Letter to President Obama from Former Marine Corps Captain on Iraq... and POTUS Response

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New York Times World ‏@nytimesworld 53m
At War Blog: A Letter to the President, and a Well-Timed Response http://nyti.ms/1ok1006


from David Nelson, Captain, U.S. Marine Corps 1971-73, Houston, Texas

Mr. President,

The old saying is that “history repeats itself.” But in the current Iraq situation I implore you NOT to let the history of our nation 50 years ago repeat itself.

In early August, 1964, an incident occurred in the Gulf of Tonkin that led to Congress passing the infamous Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. Within a few months thousands of U.S. troops were sent into Vietnam even though President Johnson, Senator Richard Russell, and others never did see light at the end of the tunnel.

My boyhood friend Lee Roy Herron joined the Marine Corps in 1964 and I did the same in 1965. That friendship ended on February 22, 1969, when Lee Roy died heroically in battle in Vietnam, receiving the Navy Cross posthumously. How many friends, relatives, and loved ones already have been lost in Iraq and Afghanistan? How much of our nation’s treasure has been lost in those two countries, just as in Vietnam?

Based on what occurred in the summer of 1964, we can predict with a high degree of certainty what will occur if a “Gulf of Tonkin” incident happens in Iraq. Assume for the moment that U.S. planes are sent into Iraq and one is shot down. What will happen?

You could make a safe bet that in certain quarters, there will be a loud cry for our country to exercise its military might by sending troops back into Iraq. But if that response is chosen, I fervently hope that you and others in power can see light at the end of the tunnel . . . more

On Thursday, Mr. Nelson received this email from President Obama in response:

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1. kick

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2. Apparently, Navy and Air Force personnel

are not "American forces".

The President has ordered air strikes. So far, those strikes have included Navy fighter aircraft - not just drones (those were the "second wave", apparently). Fighter aircraft are flown by living, breathing humans. If their planes are hit, they stand a very good chance of dying.

"Advisors" are troops, too - no matter how carefully you word it.

But I guess none of these people count as long as the story is that we're not going to send "American forces" into combat.

I find that rather disturbing.

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3. this is a good, balanced vew

. . . at both sides of the debate.

Kick