President Obama, Our Armed Forces Are Stretched Too Thin

The following is from Texas Land Comissioner Jerry Patterson:

As you know, I'm a retired Marine and Vietnam veteran.

My son Travis, pictured below, is a Marine helicopter pilot with 3 tours under his belt (2 in Iraq and 1 off the Straits of Hormuz). He is the fifth consecutive generation of our family to serve his country in time of war and we have strong opinions about the great military tradition in America.

That shared tradition with my son is one of my greatest joys in life. It is also one of my greatest responsibilities.

If you are watching the news this week, I hope that you believe as I do - our country's armed forces are already stretched too thin. In my opinion, we do not need to add another combat area of operations in Syria. And above all else, our country should not engage in taking out a regime when we can't guarantee the next one will be any better.

Sadly, I also believe that we cannot trust President Obama to have the best interests of our fighting men and women in mind.

All the evidence points to the contrary. This is a President who has made blunder upon blunder in the international community and appointed John Kerry as head of our worldwide efforts at diplomacy.

This is a President, who right here in Texas, has further illustrated his disinterest in the sacrifices made by our military in the way he has handled the tragedy at Fort Hood perpetrated by Maj. Nidal Hasan. This administration has designated those shootings as an act of "workplace violence" instead of acknowledging that our brave soldiers died at the hands of a terrorist attacker.

It's enough to make your blood boil.

That's why just a few days ago, I announced that the Texas Veteran's Land Board, which I chair, will treat those injured or killed, and their dependents, as if they were Texas veterans. Therefore, that will give them eligibility for benefits from the Texas Veterans Land Board.

Texas will honor their sacrifice and we will take action where the federal government will not.

No matter what happens elsewhere in America during these dangerous times, I know that Texas will always honor our servicemen and servicewomen and keep their best interests in our hearts.

This is a critical week for the future of our country's armed forces and I urge all of us to be praying for the Lord's protection over each and every one of them, as well as seeking His wisdom on behalf of our elected officials in Washington, D.C.

Semper Fi,

Jerry Patterson
Texas Land Commissioner
Lt.Col., USMCR, ret.