Members of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars will meet with each of the 535 U.S. representatives today in an effort to shore up support for the nation’s soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Both the American Legion and the VFW are holding national conferences in Washington this week.
Wade Habshey, spokesman for the American Legion, said his organization will tell Congress: “You can’t separate the war from the warrior.”
Veterans in the VFW will warn Congress that soldiers “can’t have armchair generals second-guessing what is going on in the theater,” said Jerry Newberry, VFW spokesman.
“VFW members have fought and bled to defend the Constitution, but we also realize that politics can get in the way,” he said.
Last month, both organizations criticized the Democratic-controlled Congress’ support of a nonbinding resolution against President Bush’s decision to deploy 20,000 additional troops to Iraq.
In a news release, Paul Morin, head of the American Legion, said moves such as this would bring American troops home, “in defeat and without completing the mission they were trained to complete and ready to win if only America had not given up before they did.”
Gary Kurpius, head of the VFW, criticized Congress’ decision in a news release, saying, “My generation learned the hard way that when military decisions are second-guessed by opinion polls or overruled bypoliticians, it’s the common soldier and their families who pay the price.”
