Over the past few weeks, there's been a very public debate over American strategy in Afghanistan. Foreign policy experts, generals, politicians and journalists have all offered their advice to the president. Just about everyone has had a say; just about everyone has been heard. Except for one crucial group, perhaps the one group with the most to win, or lose, in Afghanistan: the troops.

I can hear the criticism already. Some might dismiss the notion that our leaders should now turn to 20-year-olds in the field for strategy recommendations. Some might criticize the White House for pausing to analyze even more information. Asking the troops for their advice may seem like a time-consuming and impractical stunt.

But it isn't. And now that the administration has suggested it will make no policy determination until after Afghanistan's presidential runoff, there is plenty of time to solicit recommendations from the front. If a corporal with two 15-month tours in rural Afghanistan has enlightening advice our president should hear, why not provide him with the opportunity to share that information? The troops' counsel is free and, as anyone who's ever worked with junior soldiers or Marines knows, they have a wealth of expertise and strong opinions they would be glad to express.

So how would we go about gathering this information rapidly and systematically? Well, from what I've seen, this shouldn't be a problem. The military loves surveys — online, on paper, multiple choice, short answer.

Last week alone, I and my fellow Marines took a "financial health" poll and an "equal opportunity" survey and completed a "command climate questionnaire" on the state of my unit. I'm not kidding. A few weeks ago I also answered questions for a "family readiness" review, and recently received some humdrum assessment from the Pentagon.

Why not now create a survey for our experienced Afghanistan veterans and those still serving in Afghanistan, and ask them what course of action they think we should pursue?

The survey could ask pointed questions like: "List and explain three changes you would make in our Afghanistan strategy, if you were running the war," or "Would the addition of troops help you succeed in your mission? How, specifically? If not, why?" The survey should also provide space for comments. This would be a rapid way to get input straight from the front to the very top of the command, and you'd be amazed at the depth and breadth of the answers the troops will provide.

There's nothing inappropriate about soliciting war strategy advice from soldiers and Marines if it's done professionally and with respect for the chain of command. Our politicians already solicit the recommendations of the troops. Congressmen often visit the war theater to get a closer look at the situation and to meet the soldiers and Marines in the thick of it. Hawaii's U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye went to Afghanistan earlier this month because, he said, "it's one thing to listen to a general, but it's another to listen to the Afghan people, the intelligence operatives on the ground and the troops and their commanders who put themselves in harm's way each day."

Of course, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top American commander in Afghanistan, and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speak on behalf of the United States military in Afghanistan, and it cannot be emphasized enough that our military will follow the president's orders, without dissent or hesitation. Still, those in the ranks deserve a chance to be heard.

Just a few days ago, a Marine from this base, 20-year-old Lance Cpl. Alfonso Ochoa Jr., died in Afghanistan. It is a great loss, but even as his comrades mourn another fallen Marine, they continue to serve their country proudly. The least we can do is ask them — from the corporals to the captains — for their advice about this war they're fighting. It's their lives that are on the line.