Two recent Congressional candidates who served in the military took opposite positions on a war resolution during testimony this afternoon at the state Capitol.

Retired Air Force Major Gen. Bentley Rayburn, of Colorado Springs, ripped the resolution, which opposes sending more troops to Iraq.

"It is my professional assessment that this resolution — and ones like it — risk disheartening our men and women when they need our encouragement the most," said Bentley, who last year ran for the Republican nomination in the 5th Congressional District.

Bill Winter, of Castle Rock, the Democratic candidate in the 6th Congressional District, supported the resolution.

"If any one dares to criticize this president and this war then they say it will undermine the troops," said Winter, a Navy and Marine veteran.

"It’s a ridiculous argument with no basis in fact. Extended deployments, multiple deployments, lack of equipment, substandard medical care, these are the things that really undermine the morale of the troops, not honest debate."

Winter and Bentley were among nearly 70 witnesses who signed up to testify on Senate Joint Memorial 02 by Democratic Sens. Ron Tupa, of Boulder, and Ken Gordon, of Denver.

For weeks, Capitol observers have been wondering how big today’s crowd would be. It turned out smaller than expected.

Those who served in Iraq and the parents of those who served passionately defended or derided the resolution.

Gaye Lowe-Kaplan’s 22-year-old son, Andy, is a Marine who has toured Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Because I love and honor my son with all my heart, I have to speak," she said.

"This has been an immoral, dishonest and disheartening war from the beginning, and the ones who have truly paid the price are the troops, not the 99 percent of us watching it on TV."

Don Ottoway, a 22-year-old who enlisted in the Army after he graduated from Cherry Creek High School, opposed the resolution. He served in Iraq.

"I have walked through the streets of Fallujah. I’ve lost friends. I can’t even tell you you how much sweat and tears I have poured in that sand over there," he said.

Ottoway talked about Iraqis thanking American soldiers for what they were doing, and telling horror stories about life under Saddam Hussein.

"If we pull out now, I think it would send the wrong message," he said.

Some witnesses earlier appeared at opposing war gatherings just west of the state Capitol. They stood on opposite sides of Lincoln Avenue and shouted at each other.

"Mercenaries!" one anti-war protestor yelled.

A woman across the street, who was holding a "Support our Troops" sign, pointed to the picture of the young serviceman pinned to her jacket.

"Are you saying my son’s a mercenary?" she yelled back. "(Expletive) yes," the protester hollered, to the disgust of those rallying for the troops.

It was calmer inside the Capitol where the Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee held its hearing on the resolution.

"I’m proud to be a part of this debate. I’m proud to be an American," Tupa said, in his opening remarks.

He called his proposal a "modest" measure that, unlike resolutions other states are debating, does not call for removing troops from Iraq or cutting off funding for the war. That was deliberately done after talking to many Democratic and Republican lawmakers, Tupa said.

He noted that a recent war debate in Washington found bi-partian support. He said he does not believe any Colorado GOP lawmakers so far are supporting his memorial, but he is hoping that some do.

Tupa also noted that his father and grandfather served in the Coast Guard and he grew up on naval and Coast Guard bases.

"I love the uniform," he said, adding he would never sponsor anything that was a slight against the troops.

Gordon said Colorado stands to lose millions in federal funding over the next five years because of the cost of the war, including $21 million for Head Start programs and $41 million for low-energy assistance.

He accused President Bush of "being rigid" in the face of new information about the war, and said more troops will not help the United States win it.

"The time of good options has passed," Gordon said. "By this resolution we are asking the administration to make a true change in course . . . ."

Back to Top