Vets and families take the hill 09/27/07

"By Brian Bresnahan

On September 18th nearly 250 members of Vets for Freedom and 450 members of Families United For Our Troops and Their Mission gathered on Capitol Hill. These pro-mission veterans, Gold Star, and Blue Star families let their Senators and Congressmen know there are plenty of Americans who believe in persevering in the war on terrorists.

I had the honor of joining other veterans and these families in this endeavor. After breakfast on the White House lawn with the President, First Lady, Vice President, Secretary of State, and the Secretary of the VA, another Marine veteran from Nebraska and I headed to Capitol Hill for our first appointment, at Senator Hagel's office. For nearly an hour, we met with his Chief of Staff, the Senator's military legislative assistant, and the Senator.

It was an amicable discussion, but they certainly see the war differently than we do. I know we didn't change Senator Hagel's mind, but at least we delivered our message. He listened and shared his thoughts as well. He is concerned with the deployment tempo on the troops and their families.

I believe his concern for the lack of political progress at the national level overcomes his ability to see the success of the surge and the impact it's having on the broader picture. He hesitates to acknowledge any success in Iraq. He cited several shortcomings of the Iraq government, and seems almost solely focused on that aspect of the conflict."

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See also Vets for Freedom