I may not support the president’s decision to go to war, nor his handling of the war, but I do have respect for anyone who dedicates his or her life to the armed forces.

When I started my walk to class last week, I didn’t realize I was going to cross paths with an Army recruitment officer.

He was standing outside of his office taking pictures. When I walked by, I noticed the window was shattered. It appeared as though a drunken pedestrian had thrown a bottle at it.

I headed back to class, saddened. Which is odd, because according to many conservative pundits, I am the most likely person to hate the troops. I haven’t supported George W. Bush, nor have I supported the Iraq war. In fact, I have attended many protests against it.

I still supported the troops but I didn’t want them fighting overseas in a war I didn’t believe in — I wanted them out of harm’s way.

Regardless, I found myself under attack from many of my conservative peers. How could I hate America so much, they wondered. How could I have forgotten all about 9/11?

The accusation that hurt the most, however, was that I didn’t support the troops. Because of my protests during the war, it was somehow ascertained that I didn’t support our men and women fighting overseas.

Nothing could be further from the truth. I know many soldiers who went over to Iraq. Why would I have any reason not to support them? I may not support the president’s decision to go to war, nor his handling of the war, but I do have respect for anyone who dedicates his or her life to the armed forces.

According to a recent CBS News poll, only 32 percent of Americans approve of President Bush’s handling of the war in Iraq, while 59 percent want to leave Iraq as soon as possible.

Using conservative rhetoric, this would mean our nation is full of unpatriotic Americans who do not support the troops. I don’t believe this is true. I believe that the majority of the nation wants to pull out of Iraq because they care for the troops, and want them out of harm’s way.

My support of the troops is unwavering. Even after the atrocities that took place at Abu Ghraib, my support continues. I know that the soldiers who were torturing prisoners there were not representative of most soldiers in the U.S. military.

My support for this administration and for its policies, however, is very small. There is a difference. If you don’t see it, then you need to change your perception of the world from a “black-and-white policies” mentality to a perception that allows for “gray areas” to exist, especially since the attitude of the country is now starting to shift in that direction.

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