March 04, 2008

Vets for Freedom Announces the National Heroes Tour

Bus Tour Kicks off March 14
 

"His face goes slack. His right hand slips from my hair. It hangs in the air for a moment, then with one last spasm of strength, he brings it to my cheek. It lingers there, and as I look into his dying eyes, he caresses the side of my face."

-David Bellavia, House-to-House: An Epic Memoir of War

Few people know the cost of combat better than Congressional Medal-of-Honor nominee, Silver Star and Bronze Star-winner, and former Army Staff Sergeant David Bellavia.

Fewer still are willing to talk about it.

Yet, despite enduring unspeakable terrors and losing some of his closest friends in the Battle of Fallujah, one of the deadliest offensives of the Iraq campaign, Bellavia is not one to hold back the memories, or mince words when it comes to his vision of the future in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"We need to ensure that we provide our brave troops with the tools and support they need to complete the missions in both Afghanistan and Iraq," said Bellavia. "A withdrawal now would not only betray the ultimate sacrifice made by the platoon members I left behind in the desert, and sacrifices by Iraqi innocents, it would abandon a core principle that has made our country great—follow-through."

Read more on the National Hoeroes Tour Web site.

Frontline Focus
Progress in Iraq and Afghanistan 


For more than a year, it seemed like mainstream media were just interested in reporting negative news coming out of Iraq. There was little mention of the progress being made on the ground—and if it was mentioned it was at the end of an article tucked away in the newspaper's back pages.

Well, all that seems to be changing, and there's been a barrage of positive editorials coming from the country's biggest papers.

The Washington Post got the ball rolling...

Not to be outdone, the editorial board at the Chicago Tribune had this to say…

Iraq's Breakthrough February 15, 2008 "It has been a remarkable year, with violence plummeting and streams of emigres returning to Baghdad. "And on Wednesday, Iraq's political leaders finally held up their end of the bargain. The Iraqi parliament did three things. It approved a budget, to start moving on crucial reconciliation projects. It passed a new law to define the scope of provincial powers, critical to power sharing. And it promoted reconciliation by granting a general amnesty for thousands of Iraqi prisoners…That's huge progress. "The U.S. has paid a high price for freedom in Iraq. It has a huge stake in protecting that freedom. It would be a mistake to abandon the effort."

This about face must have been a shock to the usually more-favorable Washington Times (link to ), which wrote…

Measurable Improvements in Iraq February 18, 2008 "In fits and starts, political progress in Iraq is not only possible, but in small steps it is happening… Even New York Times editorial headlines are acknowledging the unexpected: "Making (Some) Progress in Iraq." This does not at all fit the unrelenting "Iraq is a failure" narrative favored by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Out of Iraq caucus."

Such supportive statements might not come as a shock from the Washington Times, but the left-leaning Los Angeles Times is another story…

Political Surge in Iraq February 18, 2008 "It has taken nine bloody and difficult months, but the deployment of 30,000 additional U.S. troops appears at last to have brought not just a lull in the sectarian fighting in Iraq, but the first tangible steps toward genuine political reconciliation. "Last week, the parliament passed a crucial package of legislation that reflects real compromise among the many factions on three of the thorniest issues that have bedeviled Iraq."

The events of the past couple of weeks have proven that nothing is impossible.

No, we're not talking about progress in Iraq—with America remaining committed to completing the job in Iraq, success was certain to follow. We're talking about editorial boards for the nation's biggest newspapers finally acknowledging those positive strides.

Read more about the Progrsss our Troops are making in Iraq and Afghanistan on the Vets for Freedom Website.

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Vets for Freedom In the News
Pete Hegseth Back in Iraq 


A Neighborhood, Reborn
Seeing Baghdad again, for the first time.
National Review Online

By Pete Hegseth

Al Doura, Baghdad — As I step out of the humvee into the street, I have two facts in mind: I've been here before; and this time, I don't have a weapon.

Recalling the tension of my first patrol in this neighborhood as a platoon leader, my five senses are sharp. The dusty road below greets my boots, some of the smells are eerily familiar, and the sound of idling humvees is my only comfort. My head swivels to scan the street. My hands are naked without an M-4, so I find the nearest soldier.

Soon — as a young child approaches — the wary familiarity gives way to fascination. I may be in the same geographic location, but I'm not in the same neighborhood. This is not Al Doura, at least not as I knew it. Where did all these people and shops come from? Where is all the trash, and the open sewage? Where is the fear — the deep-seated fear?

Children approach, as they usually do — but today it's not just children. Young men walk up, initiating conversation. Women cross the street between our humvees, seemingly unaware of the GIs. The people are friendly, but not assertively so. Our presence is natural, almost routine. My inner tension clashes with the calm scene unfolding around me.

I take a few steps into the middle of an intersection with a clear view in all directions. Along the main thoroughfare, my immediate surroundings are replicated: block after block of shops and bustling residents. The side streets that I remember as sewage-clogged gutters are clean and teeming with construction and activity.

This is not Al Doura. The Al Doura I knew was the heart of sectarian violence, with daily body counts in the dozens. As I keep walking, I pass a busy car wash, and then a fitness center where young men pump iron and tear-outs of Muscle Fitness adorn the walls. We pass two new playgrounds, where boys clamber up and down slides and beautiful little girls play with dolls. A cart vendor offers me a bag of freshly popped popcorn — but I decline and have some falafel instead.

To read more of Pete Hegseth's dispatches from Iraq, visit the Vets for Freedom website.