Washington in battle

Gen. George Washington took good care of his soldiers in battle.

Sure, he feasted and slept in a feather bed in Morristown while his soldiers starved and froze in Jockey Hollow. Maybe this was because he was an 18th-century Virginia gentlemen and common soldiers were not gentlemen. However – in battle – he used every tactic (mostly long retreats) to protect the lives and limbs of his men.

They knew he would not risk their death or injury if it was avoidable.

Today, generals and government officials come to visit their troops in Iraq. These well-off “gentlemen” ride in heavily armored vehicles and use expensive electronic devices to prevent the detonation of roadside bombs that might hurt or kill them. The armor and the devices really work – none of the bigwigs have been killed or wounded.

These politicians and generals do not take care of their troops as Washington did. They order our soldiers and Marines – mostly from less privileged American families – to drive in poorly armored vehicles without an electronic device to disable bombs.

Hundreds of our soldiers and Marines have been killed in their vehicles. Thousands more have been seriously wounded. You’ll see it on the news tonight.

Our politicians wear the American flag on their lapels and forget “liberty and justice for all.”

George Swanson

Manset