Here is an exerpt from an opinion paper I wrote on how I believe the media hurts the troops. I hope you guys enjoy it.
The
anti-war media in this country is hurting U.S. troops, even though morale in
Iraq and Afghanistan remains high, the press coverage of the war decidedly
favors the insurgent forces. Instead of hearing how we are building schools and
hospitals that are helping the Iraqis rebuild their country. But the terrorists
have had a plan on how to defeat America ever since the early nineties. Back
then America was in Somalia and Osama Bin Laden noted that America was a “paper
tiger” meaning that we look tough but in reality we are soft. He was absolutely
right. We as a nation are soft the suburban lifestyle has done a tremendous
amount of damage. Gone are the days where people had to do manual labor to put
food on the table. Now people believe that the minute 4,000 soldiers die we
need to pull out. On the island of Iwo Jima in 1944 in the first 5 minutes of
battle there were a couple hundred dead. That is high casualties, 4,000 dead in
5 years is very little in the eyes of history, I personally believe that the
majority of the best citizens of my generation where a Kevlar helmet and carry
a M-16.
The
media doesn’t seem to like to report good news. Recently the Iraqi town of
Fallujah (yes the same town that we fought street to street for) is now
inviting foreign investors from around the Middle East to come and see the city
in the hopes of gaining investors. Did anyone here that story? No. Recently the
Marines sent aid teams into the country of Liberia to bring supplies to the
capital city of Monrovia, any one here that story, probably not. The key pattern
is that good news doesn’t sell. People want change and good news means no
change. The media outlets being as biased as they are see this as a double edge
sword for them, on one side they get advertising companies and on the other
side they can sell their own opinions off as fact. Now there is no getting
around with the fact that all media is biased. Bias is inevitable but certain
events need a positive spin especially when they involve the lives of our men
and women overseas. For instance on one hand Matt Drudge, who runs the popular
news outlet “Drudge Report” recently gave away the fact that Prince Harry was
serving a combat tour in Afghanistan. Harry was promptly pulled out of his unit
due to the fact that it was no longer safe for him or his unit. This was wrong
and unethical Drudge should have held the story and kept it a secret until
Harry made it back safely. On the other hand leftist news outlets such as CNN
often portray our troops in a negative light i.e. the Haditha incident where
those Marines were already guilty without a trial. One media outlet describes
the Marines going on a “killing rampage.” Of the eight Marines charged with
murder, 5 have had the charges dropped against them. Everyone assumed that the
Marines were guilty and no one took the time to look at the fact that those Marines
used their training, they threw a grenade into the door before going through
it. This is the Standard Operating Procedure for Marines since Fallujah. All to
often the guys who would kick the door in without throwing a grenade through it
first wound up as casualties. By making a big deal about what these Marines did
you make others hesitate when they are in the same situation. The all of the
people I have talked to that have seen combat have all said the same thing, “you
hesitate, you die.” One soldier lamented to then Secretary of Defense Donald
Rumsfeld that “Everything we do good, no matter whether it's helping a little
kid or building a new school, the public affairs sends out the message that the
media doesn't pick up on.”
(Pardon if there is some grammatical error I tried to get ontop of it as much as I could, but I was typing really fast)
Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.
~Winston Churchill