Give troops the right tools in Afghanistan

It's understandable that people disagree on whether it is wise to send more troops to Afghanistan. Unfortunately, this debate obscures the fact that we've failed to outfit our existing troops with the tools they need to succeed in the mountainous "graveyard of empires."

Our forces in Afghanistan need more time, more troops and more technology. Most would be shocked to discover that teenagers hanging out at the mall are more connected to e-mail, voice communication, video, and maps through their iPhones than the average soldiers in Afghanistan.

Instead of considering pulling the plug on the hard and dangerous work our soldiers are doing in Afghanistan, Congress needs to give them the technology they need to return home victorious.

Yet the Pentagon just put a hold on a new wireless high-speed network that would have given soldiers access to the information that could save their lives and help them catch insurgents. Haven't we learned the tragic lessons of the early occupation of Iraq, when we failed to provide soldiers with body armor and protected Humvees? If this administration wants to see results, it must fund the advanced network our soldiers need.

Frank Jacques

Wheeling