Not my children.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)

I am writing in regard to William Norman Grigg's short article, "Not With MY Children" (December 15 issue).

I was never an enthusiastic supporter of our going into Iraq. It always seemed unlikely to me that we were going there "to fight terrorism" when we steadfastly refused to even consider patrolling our own borders. Also, I am a great admirer of Mr. Grigg. My son attended a John Birch Society summer camp several years ago and was deeply affected by Mr. Grigg's character and words.

I was not, however, favorably impressed with the above-mentioned article. It seemed to me to be largely an emotional appeal. Two thirds of the piece was comprised of stories about personal tragedies experienced by our military personnel. Despite the evident fact that these are deeply lamentable stories, I need to ask, "who really is responsible for them?" No one forces "fragile little girls" to join the military; no one forces both parents to join the military; no one forces single mothers to join the military. We do not currently have a draft in this country.

Despite my disagreement with Mr. Grigg's emphasis on emotional appeal and his total lack of pointing out the individual responsibility for voluntarily joining the military, I do not believe that President Bush, Vice President Cheney and company are by any means exonerated in their culpability for the deaths and sufferings of those serving in Iraq. I also heartily agree with Mr. Grigg's last statement, "My children were not born to become mortar fodder or guerrilla bait on behalf of the UN and the ...