We have experienced war, and war is terror, terror is war, from the battlefield, here at home, to foreign shores. America has been a country with open arms to help others it is time to think of America and all of us who live here.
We have seen war, death, sickness, and greed. We have experienced terror on our own ground, a way of instigating another battle, and away of placing the fear in our own life. We must not give in to any terror and continue as if it were the day before. We must always find the true but not believe every word until it is a fact.
Since I remember the Vietnam War I will start there and think about what those men lived with every day of their life. Mind you I am not focusing on one war since our past is filled with historical events. What I say about soldiers during the Vietnam era is from what I heard and lived through, and what occurred after that war was no different than before.
What we left behind in war besides our loved ones, becomes a political issue. During the 1970s when troops were pulled out a Vietnam our country left millions of dollars worth of aircraft totaling 900 planes. This is a figure noted during the 1970s, imagine the cost today. During the same time our country left 1000 ships and boats, 40,000 trucks, ammunition and 700,000 M-16 weapons – guns.
Some of us were home protesting the war both the hippies and the soldiers who were still wearing their uniforms. The same soldiers rushed back to our country to make $600 hammers and $1200 toilet seats, and we learned what the Army called “a fire sale,” of military hardware in Asia and the Middle East.
Think about those statements. Our country sold our weapons and other gear to third world countries, and where are we today.
Both men and women wanted out of this war as they wanted out of later wars, knowing things were not going to change; why did our country sell our military hardware to Asia and the Middle East. During the Vietnam War, men and women wanted out of the jungle infested with poisonous snakes, diseased monkeys, and the unfortunate duty of killing families.
These same men and women continue to live day in and day out twisting their neck’s, wondering if someone was following them, hearing bombs, jockeying for no reason, and living in a world they left behind. It took many years before the medical field acknowledged they were suffering from war and song would never live a normal life, or carry on from where they once were. The jungle remained inside of them like a virus and some died from many serious diseases because of chemicals used at war. Others might have lived longer but some inside and is a mental hospital and those fortunate continued on with life but never forgetting what lies behind them.
Some of the soldiers returned home different from other world wars, such as World War I, World War II, Korea, and burned their patches, thrown medals down storm drains, burned their own uniforms, and the American Flag. Those who were not drafted were fleeing the U.S., and entering Canada, staying away from war. Canada then was a safe place, and life in Canada was better than fighting in the jungle. Those who did go to Canada were pardoned by Pres. Carter and returned to the United States. Others entered college to become a teacher, the profession of choice, one which would keep them from being drafted. Those not college bound joined the Guards, they were known to protect American shores, and with a draft in place, most of those who joined avoided battle.
During the Vietnam War no one was proud, not even the soldiers who returned home. Instead they refer to themselves as killers remembering how dreadful an attack would be with women and children staring back at their eyes yet the orders were, kill.
This country seemed to ignore a big lesson, staying out of places where they did not belong. There is something about war that goes with politics and it’s quite unfortunate. When things go wrong at home there is always war to lean on. Throughout the years the story is the same but it’s time to look closer at each situation and do what is best for America. Killing is not the answer let us learn to compromise and believe in peace. Think of it as a volcano erupting, a hurricane stirring, or a blizzard covering the earth -if we do not stop aggravating or assisting we will only be hurting ourselves.
War has become terror and more terror will continue to break out if we do not take time to work together settle the differences and not aggravate circumstances. The first taste of terror began with 9/11, where it came from, how it began, who really did it, we don’t have those answers. What we do have is a confession from a person who in this day and age could sound like any other person to we trust technology?
This week is just another example of terror. The question is how the government handles it, finding the right answer, not acting without positive information and the truth and nothing but the truth. I must compliment the agencies involved in the recent investigation regarding Boston, without jumping and accusing anyone until it’s clear fact. I must compliment our president for not ignoring the fact this could be something from inside America someone who is malicious enough to kill. And I compliment the president because he looks at both sides of the coin. I am sure all Americans and people abroad are waiting for the answer but answers take time. What the people can hope and pray for today is a world of peace and not to engage in war. What we can do is pray for those who were hurt this week, those who lost their life, and continue to search for the answer. The truth takes time and with patience it will surface.
So from those soldiers, both men and women who fought in many wars, some necessary, others wars of convenience, let us ask for justice without harming more Americans, and never again use precious life’s as targets. As told in the beginning of this story, those who fought before may never live as they did before the war, and we’ve had enough of this, we need no more. The way of the world’s terror, and to terrorize is the first step that in time.