Featured American Public Turns Anti-War …

I basically agree, but am curious why you exempt Korea.

 

Not very likely.

I can think of nothing good about today's brand of socailism.

 

Being called a socialist, and being a socialist are two different animals.

 

because, and correct me if I am wrong, I think the Korean war is a "good" war (if any war is at all good). and what I mean is we are not cast in the role of bullies and aggressors.

 

Going to war definitely was necessary in WW2 and probably Korea. The first Gulf war was about keeping our committment to our ally Kuwait. Viet Nam, Afghanistan and Iraq were all terrible mistakes that accomplished nothing and cost trillions of dollars and hundreds of thousands to millions of lives. We never had clearly defined objectives in any of these wars and I believe that history will say that the United States lost all 3 of them (certainly Viet Nam).

 

:thumbsup: This, particularly the emboldened part!!

Since Vietnam, and the arrival of the news camera in every combat zone since, our foreign policy has been dictated by popular opinion and body counts. The higher the body count, the more unpopular the war, regardless of whether the cause undertaken is necessary or not. In truth of my experience in twenty years in the Army, there were no "unnecessary wars," just badly executed ones.

The Evening News brought shattered, broken and bloodied bodies into America's living room every night during Vietnam. Ordinary people discovered what soldiers have known since the first ancients threw rocks and spears at one another: War is ugly, war is frightening, war is hell. But war is often necessary, and for that reason the combat soldier, the combat officer, the combat support team member all live -- or die -- with the ugly, frightening hell of war.

People in their suburban four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath, three-car garage lifestyles aren't ready to face that fact. They turn away, and they want America to turn away. Ofttimes we can't. There are circumstances and principles that are larger than life -- or death.

Rule #1 of War: Young men die.
Rule #2 of War: No one can change Rule #1.

Because of Rule #2, we should at all costs avoid war. We should use every avenue to maintain, if not peace, then at least uneasy non-hostility. But if it becomes necessary, we cannot shy away from war. It is a fact of human nature, of human history, and it will be necessary again.

We cannot afford to decide we will not participate simply because we do not like it. No one does.