Illustration by Cody Angell

Operation Iraqi Freedom is not even three weeks old and United States troops are inside Baghdad, with victory in sight. And yet, many of those who oppose this war continue to undermine the efforts of the very people who are providing us with that victory.

There are many who claim that they oppose this war, bur support our troops. Please explain to the rest of us patriotic citizens exactly what you are doing to show that support.

Was the student union die-in, depicting slaughtered Iraqi civilians at the hands of U.S. forces, your idea of support? If so, then please keep your support to yourself. During your speeches on the steps of the Administration building, you make it a point to depict our president as a terrorist, comparing him to the evil dictator that we have removed from power. By undermining the Commander-in-Chief during a time of war, what message are you sending to the brave young men and women risking their lives on the other side of the world? Again, if this is your support, thank you, but it is not needed. Our military deserve a little bit more for the efforts that they are making.

American soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines make sacrifices every day of their lives ÷ and for what? So that when war becomes reality, they will be faced with having to make the ultimate sacrifice in defense of the freedom and values that America stands for.

Steve Campbell

These young adults don't get to go home during spring break or during the holiday season. Some will miss the birth of their child or their child's first word or first step. And missed birthdays and anniversaries are just a fact of life in the military. During peacetime, their nine-to-five job lasts at least 12 hours. During wartime, it begins when they wake up and ends when they get a few hours to sleep.

Why would anybody choose to make such sacrifices? It certainly isn't for the money. A private in the military only makes $1,150.80 per month.

Not only is their dedication evident, but so is their professionalism. While many anti-war protesters are portraying them as murderers of innocent Iraqi civilians, nothing could be further from the truth. Many members of the U.S. military willingly put their own lives at risk in an attempt to protect the innocent civilians that their own government and military couldn't care less about. Some have even done so at the expense of their own lives.

One only needs to look at the military forces that we are fighting against to understand how dedicated and professional our own troops are.

American forces do not wear civilian clothes and wave white flags in order to get a closer, more deadly shot. Suicide bombing is not part of U.S. military doctrine.

While the enemy tortures and executes some of our finest mechanics and supply clerks, our forces provide food, water and protection for captured Iraqi solders of their Elite Republican Guard. Our military surgeons even conduct battlefield operations to save their lives.

While the enemy hides among their civilian counterparts, thus putting their safety at risk, our soldiers are protecting their civilians from their own military, and providing medical services to them when able to. Last week, a U.S. military surgeon delivered a baby for an Iraqi family that could not get to a hospital.

Our forces have never used chemical weapons against the enemy, let alone their own people. The Iraqi military has shown that they do not respect human life ÷ be it the enemy's or their own.

And while their civilians are forced to fight, our civilians volunteer.

These volunteers do not ask for anything in return. They go about their mission because they believe in the freedom and the values that this country stands for.

If asked, they will tell you that you have the right to publicly accuse them of killing innocent civilians. They will simply smile and continue making their numerous sacrifices. But don't forget that these troops are preserving the very freedom that you are using to undermine their effort. They are risking their lives to give the Iraqi people the freedom that you are taking for granted.

There will be a time to question our government's actions. Now, when American service men and women are making the ultimate sacrifice, is not that time.

The next time you say that you oppose the war but support our troops, ask yourself ÷ in what ways?