War Stories

It’s been more than 20 years. The liberals haven’t changed much, even if they now prefer to call themselves “progressives”. President Reagan brought an end to the Cold War, and freed much of the world from the tyranny of communism. But Democrats fought him every step of the way. Today President Bush seeks to protect America and bring stability to a dangerous Middle East. And the Democrats are no different, still obstacles. They’ll even declare the war lost before its over, at the very moment that American soldiers patrol the streets, battle with the insurgents, and protect the Iraqi people. Shameful.

Once again, we were told, Teh Left revealed its true colours by disrespecting the sacrificies made by our heroic soldiers … even if they were dead from fooling around with weapons contrary to army regulations. Dignitaries from the prime minister down didn’t bother to conceal their contempt for those who impugned their motives in making such a big deal of Kovco’s death.

Most of you have never heard of Larry Wilkerson, and probably even fewer of you have heard of Jasim al-Azzawi, and that's truly a shame. Larry Wilkerson was the chief of staff to Colin Powell, first at the Joint Chiefs of Staff and later at the State Department. He has become an outspoken critic of the Iraq War, and most especially of the process by which the George W. Bush White House went about selling the American public, the Congress, and at least some of the international community on the idea of régime change by military force.

As of Friday, March 2, 2007, at least 3,165 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven military civilians. At least 2,547 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.

The unveiling of the newly restored Vimy memorial this Monday in France is just part of a $30-million federal program to restore Canadian First World War memorials across northern France and Belgium. The four-day battle Vimy Ridge has long drawn the lion’s share of the attention in Canadian histories of the war, and as the site of the main Canadian memorial to the soldiers

I suggest that we think seriously about re-invading Grenada, a small island nation off the coast of South America in the Caribbean. It should be a place of great nostalgia for all Americans. Next year will be the 25th anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s triumphant invasion (1983) to depose the Castro Friendly Marxist regime of Bernard Coard. It produced America’s first military victory since WW II and helped to eradicate the shame of Vietnam, despite the fact that the war itself lasted only a few days.

So, the danger isn’t that leaving Iraq will bring more terrorism to the U.S., but that staying there will.

Terry Smutney, an Army veteran who was disabled due to chemical exposure in northern Iraq during Operation Desert Storm, said he, too, is all ears to the lessons he’s getting here.