A SOLDIER'S PERSPECTIVE
THE WEB'S LEADING MILITARY BLOG SINCE 2004
Families United Call to Action – United for a Strong America!
Your Voice needs to be heard today! You’ve seen the news today. General Petraeus presented to the President his PRELIMINARY Report. The congressional leadership are referring to it as done/final and are again discussing legislation aimed at undermining our Troops while they are in harms way – protecting us! They are discussing bringing them home – before they complete their mission. They are discussing ways to weaken our country by weakening our military – tying their hands when they’ve been asked to do a job that they are succeeding at! The surge is finally at it’s full strength and some leaders are saying it has failed – without ever giving it a chance to succeed! I don’t know about you but this feels like they are aiding the enemy! In fact – this is exactly what the enemy wants!
Is that what you want? Is that the future you want for your children and grandchildren? Is that what your son/daughter/spouse/mom/dad/neighbor fought for? In Iraq…Afghanistan…Vietnam…Korea…WWII ?
I didn’t think so. Now – today is the day to do something about it. Please take a few moments today to email or call your congressional leaders and let them know where you stand and that you need them to work and speak out for victory in Iraq, that you expect them to provide the Troops with the funds they need to be successful on the war on terror, and they need to start standing United for a Strong America!
Here’s how to start – call your congressional leaders that ARE supporting the Troops and Their Mission and thank them for doing so. Tell them you appreciate it and will continue to support them. Many of these legislators are being hounded by the “anti-war anti-military success” crowd and need our support! Then, pick up the phone and call your legislators that are working against our Troops.
Of course you will just be getting started – then it’s time to call your friends who believe the same and urge them to call too!
Please let me know the representatives you have contacted and their response to your message – if any. Please know that you may only get to leave a message with one of the aides, but those messages do get passed on. Email me at Info@FamiliesUnitedMission.com. Provide me with the date of contact, legislator, and response if any.
Here is a list of Senators that the we hope you will contact today. These representatives are wavering and need to hear from you:
Sam Brownback Kansas (202) 224-6521
brownback.senate.gov/CMEmailMe.cfm
Saxby Chambliss Georgia (202) 224-3521 chambliss.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactU…
Norm Coleman Minnesota (202) 224-5641 coleman.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm
Susan Collins Maine (202) 224-2523 collins.senate.gov/public/continue.cfm?FuseAction=Contact…
Elizabeth Dole North Carolina (202) 224-6342 dole.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactInformation.C…
Pete Domenici New Mexico (202) 224-6621
domenici.senate.gov/contact/contactform.cfm
Lindsey Graham South Carolina (202) 224-5972
lgraham.senate.gov/index.cfm?mode=contact
Mitch McConnell Kentucky (202) 224-2541
mcconnell.senate.gov/contact_form.cfm
John Sununu New Hampshire (202) 224-2841
www.sununu.senate.gov/webform.html
John Warner Virginia (202) 224-2023
warner.senate.gov/contact/contactme.cfm
Lamar Alexander Tennessee (202) 224-4944 alexander.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home
George Voinovich Ohio (202) 224-3353 voinovich.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact….
Chuck Grassley Iowa (202) 224-3744 grassley.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home
Richard Lugar Indiana (202) 224-4814
senator_lugar@lugar.senate.gov
Benjamin Nelson Nebraska (202) 224-6551
bennelson.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm
Ken Salazar Colorado (202) 224-5852
salazar.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm
John Rockefeller West Virginia (202) 224-6472
rockefeller.senate.gov/services/email.cfm
Joseph Biden, Jr Delaware (202) 224-5042
biden.senate.gov/contact/emailjoe.cfm
Ted Stevens Alaska (202) 224-3004 stevens.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Em…
Jeff Sessions Alabama (202) 224-4124
sessions.senate.gov/email/contact.cfm
Michael Enzi Wyoming (202) 224-3424 enzi.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactInform…
This link will connect you direct to the Senate and House of Representatives membership lists.
Keep Informed – Check these links for facts – Make them a part of your daily newsbrief!
The White House – Presidential Press Conference with Link to the Preliminary Report
Iraq Fact Check – Responding to Key Myths
Heroes in the War on Terror – Defense Link
Call Tips
When you call the legislators, a few important things to remember:
- Always be courteous. The person answering the phone is likely a young staffer.
- If you are calling a Senator/Representative who represents your home state, say “I am from [City, State] and am a (Gold/Blue Star Mom/Dad, Veteran, Patriotic American). I recently returned from Iraq [or insert relevant experience] and I respectfully request to speak with Senator/Representative [name].” When they ask to take a message, say “I’m calling to ask Senator [name] not to support a deadline for withdrawal from Iraq. Because [cite three reasons below]… Please pass along this message to the Senato r.”
- If you are calling a Senator/Representative who is not from your state, say “I am a veteran of the Iraq War [or insert relevant experience] who served with [insert unit] in [insert location] from [insert dates]. I am calling to ask Senator [name] not to support a deadline for withdrawal from Iraq. Because [cite three reasons below]… Please pass along this message to the Senator.”
- If you are calling a Senator/Representative who is not from your state, please be patient yet persistent. Remember that they are making decisions that affect more than their state – they affect your heroes in harms way from every state!
- In the future, we will be asking Families United members to request personal meeting with Senators and Representative both in their home districts and on Capitol Hill, so make sure you get the relevant contact information from the person you’re speaking with so you can follow up.
REASONS
- General Petraeus deserves enough time to implement a winning counter-insurgency strategy in Iraq.
- Retreat means a failed state in Iraq and a safe haven for Al Qaeda to plan future attacks against America and her allies.
- Decisions about Iraq should be made by military commanders and generals on the ground-not politicians in Washington, DC.
My deepest thanks to you for reaching out to our leadership in this way. It is working together and stand United for a Strong America that we honor our heroic men and women serving us in our Armed Forces.
Merrilee Carlson, Chair
Families United for Our Troops and Their Mission
merrilee@familiesunitedmission.com
Shrek’s mom
America – Home of the Free because of the Brave!
(6) Readers Comments
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So don't you think you can find the real man on the dating site at all
Anatomy of a Military Dating Scam
Ok, I've been contacted one named Capt. Kennedy James of Dallas Tx, st
Debbi
Passed this around & I will be on the phone first thing Monday morning. Thanks so much for this information.
Terri
Great information Cindy. Thanks for passing it along. Sounds like a group that’s doing many great things.
sealpatriot
I don’t think any of my Congressmen are one of those listed. That’s sad, I am not represented. Oh well, it’s all good. Good luck to those trying tp push with this effort and the VFF effort to speak against the pulling of troops out of Iraq too early.
Jason
I read your posing and thought you might find this interesting.
We recently released a short video about a program at Manhattanville College
in New York called My Soldier:
http://www.scribemedia.org/2007/07/13/my-soldier/
My Soldier takes the classic elements of being a pen pal and adds some
modern commodities to make soldiers feel more at home, wherever they
are. Although hand-written letters are a huge part, American pen pals
have been known to send their pen pal soldiers anything from Beef
Jerky to X-Boxes, and no letter or gift goes unappreciated.
Paul
General Petraeus is a good man. The Bush administration, though, have proved themselves utterly incompetent: in going to war, and securing the victory. Not enough troops were sent, and with the wrong equipment (Humvees not Strykers for example). The list of their screw-ups is endless. The result is several thousand US dead and still no clear plan. The surge may be working (in Baghdad) but it has caused the insurgents to leave the capital and raise hell elsewhere (unprotected by “surge” forces). The Bush administration must bear the blame for the situation – and it is their catastrophic lack of planning that is undermining the troops – not the well meaning folk trying to bring them home. I support the troops (and their commanders) 100%, but have no faith or respect whatsoever for the Bush administration.
Terri
Paul, I have a loved one in Iraq currently and he’s told me numerous times that the up-armored Humvees are surviving much better against the IED’s than the Strykers are (at least in Diyala province). Since the surge started in Diyala province (it’s now into it’s 3rd or 4th week) US casualties have been extremely low there. I believe they lost 1 or 2 at the beginning of Operation Arrowhead Ripper, but none since. SNAFU tends to try to call home several times per week unless they’re under blackout due to casualties and he’s been able to do so, without fail for about 4 weeks now.