The Gulf War &045; or Gulf War I, as some are calling it &045; was raging when I was still in high school.

The idea of war captured many of our imaginations back then, and I remember sitting glued to a television set watching the still-camera shots of Baghdad and the bombing footage they showed.

Probably the most recognizable site from that war are the images of a darkened Kuwait sky that was intermittently lit with Patriot missiles.

For many generations &045; including a large sect of our current soldiers &045; the Gulf War was our first taste of our nation at conflict.

Earlier generations, however, can reach back as far as World War II, possibly even World War I. Those just older than my generation &045; our parents and some just older &045; had the Vietnam War and the Korean War. These generations know what war is all about.

Today, we are all learning what war is all about. Many people have seen &8220;Saving Private Ryan&8221; and &8220;Black Hawk Down.&8221; Many have experienced the theatrical realism of whizzing bullets and ripping flesh, of fear-laden young men and the iron will of determination that pushes them forward.

But now, with the media coverage that has been allowed in this war, all the movies in the world seem to be nothing more than a small cinematic feat.

When the war on terrorism first began, Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped, tortured and executed. Video of this savage treatment found its way to the Internet.

My former editor at The Democrat,

Kevin Cooper

, and I watched it. Neither of us could really find words for what we saw. It was a despicable show of cowardice and complete disrespect for humanity.

Today, many have heard the description of a videotape broadcast on the Al-Jazeera network. This tape depicts seven soldiers who are interrogated, beaten and executed.

Stills from the video that I’ve seen over the Internet strike one dumbfounded at how anyone can be so cruel, so disrespectful, so full of hate.

These are the worst images of war. These are the haunts that stay with the men and women &045; and their families &045; who fight for our freedom abroad.

Of course one needs not see the &8220;worst of war&8221; to see how brutal armed conflict can be. In this war, our government has allowed the media to be on the front lines &045; literally &045; to cover what is taking place. It is the most awesome chronicling of our nation’s history that we have experienced in some time.

But, at the same time, it brings home a reality that delivers far more impact than &8220;Saving Private Ryan&8221; or &8220;Black Hawk Down&8221; or any other Hollywood war can ever achieve.

Those men and women lying in the sand, firing machine guns and advancing toward imminent battle and possible death are real. They are sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, friends and loved ones.

The two captive soldiers who have been shown on the networks are the sons of real families, of a mother and father who patiently wait for an uncertain outcome to a situation so few of us, and thankfully so, can relate.

Still, one thing cannot be overlooked. These men and women who have been shot at, who have seen their fellow soldiers fall to injury or death, who know the worst could be yet to come, continue forward.

These men and women believe in their mission. They know the price our freedom &045; and the freedom of others &045; and they are willing to pay that price.

We enjoy that freedom everyday, even and especially in the protests that are held.

But what do we do to deserve that freedom? What can we do to equal the price others are willing to pay?

Sam R. Hall

is editor and publisher of The Times-Post. He can be reached at (662) 456-3771 or by e-mail to

sam.hall@timespost.com

.