Back Then It Was Communism

If you look back at the words of the fifties, sixties, and seventies and substitute "terrorists" for "communists" how similar the verbiage is to today's political commentary.

But looking back as an American, as well as a born again bleeding heart liberal, I question the leaderships that took us to war in Korea, Vietnam, Kuwait, and now Iraq. All of these wars had us fighting against Koreans in Korea, Vietnamese in Vietnam, Iraqis in Kuwait, and now Iraqis in Iraq.

The United States was not attacked BY ANY OF THOSE COUNTRIES. Did we have supposed good reasons for going to war then? We were told that we did. Did we have good reasons for going to war this time? We once again were told that we did.

I can hear the air being filled with the "yes but" things. Do they matter to the dead and wounded? I think not. I don't know this to be true, but as someone who surrendered four years of his life "fighting communism" in the Air Force during the Korean War, I think not. No one ever took a shot at me while I was in the service. (I suppose that the time I was in a Bar in East St. Louis that was fired upon with machine guns during a gang turf war does not count,) However, I gave my country 4 long years, but I at least survived.

The dead and wounded appear as numbers or statistics that matter to the government, but do not matter enough Can the administration state that the world is better off without Sadaam, and say that it was "worth" 1000 lives? How about 5000 lives?

Have we learned any lessons from our wars in the last 50 plus years? It does not seem that we did. We make nice memorials to celebrate the ultimate sacrifice paid by our men and women. The will be dead forever, and the reasons for their deaths will be debated for a long time. I cannot glorify them; I can only imagine the pain of the Moms and Dads, Husbands and Wives, Sisters and Brothers, and most of all Sons and Daughters. How many of them wonder if their loved ones did indeed die in vain. I do.

Norman Horowitz
AF 12394420
3320th Tactical Training Wing
Scott Air Force Base
Belleville, Ill.

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