Mitsuo Fuchida’s life was spared many times during World War Two. On December 7, 1941, Fuchida led the air attack on Pearl Harbor and safely returned. The day before the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima he was called away from the city. The day after he and two Navel officers inspected the city’s destruction. Although two shortly died of radiation, Fuchida manifested no symptoms. Fuchida’s life was spared numerous times during the war and after.
Later Fuchida became a Christian Evangelist and peace activist. When asked what he thought of America’s dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He replied, "War is always unfortunate and evil, but once it breaks out the only way to fight it is all-out. That’s how both Japan and the United States fought it." ___ God’s Samurai
And what does Fuchida’s statement—"War is always unfortunate and evil, but once it breaks out the only way to fight it is all-out"—have to do with us today? Well, how are we executing our "War on Islamic terrorism" a term our President cannot bring himself to use?
At first, both President Bush and candidate Obama led us to believe their intent in Afghanistan was to find, attack, and destroy Al-Qaeda—fight the war all-out. President Bush, however, had us staying for years to nation build in our image. While campaigning, Obama swore he would destroy Al-Quada. Now, as President, Obama’s strategy is based on Dale Carnegie’s How to Win friends and Influence People.
General McChrystal’s directive in 2009, explained President Obama’s rules to win friends and influence people: "Like any insurgency, there is a struggle for the support and the will of the population. Gaining and maintaining that support must be our overriding operational imperative—and the ultimate objective of every action we take."
As I said, I thought our—using McChrystal Obama speak— ". . . overriding operational imperative and the ultimate objective of every action . . . " was to find and destroy Al-Qaeda and their supporters, those responsible for the attack on New York’s Twin Towers, then come home.
If an all-out effort to find and destroy Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan is not our intent, we should get our nose out of the Afghan tent and bring our military home.
"It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win." __ General Douglas MacArthur
We defeated Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany by military destroying their capability and will to resist, not with Dale Carnegie’s Six Ways to Make People Like You. Any nation building would come second.
The no-will to win political rules of engagement are responsible for the prolonged Korean, Viet Nam, Iraq, and now Afghan no-will to win wars. If we must go to war, let our military use our power justly, swiftly, and totally to win and end it. In the long run less civilians and military personnel will die, be maimed, or suffer deprivation.
Rules of "engagement" sound more like a wedding plan than war plan. A restriction on calling in air support is just one of the new rules General McChrystal laid out. The guidelines are meant to cut down on civilian casualties and collateral damage. That is good. But more Americans being killed or seriously wounded may be the cost. That is not good. And if prolonged, a no-will to win war in Afghanistan will lead to a decline and collapse of our militaries’esprit de corps—as experienced in Viet Nam.
Imagine if we had World War Two rules of engagement as follows:
U.S. troops cannot engage the Nazis or Japanese troops if any civilians are present. They cannot fire unless they see the Nazis or Japanese troops preparing to fire first. They are not permitted to conduct a search without the presence German or Japanese police. No searches can be conducted at night or by surprise.
Ridiculous, of course, but so are the McChrystal Obama rules of engagement:
U.S. troops cannot engage the Taliban if any civilians are present. They cannot fire unless they see the enemy preparing to fire first. They are not permitted to conduct a search without the presence of Afghan army or police.
No searches can be conducted at night or by surprise.
Who would want a son, daughter, grandchild, or anyone else’s to risk their lives fighting Al Quada and the Taliban in Afghanistan under President Obama’s no-will to win rules?
And why the Taliban? Where the Taliban hide and support Al Quada, let us find and eradicate them. Where they don’t, that is Afghanistan’s problem. Yes they are anti-woman, anti freedom of speech, worship, and everything for which America is supposed to stand. But, so is most of the world, including the growing secular community of Western Europe.
We need a plan for victory in Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia, and other areas where Al Quada are trained to carry out attacks on America and her citizens. Victory will not come by promising billions of American dollars in social aid. Victory will not come with thousands of more American troops operating under President Obama’s How to Win friends and Influence People rules of engagement.
Dale Carnegie’s book How to Win friends and Influence People has changed millions of lives, I recommend the book to all, but not as a weapon in a physical life or death confrontation.
"War is not 'the best way of settling differences; it is the only way of preventing their being settled for you." ___ G.K. Chesterton 1915
But, first we must win victory at home. There are two Americas—in moral values and political ideologies—and the difference between the two grows wide and deep. One, middle America, holds to traditional Judeo-Christian values. But is slowly losing her grip. The other America is led from Washington D.C. by secularists operating in a moral vacuum. Their spiritual blindness has led us into confusion abroad, financial chaos and moral decay at home. The first America needs spiritual renewal, so does the second America. America needs moral restoration.
Victory will come through our most powerful weapon, repentance and prayer. We need to pray for those who run our judicial system, public institutions, corporate boardrooms, and legislative halls. We must also become informed and politically active. As Christians we may not be of this world, but we are certainly in it.
Be Informed Be Involved ______ Michael E. Odell
What can you do? For six proven action steps go to Blog Archive at upper right, click on May-11-08, "But What Can I Do?" Pick yours.
Write your Senator or Representative in Washington DC. Tell them: "No" to so called international nation building and no-will to win wars. Yes to building our own nation. Yes to maintaining a strong well-financed voluntary military and let the world know we will use our power justly, swiftly, and totally when needed. Let our military do so in Afghanistan or bring them home.
You may wish to follow this format:
Senator Donna Arrogant
Senate Office Building,
Washington DC, 20510
Senator Arrogant,
Rep Bill Spender
House Office Building,
Washington DC, 20515
Congressman Spender,
COMMENTS: Your thoughts and comments are welcome. E-mail: MichaelOdell@Lycos.com
