Why War is Hell...

I can think of nothing worse than war.  I suppose there is theoretically such a thing as a "just" war, however, even they are "hell" to experience. 

Two of the worst aspects of  war are 1) the senseless killing of civilians and 2) the institutionalized hatred of different races/ethnicities that war creates.

Both of these challenges were brought home by a weekend editorial in the LA Times...Iraq, the vets' view .   In case you don't have time to read this article I will summarize it.  The author interviews vets who served in Iraq from 2004-2006.  One of the basic themes that repeats throughout his interviews is how fear of IEDs, suicide bombers and such leads many US military personnel to distrust and overreact towards Iraqi civilians.  This creates an environment where US soldiers and marines pre-emptively kill civilians of all ages out of fear that they may be a suicide bomber.  The article repeats numerous narratives of entire families gunned down by nervous young soldiers out of fear (or hatred).  Those who support the war may argue that the author selects stories that reinforce his own beliefs.  That may be true, yet the following study from the Pentagon is also telling.

The antipathy toward Iraqis was confirmed in a survey released in May by the Pentagon. Just 47% of soldiers and 38% of Marines agreed that civilians should be treated with dignity and respect. Only 55% of soldiers and 40% of Marines said they would report a unit member who had killed or injured "an innocent noncombatant." (emphasis mine)

That does not sound like a recipe for building allies and destroying "evil" in a sovereign nation.

Today's LAT reports a different, yet related problem...the gradual loss of experienced mid-level officers in the Army.  Given the recruiting problems the Army is having, and the multiple tours-of-duty (some soldiers and reservists have been sent more than four times since the war began!) being assigned to our troops, as well retirements being denied or postponed and the general impact on ones life of being called up, one can hardly blame these officers from leaving the military at their first opportunity.  However, their departure may have grave consequences for our efforts because it leaves a higher ratio of young, scared, inexpensive, and potentially trigger-happy soldiers and marines without the stabilizing effect of mid-level officers.

Despite some of my colleagues' views, I believe it is time to exit Iraq and put a permanent conclusion to the "Bush Doctrine" of pre-emptive war.