Amid the debate and controversy last year over "Operation Iraqi Freedom" came cries from war supporters to support the troops -- as if disagreement with the tactics of the war-hungry White House somehow translated into malicious wishes toward the soldiers. Now, months later, we've seen that the oh-so-urgent reasons provided for quick action in Iraq were, if not false, fiercely exaggerated. We knew right where the weapons were, but that was top secret government information. There was some proof of terrorist connections, however fuzzy it may have seemed in the newspapers. The government had evidence, and that was all that mattered.

Protesters were, of course, accused of not supporting the troops and being unpatriotic, and thousands of troops and reserves were promptly dispatched.

Not even a year later, there are new questions over who is not supporting the troops. The original sense of pride and spirit in the men and women working in Iraq is still intact, but the literal support and supplies that are supposed to be provided by the government are horribly lacking.

In America, we elect government officials to act in our name; if they do not provide our soldiers with necessary means of shelter and protection in wartime, who then is not supporting the troops?

Obviously, the luxuries of U.S. home life are not to be expected under the circumstances of war in other countries, but when conditions aren't good enough this far into the "occupation" for some men and women to sleep inside of the building they're stationed near, there's a problem. Higher-ranked officials in the military aren't facing these same conditions as the lower enlisted.

Stars and Stripes, a printed publication available for soldiers and military personnel since the Civil War, recently published photos of camps they've recently visited in Iraq. Next to pictures of troops sleeping in bug-infested fields, on top of military vehicles and under trees were printed pictures of other soldiers lounging by the pool at one of Saddam's palaces that the U.S. troops now occupy.

These lucky soldiers enjoy daily basics consisting of air conditioning, running water for showers, plumbing and hot meals. One of the palaces has a large chapel that serves as a movie theater each night. Other large rooms house an alcohol-free sports-bar, an Internet café, a computer-game room, a barbershop and a game room with foosball and pool tables. Bicycles, basketballs, rubber rafts and fishing gear are readily available.

Meanwhile, soldiers like Spc. Melodie M. Singleton, 24, living at Camp Packhorse south of Tikrit, explained that that "they gave us air conditioners, but we don't have power. You just look at the box in front of the tent and imagine how cool you'd be." A shower, for many soldiers in Iraq, is nothing short of a dream.

While sleeping in yards surrounded by barbed wire may be safer then spending the night in the hazardous buildings nearby, many soldiers aren't even protected with proper body armor. Bulletproof flak vests, which should be a standard piece of equipment, are hard to come by in Iraq. Members of Congress noted that some deployed soldiers not only have not been issued full-out protective gear, but they are spending upwards of $650 out of their own pockets to buy Interceptor Body Armor vests and small arms protective insert plates to replace the Vietnam-era flak vests they received upon arrival in Iraq. Some units in Iraq have also reported shortages of critical supplies and equipment such as Black Hawk parts, bandages and other life-saving materials.

What is wrong with this picture? If war was so imminent and it was supposed to be such a clean-cut mission, why are so many troops are living in such poor conditions? How can a country that dwarfs the next three high-spenders combined on military spending not have basic protective armor for the troops?

Circumstances are understandably going to be different than predicted, but sending troops into their current situation unprepared and in many cases unprotected is simply unacceptable. We can support the troops all we want, but we're not keeping them out of harm's way by allowing things to continue like this.

Part of Bush's $87 billion he received for Iraq from Congress this year is going toward better military preparation.

How many deaths and brain injuries did it take to realize this was necessary?

I may not have supported the decision to invade Iraq, but I will always stand behind the safety, well being and protection of every soldier sent to fight. If the administration is not providing the necessary supplies to troops in Iraq, keeping them in a constant state of life-threatening danger, why are those who dissent still considered the people not supporting the troops?