WWII comparison misguided

Two recent letters critical of Rebecca Nappi’s Aug. 6 column (“War in Iraq won’t end with parades”) can’t go unanswered. An Aug. 12 letter stated “this war…is just as necessary and required as WWII” (“Iraq was as needed as WWII”). As a member of the WWII generation, I find that as offensive as it is wrong. Anyone with the slightest knowledge of that war knows better.

The other letter (“War yielding a bright future,” Aug. 13), aside from uncalled-for snipping at Ms. Nappi, gets carried away with praise for this Iraq war’s accomplishments (“The future is bright. Freedom is blossoming, etc.”)

The writer forgot to mention that , by attacking Iraq, we didn’t achieve our president’s mistaken goals of (1) finding all those WMDs and (2) defeating Saddam in retaliation for his part in the 9-11 attack.

But to ask, “Can anyone say that the results (of this war) aren’t worth the price?” is to forget that such judgement can be made only by those who are paying the price: our troops and their families. The rest of us, including our leaders, have paid nothing. (Which, by the way, is in stark contrast to WWII.) Even the dollar cost of this war is being deferred - requiring surviving GIs and their offspring to help to pay for it in future years.

Bob McClure

Post Falls, ID

The Spokesman Review