European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 18, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday March 18 2007 stars and stripes is o Page 27 opinion the Iraq War will begin its fifth year this Welt and recent proposals on Capitol have  of Grifas that claim to represent service members views one the state of the conflict Appeal Forre dress org  Are among them site includes this state ment Many Active duty Reserve and guard service members Are concerned about the War in Iraq and sup port the withdrawal of is troops the Appeal for re dress provides a Way in which  Bers can Appeal to their congressional and us senators to urge an end to the us military occupation  site includes to Fec statement most  support the warm Wraa and feel Casto Retreat by Congress and emphasis by some ones act to motivate our enemy White demoralizing our Iraq War support at Home directly increasing the threat we face Andres Lomg in greater american casualties the organizations Are seeking signatures for their respective appeals for redress the text of the separate appeals appear immediately in the two a Ohms on this Page the writers Are speaking for themselves As citizens and not in any official multary capacity the what newspapers Are saying at Home editorial Roundup but return to this Page next week text of  Appeal for redress As a patriotic american proud to serve the nation in uniform i respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to support the prompt withdrawal of All american military forces and bases from Iraq staying in Iraq will not work and is not Worth the Price it is time for us troops to come Home Jeff w by chief master sgt Jeff Slocum i hats wrong with you you May ask of hear me out in an american Citi zen 41 years old born and raised in new York state a father and a husband in also a chief master sergeant in the us air Force with 21 years in service i love what i do and believe the military is a great Way of life that provides great opportunities for Success stay with me i support the Appeal for re dress calling on my elected representatives in Congress to bring a prompt end to the Iraq War in afforded that right by the Constitution Federal Laws and military policies i can also discuss and express my position in Public in the capacity of an american Citi zen provided in off base off duty and not in uniform the collective Appeal of More than 1700 individuals has gained congressional Atten Tion and support and will continue to com Pel our elected officials to take favourable action As More people become signatories Many military members and affiliated organizations communicate with Congress on a wide variety of matters the Constitution extends this Basic right to All american Citi Zens by exercising our individual rights we promote a healthy and enduring democracy still some yell traitor and other expressions in response to their perception that my conduct is blasphemous and irrational Why would i do such a thing and say so publicly allow me to explain my uncharacteristic behaviour while watching the lbs 60 minutes pro file of the Appeal for redress i saw Many younger enlisted people and Only a few offic ers bearing the Burden of democracy should i also risk my personal and professional reputation is this advocacy for the welfare of our military members their families and ultimately the citizens of our great nation that important what about the threat to our own democratic government Economy social order and National reputation caused by the costly dismal ambiguous Noen insight and increasingly deteriorating situation in Iraq i was ultimately inspired to action after a Searcha discovery Mission to find the truth concerning the War in Iraq were fast exhausting our military people and resources equipment shortages Are causing in creased risk to personnel and operations while at the same time the capability to pro vide All troops with Quality and timely medi Cal care is severely degraded our men and women serving and recovering in this War Are suffering greatly in terms of physical mental and emotional trauma and they de serve our utmost support to help end the madness so Many have endured in not advocating disrespect toward Mili tary leaders and elected officials in not proposing actions that Are contrary to Good order and discipline jeopardize Mission accomplishment or undermine troop morale in not questioning the legitimacy of the duties our military personnel carry out each Day Many have died or been permanently Dis figured physically mentally and emotionally while doing their duty and protecting their Brothers and Sisters in arms they All have sacrificed with great Honor and Cour age and without question deserve our sincerest recognition and greatest respect As he roes however in contrast to conventional Mili tary thought i dont believe that shut up and color or get out is an appropriate Blan Ket response to dissent people who con clude in disloyal disrespectful and not committed to serving my country have grossly misjudged my motivations and Are most Likely ill informed i firmly believe that As volunteers in military service we must continue to do our duty to the very Best of our ability wherever and whenever called to do so further our rights As military members to seek redress should inspire us All As proof that the Ideal of democracy for which we fight and die lives and thrives in America signers of the Appeal for redress Are patriotic americans pulling double duty As both regular citizens and military members Many have been and will again be in Iraq answering the Call of duty some units Are mistreating these Good people for having exercised their rights fortunately my leaders acknowledge and respect my rights i sin Cerely thank them for that rising to the de mands of double duty patriotism in defense of democracy is a heavy enough Burden without having to take cover against Friendly fire chief master sgt Jeff Slocum is a career enlisted air Force member originally from Elmira by Hes presently stationed in Fayetteville no Hes also served Tours of duty in Texas Arizona Montana Florida South Korea Europe Southwest Asia and Honduras prickly City cons sane Cut ten text of  Appeal for redress As an american currently serving my nation in uniform i respectfully urge by 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 Ivsich 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 by it Jason Nichols and sgt Dave Thul do Calls for Retreat Back Home harm the troops Here in Iraq of course they do our ene Mies particularly Al Aida in Iraq see these Calls As proof their strategy is working and increase their attacks iraqis who would otherwise help us hear these Calls and choose to stay in the background fearing that they will be targets if we with draw prematurely and yes we believe it affects our morale the perception of a Lack of support for our Mission by members of our own government has created a sense of frustration for Many soldiers  is a Means for those soldiers to Send a message to Congress that they want to stay in Iraq until the mis Sion is Complete with no formal advertising it has already garnered More Man 1500 Sig natures in less than a month More than half from troops who have served in theater these currently serving military Mem Bers want Victory in Iraq and Are respectfully asking Congress to halt Calls for Retreat that Hurt their Mission and increase the risk they face this Large response in such a Short time indicates that opponents of the War do not represent the majority of the Mili tary actually fighting it opponents of the War Are being intellectually dishonest because they say they want to withdraw our troops but refuse to acknowledge the consequences it is widely acknowledged that a premature withdrawal will mean an Iraq returned to dictatorial Rule after much More horrific violence than what weve seen As a puppet state of either Al Aida or shiite extremists extremists by Scott Stantis will have Access to wealth and a stable base to expand their Power it is highly naive to assume they  use this Power to at tack the democracies that threaten their Way of life particularly America no one is prewar but we should be pro Victory there is a difference Between ending the War now by abandoning our iraqi allies suffering a humiliating defeat that will encourage future attacks on the Ameri can people weve sworn to protect and end ing it gradually with a stable democracy Ca Pable of defending itself what will Victory be like Iraq will not be a Serene Lala land with children skipping Down the Street it May be just As violent As today though that unlikely Victory is when the fight is led by the iraqi military and police not by the coalition once the iraqis Are Able to do the Job we Are currently doing we can leave with Honor knowing weve helped bring Freedom not just to one country but an entire Region we dont All have the big picture of what Victory will be like but we see the Progress All around us we hear that were losing the War or the somewhat bizarre claims that weve already lost it and we look around and say what Are you talking about were working to build up the iraqi army convincing opposition tribes to join us building up the iraqi police Clearing weapons caches creating a professional army and a police Force takes time but the iraqis continue to make steady Progress they have created the foundation of manpower and Are now developing logistics and learning command and control to say that we Are losing and should leave is As wrong As saying weve finished our Mission and should leave the service members who have signed a  Are saying we want Vic tory in Iraq yes there is violence happen ing every Day and there will be Many bad Days ahead but we will win this Given time we will win because we have a plan for Victory and the enemy does not Short of hoping that we leave we Are saying we would rather go Home later with Victory than today in defeat we Are saying we want the War to be run by the military commanders on the ground finally we Are respectfully asking con Gress to support our Mission for the Sake of All who have worked and sacrificed to get us this far we Hope they will listen Navy it Jason Nichols is serving in Baghdad sgt Dave Thul a Minnesota army National guardsman is serving in Al Asad Iraq