I just watched episode 8 of "The Pacific" on HBO. That episode focused on the exploits of John Basilone, a Marine who received the Medal of Honor for his heroism on Guadalcanal and who was KIA during the first day of the Iwo Jima landings. It was pretty heavy stuff, esp for me, as my father in law was a Marine on Iwo Jima, too.
I never met my F-I-L, as he died 4 years before I met my wife. I've heard many impressive things about him over the years. Seeing this episode tonight and seeing "Flags of Our Fathers" made me realize how fate played such a critical role in who lived and who died in that horrific battle. Fortunately for the sake of my wife and of my kids, my F-I-L was one of those who did survive.
Seeing war from that personal of a level makes one realize that it should always be a last resort. A few days ago, I wrote this comment about my visit 1 week ago to the WW II Monument on the National Mall. I was truly moved by that visit, and, if anything, I'm even more moved by it now.
There were real stakes in that war, and there were countless sacrifices made by a citizens' army made up of people like Basilone, my F-I-L, and a few million others who rallied to FDR's call. They weren't led by a Commander in Chief who told Hitler or Tojo to "bring it on," and no one ever even thought of "Mission Accomplished" signs or carrier landings, even when both the Germans and Japanese had unconditionally surrendered. The consequences were too grave and the sacrifices were too great for such lame political posturing, even though Truman had, um, actually served in combat when his country called him.
We were fed countless phony analogies to WW II under the prior WH. We never had a draft or a war surtax, however, and the very idea of SH overruning a continent or launching a series of bombing raids on American ships and airfields was beyond ludicrous. We're still trapped, sadly, in conflicts that were launched based upon those phony analogies.
There are God knows how many contemporary John Basilones who will never be memorialized on HBO or anywhere else. There still are countless grunts who are being seriously wounded and killed on an almost daily basis in 2 endless wars, at least 1 of which should clearly have never been started. Just as w/ Iwo Jima 65 years ago, there are countless children and grandchildren who will never be born as a result.
Given the alternative, one can argue that the contemporary and future losses suffered on Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Normandy, the Huertgen Forest, and countless other WW II battlefields were worth it. How can one make the same argument today, however? Is the Karzai govt really worth a single American life? How about the Maliki govt?
How many in the WH or on the Hill would sacrifice one of their sons or daughters for either Karzai or Maliki? How many here would do so? My son is 15 and my daughter is 18, and I would set myself on fire before allowing them to be put in harm's way in either conflict. Available evidence suggests that my views on this subject are widely shared nationwide.
If we would never consider making these sacrifices ourselves, how can we consider asking them of others? We call ourselves a Christian country. Wasn't Jesus' core teaching to treat others as we would like to be treated ourselves?
I wonder how many DC powerbrokers have watched this series. I wonder even more how many of them have had any second thoughts about our current military commitments after doing so. Anyone in the WH or on the Hill who has watched this series and hasn't had such thoughts really ought to resign his/her position ASAP. The people whom they're ordering into harm's way to save the sorry behinds of 2 corrupt dictators deserve better.
EDIT: This episode made it equally clear to me that a special place should be reserved for war profiteers in the lowest circles of hell. Those who view the deaths and maiming of others as a means to a quick buck have shattered their respective moral compasses for good. We all know that profiteering has been rampant in both contemporary conflicts, and we both know that, over 3 years after taking control of at least 1 House, the Dems have done nothing to investigate this atrocity. Somewhere, Harry Truman shakes his head in disappointment.