Editor,
It is a long way from home.
Whether you are from San Diego, Calif., or Buffalo, N.Y., it is still a long way from home. Off to Iraq they go.
They knew, as well as everyone else in the United States, that at some point they were going to be sent overseas, answering the call of their country. They didn't know when, but they knew it would come.
I was visiting my friends from the Army a week ago in Colorado Springs when that fateful call came on Sunday afternoon. Still a little hungover from the night before, my good friend, James Allen, was called in to work. By midnight, his duffel bags and rucksack were packed. At 5 a.m., last Monday, a battalion of Bradley fighting vehicles was being loaded onto trains at the Fort Carson Railhead.
At four in the morning, I raised my head from the couch as Allen grabbed a few last things. Through sleep-filled eyes we said our goodbyes. I know that my weary vision could not observe everything but I could still see the fear in his eyes.
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I met Allen in basic training. There, I took care of him as his platoon guide. At our first duty station, I kept him out of trouble and fought most of his fights. For two years as a corporal, I watched over him like my little brother. He was 18 then and now he is barely 21. Not that I am really old, but he is still just a kid. I felt bad that I would not be there to watch his back.
I can't say for sure that I agree with this war or that I support it with 100-percent confidence, but I will not protest against it. At least not outside a military post where these young men and women are possibly being sent to their deaths. For them and them alone, I will give my complete support.
Carl von Clausewitz said that war is a continuation of politics by other means. This is very true in the current situation, but not so true for those soldiers on the ground. The only thing that really matters is the brother next to you. In him, you must have complete confidence.
Most soldiers probably do not understand the reasons they are being sent to war. Most of them believe that it is to preserve freedom and the rights of Americans, not for oil or economic imperialism. They volunteered to fight for those idealistic beliefs that the United States is supposed to stand for.
To protest outside a military post instills doubt into those young men and women about the cause in which they are engaged. To come home alive, there can be no hesitation or doubt on the battlefield. To survive, a soldier must follow orders. They cannot feel that what they are doing is wrong.
These soldiers go to protect the rights of individuals to protest and dissent with their government. To protect those freedoms that so many people take for granted. If you want to protest, that's fine. Hold rallies and picket. It is your right as an American.
Protest the government. Protest the leaders. Protest. But please, do not protest against those people who are simply fulfilling their duty to God and country. They don't make the decisions of where they go or what they do. That's the government's job.
All I am asking is that you support those soldiers whether you agree with the war or not. Help them come home to their families and friends. They are only answering the call of their government and country.
For that alone, they deserve our respect, our support and our thanks.
Todd J. Burns
UNM student
