The United States needs a strong military for our national defense. One 23-year-old serving in the Air Force wonders what the Iraq mess is going to do to the future of the U.S. military. He says, “The powers that be are destroying our military from the inside, especially our Army. How many of these people who are stranded in Iraq are going to re-enlist? How many who haven’t deployed are going to re-enlist. How many families are going to be destroyed?”

Our government has placed our troops in a situation they cannot win. They are fighting a guerrilla war and they are not prepared for this kind of fighting. Didn’t we learn our lessons in Vietnam? We have all kinds of massive firepower and sophisticated weapons but we are not fighting pitched battles with a defined enemy.

The newspapers are full of stories about roadside ambushes and small skirmishes which leave behind one or two Americans killed and many more wounded. The enemy then folds back into the civilian population and is hidden until the next attack. According to Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the commander of coalition forces, three to six Americans are dying and another 40 are wounded each week. The days of our troops being seen as liberators are over and we are now seen as occupiers and our troops are subjected to daily attacks. Meanwhile, without a clear mission, they are living in conditions of relentless austerity and hardship. At home, their families are forced to endure extended separations and ongoing uncertainty.

From Vietnam veterans to fresh recruits, from seasoned officers to anxious mothers worried about their son’s safety, the military community is becoming more vocal in its opposition to their role in Iraq. They are concerned with such issues as the inefficiency of civilian contractors hired to provide shelter food and water, and a mystery outbreak of respiratory illnesses that many soldiers, despite official denials, believe is related to the use of depleted uranium.

As military veterans, we understand that hardship is sometimes part of the job. We took an oath to defend our country and our Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic. But there is a commitment our government makes to our troops in return: that it will not send our young men and women in uniform into reckless misadventures that put them at risk needlessly. This is the part of the bargain that has been broken.

There has to be an honest and compelling reason to impose these hardships and risks on our troops. The reasons given for the occupation of Iraq do not rise to this standard.

You will recall the question “Why attack Iraq?” which we asked earlier this year. The answer coming out of Washington was to eliminate the weapons of mass destruction. None have been found. A threat to America? There is no evidence of it. A blow against terrorism? Terrorist attacks have gotten more frequent. A connection between Saddam and 9-11? There was none made and now even President Bush says there wasn’t any.

So now the question is, “Why are we still in Iraq?” The Bush administration assured us that the Iraqi invasion was not about oil or profits. According to Bush, we went there to topple an evil, dangerous tyrant and to give the Iraqi people a chance for democracy and peace.

That mission has been accomplished.

Saddam is gone. It is now time to leave.

But the truth is coming out. The American public was deceived by the Bush administration about the motivation for and intent of the invasion. It is equally apparent that the administration is stubbornly and incompetently adhering to a destructive course. Many Americans do not want our troops there. Many military families do not want our troops there. Many troops themselves do not want to be there. Many Iraqis do not want our troops there.

Without just cause for war, we say bring the troops home. Let the United Nations and a multinational peacekeeping force guide the rebuilding of Iraq and the establishment of democracy. Our occupation is a provocation to the terrorists and only aids their cause.

Without just cause for war, we say bring the troops home now. Not one more troop killed in action. Not one more troop wounded in action. Not one more troop psychologically damaged by the act of terrifying, humiliating, injuring or killing innocent people. Not one more troop spending one more day ingesting depleted uranium. Not one more troop separated from spouse and children. This is the only way to truly support these troops, and the families who are just as much part of the military as they are.

On Saturday, Oct. 25, a mass demonstration has been called for Washington, D.C. In Bangor there will be a solidarity rally at Cascade Park from 10:30 a.m. to noon. We invite the public to join the Greater Bangor Chapter of Veterans for Peace and other organizations in opposing the destructive foreign and domestic policies of this administration. Bush says. “Bring ’em on.” We say, “Bring them home now!”

Al Larson, a member of the Bangor Chapter of Veterans for Peace, served three tours in Vietnam in the U.S. Navy.