Another Day in Vietraq

I walked up on a couple of friends of mine today engaged in an obvious lively discussion.  Charles was talking about the unpopular President and his even more unpopular Vice President.  The Executive he insisted, was at grid lock with Congress about how to fight the war.  The President had lost the people's confidence.  There was a call for the Vice President's resignation.  

Robert Lee insisted the Congress was trying to micro manage the long war.  He said the two political parties seemed to have no distinguishing characteristics any more either.
Charles said the President's expansion of the war was ill advised, and in fact the original premise of the war was flawed.  

Robert Lee said, "If the enemy was clever they would just wait about seven years and the whole American war construct would collapse."

"Just like George Washington's strategy with our long war for independence against the British," I chimed in uninvited.  Neither friend paid me any mind.  

"Our system is inherently flawed in the means to fight a long war," said Robert Lee.  "The people eventually lose interest and Congress always tampers with the funds for the war," he continued.

"Yes, and the soldiers keep dying and languish in the middle of an Asian civil war while the two political parties fight and flounder about in the big American political play house," said Charles in a mocking tone.  

"The war was affecting the economy," Robert Lee said and frowned.  "Gas and groceries were outrageous.  Schools were being closed.  Can you imagine what we could have done with all the billions spent on the war?" he then asked. "People needed health care, and the money is being dumped down a hell hole in Asia."

"The people are cynical and disenfranchised from the political system," returned Charles.  "And  the wisdom of the war has our allies in the World second guessing our international leadership."

The two friends shook their heads together and bid one another good-bye until next time.  I followed Charles as he was going my direction.  "Man," I said.  "You two sure are despondent about the War in Iraq."
Charles stopped and turned and looked me in the eyes and shock his head.  "Boy!" he said with an incredulous look on his face and a perturbed tone.  "We have been talking about the Vietnam War!"

This week's soldier to remember is Specialist Paul J. Sturino, 21 of Rice Lake who died on September 22, 2003 from a non-hostile gunshot wound.  He was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division and was in an area south of Mosul in northern Iraq.  He was in Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 320 Field Artillery Regiment, 101st Airborne Division.  Sturino was the fourth Wisconsinite killed during military operations in Iraq.  Originally with a tank detail based in Lawton, Oklahoma, Paul transferred to the 101st Airborne in Fort Campbell, Kentucky to be a paratrooper.  He went to Iraq in March 2003.  Sturino had re-enlisted for another year as a member of the 101st but his tour of duty was subsequently extended because of the war.

3,352 Americans have been killed in Iraq since Spring 2003.

24,912 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Iraq since Spring 2003.

72 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring 2003.

Soldier of the week and military casualty information sources: cnn.com; and, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.