Battle of the Bilge

“We all want progress, but if you’re on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.”
- C. S. Lewis

Visiting the Troops

Earlier this month, MOAA’s President Retired Vice Admiral Norbert R. Ryan, Jr. visited American troops in Kuwait to assess the progress being made in Iraq and was impressed with what he saw. Although difficult times still lay ahead of us in Afghanistan, the situation in Iraq has improved to the point that we are continuing the reduction of forces on schedule. The president also had some insightful things to say about the war in Afghanistan. Below is the press release from the trip.

MOAA PRESIDENT VISITS U.S. TROOPS IN KUWAIT

Alexandria, Va. — “I continue to be impressed with the high quality, professionalism, and dedication of our military personnel, the sacrifices they and their families make, and how much more we all must do to support them,” said the president of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) after a recent visit with U.S. troops in Kuwait.

Retired Navy VAdm. Norbert R. Ryan, Jr., saw installations and met with military personnel of all ranks in mid-July as part of a Department of Defense DoD-sponsored visit. This was his fourth annual trip to the region, the previous three being to Iraq. Also on the trip were the national commander of the American Legion and commander-in-chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S.

“Our military has made a huge difference in Iraq by providing stability to the people and government,” he said. “The Iraqi citizens are very involved in their politics, and defense forces and police are far more active and competent. Because of that, our nation is drawing down the number of U.S. troops in Iraq this summer to 50,000 and will withdraw totally by 2011. That all seems to be on track.”

He also said that “Afghanistan is a different story. We are surging 30,000 personnel and equipment from the U.S. and Iraq to Afghanistan—the largest logistics operation since World War II. Experts say that it will take 3-5 years and possibly longer, to ensure stability in that nation.”

VAdm. Ryan complimented the total force of Active, National Guard, and Reserve. “Working together in seamless fashion, they have enabled our nation to accomplish major defense missions necessary to keep us safe. Also, because they come from 5,000 communities across the country, activation of our Guard and Reserve serves to remind much of the nation that we are still at war.,” he said.

“Even though the troops I talked with are patriotic, focused, and extraordinarily professional, they need us now more than ever,” he continued. “People talk about replacing and refurbishing our worn-out equipment, but what about the effort to help those who serve? They deserve the same, or more, attention, especially the care for wounded warriors over the next several decades.”

VAdm. Ryan also said that our nation tries to save money by cutting military people during tough economic conditions. He is afraid that will be the case in coming years, and that is “very shortsighted.”

“Servicemembers and families have sacrificed much and have little ‘dwell time’ at home between deployments. You don’t get more dwell time and fewer deployments with fewer people—and that raises stress on our already-stressed forces,” he added.

VAdm. Ryan concluded by saying, “My trip just reinforces the need for all of us to be concerned about the welfare of our military people and their families. They need us, and we as a nation need them.”

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