I was reading that as of Jan. 27, we’ve lost 3,296 in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Many thousands more have been injured and untold numbers of families have been directly affected by these wars. At this point, I’d like to make it clear that I fully support the war efforts and the decisions to go to war were the correct ones.

In the beginning, it was clear that the vast majority of Americans believed it was the right thing to do. Now, it is just as clear that most Americans do not support the war and want to bring the troops home. I do not feel that way, but we are a country that is ruled by the majority; so I agree that it is time to accept defeat and bring our soldiers home immediately. Any reasonably intelligent American understands that we are going to quit at some point in the next couple of years. The terrorists would have to be stupid not to realize their battle is almost won. Once we have accepted this outcome, we should not waste another life. And yes, we must be willing to accept that we have wasted the lives of the soldiers who have fallen so far.

In Vietnam, we wasted the lives of 58,226 American soldiers before we accepted defeat. I watched friends die there and it still angers me that their lives were wasted and we as Americans were so willing to accept defeat. We were defeated and driven out of Lebanon and Somalia; each time sacrificing more American soldiers. Isn’t it time for us as a nation to accept the fact that we don’t have the courage or the will to fight battles on foreign soils?

Our enemies certainly understand this, so it is time for us to accept it as well and no longer place our soldiers at risk on foreign soils. We need to bring every soldier home and just concentrate on defending our borders. This is likely the only place where we will not accept defeat. When you consider the fact that our current military is composed of only those who volunteer to serve; it may well be the bravest group of men and women who have ever worn American uniforms.

We as Americans should never again be willing to send our soldiers into battles that we are unwilling to finish. When we decide to risk the life of an American soldier, it should only be in a war that we will not accept defeat in. It is a terrible loss for any family to lose someone in any war, but just imagine how much greater that loss is when a family realizes their loved one was a “wasted life” in a war that was lost. We may disagree when it comes to whether we should go to war, but once we commit our soldiers, it is disgraceful for us to so willingly accept defeat.

If we are going to continue to have a viable volunteer army, our brave young men and women must believe that they will never again be asked to sacrifice their lives in wars that we may not have the will to win. It is likely that once we completely end our involvement in the Middle East, radical Muslims will soon control all of these nations and we should expect a severe economic impact on the United States.

That is OK, because at least then, we will all share the pain instead of just limiting the suffering to our military and their families.

Larry Woody

Vidalia resident