Posted on 07/15/2003 5:34:06 PM PDT by Chi-townChief
For the millions of Americans who were born after the start of World War II, and also those who slept in their post-war history classes, it is a fact that when the boys came marching home, we still had huge armies of men stationed all over Europe, Japan and elsewhere to protect the peace. They were known as the occupational forces — check with your old dads and grandpas. They created economies where they had been devastated; they maintained security and protected millions of displaced people, known as DPs, who had nowhere to go. They fed millions, and — this is the lesson — many were killed for their efforts.
Not all Germans were thrilled to see an occupation force, nor were the fascists in the collar countries. Our army of occupation regularly raided some unsavory areas where pockets of American-haters hung on and were killed for their fanaticism. But some of our soldiers also died. The difference is, we had no TV, and the correspondents felt the after-war was not as exciting and left for home. So the daily kill count was not international news, but it went on for how long? Ten years? Twenty?
It wasn't a few months! Some Japanese island defenders came out of their caves almost 40 or more years later. There were deadlines that, if crossed by an American serviceman, exposed him to possible sniper fire. Check with some of the Pacific vets.
When the death camps were finally liberated, most of the inmates were starved and homeless and not welcomed into the neighboring villages. Our men provided for them and slowly integrated them into the civilized world again. It wasn't easy, and it took great patience and exceptional skill. Europe and the Far East recovered, with our men leading the way, and our sworn enemies became trusted friends.
The media today exploits the rehab situations in Afghanistan and Iraq, as though it should have been over in a few weeks and everyone would be buying Coca-Cola again and watching the Internet. A sniper, a suicide fanatic, the odd Iraqi officer who lost his free lunch-ticket is no different than the humiliated Nazi or the fanatic Samurai. They lost, and they lost big, so they try to harass the rebuilding progress, and unfortunately, some are killed for their stupidity.
Where are Osama and Saddam? Who cares?
After WWII, there were Hitler sightings in every country in South America. There is still a Nazi Party in the United States, protected by our First Amendment, and there are many morons who insist that the holocaust never happened.
So what's the point?
As we uncover mass graves in Iraq, are we to be chastised by our media for not uncovering the famous weapons of mass destruction? A machine gun in the hands of a sadistic Iraqi prison guard is a weapon of mass destruction. Just ask the families of the missing relatives who dared to question the regime. Were we to wait till all the Iraqi people were imprisoned or killed? Or is it just because Gore isn't president?
Well, it would be nice to have them (alive or dead, so long as we can prove it), because it would demoralize the enemy. But that's what we sort of have now (I mean, come on, how many people think they're still alive, or at least still alive and planning new attacks?)
In any case, I won't fault Bush for not catching them or killing them in front of TV cameras. It's not like it's extraordinary that Bush failed to catch them--they had the whole resources of a state at their disposal, and there was a lot of chaos in the area. How hard would it be for Saddam to print up a bunch of new ID cards/passports/etc. for his escape?
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