up that the Appeal For Courage will be formally presented to several members of Congress this afternoon. Quite a situation when soldiers have to ask to be allowed to stay in the combat zone to finish the job, but we have over 2800 signatures so far asking for just that. Our website is appealforcouarge.org, and we will be rounding up the (sure to be underwhelming) media coverage.
Thanks for your time and your great blog, I read it every day.
SSG Dave Thul
Al Asad, Iraq
Remember these are active military members asking the Congress to show courage in a time of war.
To remind everyone what their message is that they are delivering to members of congress:
This site is an Appeal For Redress in support of our mission in Iraq.
An Appeal For Redress is an authorized means for active duty military to submit a grievance to Congress. It can be signed by Active Duty, Reserve, or National Guard military personnel.It is authorized by DoD Directive 1325.6 and DoD Directive 7050.6 (pdf).
The wording of the Appeal is:As an American currently serving my nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to fully support our mission in Iraq and halt any calls for retreat. I also respectfully urge my political leaders to actively oppose media efforts which embolden my enemy while demoralizing American support at home. The War in Iraq is a necessary and just effort to bring freedom to the Middle East and protect America from further attack.If you are active duty, reservist or national guard, please Sign this Appeal.
This Appeal will be delivered to members of Congress.
We are currently working with members of Congress to make a presentation.
Most service members fully support the war in Iraq and feel calls to retreat by Congress and emphasis by some in the media on negative aspects while ignoring positive ones acts to motivate our enemy while demoralizing our support at home, directly increasing the threat we face and resulting in greater American casualties.
It is a sad day when our active members of the military are fighting for us overseas and they feel forced to fight our Democratic Congress and Senate also here in our country, just so they will not have defeat forced down their throats when they can see the success and progress they are making in Iraq. (updated)
Pass this around to anybody and everybody because it is not like our media will be reporting much on it.
[Update] A huge thank you to Take Our Country Back for linking, and helping to spread our soldiers word as well as his additional words of encouragement.
Go take a look!!!
[Update #2] Patrick Ruffini, also from the We Win They Lose effort, ( see petition at the top of the page) has also picked up on this issue over at Townhall!!!!!!
[Update #3] Others are talking about the Appeal for Courage being formally presented to members of Congress today:
Army Times, Michelle Malkin, Power Line, Political Punch, Foriegn and Domestic (Thanks for the mention!!!!)
Thanks to Foreign and Domestic we have the official release on this:
Here is the official press release:
To Reporters/Editors, please note the following item from the Daybook:
2:30 p.m. GOP-IRAQ SUPPORT _ Senators Lindsey Graham and Saxby Chambliss , House Republican Leader John Boehner, Republican Whip Roy Blunt and Chief Deputy Whip Eric Cantor will accept a petition - the Appeal for Courage - signed by more than 2,700 U.S. service members urging Congress to support the mission in Iraq .
Location: Lobby Entrance, Veterans of Foreign Wars Headquarters, 200 Maryland Ave. NE.
Our active military members should not have to do this, but they are, just like they don't have to fight for our freedoms and to protect us, yet they do.
Bless them and THANKS!!!!
From the Army Times article:
“
No one knows the stakes in this war better than the men and women who face, and have faced, our enemies on the front lines,” Boehner said. “They understand that the security of current and future generations of Americans may be dictated by the actions Congress takes today, and I commend them both for their service and for going above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that their mission is given chance to succeed.”
Boehner said he is “honored to accept these petitions and share the story of the Appeal for Courage with my colleagues. This could not have come at a more important time."
Many view Appeal for Courage as a response to a group calling itself Appeal for Redress, which in January turned over a petition signed by about 1,000 service members calling for Congress to cut off funding for the Iraq combat mission. The number of signatures on that petition has grown to about 1,900.
About 60 percent of the 2,700 signatures on the Appeal For Courage petition come from service members who are serving or have served in Iraq, with about two-thirds enlisted members and one-third officers. The signatures were gathered over about a month.
The petition states: “As an American currently serving my nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to fully support our mission in Iraq and halt any calls for retreat. I also respectfully urge my political leaders to actively oppose media efforts which embolden my enemy while demoralizing American support at home. The War in Iraq is a necessary and just effort to bring freedom to the Middle East and protect America from further attack.”
On Tuesday, Boehner, who has called the withdrawal timetable for Iraq a plan for surrender, said he was no more pleased with a new Democratic plan that would provide only a couple of months of funding for Iraq combat operations while lawmakers continue to debate strategy.
Boehner said Democratic leaders “should not treat our men and women in uniform like they are children who are getting a monthly allowance. Republicans will not support rationing funds for our troops in harm’s way and neither will the American people.”
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Boehner!!!!!!!!!!
Miss Beth from Miss Beth's Victory Dance is also helping to spread the word. THANKS Beth!!!
A RARE WEDS. OPEN TRACKBACK
Trackposted to Perri Nelson's Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, third world county, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, stikNstein... has no mercy, Planck's Constant, Stuck On Stupid, The Amboy Times, Cao's Blog, Conservative Cat, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
Tracked back by:
Taxes: The Pigeon's Response from Diary of the Mad Pigeon...
Ordinary People: Jihadis In Sheep's Clothes from A Blog For All...
Tropical Storm Andrea heads off the season 3 weeks from Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker...
How Jews Saved the World from Tyranny from planck's Constant...
Nice Mouse or Dirty Rat?.. from of Bullets and Bibles...
The Baghdad Security Plan at the 90-Day Marker from Right Truth...
Lindsey Graham tells US to "shut up" from The Amboy Times...
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