Funny how things work out. After World War II, I waited 50 years before joining the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Don’t ask me why the delay, I don’t even know myself. All I can tell you is that one day I found myself wanting some camaraderie with other vets, even though only a few were of my vintage.

Interestingly enough, I soon found myself nominated for Jr. Vice Commander of the post.  Feeling honored, and at the same time awkward, I asked the Commander, why would they nominate an old timer like me to an important rank after only four months with the post?

“Jim”, he said, “you give a perspective to war, and to veterans, that is invaluable to younger vets like us. We can learn from older veterans like you. So please accept this nomination, we need you.”

With that, how could I refuse the nomination?

But let’s make this clear up front, guys, I am a die-hard patriot who loves this country with a passion that’s difficult to express. If I didn’t love and respect it, and feel that I owed it a debt of gratitude for the kind of life it afforded me, I would never have enlisted in the army right after Pearl Harboe. And I sure wouldn’t have been eager to be sent to the South Pacific where I eventually devoted three years to the security and freedom of my country.

Being separated from family and friends and stuck in a mosquito-infested hotbox for three years, wasn’t my idea of paradise, but still I don’t regret it. Because when the Japanese sneak attack sank nearly all the floating tonnage we had at Pearl, every American, including myself, felt it was our duty to protect ourselves and strike back. We were determined to take the fight right to Japan, and blow hell out of everything that got in our way.

That patriotic fervor was not much different than the adrenaline that flowed when the World Trade Center towers were hit back in 9/11. Just as with Pearl Harbor, Americans were incensed, and began mobilizing a military force to strike back at the enemy who had done this awful thing to us.

When, however, I began comparing the two wars----with Japan and Iraq--- major differences began to stand out which has prompted me to address you young guys in uniform. One difference is, in WWII we knew for certain who we were fighting, why we were fighting, and that we would not get home until the fight was over. We had a reason to be there, and no illusions about our length of service.

In the war with Iraq, however, you guys do NOT know who you are fighting. Why is that? because one day you tangle with civilians and children throwing sticks and stones, and the next day you battle a deadly military consolidation of Sunni and Shiite fighters.

You do NOT know why you are fighting in Iraq. Why is that?  Because you think you are fighting to put terrorism out of business and save the world from dictatorial tyranny. At least that’s what President Bush has been spouting off for the last few years. Fat chance. Terrorism has been with man since the beginning of time and will not be eliminated by defeating Iraq or anybody else. Furthermore, why fight a dictator in Iraq when there has been one 90 miles off the coast of Florida who’s been terrorizing his people for half a century? Why aren’t we cleaning up our own backyard first?

You do NOT know how long you will be fighting in Iraq. Why is that? Because just as with the smaller “rogue” nations we have subdued around the world, American soldiers will go from being conquerors to occupiers, with time of occupation drifting into an interminable future.

So, you see, young soldier, there is a difference in wars. And that difference affects our attitudes towards it.

Now comes some unsolicited advice from the old soldier. Don’t be too hasty in declaring that your government can do no wrong. There is no government that is always right. Not there’s. Not anybody’s. Not even ours

Don’t feel guilty if you have doubts about who and why you are fighting, and if you are doing the right thing. You’re there by government order, but you don’t have to agree with it, and even as soldiers, you are still Americans who have every right to question the administration and expect to get some answers. You’re not voiceless automatons. Not yet anyway.

Don’t take everything you’re told by your President to be true. Politicians, from presidents on down, have a penchant for secrecy, obfuscation, playing it close to the vest, and often flat-out lying. If you doubt any of this. here are three cases in point:

President Bush told us that success in Iraq is paramount to America’s safety. WRONG. Win or lose, the war in Iraq has nothing to do with America’s safety. It didn’t before 9/11, it doesn’t today, and it won’t in the future.

In answering critics of the Iraqi war, Lt. General Sanchez, once the top military officer in Iraq, said that there is no comparison between the situations in Iraq and Vietnam.  WRONG. How could Sanchez make a statement like that? He had never led troops in Vietnam. As far as we can find out, he had never even been in Vietnam.  So how would he know?

There is a coalition force fighting with us in Iraq, therefore our troops are getting all the help they need. WRONG. This administration has alienated so many allied nations that the US is now bearing the brunt of the war in lives and dollars---with no road map for bringing you boys home.

With the fighting in Iraq now spinning out of control, Bush stubbornly insists that we will make Iraq a democracy and free the people, when it is painfully clear that the Iraqi people are suspicious of a democracy, if they even know what the word means. As for freedom, we assumed that rescuing them from a regime of terror would to be freedom enough---but we found out otherwise, didn’t we?

I could go on giving you young soldiers an old soldier’s observations about war, but I think you’re all smart enough to know that what I’m telling you is the truth as I know it.

It took me 50 years to reach these conclusions. I hope it doesn’t take you guys that long.