As we head into another conflict, I want to say that I have no appetite for war. I remember watching excerpts from the Vietnam War on television while I was in high school. I knew people who lost their lives, their limbs, and their mental stability who served in that war.

I remember the Gulf War and seeing the final images of the road to Baghdad littered with burned-out jeeps, tanks, and military equipment. I will not forget that image. I remember the bombing of Torah Borah day after day as we looked for Osama Bin Laden.  I remember the patriotism people felt when they sent their children off to Iraq and the resulting quagmire. Are Iraq or Afghanistan any better off after all of the American blood was spilled there?

And now, we are bombing various targets in Iran to smithereens. We are sending 5,000 Marines to the Straight of Hormuz. Is it any wonder I cannot get excited about it? Is all of it really necessary? Do we truly have a Cassus Belli that justifies this action? I don’t know. In 1918, Senator Hiram Johnson said, “The first casualty when war comes is truth.” It will take us several months, if not a year or so, to find out if we really were threatened by Iran with a potential nuclear strike in the near future. In the meantime, we will hear the inevitable phrases of war.

Casualties of War – meaning the dead and injured servicemen.

Collateral Damage – meaning the innocent people who were killed or wounded when a bomb or ordinance hit them or their homes or places of work.

Unintended Consequences – meaning the things that happened that we had not planned for, and the inevitable…

Quagmire – meaning we got ourselves into something and now we are going to have a difficult time getting out.

Wave the flag all you want, beat the drum, but for me, I have no appetite for war unless it is honestly necessary for our survival.