War, for all the wrong reasons

Being Frank, by Frank Ameduri

A young reporter stood in the doorway to my office last Monday. "I've kind of got some bad news," he said. He handed me a letter and stood on the other side of my desk as I read it.

"This letter is to serve as official notification that WHITE MICHAEL ALBERT is an Alaska Army National Guard soldier who has been alerted and will take part in the mobilization effort in support of the Global War on Terrorism."

"Oh, no." I said. The violence had come close to home again.

Shortly after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, a young man named Jason called me from Washington, D.C. He had worked for me when I was stationed at Plattsburgh AFB during the early 1990s. Now he works for Air Force News Service, and he was in the Pentagon during the attack. He was on the other side of the complex, but he'd felt the impact of the jet and he knew people who were killed that day.

When the first Gulf War began, I was attending technical training at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indiana. I was in the Air Force, but it was an all-services school. Many of my friends were sailors, Marines and soldiers.

Shortly after the bombings began, the orders began rolling in. Many of my friends were being reassigned to the Persian Gulf. They were ready to go. I never heard a single person complain about being deployed for the war. Still, each time one of them received the orders, there was a change. Nobody said much -- there wasn't much to say. Usually one of us would walk over and place a hand on the young person's shoulder. They always wore a sober expression that seemed to me like a combination of excitement, fear and uncertainty. I was afraid for them. Still, when I returned to my base, I volunteered to be deployed. I can't honestly say it was an act of patriotic heroism. I was a journalist, and I wanted an opportunity to cover a war. I had not considered whether or not the war was justified. I was government issue, it wasn't an opinion I could afford to have. At any rate, I was not selected.

When the recent war in Iraq broke out, my friend, Amy, spent many sleepless nights in the glow of her television screen. Her young son, a driver on a tank crew, had been deployed. She had little news of his situation, and she was simply hoping to catch a glimpse of him on the screen -- a sign that he was still alive. After President Bush declared major hostilities were over, Amy's son was due to rotate out. Instead, his unit's tour was extended so it could take part in the peacekeeping mission. He finally made it back stateside, but it looks as though he may be heading into harm's way again in the near future.

When Mike sat down in my office Monday morning, I recognized the expression on his face. I asked him how he felt about being activated.

"I don't know," he said. "I don't really have much choice." But he wasn't angry about that. He said he was a little excited and a little nervous.

Let me tell you a few things about WHITE MICHAEL ALBERT. Mike already served in the U.S. Army on active duty. He has continued his service in the Alaska Army National Guard, but he's also a college student. He was the editor of the Mat-Su College newspaper last year, and now he works for me. He's a talented young journalist, and he has a girlfriend. If someone said All-American Kid, you'd think of Mike. He's a big kid with closely cropped blond hair, a quick, infectious smile and flashing blue eyes. Mike speaks like someone beyond his youth. He's a mature young man with conservative social and political values. He's the kind of guy you'd easily trust with the keys to your car. He's the kind of guy you hope your daughter will meet one day.

He told me he'd already dropped all his classes, and that he'd only be able to finish out the week at the Frontiersman. He told me there was still a chance he wouldn't be selected from his unit to go.

"But I think it's probably better if I do go," he said. "I have more experience than some of the other guys in my unit, and I think I can be useful to them." It was a brave thing to say. His reason for wanting to go to war was better than mine had been. I started worrying about Mike on Monday morning. I'll stop worrying when he's back stateside.

This war creates dilemmas for many of us. I understand why Mike is willing to go to war -- he's willing to go because he feels a strong sense of duty to his country, and because he's loyal to the other soldiers in his unit. I don't understand why Mike has to go, however. I am not afraid to admit that I believe the war in Iraq is unjustified.

I am a patriot -- a veteran -- and I am opposed to this war.

I believe the blood of all the young Americans killed in Iraq is as much on the hands of the Bush administration as it is on the hands of any enemy.

There is a lingering sentiment in the U.S. that it is unpatriotic to oppose this president's foreign policy and his handling of the so-called war on terror. It's important to remember that patriotism is a devotion to one's country, not to the current president. It's also important to point out that patriotism in a democratic society is characterized by a devotion to liberty and the rights of individuals. The greatness of the United States does not reside in its geography, the current administration's policies nor in the strength of its military. The greatness of the United States resides in the citizens who entrust the protection of our society to those fortunate elected officials who serve at our pleasure.

This war was carried out as an extension of a war on terror that began in Afghanistan, though most of the terrorists were from Saudi Arabia. The conflict in Afghanistan failed to reduce the threat of terror anywhere in the world, and it failed to bring Osama Bin Laden to justice. The link between Iraq and the attacks of 9/11 is tenuous at best, and we now know there were no weapons of mass destruction inside Iraq. The administration's decision to advance its desire for war in Iraq alienated many of our critical allies, and now we are left with the daunting task of rebuilding a country in shambles with little help from other nations. We also face the prospect of civil war in Iraq, despite the administration's assertions that the country is moving inexorably toward democracy.

It is not unpatriotic to speak out against a president's abuse of power and against his betrayal of the public trust. It is not unpatriotic to insist that the commander in chief protect the lives of our sons and daughters in uniform as he also defends the United States.

My 16-year-old son has told me he will join the military when he completes his high school education. I have tried to convince him to finish college first, but I will not discourage him from military service. If he does join the military, I will be proud of him. I will understand that he may have to take great risks to carry out his duty to country. I will also demand that he not be sent into harm's way lightly or for unjust reasons. I will always remember that there is always honor in serving one's country, but there is not always honor in war -- there are ignoble reasons for war, and it is tragic beyond description when young people are sacrificed to an unjust cause.

To Mike I wish Godspeed. I am proud of, and grateful for, his courage and dedication. I'll keep him in my thoughts until he safely returns home. At the same time, I will speak out against a war that I believe is being fought for all the wrong reasons.

Frank Ameduri is a veteran and a proud American.