(Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) outspoken critic of an endless war)
With the sudden death today of Rep. John Murtha of complications from gall bladder surgery, I'm reminded that his was the outspoken voice in opposition to our failed policy in Iraq when many weren't. A Marine himself, he didn't take our sacrifices lightly and suffered the smears from the opposition who were never in the place Murtha knew so well. His concern was, above all for the soldier, the grunt, the enlisted man or woman who gave and were abused for a cause that was never thought out, for a strategy that was never explained and for a goal that hasn't, almost ten years later, been achieved.
There are many addresses and interviews Murtha conducted in connection to our involvement in Iraq. Here is one press conference he did on November 17, 2005.
Rep. John Murtha: “The burden of this war has not been shared equally. The families are shouldering the burden. The military has been fighting this war in Iraq for over two and a half years. Our military has accomplished its mission and done its duty. Our military captured Saddam Hussein, captured or killed his closest associates. But the war continues to intensify. Deaths and injuries are growing. And over 2,079 confirmed American deaths, over 15,000 have been seriously injured, half of them have been returned to duty. And its estimated over 50,000 will suffer from what I call Battle Fatigue. And there have been reports over 30,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed.”
RIP John Murtha.
