Army families split on Iraq

Families of U.S. servicemen and women fighting insurgents in Iraq want the troops to come home, but they differ in their support of President Bush’s course of action in that country.

A dozen military families, some of whom lost loved ones in Iraq, protested the continued occupation in Iraq yesterday and urged Mr. Bush to withdraw U.S. troops before any more soldiers are killed.

Other families interviewed by The Washington Times said this week that although they want the soldiers to come home, they support Mr. Bush and his course of action in Iraq.

“As a father, I don’t want him there,” said Maj. Brian E. Philpot of his son, Pfc. Brian J. Philpot, 19, who is in Mosul, Iraq. “I don’t want anybody there. That doesn’t mean they don’t need to be there.”

Pfc. Philpot serves in Iraq as part of the 276th Engineer Battalion. Both father and son are part of the Virginia Army National Guard.

Other parents disagree with Maj. Philpot.

Larry Syverson, of Richmond, was one of the 18 protesters who attended yesterday’s press conference and rally at the National Press Club. The event was sponsored by Military Families Speak Out (MFSO) and United for Peace and Justice.

Holding a sign that said, “Bring my son home now,” Mr. Syverson said one of his sons, Sgt. Bryce Syverson is near Baghdad with the Army’s 1st Armored Division and his 11-month tour was extended by four months today.

Mr. Syverson said Sgt. Syverson, 25, and his other son, Staff Sgt. Branden Syverson, 32, who took part in the invasion of Iraq and served 11 months with the Army’s 4th Infantry Division, both support the “right as an American citizen to voice my opinion.”

He said neither son has told him what they thought of the war, but the two will leave the Army to avoid going back to Iraq. “They’re speaking with their feet,” he said.

Maj. Philpot, a budget officer at the National Readiness Center in Arlington, told The Times he tries to remain optimistic.

“My son is everything to me. I’d be devastated if something happened to him. But being pessimistic doesn’t help,” he said. Pfc. Philpot grew up in Northern Virginia and graduated from Lake Braddock High School.

There are 135,000 U.S. soldiers in Iraq. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld is expected to announce that up to 20,000 soldiers will be required to stay in Iraq for an extra three months, a move that will significantly impact the Army’s 1st Infantry Division, which is scheduled to return to Germany.

Mr. Bush said during Tuesday’s press conference that he would grant Army Gen. John Abizaid’s requests for more troops to deal with the heightened level of resistance from insurgents, particularly in Fallujah, Najaf and Kut.

So far, 83 soldiers have been killed during the last two weeks of fighting.

The most recent polls show that support for the president and the occupation of Iraq remains high among military families, but continues to wane among civilians.

But a recent poll by the Henry Kaiser Family Foundation, The Washington Post and Harvard University, found that about 75 percent of more than 1,000 military spouses surveyed believe many soldiers might leave the Army as soldiers and their families tire of the pace and leave for civilian lives.

The MFSO claims to have the support of 1,500 military families, several hundred of whom the group says have joined in the last month to call for an end to the U.S. occupation of Iraq.

At yesterday’s press conference and rally, parents like Sue Niederer, of Pennington, N.J., said they didn’t want Mr. Bush’s sympathy for the death of their children.

Mrs. Niederer’s son, 1st Lt. Seth Dvorin, was killed in Iraq on Feb. 3. He was deployed five days after he got married.

Mrs. Niederer held one sign that showed pictures of Lt. Dvorin, and another that called Mr. Bush a “murderer” and a “coward.” Several speakers criticized the president for deciding to keep U.S. soldiers in Iraq “as long as necessary.”

James Suda, whose son Christopher, 29, is a sergeant in the 276th Engineers Charlie company, thinks the U.S. occupation is doing good because it is attracting terrorists who might otherwise attack the United States.

“They’re being drawn over there and we’re taking them out, which is good, even though it puts my son in danger,” he said.

Still, the prospect of extensions and prolonged assignments in Iraq is difficult to think about.

Maj. Philpot, who swore his son into the Guard, said he communicates with his son every day through instant messaging on the Internet. Staying in touch regularly eases his worries, but, he said, “If you miss a day, it’s like, ’Oh my God.’”

Mr. Suda echoed Maj. Philpot’s concerns.

“I’m concerned for my son and all our boys over there. I pray for them every day,” Mr. Suda said. “I want my son back, but I think what they’re doing is real important. I think they should stay the course or else it will be 10 times worse.”