Letter: Sacrifices in Iraq were worth it
DOVER, DELAWARE - APRIL 14: A U.S. Army carry team moves the transfer case with the remains of Army Specialist Michael Anaya, of Crestview, Fla., at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware. The soldier died April 12, 2009, in Bayji, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. (April 14, 2009) Credit: GETTY IMAGES
To say our great sacrifices did not justify the spectacular success of Operation Iraqi Freedom is myopic and cruel ["Tough lessons learned in Iraq," Editorial, Dec. 16].
We still have troops in Germany, Japan and Italy more than 65 years after the end of World War II, and we have troops in more than 70 other countries, all because we and our way of life are under constant attack, verbally, culturally and physically.
The weak and appeasement-minded Obama administration could not (would not?) agree to terms to let troops stay in Iraq past Jan. 1, sacrificing an important platform from which we could influence belligerent nations in that area. This creates a power vacuum that may be filled by those we fought.
How dare you suggest that even one drop of American blood was misspent. The coalition and UN resolutions, al-Qaida training camps and exiled terrorists (Abu Abbas), a vicious dictator (Saddam Hussein), and grateful people were all rational reasons to do what we did. The Iraqi people are not only better off, they are free. The blood of Americans, British, Australians, Italians and other allies has watered the Iraqi "tree of liberty."
Montgomery J. Granger, Port Jefferson Station
Editor's note: The writer is a retired major of the U.S. Army Reserve.
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