Where I Stand — Mike O’Callaghan: War is our responsibility

Friday, Dec. 7, 2001 | 9:38 a.m.

Mike O'Callaghan is the Las Vegas Sun executive editor.

HAVING YOUNG AMERICANS in harm's way almost halfway around the world makes me keep my eyes and ears open. Yes, my attention has been on Afghanistan and also the fire burning in the Middle East. I'm like most citizens who are concerned about conflicts that directly affect Americans in uniform. The arguments about taxes and other matters being debated in Washington, D.C., seem rather dull when compared to the drama unfolding in the Tora Bora area or in Jerusalem. I have to remind myself that what took place Sept. 11, 2001, is directly related to what does or doesn't happen on the banks of the Potomac River.

We know the quality of our volunteers in uniform who carry their nation's message into combat. Enemies who have taken pleasure in verbally abusing our military forces soon come to learn just how tough Americans can be in battle. Remember all of Saddam Hussein's bragging about his ability to show us the "Mother of All Battles?" In the final showdown his own Republican Guard was the victim in those battles.

We heard the same threats thrown around by the Taliban and the al-Qaida leaders in Afghanistan. Again it was our signal to back off and play dead rather than take them on and lose like the USSR and other countries had done in the past. When the attack on Americans right here at home took place, our enemies should have known that all bets were off and they now faced an angry United States willing to both fight and win. Americans are good in combat and they insist on winning when their homes and quality of life are threatened.

We will have funerals for young people in flag-draped coffins now and in the near future. Their deaths hurt all of us and create a deeper anger because they are in a deadly fight that they didn't ask for but are willing to finish. Our enemies are like the school bully who chased a classmate all the way home. Both of them were surprised to find the door was locked so the youngster who didn't want to fight turned around and thrashed his pursuer.

Old-timers can remember the blue stars in the windows of every American neighborhood during World War II. Each star represented a member of the family who was off to war. After several months more and more of those blue stars were replaced by gold stars showing that another family member had fallen in battle.

Large numbers of American women became members of the Gold Star Mothers organization. Membership qualification was one of both pride and pain. It was certainly not a membership qualification that was sought by any mother. Nevertheless, these fine women joined together to help others carry the painful load put on their shoulders and in their hearts. The war would have ended long before the atom bomb was used in 1945, if the Nazis and followers of the Emperor of Japan had the opportunity to look into the determined eyes of American mothers who had lost their sons. Some of the homes had more than one gold star in their windows and the pain therein was difficult for the rest of us to measure.

Here at home, one of our tasks is to see that our combat forces continue to have the finest weapons needed to complete their jobs successfully. There can be no excuse for American troops having anything but the best equipment, rations and medical care that modern minds can provide. Also they deserve the highest quality of leadership and national support that can be made available. This isn't a war that can be fought on the cheap because some of us would rather buy butter than bullets.

This is our war and it's our job to watch Congress and what takes place in Washington. Anything but the full support of those in the armed forces can't be tolerated. Compared to Afghanistan, what happens in Washington may seem dull, but one of our jobs is to watch it closely and make certain political games don't hurt the efforts of the military. Also we must be willing to shoulder some of the pain other Americans are feeling when losing family members in our armed forces.

When our troops come home we want them to know that we did our best to make their job a bit easier. They must know that while they were away we didn't give away the important qualities of life they were protecting. That's why you and I have the responsibility to keep our eyes on Washington, Carson City and City Hall.