Iraq and Vietnam

I was in Thailand when Vietnam went south, do you remember the sequence of events and how close it comes to what we are seeing in Iraq the last few days.   The Vietnam story went something like this; peace talks, agreement to get POWs back and disengage; Hanoi cheats and invades, President in the middle of Watergate so no American help, not even supplies; the result South Vietnam is overrun after we expended 57,000 lives and untold billions.   Fast forward to Iraq; new President can't negotiate a status of forces agreement, pulls out all troops, we lose influence and ability to help, bad guys begin their push, we provide no support, and today the enemy is within a few miles of Baghdad.  Consider Germany, Japan and Korea, we left troops (still have them) and the end result was positive.  America needs to lead and use military force when needed; a failure to do that results in losing countries that we have fought for even though we  never lost  a battle.  I can't help but believe President Reagan would be increasing our military and sending in American air power to demonstrate some more shock and awe in Iraq. 

America Declining

As veterans who served our great country, have we considered the current condition of America?  I hope  that, as citizens, we are taking  note of the decline of our cultural values, of our inability to lead in the world, and the movement away from the free enterprise system and the worth of the individual.    There is an uneasiness in the land, a frustration with our government in Washington DC, a "waking up" to the fact that actions are not being taken that are in the best interests of the people.  Americans are displaying their concerns in both political parties and in a number of different ways.   Multiple streams of political movements and opinions but all come from the prevailing thought that America needs help, fresh leadership, and a return to the founding principles.  Veterans can play a part in this most critical period in history by being involved in the political process and demanding accountability from our leaders and those who want to replace them.   Veterans have paid the price to be able to express their views on why a new direction is needed, and soon.

Aid and Comfort to the Enemy

All veterans should sit up and take notice of our Commander in Chief's recent actions.  He made a trade for one US soldier, held hostage as a deserter from his unit five years ago, for five Taliban leaders, all dangerous individuals we had captured and put in prison.  We have seen proof that this soldier left his unit and was a deserter or worse (as stated by those in his unit).   The president took unilateral action outside of the law for informing congress, and aided the enemy by releasing high value prisoners.   How can that not be a failure and dereliction of duty on his part.  It is hard to believe that our President would be involved in such a blatant act against his country in a time of war and not be held accountable by the people.   As veterans, we understand this situation better than most, and we need to sound the alarm before this country continues to decline on the world stage from what America has always been.