Dead Soldier's Mother Asks Us to Support Troops

 
Here's one of those difficult situations that can cause much confusion. The Toronto Star recently reported on the funeral of a soldier killed in Afghanistan [Support troops, dead soldier's mother asks Canadians]. Here's what was printed in the newspaper.

The mother of a soldier recently killed in Afghanistan beseeched Canadians on the day of her son’s funeral to support the country’s troops in Afghanistan.

Shortly before an honour guard piped the flag-draped coffin of Pte. Lane Watkins into an open field today, his mother Wanda read a family statement that suggested people should be extremely proud of the military’s efforts in a country that desperately needs Canada’s help.

"We don’t want any family to experience the terrible pain of losing their son or daughter, but if Canada and NATO abandon the Afghan people, the sacrifices Lane, our family and others have made will be for nothing," Watkins said.

"They deserve your respect. In supporting them, you’ll make our loss much easier to bear."

It's statements like this that make supporting our troops more difficult [What Does the "Support Our Troops" Ribbon mean to You?]. While we can all understand Wanda Watkins' grief, she conflates supporting our soldiers with supporting the mission. Since this is a common mistake, it means that any overt support for our soldiers—such as putting a yellow ribbon on your car—will usually be interpreted as support for Canada's role in Afghanistan.

I do not support the mission in Afghanistan and I urge the Canadian government to withdraw as soon as possible. Does this mean that I don't support individual soldiers who are carrying out the role assigned to them to the best of their ability? No it doesn't. They're are doing exactly what they are supposed to be doing and they deserve our respect and support because it's a dangerous job. As a matter of fact, they deserve even more support, and sympathy, because they're involved in a messy situation that they don't necessarily agree with.

Ms. Watkins wants us to stay in Afghanistan because otherwise her son will have died in vain. Unfortunately there's no way to avoid the obvious. If we eventually recognize that it is a mistake to be in Afghanistan then we will not have achieved "victory" and it will be difficult to justify the sacrifice of her son and the dozens of others who have died. To be blunt, they will have died in vain because we made a mistake by sending them into a dangerous situation where victory wasn't possible.

We cannot let such passionate appeals dissuade us from withdrawing if that's the best course of action. What would be the point of staying in Afghanistan if more lives will be lost for no gain? How many have to die in vain before we call it quits?

[The image is from The Royal Canadian Regiment Kit Shop]