Military Training

Yesterday on the way home I heard a report on the radio stating that a military unit (reserve I believe) was preparing to leave for Iraq in response to Mr. Bush's latest surge. They were going without the anti-insurgency training they needed and were scheduled to have completed because of the rush to throw them into harms way. That's right. They were scheduled for critical training, but now would be deployed without it to meet Mr. Bush's schedule.

This administration repeatedly talks about how it supports the troops and respects and admires them. This is all well and good. However, support, in my eyes, is more than words. It's training, equipment, sufficient rest between deployments, adequate armorment, and sufficient care should they be wounded and have to return home. This, however, seems to be a pipe dream. The administration "support" extends barely beyond lip service.

 Exactly how does it benefit anyone to throw unprepared and undertrained troops into harm's way? Haven't we already seen numerous examples of the type of problems which occur when the troops are sent into danger before they are ready? If this administration can literally throw away pallet loaded with billions of dollars of our money with no accountability and no record of where it goes, why can it not provide proper training and care for our troops? How can anyone claim to "support the troops" and do this kind of thing not once, but repeatedly?