General Peter Pace, condemned Representative John Murtha for comments he made in an ABC interview regarding his thoughts on joining the current
military, saying that the remarks damage military recruiting, the morale of the troops and their families.
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Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the military's Joints Chiefs of Staff, took exception to remarks made by Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania,
a decorated Vietnam War veteran who retired as a colonel after 37 years in the Marine Corps.
In an ABC News interview aired on Monday, Murtha was asked whether he would join the military today. "No," replied Murtha, who in November called
for a pullout of U.S. forces from Iraq.
"And I think you're saying the average guy out there who's considering recruitment is justified in saying 'I don't want to serve,"' the
interviewer said. "Exactly right," Murtha replied.
While I understand the impact a statement like Murtha's can have, I wholeheartedly believe that if anyone has earned the right to say what he thinks
about joining the military, it is a decorated 37-year Vietnam War Marine veteran.
I see a real danger of suppression of speech because of the perceived impact it might have and I think it is a real concern. Sometimes the truth has a
less than desired impact on the population, but that doesn’t mean that it should be withheld. Many say it sends the wrong message. I submit that it
sends the right message. That being that this war is not worth fighting.
For Murtha to suppress his opinion or make a false statement, because it might have some negative repercussions, is simply lying to the public. And we
have enough of that going on these days. What we need is a little more truth about the situation of our government, the military and this war.
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