Politics and War

As a soldier in the Army I have the opportunity to see things that most of the general population doesn't see. I know that soldiers generally think the war in Iraq is going poorly but not for the reasons the media or general populations think.
The military has "rules of engagement" or ROE's that determine when and if they can take action-especially deadly force. If you have seen the movie Black Hawk Down there is a good example of the ROE's: A Blackhawk helicopter sees a group of civilians being gunned down for simply trying to get food from an aid truck. They radio back for approval to help but are told no because they are not under direct fire themselves. They could have helped but COULDN'T because of the ROE's.
Now, I am not saying that there should be no ROE's but many soldiers are put at a disadvantage when they are patrolling the streets of Baghdad or in Afghanistan because their first thought when they are in a dangerous situation isn't "how can I survive this situation and kill my enemy?" Many times it is "if I shoot back will I get in trouble?"
I don't know all of the circumstances of the Marines that are on trial for murder in Iraq but the basis of the story is their vehicle was attacked, they stormed the house they thought the attack came from and killed those in the house. Any soldier can sympathize with their reaction. Unfortunately many politicians (especially those on the left side of the isle, but increasingly on the right) don't follow the American tradition of innocent unless proven guilty. For most soldiers it is "guilty in the media unless they can prove otherwise."
Soldiers give up their rights to defend the rights of others. We take orders and follow them despite our personal thoughts. We don't want to be deployed but we do so because it is in the best interests of the nation.
"I stand ready to deploy, engage and destroy the enemies of the United States in close combat" is part of the soldiers creed but it is also a regular part of life in the military.
Soldiers deserve respect, they earn respect. They also deserve the benefit of the doubt and rules that allow victory in Iraq.
So instead of complaining to congress that we should be out of Iraq, maybe people should complain that the kid gloves should be taken off of our soldiers. The insurgents behead people and it gets play in the media for a day or two. US Soldiers put underwear on a man's head and the media deems it "torture."
Lets have some perspective. Lets support the troops and lets have the opportunity to win in Iraq.