Ron & Nancy Saeger's Testimony in Support of SCR 4022
March 22, 2007
Chairman Haas and members of the Government and Veterans Affairs Committee,
My wife and I have 52 years of combined military service and are officers retired from the North Dakota Air National Guard. I served as a Navy Hospital Corpsman during Viet Nam and cared for war casualties in medical facilities and in combat with the Marines. I also crewed fighter aircraft for 20 years. My wife is a veteran who was mobilized as a Chief Nurse during the first Gulf War.
Grave consequences dictate that a nation should not undertake elective offensive actions, but only go to war as a last resort when all other options have failed. It is our belief that the Iraq war is a tragic blunder that was ill conceived, falsely justified, and capriciously entered by the Bush administration and should therefore be ended and our troops withdrawn as soon as possible. If you cannot support withdrawal from Iraq, then think about which of your own family members you would like to see running this gauntlet for more than a year at a time - if they survived.
Those of us who have served in a war zone or cared for casualties know the true consequences of hostile actions, intended and otherwise, for both civilians and military participants. Many will be scarred for life and it is very important that we be prepared to meet the long term needs of those wounded mentally as well as the physically injured.
The original language of SCR 4022, which should be reinstated, directed that a message be sent to our congressional delegation and the President supporting prompt disengagement of our military forces from the conflict in Iraq. Some argue that such action would have a demoralizing effect on those who serve. Trust us - they are smarter than that.
It is past the time for us to cut our losses in lives and equipment and begin to restore the capabilities of our military services to meet the true defense needs of our nation.
We ask that you give SCR 4022 a Do Pass recommendation as the legislation was originally intended.
Sincerely,
Ron & Nancy Saeger
Fargo, ND