CIA Bomber

CIA Bomber

Need some feedback. Am I callous and uncaring or realistic? I am a Vietnam combat veteran (Infantry Platoon Leader and Infantry Company Commander and a TET '68 survivor having become an Infantry Company Commander in the beginning of TET '68.) I spent almost 35 1/2 in the US Army uniform either Active Duty, USAReserves, and/or Army National Guard and am fully aware that people get killed and wounded.

The widow of the CIA bomber is "proud" of her husband; he carried out a "major operation." He killed seven Americans!? Is this a "major operation"? These seven people were patriots and warriors in our war against global terrorism. They should be honored and their families deserve our thanks and gratitude for their willingness to sacrifice and to encourage their warriors who were willing to lay it on the line for America.

In WW2 and Korea, America suffered hundreds and thousands killed and wounded daily. Americans considered it was worth it. In Vietnam, which was a different kind of war in terms of intensity and and numbers involved, it was not unusual to have dozens and sometimes, hundreds killed or wounded daily.

The Global War On Terrorism (GWOT) is similar to Vietnam in terms of intensity and numbers involved. What has happened to America when we agree with the enemy that seven killed is a catastrophe and is a "major" loss? We kill almost 120 people every day on our highways and half of those caused by impaired (drunk or drugged) drivers. We kill almost 40 every day in criminal actions. Granted, the numbers at risk are different - one million military and Dept. of Defense personnel in the line of danger vs 350 million civilians in the nation.

My contention is that we need to keep numbers and national feelings in proper perspective. We are encouraging our enemies when we agree with them that seven killed is a catastrope and is a call to reexamine our commitment. We ought to be in this GWOT for the long haul, as President Bush 43 maintained. Our, America's, survivor and future existence depends on our willingness to fight and sacrifice and die for liberty and freedom.

I much prefer to kill the enemy "over there" than to have to fight them in our streets and schools (remember Sep 1, 2004, Beslan, Russia, where 32 heavily armed militants took more than 1,200 people -- children, parents and teachers of School Number 1-- hostage and over 300 of them were killed by the militants and possibly the rescuers in the rescue attempt), our airplanes (remember the 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 bombing on December 21 killing 259 and 11 on the ground, the "shoe" bomber, and the "underwear" bomber) and various mass transit systems (remember the 11 March 2004 train attacks in Madrid, Spain). We must never forget 9-11-01, the Fort Hood killings, and the dozens of foiled/failed attacks since 2001. We could make a long list of attacks since the Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon in 1983, the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center, the 2000 attack on the USS Cole in Yemen, etc.

As we used to say, the only good [name the enemy] is a dead [enemy]. I say, kill 'em fast, kill 'em slow, kill 'em by the hundreds, just kill 'em. We don't have to be concerned about a dead enemy.