Peace Like A River: Dispatch from the Front XI

In this dispatch, my correspondent shares some thoughts on something never very far from his mind, the inevitable casualties that war brings.

I see the latest news and polls showing declining support for continued us involvement here. Somewhat understandable. You were sold a bill saying this was going to short and quick. It was up to a point. But an insurgency erupted.

But now tell me this. What is it about American perserverance that is so fickle? The nation can stomach a war of a few months and maybe a few hundred casualties and then all bets are off?

I am continually amazed at how fickle this sentiment is. Ten, a hundred, 500 dead but then, ouch, it's too much? Think, this is war. People die. Soldiers die and get maimed. It's risky. But what message is going to our enemies? Just start an insurgency and wait us out after a few thousand casualties because the americans quit after that?

It's extremely bad business to make your national foreign policy subserviant to the whims of casualties. If the nation decided it saw fit to wage war, by goodness, then it needs to see it through to accomplishment.

Now, I am not saying I am interested in getting blown away for a bunch of arabs. They can fight for their own freedom and future for all I care. I do and will follow my orders and I do hope for a better future for the people here and maybe even idealistically hope that someday our children won't have to be fighting the children from here all the time.

And to be fair and honest, I am not in continual hatred and paranoia about the people here. Many are very friendly and hospitable and fine people, very generous. The exingencies of war make being chums with most out of the question for now.

Now, I am not saying we stay forever, or do a vietnam and get lied to continually but can you prepare yourself to betray the principles that led us into the war in the first place which was to liberate Iraq and create a nation that would prompt changes in this region? After the first soldier was killed, we invested a lot, it could be said, too much to not finish this job. It is wrong to send us to fight but then face the risk of having our risks come to nothing if you aren't going to support the war to its successful conclusion. Then why go join up and serve if the fickle public is going to back out? If you can't stomach casualties then don't allow the politicians to start one.

The military is volunteer now. We weren't forced into it and we knew the risks. But to be honest, if I stay in, I am looking at being here for part of the remainder of my career, even if the war cools off. I am not sure I am interested in all that. Make no mistake, you bought into a multi-decade committment, just like Clinton getting us into Bosnia or Kosovo and we have been there for ten years. We aren't leaving Iraq for decades, if ever.

Getting back to what started this whole tirade, I understand the public had different expectations and are now frustrated. But to quit is to open the US up to other risks in the future if our enemies see our resolve is weak.

War has its ups and downs. Casualities happen. Not to belittle all or any of the deaths and injuries but the numbers are actually incredibly low. There has never been a war in history with so few casualities. You simply cannot have war without some. Each and every one is sad. I know. I know it all too well.

Since 9/11 I have known and trained and worked with some of the dead, and in the larger sense, I am part of all of them, being in the same service to our country. But then as Americans, we are all, in part, in this together.

It is said only the dead know the end of war. I suppose that is true. We humans can never seem to live without conflict.