War Is Hell

May 9, 2020, 4:12 PM

I am in the process of editing my stories about my experiences during WW2 and the Korean War. This story will be one of the "lead-ins" to the book. I had not planned to post it here but this being the 75th anniversary of VE Day, it may remind us that war is not fun and games and war now appears in several forms.

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War is hell. There is no other way to describe it. There have been very few years when there was not a war raging somewhere on this planet, Earth. Some country or group may claim to be the victor but there are never any true winners in a war. Both sides suffer. There is loss of many lives and even more that bear the wounds, be it physical or mental, for the remainder of their lives. There is destruction of homes, businesses and even destruction of entire cities. Some scars may be glossed over but the pain exists for ages. Suffering is not limited to those who serve on the battlefield. Those who remain at home suffer the loss of a loved one and the threat of harm to a loved one.

War is no longer limited to the battlefields.Terrorists live among us and create fears because of their ever-present threat of an unprovoked attack. Terrorists do not abide by humane acts of warfare, if there is such a thing that can be defined as a humane act of war. Weapons of mass destructions can be unleashed on a moment's notice, weapons that do not discriminate between military and civilian personnel, weapons that can claim the lives of thousands in just the blink of an eye.

We strive and pray for peace throughout the world even though we recognize there are some things beyond the control of those who truly seek peace. We ponder the magnitude of our task when we observe a small unit, such as a family, involved in violence on s daily basis. Our courts are filled with cases where neighbor rises up against neighbor to inflict bodily harm. Even though we may consider our task of achieving peace a hopeless endeavor, this is one fight we can not abandoned.

Maintaining a strong military has its adherents and detractors, both of whom have valid opinions. Morally, we are, indeed, our brother's keeper. Our moral values lead us to recognize our obligation to protect the innocent and oppressed. There are conditions throughout the world that merit our attention but there my be situations that may lead us to non-intervention. There are no easy choices. We must weigh each one based on every available fact and situation. Our constitution requires us to maintain a military to protect our citizenry. A strong military presence is a deterrent to attacks from outside forces, nd for that reason, is a force for peace.

True peace is not merely the cessation of armed conflict, it is the elimination of the threat of attack by outside forces at home or abroad. We maintain some degree of peace when our armed forces serve as a deterrent.

We now have a problem that requires a concerted effort on the part of our military and civilian authorities. We need to ferret out those terrorists and others who's objective is to inflict harm and damage to our lives and property. This will be no easy task but we must do all in our power to prevent such attacks. Only then can we feel same in our homes and businesses.

War, in any form, is hell.

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Thank you for your service and the insight you bring to us! I was born in 1951 only 6 years after WWII ended, I can appreciate the sacrifice given in the name of freedom. My father, a PC grad, was in the FBI from '37 to '45. He told ud he was the lookout for another agent they booste DC through the teansome of the German Embassy! Watergate 1.0.

After VE the FBI was reducing ranks and keeping mostly law grads. Being a Chemistry major he joined the Navy and went to CA for radar school. He was assigned on a ship but before they sailed Japan surrendered.

My mother's first husband was a 1937 Clemson grad and Navy bomber pilot who was MIA in the Marriana Islands in 1945. I found a book a few years ago written by his navigator and he was killed when commanding another air craft on a mission to bomb a Japanese refueling base on Marcos Island before a flight of enemy dive bombers could use it to reach the US fleet.

Every Military Appreciation Day he and the other Clemson Alumni are honored. On Memorial Day, Veterans Day, VE and VJ Day I think about those of you who served and those that gave the ultimate sacrifice.

I thank you and them!

War Is Hell

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