Do not let this war go the way of Vietnam

Take a moment to reflect on what we have, what we as a nation have achieved, and at what cost.

Over 231 years ago, our founding fathers brought forth a radical idea (form of government), which has been tested throughout the years. We are not a nation unwilling to fight for we believe inŠ. We have fought for our Independence in the Revolutionary War, overcame a Civil war, engaged in two world wars, and participated in several other conflicts.

In December of 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, which precipitated our involvement in WW II, where we took immediate and decisive action. Until recently, no country had tried to repeat such an assault on American soil. At 12:18 p.m. EST on February 26, 1993, Al Qaida attacked us for the first time. They planted a truck bomb in the underground garage of the World Trade Center (WTC). Six people died that day. Although Al Qaida did not achieve their goal at that time, they did succeed on September 11, 2001. Al Qaida members hijacked four commercial airplanes, sending them on suicide missions. Three planes were dispatched to the WTC and the Pentagon. The fourth, and last to be commandeered, had its flight path aimed toward the White House in Washington D. C. Thankfully, due to the heroic acts of American passengers, that plane crashed into a Pennsylvania field. Due to Al Qaida's fanatical ideology, we lost over 2,700 people that day. Many were firefighters, police, government employees and innocent civilians.

Not since the Vietnam conflict have we had such strife regarding our involvement in a war. In 1958, France requested our presence in Vietnam, to enforce marshal law. From 1958 to 1974, we lost over 50,000 service men. That was lot of causalities.

In our war on terrorism, where we've sent more than 150,000 of our service men and women into Iraq and Afghanistan, we've already lost at least 4,000 military personnel. Compared to the Vietnam War casualties, that is a drop in the bucket. Are we willing to once again sacrifice that many of our own people to a cause where the outcome seems dubious?

Granted, I wasn't able to go into the military due to disability, but that does not mean that I am any less patriotic than the next person. It makes me angry to hear conversations through the media, concerning elected officials debating or arguing in Congress about our involvement in the war on terrorism. It has been brought to our government's attention that the United States could be attacked, once again, by a third world country, potentially bringing more acts of terror to our doorstep. I fear that if we do not ‘stay the course', it is going to end just like Vietnam. I know there are many others who share my opinion, and this same concern.

Now I hear some of our federal Congressmen are pressuring the President to sign a bill setting a time limit or deadline to bring our young men and women home from Iraq and Afghanistan.

In my opinion, this is wrong thinking. Our job is not finished. If we don't finish what we started there, I fear that one day we will be fighting the terrorists right here in our streets (of the USA). Let me ask you this: Do you want to wake up and find your city loaded with mines, forced to carry a gun to work, having to fight your way through the streets to get home?

Please, rethink your position. Because the enemy is watching and listening. They are monitoring our news programs. They want us to be divided. They like to see how weak we seem.

Take a moment to reflect on what we have now, what we have achieved, and what will it take for us to stay strong and unitedŠto succeed.

That is why I say “stay the course”.

I urge you to write or e-mail your congressmen, informing them of your concern regarding this issue.

Rusty Burton, 54, of Lebanon, is a volunteer on issues of interest to disabled persons. He was raised on a farm in Techachapi, Calif., and graduated from Linn-Benton Community College in 1990 with a two-year degree in agriculture. He became involved in politics through his volunteer activities.