A Long View on War

As a 91-year-old U.S. Army retiree, I believe I am entitled to present a long view of our war (invasion) in Iraq. I was born the year we joined our allies in World War I, I fought in World War II, was recalled to duty in the Korean Conflict, and watched my oldest son go to fight in Vietnam. It was a very busy and terrible century.

What have we done wrong in Iraq?

Almost everything:

• We were deceived by the Bush Administration into believing that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and was involved in the 9/11 attack.

• We did not cooperate with the United Nations in allowing inspections to be completed. This action resulted in a lack of support by our Allies.

• The Bush Administration did not carefully read the history of Iraq, including its occupation by the British during the First World War.

• Our administration did not listen to the military commanders who recommended a much larger invasion force.

• We then sent in administrators who made serious errors in governing.

• We failed to provide adequate logistical support for the invading forces and did not involve our industrial base. Instead, nonprofit organizations and parents sent in needed equipment.

What we did right was to involve the National Guard and Reserve Force (something we learned from our failure in Vietnam).

In the future, we must require our leaders to read history, exhaust all peaceful and diplomatic efforts to resolve conflicts, understand the culture of any nation we invade, and adequately prepare for such terrible action. As a nation, we must demand that these procedures be followed.

by David E. Price, LA Progressive’s Florida correspondent

David Price is a retired music professor, Army colonel, husband, and father of four sons who lives with his wife Betty in Port Charlotte, Florida, where with a few friends they are a lone candle of progressive reason on the Florida Gulf Coast. He is shown above with wife Betty, granddaughter Linnea, and daughter-in-law Sharon. His son, Dick, and daughter-in-law, Sharon, are the “Dick and Sharon” who edit and publish the LA Progressive.

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