Every sane and compassionate human hates war. War is terrifying, horrific, and down right nasty. Sometimes, however, it is necessary. Take for example what happened with our own independence. We took our case to King George III demanding that he change the laws imposed on us. He refused. Eventually that oppression created anger. That anger caused revolts. Those revolts caused injuries to British soldiers, who retaliated by shooting into crowds, which then caused even more anger and rage. A war was then fought. We won, and we soon became our own country. Would this have happened without the war? I strongly doubt it. Take a look at WWII. Diplomacy was tried with Hitler. Britain and France tried to negotiate with Hitler. We all know how that turned out. If you don't, read my other posts.
The point of this short post is to put things into perspective and to show you how war has evolved. In this country we lose our cool when 4,700 of our own troops are KIA while defending our country. Yes, these men/women gave their lives so that I may come on here and speak my mind. They knew that by signing up for the military that there was always the chance of them getting deployed, and there was a chance that they may not come home. I pray for these men/women in uniform, as well as their families, and I thank them every day for their service. But let me put something into perspective.
Ever heard of the Battle of the Somme? July 1, 1916, during WWI, the British Army experienced the bloodiest day in their history. It was the first day of a 4 month offensive that saw 57,470 casualties. Most of these casualties were seen in the first hour. Of these casualties, 19,240 were dead. DEAD!!! In one day the British had 19,240 soldiers dead. More than 4 times as many as we had die in 7 years of us being in Iraq. That was in one day. The entire offensive cost the British Army nearly 420,000 men. In 4 months they lost nearly 420,000 men. We took almost 500,000 casualties during WWII with both theaters combined. That was in 4 years.
How about the battle of Tarawa? November 20-23, 1943, US v. Japan. 4,500 Japanese defenders fought to nearly the last man, killing 1,009 Marines and wounding another 2,101. That totals to more than 3,000 Marines in 3 days, yet many don't know about this battle. I had the absolute honor to speak with a veteran who was a medic at this battle. The stories he told will be for another post.
Here's a battle we all know. D-Day. In one day, on Omaha Beach, we lost 3,000 men. The entire operation, which included US, Britain, and Canada, saw 120,000 casualties for the Allies, and 113,059 casualties for the Germans. Without this invasion, we wouldn't have been able to secure France. The loss of life was horrible, however the overall goal was now attainable. Wasn't the end of the war, 11 months later, worth this sacrifice? Isn't it possible that without this day, the war would have dragged on, and even more life would have been lost?
Did you know that the 8th, 9th, 12th, and the 15th Air Forces, which operated with each other in the European theater of WWII, lost 30,000 men. That's KIA. 30,000. Yet people don't flinch.
I don't care about what your political affiliation is, or whether or not you support the war in Iraq. The truth is that not one war this country has fought, was ever popular. Not even the Revolutionary War, or WWII. In fact approval of WWII was at 27%. War sucks, however, I don't understand why is it that people get more upset with losing 4,000 troops, yet don't care to see it in a broad perspective. Think about how many servicemen we lose due to training exercises.
Here's something else to think about. From the Defense Manpower Data Center, they had this to say:
As of Jan 2007 we have lost over 4,000 military personnel. Of that figure 2,500 have died due to hostile action in Iraq and Afghanistan. The remaining 1,500 are due to accidents, homicides, illnesses, suicides, and a few have been undetermined. Yet, these numbers are added into the 2,500 for political reasons.
For those of you who are against wars, you aren't alone. I too am against war, however, I know when it is necessary. But there are many who are opposed to war just because and don't think about when it is necessary to defend ones country. I thank all of those who serve in our military, and all of those who have sacrificed, including their families. Because of you I have the freedom to speak my mind on here. Because of you, those who oppose wars period, have the freedom to do so. It is because of those sacrifices that those people are allowed to oppose anything. A life is a life, however look at how much more different wars are fought now as compared to 70, even 100 years ago. It could be much, much worse.
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