War! What is it Good For?

My generation is familiar with the lyrics of a song, "War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing!"

Though I do not agree with that blanket answer, I do wonder what the value of war is when we are not committed to win?

These thoughts reminded me of something my Dad said a few years ago. I asked him something about how the Japanese fought and how brutal they were in WWII. His answer surprised me as I expected some condemnation for their actions. He said, "They fought to win."

A couple days ago we passed another anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Whether or not it was a mistake by the diplomats, the attack was carried out prior to Japan declaring war. If you read my post about this attack (below), you will see a list of the places Japan attacked during the first 24 hours that began with the attack on Pearl Harbor. They had a plan, they carried it out, they gained a strong upper hand, and they had every intention on doing whatever it took to win. They did not worry about public relations, political campaigns, allegations of brutality, etc. They figured that if they won, who would stand as the accuser.

There is another saying, "Winning is everything!" There are no moral victories in real WAR. Real war is winner take all. The winner lives and rules, the loser is often dead - period.

Since World War II, the United States has been fighting PC wars. We have never, since 1945, gone into a war with the attitude that we would do whatever it took to make sure victory belonged to us.

In Korea, we were gaining the upper hand on the North and the end was in sight...that is, until China sent around a million soldiers across the border to drive the US and South back. The war ended with a "seize fire" and a line drawn in the snow. Now, around 55 years later, we are still there guarding that line. We did not win and did not do what it took to win. When China sent overwhelming numbers into the battle, we were not willing to use the weapon that helped end WWII and secure victory. A couple atomic bombs on a million soldiers in a small area would have ended China's interference. You say, "That is so cold and cruel!" I remind you of another saying, "All's fair in love and war."

We did not learn our lesson and carried the same PC attitude into Vietnam. By then, the enemy probably had atomic weapons of their own and maybe that would not have been the solution. But, there were more conventional methods that were not used and it ended with the US bailing out and the South being overrun by the enemy.

We have been in smaller conflicts between Vietnam and Iraq, but no major wars.

If there has been any exception to the US not doing what it took to win, it would have to be the first gulf war around 1990. In that war, the US used overwhelming manpower and weapons to accomplish the goal in record time. There has been criticism about us not continuing on to deal with Saddam, once and for all. But, killing him was not the goal, defeating him and his army was the goal and getting them out of Kuwait. If there was PC in this war, it was not at a level that prevented victory, and was probably involved with decision to stop before Saddam was dead or removed from power.

The beginning of Iraqi Freedom, the second gulf war, showed signs of determination to do what it took to win. Later, we got involved in PC that tied one hand behind the soldiers backs and resulted in prolonging that war. Hence, we are still there fighting.

Afghanistan has turned out to be a PC war. We are not doing whatever it takes to win and have a decided victory. We are strapped with restrictions and limits as to what our military can and will do in battle. Our enemy has no restrictions. They are like the Japanese in WWII, they intend to win. We, evidently do not. The PC has been evident in this war since the beginning but has multiplied since BO took office. It is clear, his agenda does not involve military victory.

My Dad said something else to me several years ago. I asked him what he thought about Ron and I not going to Vietnam. He told me that if we had been fighting to win that he believed that we should have gone just like the ones who did. But, since we were not, he is glad we did not have to go.

How do the dads and moms and wives and husbands and kids feel today about their loved ones going off to fight, half way around the world, in a war that our government is not planning to win? A soldier is a tool of war, he is another weapon at the disposal of the commanders. It is one thing for his life to be lost in the great cause leading to victory, it is another for the loss when pulling out and walking away is the plan of action by the Commander-In-Chief.

What is it good for? War, in spite of all of the carnage, can serve a great and noble purpose. It is the means to set people and countries FREE. It is the means to defend our freedom. It is the means to conquer evil men and put an end to their deadly plans. Sometimes war is inevitable and may be mandatory due to what others have chosen to do against us. War has its place. War set the stage for America to be free and become the greatest nation on earth. War ended the evil and deadly deeds of Japan and Germany.

All of this is dependant upon one aspect holding true - we must fight to win. To do that, today, would take a major shift in policy and attitude by our politicians and many of our citizens. I believe, without these changes, if the US became involved in another major war against another major enemy (such as Russia or China), we would have no chance of winning. We do not have the desire or determination in the halls of leadership to do what it takes to see victory. My prediction is that the next real WAR will result in defeat for America.

We have lost our capacity for production. We do not mine the necessary ores. We are energy dependant on foreign nations, some of which would fight against us. We lack, in leadership, a "killer instinct". We are worried about POWs getting a "fair trial" and are in the process of giving the enemy constitutional rights. We have limited our FBI, CIA, military, and others in their ability to gain intelligence from the enemy. We have "rules of engagement" that restrict our soldiers from fighting back when a battle is in process. We play politics with war and cater to the Left who have never seen a war worth fighting. We are side-tracked by issues like gays in the army. We no longer "carry a big stick" and pipsqueak leaders of tiny countries have no respect or fear of America actually "doing" something. We are all talk! We are a joke to the other powerful nations of the world. It so happens that the other powerful nations would all love to see the "great US of A" out of the picture. It so happens that none of them would ever consider fighting a PC war. They would all fight to win and they would if we do not change soon.