Reuters reported Rep. John Murtha, a key Democratic voice who favors pulling U.S. troops from Iraq, said in remarks airing on Monday that he would not join the U.S. military today.
According to his bio on Wikipedia, he is 73 years old. I don't think the military would want him, even if he wanted to join.A decorated Vietnam combat veteran who retired as a colonel after 37 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, Murtha told ABC News' "Nightline" program that Iraq "absolutely" was a wrong war for President George W. Bush to have launched.
Murtha is absolutely wrong in saying that, and most of 26 million Iraqis that are free from Saddam's oppressive government would probably agree."Would you join (the military) today?," he was asked in an interview taped on Friday. "No," replied Murtha of Pennsylvania, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives subcommittee that oversees defense spending and one of his party's leading spokesmen on military issues.
Murtha is a coward"And I think you're saying the average guy out there who's considering recruitment is justified in saying 'I don't want to serve'," the interviewer continued.
Fortunately recruitment numbers are not suffering that badly, and re-enlistment numbers, from people who have actually been in Iraq or Afganistan, are extremely high."Exactly right," said Murtha, who drew White House ire in November after becoming the first ranking Democrat to push for a pullout of U.S. forces from Iraq as soon as it could be done safely. At the time, White House spokesman Scott McClellan equated Murtha's position with surrendering to terrorists.
2 comments:
Don,
Respectfully - how can you call someone a coward who served our country for 37 years? He enlisted in the Marine Corps during the Korean War. He volunteered for Vietnam and was wounded twice and received the Bronze Star with Combat "V." You can disagree with his position on the war in Iraq, but he is hardly a coward.
I do not question his bravery when he volunteered for Vietnam.
And he may well have been brave during his 37 year service.
But he has grown a yellow streak up his back since he left the service.
In an earlier message someone asked me, why dont you join the military and go over there. My response was "I am 62 years old and disabled, I am pretty sure they would not want me. But if I was younger and more fit I would be proud to serve beside the brave soldiers we have over there right now.
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