Posted on 04/02/2006 3:39:58 PM PDT by Laverne
Retired Army Gen. Carl W. Stiner minced no words about the need for the United States continued presence in Iraq at the annual Lincoln Day dinner Friday.
``We're facing the most crucial time in the nation that I've seen in my lifetime,'' said the veteran, who added that the war on terrorism began long before 9-11.
Stiner, who was introduced by U.S. Rep. James J. Duncan Jr., spoke in a packed William Blount High School cafeteria. The fund-raising dinner was hosted by the Blount County Republican Party.
Stiner maintains that the global war on terrorism, which he said has been renamed the Long War, began not with 9-11, but actually in 1979 with the taking of the U.S. embassy in Tehran.
He cited the bombing of Pan Am 103 in 1988, the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993, and the bombing of the USS Cole in October 2000 as further acts of terrorism leading to 9-11.
``All were carried out by Muslim extremists,'' he said.
Stiner does not lay the blame for these acts of terrorism at the feet of any president or political party in the United States. He said that it is the extremists who are responsible, and that there are between 39 to 52 million of them who are, as he put it, ``ready and willing martyrs.''
``They have hijacked their own religion,'' he said; ``9-11 was an attack on our freedom and our society. They did it all with 19 men and three airplanes. We should never forget what they were able to do to us on 9-11.''
He drew a grim picture of what he feels would happen if the U.S. withdrew from Iraq now.
``We would no longer be the premier nation in the world,'' he warned.
If that were the case, he feels the U.S. would lose support from other nations, and the extremists would win.
``If we can't stop them, how can anyone else, and who would be willing to try?'' he pointed out.
He stated that full support must be given to the war on terrorism and that criticism aids and abets the enemy. The war is better to fought abroad than at home, he added.
Experienced leader
The retired four-star general has served in such places as Korea, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia and Panama, where he was the operational commander of all forces employed in Operation Just Cause in Panama in December 1989.
The Lafollette native was promoted to brigadier general in 1980, then advanced to major general in 1984, when he was appointed commanding general of the Joint Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, N.C.
In 1987, Stiner became commanding general of the 82nd Airborne Division, then held the same rank with the XVIII Airborne Corps, where he was designated commander of the Joint Task Force South.
In 1990, he was promoted to rank of general and became second commander in chief of the U.S. Special Operations Command, headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida.
He was involved in the capture of terrorists in the Achille Lauro hijacking, the Panama invasion, and the capture of drug lord Manuel Noriega. Another special operations mission Stiner participated in was providing support for activities during Operation Desert Storm in the Gulf War.
Stiner, who retired from the military in 1993, continues to be involved in defense-related work. ``I serve as a senior mentor for upcoming junior leaders,'' he said.
Stiner remains optimistic for the future.
``Our future is bright,'' he said. ``We have always come through when we're united as a nation. The future does not belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave.''
``If we can't stop them, how can anyone else, and who would be willing to try?''
There it is in a nut shell~!
"Shane, Shane! Don't go!"
It's doing what has to be done.
Steiner is one of the good guys; his daughter and mine used to ride (equestrian) together when he was stationed at MacDill AFB. I especially like the fact that he is mentoring the younger leaders coming up. Its retired generals like Steiner, as opposed to say Zini, who get it and I'm pleased he is speaking out.
Stiner lives here in my town. One great man.
We have highways named for him, etc. I came close to buying a home very near his.
A local hero who is also very good to this community here.
``They have hijacked their own religion,'' he said;
No, their own religion has hijacked and masqueraded as anything that could be considered true religion. Islam's source documents and history are the true problem, not just the 39-52 million "extremists" he notes. There are plently more waiting in the wings to take their positions should we kill all of the so called extremists. As Churchill wrote nearly a century ago, Islam may be the greatest retrograde force in the history of mankind which was long before the current crop of extremists came along.
Were it only so easy as killing those currently identified as extremists.
May not have been born during the Berlin airlift, or the Cuban crisis or the 1973 crisis, but I doubt it. I suspect hyperbole.
Hello, Murtha, Turban and all you cowardly, treasonous dividers. Listen to your betters. Listen to a patriot. Too bad you don't have consciences to listen to.
Leni
"``If we can't stop them, how can anyone else, and who would be willing to try?'' he pointed out."
- Once again the fate the world rests on our shoulders.
I suspect you may not be a history buff - past or present
and that fate is also ours - so we'd best buck up
What if the war on Islamo-fascism is compromised by Bush's bad policies at home?
What if the American people stop trusting Republicans because they think Republican policies are globalist instead of America-first?
I think you should consider the implication of Bush's plummeting popularity numbers.
He's running out of friends, and so is the RNC. If the RNC can't hold onto its leadership because of its stalwart refusal to give up on "free trade" and open borders, are you going to be happy with a DNC-controlled country?
I think other topics deserve their thread too
There are certainly enough "border" threads to discuss the issue - yes it's crucial, but it is not the only issue in the world that deserves discussion
Hmmm. Actually, I was the one who brought up history and noted there was some historical knowledge lacking in the logic of using the superlative.
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