Wisconsin Forums

[keith]

Originally Posted by talleyJudy

I agree with that point, the operative word being 'after'. In the present situation we are attempting to do the Marchall plan type rebuilding and promoting democracy before winning this conflict/war in the countries of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Good point, Judy.

I wrote that reply while thinking about the speech of a gentleman last Veterans Day at my daughter's school. The speaker was the Captain of a reserve unit from northern Wisconsin that had just returned from Iraq. These people were everyday people mostly from the same area in Wisconsin. As I recall they included a dentist, a couple of mechanics, a salesman or two, maybe a butcher, some people into farming, etc.

The Captain spoke with great pride of the one thousand missions his company, part of an engineer battalion as I recall, performed in their 12 or 16 months in Iraq. Missions that ranged from building schools to re-establishing drinking wells.

I was struck by how ordinary these people were - the same people you might come across in any town in Wisconsin - and how prideful and indeed heroic their everyday actions in accomplishing their missions, virtually all of which were humanitarian.

I believe those are the acts that will win the hearts and minds of people.

It isn't that we shouldn't win the war. The Iraqi Army was defeated. The guerrilla war is another story, and a much more difficult one. They don't 'fight fair'. We are fighting terrorists, in essence.

A friend of mine just retired from 33 years in the service. He was in the first Gulf war. His son was in the current Gulf war. His philosophy on the subject of the war is that if we weren't taking the war to the home of the terrorists, we'd be fighting it here.

I'd like to think my own opinions are more informed and formed by my encounters with the gentlemen mentioned above. Ordinary people who were there. An associate of mine has a good friend who just returned and who agrees that we must complete our overall mission - to defeat the terrorists - as well as the thousands of humanitarian missions we're engaged in. When you have people who are there or were there, especially reservists who've been torn away from their families and careers, that tell the story that we need to finish the job in this manner, well, that's the biggest influence on my thinking.

Oh well, we once had a general too who wanted to win the "Korean War" and he was 'dismissed' as being out of line.

I can't remember if it is Denmark or The Netherlands, but one of those two countries will attain a Muslim voting majority in about 35 years. For the younger ones here it should be quite interesting observing that new Islamic democracy.

Judy

Thanks for a good dialog, Judy. I am proud to live in a place where you and I can discuss such things. And I'm proud to speak in a forum in which we can have a civil dialog about it.

Whatever we believe, I think it is important to support our warriors - even if not the war. Something that strikes me is how absent the war can be from the thoughts of many - and sometimes I think most of us - on a daily basis. It is all too easy to go about our daily lives without giving thought to what is happening. I've personally taken some small steps to remind myself that the war, and the support of our troops, is important.

I often hesitate to post about a topic like this because I simply tend to avoid conflict. I believe, however, that whatever our thoughts on the war it is important for us to remember that our brothers and sisters are sacrificing a lot, and sometimes their all. The least we can do is keep them forefront in our thoughts...and for those of us who are so inclined, our prayers.

Regards,
Keith