Laurence M. Vance [send him mail] writes from Pensacola, FL. He regularly contributes articles and book reviews to both secular and religious periodicals.

The civil war in Korea from 1950 to 1953 that the United States foolishly intervened in, and, for the first time for a major conflict, without a
congressional declaration of war, is known as the Forgotten War. The
number of American soldiers killed in this senseless war is over
36,000. Yet, Korea remains divided at the 38^th parallel to
this day just like it was before the war began. Talk about dying in
vain. None of these soldiers died in defense of the United States; all
of them died for the United Nations, for the foolish policies of Harry
Truman, and for the failed diplomacy of World War II.

Most Americans have no idea that there are still over 24,000 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea (some no doubt the grandchildren of the
soldiers who fought in the Korean War). Fewer still probably know
anything about the war that put them there in the first place.

There is another war that, incredibly, is fast becoming a forgotten war: the war in Iraq. I lamented last year at this time that we didn't hear much
about the war in Iraq anymore. Even though candidate Barack Obama
pledged in 2007 that the first thing he would do if elected was bring
the troops home and end the war, the war wasn't an issue in the 2008
election. And before the electoral vote was even counted, Democratic
opposition to the war had evaporated.

Now, on the seventh anniversary of the unconstitutional, immoral, aggressive, unjust, unnecessary, manufactured, manipulated, and senseless war that
is the war in Iraq, the escalation of the war in Afghanistan has
eclipsed any mention of the ongoing war in Iraq. And this in spite of
the fact that there are still 130,000 U.S. troops in Iraq.

When I wrote about the Iraq war on its third anniversary, 2,317 American soldiers had died for a lie. On the fourth
anniversary, that number had risen to 3,218. On the fifth, it
was up to 3,992. Last year, on the sixth
anniversary of the war, the number of dead American soldiers rose to
4,259. Currently, the death toll is at 4,385, with 157 of those deaths
since Obama became the new commander in chief.

But, it is said, look how the number of deaths per year has fallen. Agreed. But that is no consolation to the father, mother, wife, or child of the
soldiers who died
in
vain and for
a
lie yesterday, last week, or last month.

Although combat deaths are decreasing in Iraq (but certainly not in Afghanistan), increasing among returning soldiers are suicides,
PTSD, broken families, substance abuse, unemployment, horrible
memories, lingering injuries, shattered dreams, acts of violence, and
criminal activity. And of course, the war is still costing the American
taxpayers billions of dollars a week.

But even if only one American soldier had died since last month, even if only one American soldier had died since the last anniversary of the war,
even if only one American soldier had died since Obama took office, and
even if only one American had died since the beginning of the war, that
would still be one too many.

Only the grossly naïve still think that those fighting and dying in Iraq are doing so for our freedoms or to keep us safe from terrorism. The
truth is rather that since the war on terrorism began our freedoms have
steadily deteriorated and we have created more terrorists

Before the United States invaded Iraq, not one American had been killed by an Iraqi since the previous time we invaded that country. But no U.S.
soldier had to die in either war against Iraq. Bringing "democracy" to
Iraq, ridding the country of Saddam Hussein, and destroying Iraq's
weapons of war were not worth the life of one American. They were not
worth the shedding of one drop of American blood.

But that's not all. No Iraqi soldiers had to die, no Iraqi civilians had to die, and no Iraqi children had to die between the wars because of brutal
U.S. sanctions.

Yet, Americans who have lamented the senseless deaths of American soldiers, not to mention the deaths of countless numbers of Iraqis, and denounced
this war from the beginning are the ones who have been labeled
unpatriotic, un-American, communists, and traitors. This callous
disregard for human life — American and Iraqi — is appalling, and
especially among those who call themselves pro-lifers.

If you love what is left of our republic and want America to be loved instead of hated, blessed instead of cursed, admired instead of despised, and
emulated instead of attacked, then you should want the United States to
get out of Iraq and the Middle East — and stay out. Oh, it might take
years, even decades, to restore America to favor in the eyes of world,
but we must start sometime if it ever has a chance of coming to pass.

Do I think U.S. troops will ever leave Iraq? I can answer that with a question: Does the United States still have troops in South Korea?

Copyright © 2010 by LewRockwell.com. Permission to
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