Soldier in Iraq Debates John Kerry

Added: (Fri Oct 29 2004)

Pressbox (Press Release) - (EMAILWIRE.COM, October 29, 2004) Boise, ID –– SSgt Frank Selden, assigned to an intelligence unit in Mosul, Iraq takes on John Kerry and questions the soundness of the Senator’s plan. SSgt Selden says to John Kerry, “some of our troops are thinking of voting for you because you promise to bring us home. The current Iraqi government has specifically asked for us to remain here until they are strong enough to squelch the terrorists within their borders. I miss my family and would rather be safe at home, yet I volunteered to be part of this global effort you state you support … but negate with your public comments.”

Criticizing Kerry’s knowledge of the military, Selden writes that Kerry’s comments against the way the military handled Afghanistan suggest that Kerry believes he knows “more than our leadership who devote their lives to this line of work.” He further questions Kerry’s ability to lead the military by citing the results of a recent Army Times poll that puts Bush at 73% and Kerry at 18% with military personnel. The sergeant says that he “personally know(s) several members of our armed forces who will leave service rather than serve under you (Kerry).” He even asks Kerry, “Do you honestly believe that enough people will volunteer to join the military if you are Commander-in-Chief? I do not.” “I personally feel that you are undermining our efforts here, although not to the extent you undermined your fellow soldiers in Vietnam.”

Addressing John Kerry’s assertion that Americans are 90% of the coalition casualties, Selden asks Kerry why he does not consider the Iraqi forces as part of the coalition. “Their police process our arrests of Iraqi citizens. Their National Guard patrols the city and guards the entrance to our bases. Right here on our base, a brave Iraqi National Guardsman sacrificed his life to stop a suicide car bomber from reaching our main gate and potentially killing numerous American soldiers. He was our friend and our brother in this cause. He deserves to be counted.”

Selden believes that the message the Iraqis hear from Kerry is “that you do not consider their sacrifice worthy of mention. Once again, your statements are negatively impacting the military’s ability to do our job. The Iraqis are less likely to become involved if our President were to tell them that we do not count their service; that their loss of life is not as valuable as ours.”

SSgt Selden rebuts Kerry’s plan for NATO to play a “major role” in Iraq indicating that the “U.S. provides the bulk of the troops for most NATO missions. So we are not really going home under your plan, just getting a different chain of command. I would rather stay under U.S. command.”

The last point in John Kerry’s Our Plan for America is “Protect freedom and justice even as we protect our people and our homeland.” The sergeant thinks this is a “Great slogan. I am all for it. I just think that President Bush will do a better job of this than you will.”

SSgt Selden’s entire debate can be read at NewsByUs.com, a medium for presenting what people who are close to events, have seen and heard. It is news by the people and for the people. The reporters are the people and the reports are for the people who are fully capable of observing, thinking, and acting for themselves.

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