Column for October 26, 2006

I learned a few things this past weekend. I went with a good friend of mine to see the movie that opened last week called "Flags of Our Fathers". It is a historical film about the Battle of Iwo Jima. Of course, it is historical fiction, and I don't expect that every detail will be 100% accurate. I do expect, however, that since there are so many people who are still alive from that time period, there was a lot of archival film and pictures, as well as written history about that time period, that major details would be intact.

Not only did I learn about the war effort and that battle in particular, I learned some about America. I enjoy historical movies and documentaries. My mother wasn't even born yet during World War II, and I used to really get into watching old documentaries and movies about the war. I admit that I am a frequent viewer of The History Channel, History International, and The Military Channel. As I write this column, I am sitting in my living room with The Military Channel on in the background, showing a documentary about Iwo Jima. The release of "Flags of Our Fathers" seems to have spurred a lot of programming of similar content.

The politics chronicled in the movie are just as familiar today as in that time. However, the American spirit was displayed as strong and cooperative. It seems to me that the public sentiment has greatly changed since that time period. One thing that I noticed was the American sense of cooperation and coming together for a common goal, victory in warfare. It seems that we have been missing much of that attitude in the United States since about the time of The Korean War. It was certainly missing during The Vietnam War and both Gulf Wars. One notorious example is the whining about the 2.800 soldiers that have died in over three years of combat in Iraq. In just 40 days on Iwo Jima, the United States lost over 6,800 Marines and had over 20,000 wounded. I do not minimize the deaths of American soldiers in Iraq at all. I do, however, want to put things into proper perspective. Americans have lost their collective will, it seems, and have unrealistic expectations.

It may surprise some to find that I was not in favor of our entry into Iraq for the second Gulf War. If for no other reason, I felt that we should have had a Declaration of War from Congress prior to invasion. I am not going to debate or comment on the merits of the war in Iraq or lack thereof in this column. One thing I will say, however, is that while in a time of war, there will be no peace without victory. Once we are committed and engaged, we have no real option other than to see it through.

One noticeable thing in the movie and recorded in historical accounts was that the people of America showed respect for our soldiers in the 1940's. They had a genuine affection for the men who served and for those who died in the line of duty. The American people came together and supported the war effort by financing the war. The disrespect currently shown to our military and to the idea of standing for what is right is something that upsets me as an American. War bonds raised approximately $26 billion dollars just in the 7th bond drive depicted in the movie to support and supply our soldiers and war efforts. For perspective, the entire 1946 federal budget was around $56 billion dollars. Now our government spends that much without thinking twice. That last concept alone should upset any American. Because of high taxation, redistribution of wealth, and out of control spending, I don't believe that we would ever again be able to have the same unity that Americans displayed during World War II.

I believe that we need a major change; almost a revolution in this country to change this. I encourage all of you to consider how you vote in the upcoming election at every level and evaluate what you do personally to change our nation for the better.