As a citizen, I see a need for our country to be in Iraq and the Middle East. I firmly believe that left alone, with the Sadam's and Bin Ladan's in power, the Middle Eastern Area would drag the world in to Armageddon. Before you jump on my case, I am a religious man but I am not a religious fanatic. Still, I can very easily envision the End of Days due to a religious fanatic with a nuclear device starting WW3. Someone, in this case the USA, has to step up to the plate and help these people find the courage and political will to control or eliminate the radical jihadist element of their society be fore they destroy the world.
As a former soldier, I am disappointed to see our elected politicians and our "news media" making many of the same mistakes made in Vietnam. Wars are fought by soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines. They should be managed by generals and admirals, not politicians and reporters. Give the military a defined mission, have the generals return with an operational plan and a list of needs, the politician's on have to say yes or no. No second guessing or saying "well, do you really need that many men?" Today's military is better training and better equipped than any force the US has ever fielded, they can and will accomplish any mission they are assigned if they are given operational freedom and not constrained by political maneuvering by both Democrats and Republicans.
As a Human Being, I am disgusted to see the total disregard for human life and suffering displayed by large segments of Middle Eastern society. Not just the suicide bombers and the jihadist Muslims but also the Middle Eastern politicians, religious leaders, news media, and even the general populace.
As a parent, I shed heart felt tears every time I read a casualty list. The families with names on those lists have experienced one of the greatest tragedies of life. Every mother, wife, father, husband, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, cousin, and friend lives have saddened and diminished buy the loss of a loved one.
As a father, I am terrified that my son is on his second deployment. But at the same time, I am proud that as a career soldier, he has the courage to live up to his convictions and commitments. Everyday we pray for his safe return and the safe return of all the men and women deployed in the service of our country.
There are no easy answers, no "school solution". Only time and the history our great grandchildren come to believe as true will tell if the war in Iraq is a great political endeavor for the good of mankind or a debacle of the 1st magnitude. A hundred years of history adds great clarity to all arguments and removes the prejudices we as participants (at various levels) bring into the argument.