There is nothing quite like the chaos that comes before a deployment. There is so much to do and so many emotions. One of the most difficult yet inevitable tasks is telling friends and families that a deployment is looming. My husband and I recently faced this very dilemma, though we thought we prepared ourselves for every possible reaction, our friends and family surprised us. The most common reaction was, “I thought the troops were coming home.” This statement was met with confusion on our part. It seems as if most our military friends are getting ready for a deployment, currently deployed, or have just gotten home. So why does it seem as if a large portion of the country is under the impression the hard work is done and the sacrifice is over?
There is no surprise why many of the American people are misinformed. Only a few weeks ago, President Obama announced that US troops in Iraq “will definitely be home for the holidays.” This is the story that the American people hear, but unfortunately not the one that many of us as military families live. The truth is that though US troops are being withdrawn from Iraq, the Obama administration is planning a troop buildup throughout the Persian Gulf in an effort to offset the potential danger of an early Iraq troop withdrawal. This includes the possibility of an increased Naval presence in the Gulf as well as combat troops in Kuwait, not to mention the 100,000 troops that remain in Afghanistan.
With the ever present threat from Iran not only to the stability of Iraq, but to the security of our allies, a troop buildup in the Middle East seems to make strategic sense. The only question that remains is if the threat is so great and the sacrifice of our troops so necessary, than why aren’t the American people hearing about it on the Six O’clock News and reading it on the front page. Clearly the answer is political, the war is unpopular and it is election season. The full story, and the real headline will never be read. The one that tells people that the hard work has just begun. Instead all they will read is “Obama Announces End of Iraq War.”
And this is why this post was so important to share. It's not so much about where you stand politically, goodness knows we all have our different views, but more about getting the truth known.
Thanks again to everyone for the comments!
It's the same everywhere. Here in Canada they announced the end of our 'combat' mission in Afghanistan. So the whole country thinks all the soldiers are home when in reality, there are so very many still there in 'non-combat' roles. Just because you stopped calling it combat and started calling it training doesn't make them any more home, does it? And yet, the Canadian public will only ever see the headline 'End Of Combat Mission in Afghanistan'
I have been having the same question asked to me constantly "I thought the troops were coming home". My husband is being deployed to Afghanistan right after Thanksgiving and will not be home for Christmas or the birth of our first child in March. People just are not informed well enough about the fact Marines are constantly getting sent overseas and they dont always get to come home for the special times. Thanks for your post:)
I think this war has gone on so long that we forget that we always have troops deployed in different parts of the world. The other thing that media is failing to report is that this time line wasn't Obama's time line. All US Forces are mandated to withdraw from Iraqi territory by 31 December 2011 under the terms of a bilateral agreement signed in 2008. That was during the Bush administration.
My personal opinion is that the Obama administration should not be taking credit or heat for withdrawing from Iraq.
Love the article Laura! I'm was surprised to learn that there are people who thought all the troops were coming home.
Thank you for posting this, my husband will NOT be home for the holidays.. He will actually be LEAVING before the holidays to Afghanistan.. SO many people think no one was deploying anymore and this really does wrap up the TRUTH.
Thank you ladies for your comments, and for sharing. It saddens me that the media doesn't post the real news in the military world, but then again it is election season so all military news will be wrapped with shiny paper with a big pretty bow on it to conceal the truth.
This just makes make me so upset! We will spread this real story! Hugs!
Wow, I had no idea. Thank you for sharing the real story. I should know better than to take that info from the Pres. at face value.