DO WE HAVE THE WILL TO WIN?

SIXTY-THREE YEARS AGO THIS MONTH U.S. ARMED FORCES BEGAN THE LIBERATION OF EUROPE FROM THE GRASP OF ADOLF HITLER. THE INVASION OF EUROPE INVOLVED THE FULL FORCE AND MIGHT OF THE COMBINED ALLIED FORCES. NO WEAPON AVAILABLE AT THAT TIME WAS SPARED, NOR WERE THEY NOT USED IN THE MARCH TO VICTORY. COLLATERAL DAMAGE WAS NOT A BUZZ WORD FOR KILLING NON-COMBATANTS. BOMBS RAINED ALL OVER GERMANY, AND MANY UNFORTUNATE WOMEN. CHILDREN AND OLD MEN WERE KILLED. BUT AS THE GREAT GENERAL GEORGE PATTON SAID,"AMERICA WILL NOT TOLERATE A LOSER,WE ALWAYS FIGHT TO WIN BECAUSE THE VERY THOUGHT OF LOOSING IS ANATHAMA TO REAL AMERICANS."
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UNFORTUNATELY THAT FEELING OF NATIONAL UNITY IN THE FIGHT TO VICTORY WAS LOST BEGINING SHORTLY AFTER PATTONS ARMY WON THE BATTLE OF BASTOGNE. AMERICAN LEADERS AND THE PUBLIC BEGAN TO SETTLE FOR LESS THAN TOTAL VICTORY. THIS ATTITUDE ALLOWED THE RUSSIANS TO INVADE EASTERN GERMANY, AND RESULTED IN THE DIVISION OF THE CITY OF BERLIN INTO TWO ZONES. ONE COMMUNIST AND THE OTHER CONTROLLED AND REBUILT BY THE WESTERN ALLIES.
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IN KOREA, PRESIDENT TRUMAN FORBID GENERAL MACARTHUR FROM WAGING WAR(INCLUDING BOMBING) WITH THE COMMUNISTS PAST THE YALU RIVER, AND NOW WE HAVE TWO KOREAS. NORTH KOREA CLAIMS TO HAVE NUCLEAR WEAPONS AIMED AT THE WEST COAST OF AMERICA!
IN VIETNAM, PRESIDENT JOHNSON CARRIED POLITICAL INTERFERENCE IN THE WAGING OF WAR TO THE EXTREME. HE PICKED THE TARGETS FOR THE BOMBERS TO DROP THEIR BOMBS, AND THE POLITICAL OPERATIVES HELD OUR FORCES IN THE FIELD OF BATTLE IN CHECK , SO THEY WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING WHICH COULD POSSIBLY ANGER COMMUNIST CHINA. THE COUNTRY THAT WAS SUPPLYING WEAPONS AND SOLDIERS TO KILL AMERICAN SERVICEMEN! WE NEVER WON THIS WAR, AND LEFT IN DISGRACE .THE RESULT BEING THE SLAUGHTER OF MILLIONS OF VIETNAMESE AND CAMBODIANS AT THE HANDS OF THE COMMUNIST VICTORS.
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NOW WE ARE AT WAR WITH RADICAL MUSLIM EXTREMISTS IN IRAQ, AND UNFORTUNATELY IN AFGANASTAN THE TALABAN SEEMS TO BE STRONGER THAN EVER. WHERE ARE THE GENERAL PATTONS AND EISENHOWERS WHEN WE NEED THEM?
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UNFORTUNATELY FOR THOSE OF US WANTING TO WIN THE WAR AGAINST TERRORISM. WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH PEOPLE AND A MEDIA WHICH SEEMS TO HAVE THE PHILOSOPHY THAT" IT'S BETTER TO BE RED (OR MUSLIM) THAN DEAD". YOU HAVE TO SEARCH HARD TO FIND A NEWSPAPER OR TELEVISION NEWS SOURCE THAT IS AN ADVOCATE OF VICTORY NO MATTER WHAT IT COSTS. COLLATERAL DAMAGE IS A TOO OFTEN USED WORD TO DESCRIBE THOSE UNFORTUNATE "CIVILIANS" WHO GET KILLED IN WAR. BUT AS LONG AS WE HAVE LEADERS BOTH WITHIN THE MILITARY AND IN WASHINGTON THAT WORRY MORE ABOUT COLATERAL DAMAGE WE WILL LOOSE! IN WAR CIVILIANS DO DIE!
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IF WE WERE WILLING TO CARPET BOMB IDENTIFIABLE AREAS OF IRAQ THAT HARBOR TERRORISTS WE WOULD WIN THE WAR BY ATTRITION. HOWEVER, IF WE SHRINK FROM THE IDEA OF BOMBING "NESTS" OF TERRORISTS. THE WAR WILL CONTINUE AS A HOUSE TO HOUSE FOOTSOLDIER "MEAT GRINDER" THAT WILL DO NOTHING MORE THAN PRODUCE FATALITIES OF BRAVE SOLDIERS WHO ARE NOT GIVEN THE SUPPORT THEY DESERVE.
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COLLATERAL DAMAGE WAS AN ACCEPTABLE PRICE TO PAY FOR VICTORY IN WWII. WERE IT NOT FOR THE ATOM BOMB ATTACKS IN JAPAN AND THE NIGHTLY BOMBING OF GERMAN CITIES, WHERE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN WERE KILLED. MILLIONS OF AMERICAN BRAVE SOLDIERS WOULD PROBABLY HAVE DIED, OR LIKE IT HAS HAPPENED SINCE, WE WOULD HAVE SLUGGED AWAY UNTIL A STALEMATE WAS THE RESULT. BOMBS ARE MADE TO KILL PEOPLE AND WIN WARS NOT GATHER DUST IN STORAGE OR DESTROY ASPIRIN FACTORIES! IF WE START A GRADUAL WITHDRAWL OF TROOPS BEFORE TOTAL VICTORY IS WON WE WILL BE INVITING A "MASSACRE" OF THOSE BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE LEFT BEHIND. ONCE AGAIN THIS GREAT COUNTRY WITH THE FINEST AND STRONGEST ARSENAL OF WEAPONS WILL LOOSE A WAR. AND THE LIBERALS, PEACENICS AND ALL OUR ENEMIES WILL DANCE IN THE STREETS. THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE TO VICTORY. WHERE ARE YOU GEN. PATTON WHEN WE NEED YOU?