A deployed soldier responds

General McChrystal has reported to the C-in-C what he and our troops need to guarantee victory in Afghanistan, as msm reported here. My previous posts have detailed a letter written by an Afghanistan woman to the decision makers in America. Now, I have been sent a note from one of the deployed troops with his personal observations on the current situation. As my regular readers know well, I always set great store by what our boots on the ground have to say. THEY know - firsthand - what is going on.

This "Deployed Army Reservist" had read this recent article in The Washington Times:

Thursday, October 15, 2009

U.S. troop funds diverted to pet projects

Study finds $2.6 billion taken from guns and ammunition

By Shaun Waterman THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Senators diverted $2.6 billion in funds in a defense spending bill to pet projects largely at the expense of accounts that pay for fuel, ammunition and training for U.S. troops, including those fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to an analysis.

Among the 778 such projects, known as earmarks, packed into the bill: $25 million for a new World War II museum at the University of New Orleans and $20 million to launch an educational institute named after the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat.

While earmarks are hardly new in Washington, "in 30 years on Capitol Hill, I never saw Congress mangle the defense budget as badly as this year," said Winslow Wheeler, a former Senate staffer who worked on defense funding and oversight for both Republicans and Democrats. He is now a senior fellow at the Center for Defense Information, an independent research organization. ...(read the rest of this article here.)

I know it will come as a surprise to BO and John Kerry et al, but our deployed troops not only can read, they are also very well informed about what is going on at home, while they serve America in the sandbox.

The correspondent who sent me this soldier's comments prefaces his words:

...[He] asked me to write to my senators in response to a newspaper article stating that money was being stolen from the DOD for the senator's pet projects. [He] also asked me to pass the information along to anyone willing to help...was deeply upset over this article and he commented:

"This is the type of support we are getting from our Senators. We are issued a weapons that finished last in testing. We have vehicles that we wait for weeks for parts. And the US Senate takes money from the DOD for pet projects. This is criminal.... Please contact your Senators and tell them to do what is right."

And yes, I do vouch for legitimacy of both my source, and this troop! I also have permission to reprint his words. I asked him what name I should use to identify him here, as I am unwilling to divulge his real name. He chose "Deployed Army Reservist."

Our troops work in incredibly gruelling and difficult circumstances. They rarely ask for anything, which is why I am sharing this request with you all. If you haven't already done so, please contact your Senators and tell them to do 'what is right.'

Our soldiers deserve nothing less. Thank you.

[Bratnote to BO and all the Washington hacks: What is it going to take?]