Matt Sitton has been killed while serving his country in Afghanistan. Before he died he wrote a letter to Congressman Bill Young (R-FL) because they were connected to the same church. His letter moved Representative Young, as it would anyone with a conscience, to change his resistance to troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Bill Moyers did a report about Matt Sitton and his letter, and it deserves to be read by everyone in the USA. Here is the transcript:
Matt Sitton knew the war in Afghanistan was going badly. He knew because he was fighting it. 26 years old, with a wife and child back home, Staff Sergeant Sitton was on his third combat tour there. His third. Time and again, he and his men were sent through what he called “A minefield on a daily basis.” His comrades were being blown apart. At least one amputee a day, he said, “Because we are walking around aimlessly through grape rows and compounds that are littered with explosives.” Morale was low. The men struggled to remain alert. Sitton said he asked his officers to give them a break but was told to stop complaining. “I am all for getting on the ground and fighting for my country when there is a desired end state and we have clear guidance of what needs to be done,” he wrote. “but when we are told basically to just walk around for a certain amount of time…not sitting well with me.” At home in Florida, Matt Sitton had attended a Christian school run by the Baptist church attended by Congressman Bill Young. He wrote Congressman Young and told him what was happening. “I’m concerned about the well-being of my soldiers,” he said. “… I just want to return my guys home to their families healthy.” He ended, “If anything, please pray for us over here. God bless.”
My heart hurts for the family of Matt Sitton and I pray for the safety of the soldiers who remain trapped in an unwinnable nightmare.
We need to bring them home now.
“We need to bring them home now.”
Well, actually, we needed to bring them home yesterday. Sigh. No words for this one. What can you possibly say to the families?
BTW, my nephew survived 3 tours in Iraq both relatively sane and completely intact. But they had to send him home early from Afghanistan, which cracked his brain. Luckily he is now one of the 47% getting help from Uncle Sam to both mend the cracks and get an education.
How does he feel to know he is dismissed as a “taker”? Because I think the least Uncle Sam can do for a veteran is help him get a foot on the ladder.