"This poll confirms that our men and women in uniform are far more in touch with reality than is their leadership in Washington," says IAVA Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff.
America's Troops to the President:
Send Reinforcements or Set a Timeline Marjority of Troops Disagree with Current Course in Iraq
NEW YORK - A new Zogby poll released today finds that nearly three-quarters of American Troops think the US military should set a timeline for its engagment in Iraq. Paul Rieckhoff, an OIF Veteran and the Founder/Executive Director of the nation's largest organization for Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, IAVA, said this today about the poll's findings:
"This poll confirms that our men and women in uniform are far more in touch with reality than is their leadership in Washington," Rieckhoff said. "How long will we keep telling our Troops to just ‘stay the course' in the face of such overwhelming evidence against that approach?"
"But absent a major new commitment of personnel, something that is impossible in the military's current state of overextension, the current course in Iraq will become more difficult with each passing day. No one knows this better than the Troops and Veterans who have been there."
"For our Troops, this isn't about Republican or Democrat, it's about results, and right now they're just not seeing the advantages of an open-ended commitment," said Rieckhoff. "What our Troops need now is a realistic plan to replace the stubborn rhetoric that has characterized the Bush Administration's approach to Iraq."
"If people really want to support the Troops, they should start listening to them. This poll is the perfect place to start. The conversation has been dominated for far too long by people who have little or no credibility on the issue. The Troops want a timeline, and Americans should want to know why."
Paul Rieckhoff, NY: A member of the New York Army National Guard, Rieckhoff spent one year in Baghdad as an Infantry Platoon Leader commanding 38 men, all of whom made it home alive. After completing his tour in Iraq in February 2004, Rieckhoff founded IAVA, the nation's first and largest Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans group, which seeks to amplify the voices of America's Troops and Veterans.
For more information, or to schedule an interview with any of IAVA's member Veterans, please contact Will Coghlan at 212-982-9699 or
