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Americans, Soldiers
Message from the heart of a soldier
By William Mann,Lt. Col. USA (Ret)
Saturday, November 19, 2005
(Editor’s note: Retired Lt.-Col. William Mann, who sent canadafreepress the touching powerpoint picture movie, "If I Die Before You Wake", written by Dustin Evans, Rick Tiger and Dave Brainard, performed by Dustin Evans, has written a prelude which he is hoping you will read before watching the presentation posted here).
As most of you know, I am a retired Army Officer. I have served in war and in peace. I am a Catholic Christian. I have strong feelings about America's War on Terror. Our two youngest sons have already fought for America in Iraq. I thank God for all our sons and for their service to America. Their brothers have served and continue to serve their communities in many ways and at many levels.
We are at war with people who... make no mistake... will kill us here in America if we don't stop them there in Iraq. Whether they believe in Islam or not is irrelevant; the terrorists are murderous and evil thugs.
I believe the best way to defeat terror is to pursue and to fight the terrorists wherever they may be found, and to promote and help to establish democracy in the world. History shows that Democracies do not make war on each other.
There are many people who want it all to end: the death, the destruction, the deployments, the inconveniences, the unpleasantness of incessant negative coverage by the MSM. We all want to see the end of war... most of all the soldier wants it. The interruption for military families' lives is not just inconvenient, it is all too often tragic!
Many others think that we should just bring the troops home now... in effect... load up, leave, and turn our backs on the Iraqi people. I disagree. Letting the terrorists have a free hand in Iraq to destroy an emerging, infant democracy will also go a long way toward destroying what is left of the moral fiber of our country. Appeasement does not work; defeatism brings on defeat.
During WWII, we ignored the plight of the European Jews until 1945. We knew clearly in 1943 what was going on but did nothing. We rationalized our priorities in order to achieve strategic goals, but also to placate alliance politics and quell home-grown bigotry. The result was the death of 6 million Jews and countless millions of other martyrs, who opposed and died opposing Fascism, Nazism, and Communism. After that war, survivors cried out, "Never again!" The State of Israel is the legacy of those survivors and Israel's survival is an eternal penance for us from God... we free nations who failed to act soon enough to save Jews: mothers, fathers, children, babies... Will we betray their security by our myopic desires to leave Iraq prematurely? Having planted a seed of freedom shall we not cultivate the sprout until its roots are established?
The misguided folks who led the movement that prompted our leaders to cut and run from our allies and commitments in Southeast Asia are sounding their defeatist alarms once more. In 1975, America's departure resulted in a bloodbath of reprisals and cleansing by the Communist and other despots that murdered millions of victims.
Today, by leaving Iraq before the stability is achieved, however good it might "feel" to many, we will unleash the forces of hell that are currently bottled up in Iraq fighting America. They will be free to visit our shores, cross our porous borders, and blow us up where we live: malls, churches, hospitals, schools, homes, weddings--all targets.
Our precious youth, our treasured defender warriors will have died in vain. The light of freedom will go out in Iraq and all over the Middle East. Israel will be their next victim. This must not happen! If we would protest and demand anything, then let us protest the United Nations unwillingness to help stabilize Iraq. Demand that they commit peacekeepers and aid and assistance to help America eradicate terrorism, end poverty, and re-build Iraqi infrastructure.
How many times must we learn this lesson? It is simple and it is scriptural: If we fail to expel the evil forces and just leave, seven more evil forces will rush in to fill the vacuum and possess that region and oppress its people.
We did not start this war; 9-11 really happened. President Bush is not a liar; he did not manufacture this war. He did not lead us astray. Are we such immature and self-absorbed babies that we will believe that which is contrary to what we knew then and is still true today? Al Qaeda, terrorist killers and thugs... they are killing our soldiers... not George Bush.
Can you imagine what would have happened in WWII had the Republican Party sought to sabotage the war effort because of their disdain for FDR and his conduct of the war? The future of America should not be surrendered to those who would seek a cheap, partisan political victory at the expense of America's long term security and survival. Josef Goebbels, Hitler's propagandist and purveyor of Nazi filth, showed the world that if you told outright lies boldly and incessantly for a long enough period of time, that people will begin to believe the lies. The Jews paid for those lies with their blood while the world stood by and watched.
Freedom is not free. Our soldiers know that. I hope that watching this presentation will rekindle our determination to do the right thing and see this through. Let's re-hash and recriminate and point the finger after their job is done, Iraqi freedom is won and our men and women in uniform are back home.
Pray for our men and women in uniform. Feel free to forward this to others if you so desire.
God Bless!
W.R. Mann
LTC, USA Retired
Pensacola, FL
Download If I Die Before You Wake
