Monday, May 27, 2019

Memorial Day 2019

      Thia post is NOT meant to be anti-military. I spent almost 11 years in service. My problem is the country's commanders in chief in war. Military men have followed orders of their officers and served faithfully, valiantly and with determination to accomplish their mission despite the limits placed on them by the commanders in chief and their secretaries of war.



      I sat here this morning watching video of the Vietnam war. As I watched I thought about how many young men (58,200 of the best our country had to offer) died in a war that I do not believe should ever have happened. The big buildup started in August 2 of 1964 (I remember that day well) when supposedly north Vietnamese torpedo boats attacked the US destroyer Maddox and launched torpedoes against the Maddox. Later investigations proved the Maddox fired on the torpedo boats first but the boats did not fire any torpedoes. After the Maddox fired 280 rounds of 3 inch and 5 inch rounds at the boats there was one machine gun bullet hit the Maddox.
      The commander in chief used false information to start the buildup of troops on the ground that went as high as 500,000 in country. The theory was that the war was necessary to halt the spread of communism across the world. I ask you how well did that work? Communism is still here and has spread since then.
      One would think that a lesson was learned from the Vietnam war. One would be wrong about that. After the US supporting Iraq in a 10 year war against Iran, the US invaded Iraq in 2003 under the guise that Iraq was supporting Al-Queda and Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. That too was false on both grounds.
      16 years later we still have troops in Iraq. There were more than 4000 US troops killed in the war there. The Afghanistan war was started in 2001 because the commander in chief said it was Al-Queda forces in Afghanistan that flew hijacked planes into the world trade center in New York. The fact is all of those hijackers were Saudi Arabians. 18 years later troops are still in Afghanistan. In Afghanistan there have been 3549 US troops killed there. What has been gained? I do not know the answer to that.
      Our commanders in chief and their secretaries of war keep sending troops into the crucible and I wonder why? There are thousands of troops and civilians killed, but where are the results? I don't see our country one lick safer than before. In fact I think we are in more danger today than since WW-2.
      We are close to another war, now with Iran; North Korea is a major threat; China has been emboldened and is harassing our ships in the south China seas and Russia is getting bolder every day with no penalty for their interference in our 2016 election and their power grab in the Ukraine.
      Call me a befuddled old man, but if anyone has something to dispute my findings I am willing to listen.
      
      
copyright Bill Weber 2006-2019 and beyond.

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