LETTER: Iraq and Afghanistan will forever be unsettled

To the Editor:

The after 9/11, we all thought that Bin Laden would quickly meet his demise. Instead many of us were in complete shock that Iraq would be the chief target.

As a result, this produced more fire power against the wrong opponent while causing tremendous loss of life from being undermanned trying to fight two wars (at least 100,000 troops too few) fighting on two fronts.

When then the famous “Surge,” Surge meaning: We did not have enough troops from the outset.

As a result, this gave Bin Laden 10 years of sending out suicide volunteers before he was finally silenced.

It soon became apparent why other countries were not willing to join the game plan of then Bush administration.

This writer thinks that if they had to do it all over again, they would have scrapped the Iraq invasion.

They simply underestimated the resolve of the Middle East mentality, their traditions, their history and hatred by outsiders trying to change outlook and beliefs.

Truth be told, Iraq not only did not have weapons of mass destruction, but had no capacity to fight a war.

As a result, we now are into 11 years in Afghanistan, our are kids being shot by those they are asked to defend. “Insiders” is the term not being used. Little comfort then to those parents when they receive the news that their loved one has been “killed in action.”

This pattern in both Iraq and Afghanistan will not soon end. Always present and looming is another confrontation with another country. Hopefully that will not happen, but should it, trillions more will add to our national debt and our already overburdened grandchildren.

So the bottom line message is this: With the biggest election in my lifetime looming in November… We are at an all-time decision making crisis… to all voters, my advice… If you ever got it right, make this the time.

Michael J. Murray

New Richmond

Tags: letters to the editor, opinion