Looking Back

The best reasons, the military should launch attacks on foreign soil


As for being a veteran of the US Army, this opinion may appear slightly jaded. Regardless of the mistakes of the previous administration, the military should always be on a high state of readiness. So, as to the question of whether to use the military or not, the answer is an emphatic yes! Osama bin Laden and his followers launched an attack on this country while hiding in Afghanistan. Prior to attacking, a diplomatic mission went there. The Taliban refused to turn the responsible party over, so they may be face justice for their horrible crime against this nation. For the simple fact diplomacy did not work, retaliation was the appropriate alternative.

A situation prior to this would be Pearl Harbor. Even though we were dealing arms to the allies, via the “Lend-Lease Act” That attack was another reason for a military response. Surely to send troops into battle is a very hard burden to bear. Nevertheless, it is a decision that sometimes requires decisive action. Many of us strongly disagreed with the decision to go into Iraq. Why you ask? Well, we had this no fly zone in the north and south. Moreover, you can bet there were spy planes over there also. Therefore, how anyone could misread the intelligence from there is a bit suspect. Anyone could rant forever about the Iraq situation, but it is a done deal. Therefore, with that as one’s own reasons for using the military, again yes, we should use them. Should any country, or entity decides to attack us again, (and we all hope never) it will not be something you would want to see on CNN.

Unlike the Vietnam conflict, where we had adviser's there first, and then troop deployments after the French withdrew. We had no interest whatsoever in the affairs of that country. Why did we escalate it? There are many theories out there. One being it was what the defense contractor’s and generals wanted. Before President Eisenhower left office, he warned the American people to beware of the “Military-Industrial Complex.” Just look at the antics of Halliburton and the other companies with the “No-Bid Contracts.” Sorry got off on a rant. Well these are some of the reasons for why we should use are military when attacked. It is ones best hope you found this little conversation informative.


Thank You

Frankie C. Jenkins