I was reading the Stars and Stripes the other day and saw an article that said a recent poll showed that only 28% of American’s thought we would win the war in Iraq. I found this very interesting considering I had watched “The Green Berets” the other day and was amazed by some of the similarities of the issues facing the Green Berets and what we are facing today during the global war on terror (GWOT). It was also interesting to think of what movies Hollywood was producing during the Viet Nam war compared to now.

First, I thought I should address the issue of when people say, “winning the war in Iraq”, what they really should say is winning the global war on terror. The war in Iraq has been won. The Iraqi government and the US government are not at war. We are in Iraq at the request of the elected government. We are no longer at war with Iraq. We are still at war with terrorists who are largely targeting fellow Muslims in Iraq. That is to say the war we are fighting in Iraq is the global war on terror. This should be shouted from the roof tops because what we are seeing and hearing from the world media is the framing of the discussion to appear that we have already lost and the coalition should pack up and leave.

During the first part of “The Green Berets”, there are a couple of Sergeants who are talking with the media and showing how incredibly smart and well trained the Green Berets are for the conflict in Viet Nam. The program is very impressive, but at the end, a reporter says, “My paper does not support the war. Tell me why we should still be fighting in Viet Nam?” The sergeants went on to explain all of the tragedies that were being carried out on the innocent civilians in Viet Nam and how we needed to be there to protect the innocent. The sergeant then asked the reporter if he had ever been to Viet Nam. The reporter answered with a sheepish, “No”. This movie was made in 1968 and President Lyndon Johnson was asked and allowed Hollywood to shoot many of the scenes with military equipment. This was during the height of the war and almost the exact same questions were being asked of the military by the media that are being asked today. The answers could almost be identical: 1) From the military, if asked why we are here: Answer: There are many civilians being killed. 2) From the media and talking heads in Washington: We could ask them, Have you been there, on the ground, outside the wire? Answer: Most would have to answer no.

I have come to believe that it is not the Commander in Chief that gets us into a “quagmire”, but rather the media who start to call it a quagmire and continue calling it a quagmire until the people believe them, through this type of not reporting the facts but rather analysis by the press they weaken the publics resolve and ultimately decrease the worth of the sacrifice made by the soldiers. Being a hero or getting a purple heart in a war that is considered a losing cause diminishes the perception of the honor of the act no matter how people may say otherwise. The soldiers of Viet Nam fought just as hard if not harder than those of WWII, but they do not get the title of “the greatest generation”.

Let me give you some numbers from previous battles. I will provide the link in case people want to study these numbers. www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_toll WWI 8,500,000 military deaths; WWII 24,456,700 military deaths (418,000 US); Korea 36,516 US deaths, Viet Nam 58,209 US deaths; GWOT around 2,600 US deaths from combat. Can you imagine if the US media reported the Battle of the Bulge or The Battle for Iwo Jima like it reports battles today? What about D-DAY? Surely if Roosevelt and Truman had the current media or even the media from the Viet Nam days there would have been calls for their impeachment. If it weren’t for the steadfast resolve of the US, the national language of France and Britain would be German and Japan would own all of Hawaii, not just a part of the island. One can see how few we have lost in Iraq, after years of fighting terrorists in difficult street battles and booby-trapped roads. Imagine what today’s press would have called D-Day.

As expected in “The Green Berets” when the reporter went to Viet Nam and saw what the soldiers were doing his mind slowly began to open and see the war from a different side.

As I look back at what I have written so far, I see a stark contrast from what I wrote during my last tour. During my last tour I spent a lot of time talking about the bravery and sacrifice of military members, most of what is on my mind now and what I write about is trying to help people to see that the cause we are engaged in here is just and honorable. I hope that this will be my last “thought” on why what the military is doing here is working, not a quagmire, and worthy of honor for the troops involved. I hope to return to writing about the heroism, bravery and sacrifice of the incredible men and women of the armed forces that I have the privilege of caring for.

The American public was patient during WWII, when 1,000,000 were injured and half that died. When 9,000,000 had died by 1916 and it seemed that the WWI would be lost or seemed at least impossible to win, no one gave up because the stakes were too high. The stakes are even higher today as it seems like madmen are procreating at an alarming rate. We must not lose our resolve. The war we are fighting is global.

It looked grim when Jesus was crucified. His disciples lost there resolve and fled. Then 50 days later the Spirit of God descended and the world was changed forever. The press is saying that evil has won in Iraq and it is useless to continue fighting, they have reported negative stories until the public has lost their resolve and are encouraging us to flee. I am willing stay as long as I must and continue to trust that in the end good will conquer evil and the Almighty who sees all, is ultimately in control of all, is still on His Throne.

Solis Deo Gloria

More thoughts to come