I came here today to talk to you about life and death and the choices of a nation and its people. And as of this morning the careless choice to go to war in Iraq has cost the lives of 3839 soldiers. So the question is how many is enough and to what end? Are we truly safer standing here today because of the sacrifices being made in Iraq? Incredibly when asked that very question, even General Petraeus wasn’t able to say yes. We have recklessly sent our sons and daughters to war. These brave patriots, who have answered this call to duty, belong to each and every one of us, and whether someone serving shares your blood or not.we are all in this together and together must bring it to an end.

I was raised in a military home. My dad was an Army officer who served 2 tours flying a Huey in Vietnam, and my son who followed in his grandfather’s footsteps has served 2 tours flying a Black Hawk in Iraq. I am not ignorant to the military way of life, I fully understand the risks inherent in military service and I accept that. I couldn’t have been more proud when my son chose to follow our family tradition in service to his country. What I cannot accept and what we cannot allow is this administrations abuse of the finest and bravest among us to continue in the name of an ideology driven, totally mishandled war. Our soldiers have accomplished every mission given to them, and yet our presence as occupiers in Iraq is the greatest recruiting tactic for terrorists ever devised. It is long past time to end this madness and bring our soldiers home.

That our nation, as well as our soldiers are being held prisoners of war to an administration determined to flex its muscles in the Middle East is unconscionable. We were rushed in to Iraq without a plan for fear of mushroom clouds. And still our President is on the stump, with ever changing rationales, attempting to sell his war to the American people. But we are not buying and we will not remain silent as our proud heritage is squandered around the world and our soldiers continue dying every single day. We can not allow this President or this congress to continue to finance the loss of one more soldier. Those who are making these life and death decisions will be held accountable. Our nation and our troops deserve better. And we must bring them home.

The fate of our soldiers is not up to someone else. It truly is up to us and we must speak in numbers too great to be ignored. Washington has not been listening, but they will hear us now. And we are saying END THIS WAR. We do not honor those who have been lost by losing yet more. How many of our sons and daughters are we willing to sacrifice in the name of our decider in chief’s political legacy? I am here to tell you there is no job in Washington that is worth the life of even one soldier. Politicians who value power, ideology, face saving and partisanship above doing the right and moral thing will not savor their place in history. We will hold them accountable and if they won’t listen now, I guarantee they will pay attention at the ballot box because we the people are the ultimate deciders, and we are saying, bring our soldiers home.

Are you angry that congress remains spineless and unwilling to take a decisive stand on the worst foreign policy blunder of our time, costing the American people 500,000 thousand dollars per minute, as fraud, waste, and no bid civilian contracts go unchecked, and electioneering and political paralysis persists? Are you outraged that the commander in chief who taunted the insurgents to “bring it on” even as our children serve in harms way also wants us to believe supporting the troops means to trust his strategy for success although he has yet to get it right? We cannot allow our soldiers to remain political pawns, props to those who dare to use them as a vehicle to pander for votes. It is our responsibility as citizens of this great nation to step up and speak out for those whose lives are on the line. And we are saying… END THIS WAR.

The American people have been misled to believe the war in Iraq is about avenging 9-11, while the mission and troops in Afghanistan have been all but forgotten, even as we witness the Taliban regrouping with deadly force. This folly in Iraq, ill conceived as it has been, was blundered from the beginning, as even generals who have commanded in Iraq are now acknowledging. Our soldiers are exhausted with no light at the end of the tunnel. Our military is overextended and stretched dangerously thin, as evidenced by the fact that tens of thousands of our soldiers have been stop lossed, held beyond their service obligation in order to deploy over and over again, so contrary to what some would have us believe, we do not have an all volunteer army. And most egregiously, and unforgivably we have yet to properly care for our great American heroes when they return home. And still our president would have us believe that anything less than blind support for his way forward in Iraq is unpatriotic. I am here to tell you there is no more patriotic thing we can do than to denounce this horrific war, and truly support our troops by insisting that we BRING THEM HOME.

Tragically, our soldiers continue to come home in body bags, pulled from the bellies of airplanes in the dark of night, hidden from sight, so that the human cost of this war may escape our attention long enough for Bush to hand his mess over to the next occupant of the white house. But, waiting until Jan 20, 2009 to end this war is waiting too long. How many more mothers will mourn the loss of their child while our supposed public servants play politics with their lives? It is time for a diplomatic rather than combat surge in order to help build political reconciliation for the Iraqi people. And it is long past time for our own battle weary nation to begin healing as well.

Please, don’t hesitate, don’t wait act. Our sons and daughters lives are on the line, and it IS up to us. We must bring our troops home, now.

Speech written and given by Carla J. Hitz, member of MFSO
Oct 27, 2007 rally in SLC
Day of Action protesting war in Iraq