To the editor:

Cal Thomas, the Onward Christian Soldier who never went to war, recently urged Americans to show resolve to win in Iraq by blindly following our fearless president who is somewhat disingenuous with the truth with a bad habit of inventing nebulous reasons to invade another sovereign country at his whim as he marches our country down the dirty, dangerous, deadly path to war.

Mr. Thomas has a right to his personal view. However, he crossed the line in his column when, in comparing Vietnam to the war in Iraq, he stated: “There were no lasting negative effects on the United States, other than 58,000 dead Americans.”

As a Marine combat veteran of Vietnam, I personally knew some of those 58,000 dead Americans. Later, I met their kids and parents, but could only grieve with them, for I had no answers. I had no words of comfort, no rationale, no reason or logic to explain their untimely deaths. How dare Mr. Thomas belittle their ultimate sacrifice!

Someday, this country will look back at Iraq and wonder how we let this happen. Someday, a pundit like Mr. Thomas will belittle the Iraq deaths as only “negative effects.” Someday the only memory of our children’s sacrifice will be lost in the blood-soaked sands of Iraq, a flag at the cemetery, a lost chapter in history books, and the forever emptiness in a mother’s heart.

When will we ever learn? Or do we simply choose not to remember?

Curt Bennett,

Lawrence