National Security

Editor's Note: Jane Rund is the mother of Marine Lance Corporal Greg Rund who was killed in Fallujah, Iraq in 2004. She lives in Jefferson County and has been a tremendous advocate and inspiration to other parents and family members of fallen heroes and all who are serving in our military. A Line of Sight is profoundly grateful to her for offering her unique and personal perspective on the war funding debate.

As I write this, President Bush has just vetoed the Iraq War Funding Bill. I have strong personal opinions in regard to this veto as I am the mother of a fallen Marine. My son, United States Marine Lance Corporal Greg Rund, was killed in action in Iraq on December 11, 2004, during the Battle for Fallujah. It was his second deployment to Iraq and he was proud to serve his country and proud to be an American. Greg was willing to give all of his strength and being for a cause that he believed in and, most importantly, for the security of America. It is Greg’s love of America, his understanding of the conflict and successes in Iraq, and his willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice for America that I support Operation Iraqi Freedom, the War on Terrorism, and the veto of the Iraq War Funding Bill.

For the majority of Congress to script troop withdrawal or to say that this is a "lost" war is insulting to me and undermining to the troops. A war is not to be managed by imposed timelines set by the government elite. A war is managed by generals that have the training and expertise to assess the situation, understand the options, and make critical decisions for the safety of the troops and for the security of America. I find it offensive that the majority of Congress is swayed by popular rhetoric and impatience of the layperson. The generals are the experts and they are the ones qualified to make decisions in regard to defending America. The fact that we are making progress in Iraq and we are maximizing the security of America by our presence in Iraq should be recognized.

I realize that mistakes have been made along the way and that this war is taking longer than most anticipated, but that should be no surprise to anyone -- wars are far from perfect. Setting up a new government in a country that has been oppressed for so long and that has the culture of hate, violence, and dictatorship is not an easy task. The embedded Iraqi culture may take years, even decades, to erode and to be re-established as a democracy; however, I have every confidence that democracy will evolve and lead to peace in the Middle East.

This is indeed a pivotal time in history. The world can not stand by any longer with its head in the sand, hoping that if we ignore the Middle East hatred it will just go away and leave America and our global allies alone. We must face terrorism head-on and, if we don’t stand firm now, we will pay deeply later. Withdrawal of our troops is important, but it must come only after a stabilized government is in control in Iraq -- not when Congress deems it a convenient time for withdrawal. To mandate troop pullout now is premature, reckless, and invites terrorist activity to the shores and heartland of America and our allies. President Bush did the right thing when he vetoed the Iraq War Funding Bill. A forced timeline for troop withdrawal only strengthens our enemy, demoralizes our troops, and increases the vulnerability of America. Mandated withdrawal is not right.