Today is Election Day, and no matter what party you plan to
vote for, I'm hoping you remember that America is at war.
The men and women fighting the war on terror are registered in
all the political parties and come in all colors and ethnicities.
By all means, continue to loathe those in charge if you must, but
now is the time to show you're sincere when you say you support
the troops. They are truly the finest generation, and some are
from New York City.
A humorous banner made by a Minnesota National Guard member in
response to Senator Kerry's "botched joke" provoked
quite a bit of Internet commentary. One remark caught my
attention: It thanked the troops from "flyover country"
for their understanding and efforts to defend Americans' rights.
That poster obviously believes the East and West coasts have not
provided any valiant warriors for the terrorism fight. I confess
that I once shared that opinion. Boy, was I wrong.
During the summer, when Rep. John Murtha was hyping the story of
alleged Marine atrocities in Haditha, Iraq, to sell his
"bring 'em home" campaign, I discovered some of the
hometown bravery ignored by our local press.
A librarian in the school where my daughter teaches has a son who
at 19 was head of his platoon in Iraq. While we're supposed to
believe the insurgents' and Murtha's versions of murderous
Marines, the public never hears of the many incidents where our
men and women rescue civilian Iraqis trapped by the cowardly
jihadists who hide among them. This Staten Island teenager led
his team into a basement filled with women and children, all
malnourished. One child was close to death.
The Marines shared all their rations with the Iraqis, hooked up
the child to an IV, and gave him the necessary medical care. The
Marines then showed the civilians how to make soup with these
provisions to sustain them until further help could arrive. This
is typical of what our military is doing all over Iraq, Mr.
Murtha. They are the best of the best.
The same young Marine commander miraculously sustained only a
concussion when his jeep hit a roadside bomb. On another
occasion, while subduing a highly sought-after jihadist, he
received minor injuries from a boobytrapped stairway and after
recovering went straight back to his platoon. Our military is
fighting a dirty, street-by-street war with an out-of-uniform
enemy that welcomes death. Like all military mothers, his mother
waits anxiously for his return. When he does arrive home safely,
I'm hoping she will allow me to share his identity.
Another Staten Islander, Shane Strassberg, was deployed in areas
of Iraq where our military is rebuilding and providing essential
services. He is finally home after two tours, and he is currently
stationed in California. His mother, Gale Strassberg, is still
doing what all Americans should be doing - giving aid and comfort
to our troops.
She is the chairwoman of the Staten Island Project Homefront.
This nonprofit, nonpartisan group supplies military personnel
with personal supplies, food, and items that they've written
requesting. Every six weeks, volunteers gather in a church
basement to put together hundreds of packages that are then sent
off to Iraq and Afghanistan. This organization saved many lives
by purchasing and distributing 371 bliss kit inserts for Kelvar
helmets, used to prevent severe concussion damage. Attention, Mr.
President and Congress: These inserts should be standard issue.
Our military certainly deserves more protection than any pork
barrel project from our bloated budget.
Our family has decided to make this Christmas season one of
giving rather than receiving, and the most deserving right now
are the men and women stationed far from home, performing
unbelievable works of mercy - contrary to what is being reported
by the mainstream news organizations.
So, let's all pretend it's the 1940s and we are a united nation
doing all we can to support the troops in harm's way far from
home. Let's gather in the schools, churches, and synagogues and
collect the goods and supplies our troops need. Contact Ms.
Strassberg at 718-981-9254 for more information on what kind of
goods to provide; to arrange for pick-up of packages, or for
where to send donations.
New Yorkers should feel great pride in our valiant warriors, even
though their meritorious works of mercy are not being broadcast.
However you feel about the war on terror, our military needs to
feel that they are still respected at home.
God bless them.