Letter to editor of SP Times concerning the warrior class

[jimboloco]

Subject: "Rereading Vietnam"Perspective, 9/16/2007

I read Robert Kaplan's eloquent salute to America's centurion warrior class with mixed emotions. He illustrates the hard core of character that empowers courage and devotion to duty. But, as the warrior-philosopher James Stockdale uttered during his vice-presidential debate, "Who am I? Why am I here?", I wonder why he and his compatriots were not able to ask themselves that same introspection about the various missions they were assigned to.

I asked myself these things one day in Vietnam when I was talking with an Army chaplain at an artillery base we had flown into. Maybe it was the Star of David he was wearing, or maybe it was the elemental question he asked me: "Hi, what's your name?" I began to consider my role in that particular war, and after finishing my tour of duty in a dedicated manner, came home to join my brothers in the Vietnam Veterans Against the War. We, and the anti-war movement, and the American people and the congress, not Henry Kissinger, brought the POW's home.

Morality and ethics as a duty belong to citizen-soldiers, not just to liberal minded professional officers, to whom these essential qualifications should be germane. The missions to which we assign our courageous and brave young men and women demand prescience and scrutiny from the executive and congress. We are better than Roman imperialists. The label "centurion" should not qualify for the warrior-elite in a healthy democracy.

J W
© Copyright 2007 St. Petersburg Times.

[Arcadia]

hola jimbo, nice to hear about you!!!

I´ll re-read your note later..., I have the feeling I didn´t understood it well.

[jimboloco]

Hola amiga, estoy diciendo que no somos soldados romanos imperialistos
:>) somos mejores en una democracia

[Arcadia]

"We, and the anti-war movement, and the American people and the congress, not Henry Kissinger, brought the POW's home" : I think it is a resilient idea, no idea if it´s true at all.

"warrior-elite in a healthy democracy": I think there was my understanding dificultad.

thanks for posting your thoughts, friend!!!

[jimboloco]

Interesting enough, that's the part that was edited out. I also included two other letters that were printed

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/09/23/Opini ... Ther.shtml

Warriors' questions

I read Robert Kaplan's eloquent salute to America's centurion warrior class with mixed emotions. He illustrates the hard core of character that empowers courage and devotion to duty. But as the warrior-philosopher James Stockdale uttered during his vice presidential debate, "Who am I? Why am I here?", I wonder why he and his compatriots were not able to ask themselves those same questions about the various missions they were assigned to.

I asked myself these things one day in Vietnam when I was talking with an Army chaplain. Maybe it was the Star of David he was wearing, or maybe it was the elemental question he asked me: "Hi, what's your name?" I began to consider my role in that particular war, and after finishing my tour of duty in a dedicated manner, came home to join my brothers in the Vietnam Veterans Against the War.

Morality and ethics as a duty belong to citizen-soldiers, not just to liberal-minded professional officers, to whom these essential qualifications should be germane. The missions to which we assign our courageous and brave young men and women demand prescience and scrutiny from the executive and Congress. We are better than Roman imperialists. The label "centurion" should not qualify for the warrior-elite in a healthy democracy.

Jim Willingham, St. Petersburg

Heartfelt salute

I would like to thank Robert D. Kaplan for his article, Rereading Vietnam. I would also like to thank the St. Petersburg Times for publishing it.

After all these years, my heart remains with those who served.

David C. Cumming, captain, U.S. Army Reserve, Republic of Vietnam, 1967, Clearwater

Portraits from the Purple Hearts projectSept. 2, Perspective story

A war's futility

Nina Berman's photos and talks with the servicemen who had been wounded should awaken every American citizen to the futility and, yes, criminality of furthering this misbegotten war. The conflict - trumped up by George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Condoleezza Rice and their cronies - has caused nothing but death, destruction and misery for thousands of Americans and their families.

The interview with Spc. Robert Acosta probably offered the words that many are just starting to realize as the utter truth. He told Berman:"... all the reasons we went to war, it just seems like they're not legit enough for people to lose their lives for and for me to lose my hand and use of my leg and for my buddies to lose their limbs." Amen.

John J. Hayes, World War II and Korea veteran, Hudson

quien sabe como fue terminado la guerra vietnamita
lo que importa es que se lo terminooo

[Arcadia]

"quien sabe como fue terminado la guerra vietnamita
lo que importa es que se lo terminooo": I totally agree with that!!!

I´ll try to re-read again the article you cited.