Remember those who fight

On Wed., Nov. 29, the Princeton Peace Network hosted an excellent open forum to discuss the moral issues of the present war in Afghanistan. The crowd was a mix of Princeton natives and students from all walks of life and academic disciplines. I expected the overall mood of the forum to be anti-war. Instead, the crowd was evenly split between those who support the war and those who oppose it.

During the two hours of the forum, many topics were discussed and some debated. There were the usual leftand right-wing comments from a few participants, but for the most part the dialogue was honest, constructive and mainstream. I heard a number of comments and concerns from the anti-war participants that I felt were excellent and showed real insight. But there were two comments made by participants that I felt compelled to redress.

One person in the crowd, commenting on the question of proof in the Sept. 11 attacks, said that even though it meant compromising sources, he wanted the U.S. government to provide him with more proof that Osama bin Laden and his network were behind the attacks.

Another person stated that she would have felt the United States was more dedicated to this war if it had committed ground troops earlier than it did.

Shame on both of you! In each statement, you clearly show just how insulated you are from the realities of war and the rest of the world.

To those who think it is okay to give up a couple of sources so that we can make public enough information to prove to every person in the world, without a doubt, that bin Laden was behind the attacks, I ask this: Do you realize that the one or two sources you are talking about giving up are human lives? They are not simply numbers or radios, they are people, perhaps Afghan, perhaps Arab — perhaps fellow Americans. Would you so quickly kill them to alleviate your concerns? If we started revealing how we gained our intelligence, our spies around the world would start getting shot. How many lives are worth your absolute clarity concerning who was behind the attacks? If you want to know who is behind the attacks, look at bin Laden's videos, read his propaganda, examine the court records on his testified masterminding of the U.S. Embassy bombings. There is your proof.

By your argument, all criminals would be found guilty in court before ever being arrested. It is not the responsibility of the government to provide absolute proof of the guilt of a person before he or she is tried in court. That is what a trial is for! We certainly have enough proof to try bin Laden and his associates for this attack. And right now we are trying to bring them to justice.

Secondly, to those who think our commitment to the war is not strong enough because we just now sent in ground troops, your lack of understanding of even basic military philosophy is painfully evident. Further, your lack of concern for your fellow Americans is insulting. Who do you think these ground troops are that simply need to storm into Afghanistan without any logistics arranged and with no security or reconnaissance having been conducted?

I'll tell you who, they are people just like you! They are your cousins and little brothers. They have dreams and hopes and families, too. They certainly don't want to die at 18 years old in a poorly planned and hurried operation, just to appease the sense of commitment of those not participating. Do you remember that in the Gulf War it took six months before there was a major ground attack?

We had special operations forces on the ground within 18 days this time, and the Rangers attacked in less than a month. In two months, the Marines have landed and are attacking the enemy in his stronghold. How much faster could we have invaded to appease your sense of commitment?

I've got news for you: This campaign was conducted in a superb manner. Our generals and tacticians planned an exceptional offensive that made use of the resources that were present in the country, namely the northern alliance, and were overwhelming to the enemy. In doing so, they brought a quick end to the major hostilities, saving countless lives on both sides and allowing the humanitarian aid to arrive before winter. This is a huge victory, and I admire the manner in which the generals concluded it.

But left to you, we would have thrown Americans into battle, illprepared and unsupportable. This would have resulted in the deaths of many of your countrymen. That isn't commitment, that is stupidity.

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There certainly is room for debate with this war. We will need all the good ideas to come forward as we prepare to shift our focus in Afghanistan from the offensive to nation-building. But do not ever forget who it is you are sending off to fight the wars of this nation. Do them the service of keeping them secure when they are in peril, and do not send them to their death to appease your self-righteousness. Jameson R. Johnson is a graduate student in the Near Eastern Studies department from Helena, Montana. He can be reached at jamesonj@princeton.edu.