Serviceman responds to protesters

By Spc. Nicholas Cook

In response to the article "Pro-war demonstrators join anti-war counterparts":

As a member of the U.S. Army, I am sick and tired of hearing people say that we shouldn't attack Iraq. Most of the anti-war protesters have no idea what is going on.

We learn history so we don't make the same mistakes again. In World War II, we made the mistake of not taking out Adolf Hitler right when he was pushing the limits and laughing in our faces. History repeats itself, except this time the name is Saddam Hussein. If we don't do anything about him, who knows what could happen?

If protesters can't support the war effort, they should do nothing. It is not like the protesters are the ones who will be fighting. They won't have to worry about having to take a human life.

Protesters also tell people to think about our sons and daughters. They are exactly right. We should think of them. But not in the manner they perceive. Be grateful for our sons and daughters who will fight to protect the rights and freedoms of the protesters and to make sure we can live without fear of some madman trying to nuke our country.

If those of us in the service didn't want to be here, we wouldn't have signed on the dotted line and wouldn't have sworn an oath to protect and defend this great nation of ours. I pray every day that I won't ever have to take a human life or that my family won't have to live through the pain of getting a letter saying I sacrificed my life on the battlefield. But I do take honor in the fact that I can make a difference in what happens.

It is OK not to support the war effort. That is a protester's right. But protesters should think about their sons and daughters when they protest and march in Washington, D.C. It is a slap in our faces when protesters say they don't support us, since we will be the ones going to war. I am grateful that members of my family see this differently and are proud of me.

I pray that God will give the protesters an understanding that we serve because we want to serve and that the world is not perfect. Sometimes life must be sacrificed for the good of the whole.

Spc. Nicholas Cook of Chaffee is stationed in Japan.