Next he was asked if he could guarantee that another brigade was being prepared so that if their mission wasn’t complete in 120 days, the 172nd would be replaced and not extended again. Thunderous applause and foot stomping followed. Rumsfeld tried to diffuse the energy with humor, declaring his questioner hit one “out of the park”. Then he proceeded with caution, failing to guarantee these people desperate to hear the certainty that it wouldn’t happen again. The man in charge of the entire military role in the occupation could do no better than say he’d do everything possible to make sure they came home before Christmas. Why this effort had not yet been an order given with force to his subordinates didn’t escape the crowd that responded with little to no applause….

There was one more challenge to the rosy and hopeful picture that Rumsfeld tried to paint. Why, if the Strykers were there for their expertise, were they instead performing basic infantry functions clearing homes in the city?

Here Rumsfeld wandered around as if searching for an excuse for not knowing the answer, then placed the rhetoric of success in training Iraqi troops in contradiction to the necessity for the redeployment. “I could be wrong, but I would hope, that the actual task of house clearing, which is going on in Baghdad is being done at 95% by Iraqis, not by Americans.”

It was the issue I wanted to challenge him on. How critical could the redeployment be with that kind of help from the new Iraqi soldiers? How could he have credited the Strykers as contributing to significantly reducing the violence in Baghdad if the Iraqi presence was that high? Why indeed was the 172nd needed in Baghdad? It doesn’t add up.

Although these brave families did not recieve the responses they would have liked, they did succeed in exposing that Rumsfeld is either lying, incompetent or both. One woman didn’t stop there, she has since written a letter to Bush and her congressmen letting them know how she and her husband feel about the extended deployment…

As I’m sure you have heard a thousand times over, the news of this extension devastated my husband and me to the core. His number one priority was getting ALL his men home safe and sound. With only 7 days to go, and a flight scheduled, we finally were able to breathe a guarded sigh of relief. We also had vacation plans and were looking forward to visiting some of our favorite places in Alaska before winter hit us again. Then we received the news that they, indeed, would not be coming home as planned. I have to tell you that my husband is the model soldier. He is the STRONGEST soldier I know and for the past 16 1/2 years he’s been in the Army he has been unwavering in his commitment to our country. This news emotionally crushed and shattered us both! His exact words to me were, “I don’t know if I have anything left!” I, too, didn’t think I could give any more! I had been holding my breath for 12 months and I was looking forward to finally being able to breathe!

As more troops realize the ineptitude and callousness of this administration, hopefully we will see more scenes just like this until they all finally unite and decide enough is enough. These brave soldiers signed up to defend the United States of America, not conquer innocent nations for the glory of the greedy. I say enough is enough!