I see in the news the " WAR " is officially over. I'm happy for that. Our troops have folded the flag and are headed home. Whether or not a lasting democracy can be maintained in Iraq remains for history to tell. I certainly hope so for the sake of the people of Iraq and the world. It has been a long painful process.
Being from an older generation I couldn't help but notice how this was called a " WAR." The war on terror. The government officially recognized this as a war. Exactly who the enemy was, is a lot harder to define. Was it Muamar Gaddafi ? Was it Osama Bin Laden ? And just who is the Taliban ? And what about Al- Qaeda ? And how did the war end ? Not by a glorious and well fought battle. No it ended because of a piece of paper and a promise. We said we would leave.
Don't misunderstand me for one second.The men and women of our armed forces served with honor,pride and dignity. They carried out their mission as directed. Nothing should or can detract from that service. Far too many paid the ultimate price. As a retired Navy man I would stand with any one of them,proudly !
I just can't help but think about why this was declared a war. I don't recall the President ever saying we have declared war upon anyone. Did that happen and I missed it ? I wasn't even born yet, but I have seen footage of Roosevelt declaring war upon the Japanese. The President has to ask Congress before doing that.
Korea was a "police action" Wasn't called a war for a number of years. Vietnam wasn't called a war either,I know I was there. I was there for Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm and that wasn't a war. Saddam Hussein was the enemy then. We certainly fought, but no one called that a war. We had to return about a decade later to finish up and that wasn't a war either.
And now this thing in Afghanistan. First the President says we are pulling out of Iraq,which we did,we went to Afghanistan. Now the " war " is over. So am I to believe terror has been defeated ? It no longer exists ? How can that be ? The only enemy I have ever heard about is terror and the Taliban. And no one knows exactly just who the Taliban is or where they are. How could they have been defeated ?
It can all be very confusing. The modern world is a complicated place. Men and Women go to battle and are wounded and killed. The government directed them to do so. Does that constitute a war ? Sure seems like one doesn't it ? But, according to the constitution, war must be declared by the president. That didn't happen.
The president is quick to take the credit for ending this war though. The fact that next year is an election year has nothing to do with that I suppose. The whole sorted mess seems like a bunch of political posturing to me. It has gone on for far too long. I am glad to see the end of this "war " debacle.
God bless our troops and welcome home ! Take pride in your service. There is no doubt that it was a war.
I felt that Desert Shield?Desert Storm was as well. At least we had well defined and achievable goals. The men and women of this " war " were forced to fight shadows.
Being from an older generation I couldn't help but notice how this was called a " WAR." The war on terror. The government officially recognized this as a war. Exactly who the enemy was, is a lot harder to define. Was it Muamar Gaddafi ? Was it Osama Bin Laden ? And just who is the Taliban ? And what about Al- Qaeda ? And how did the war end ? Not by a glorious and well fought battle. No it ended because of a piece of paper and a promise. We said we would leave.
Don't misunderstand me for one second.The men and women of our armed forces served with honor,pride and dignity. They carried out their mission as directed. Nothing should or can detract from that service. Far too many paid the ultimate price. As a retired Navy man I would stand with any one of them,proudly !
I just can't help but think about why this was declared a war. I don't recall the President ever saying we have declared war upon anyone. Did that happen and I missed it ? I wasn't even born yet, but I have seen footage of Roosevelt declaring war upon the Japanese. The President has to ask Congress before doing that.
Korea was a "police action" Wasn't called a war for a number of years. Vietnam wasn't called a war either,I know I was there. I was there for Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm and that wasn't a war. Saddam Hussein was the enemy then. We certainly fought, but no one called that a war. We had to return about a decade later to finish up and that wasn't a war either.
And now this thing in Afghanistan. First the President says we are pulling out of Iraq,which we did,we went to Afghanistan. Now the " war " is over. So am I to believe terror has been defeated ? It no longer exists ? How can that be ? The only enemy I have ever heard about is terror and the Taliban. And no one knows exactly just who the Taliban is or where they are. How could they have been defeated ?
It can all be very confusing. The modern world is a complicated place. Men and Women go to battle and are wounded and killed. The government directed them to do so. Does that constitute a war ? Sure seems like one doesn't it ? But, according to the constitution, war must be declared by the president. That didn't happen.
The president is quick to take the credit for ending this war though. The fact that next year is an election year has nothing to do with that I suppose. The whole sorted mess seems like a bunch of political posturing to me. It has gone on for far too long. I am glad to see the end of this "war " debacle.
God bless our troops and welcome home ! Take pride in your service. There is no doubt that it was a war.
I felt that Desert Shield?Desert Storm was as well. At least we had well defined and achievable goals. The men and women of this " war " were forced to fight shadows.
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