I've listened to people talk
of push-button wars and watched the missiles and planes
on television. I also noticed an article today that Special Operations
Forces were now in place on board an aircraft carrier and I had
to shake my head, because I know they've been there for over
a month. I spent twenty years in the Special Forces and I also
know there is no such thing as a push button war-not if you want
to win it. I also know the people who least want war are the
ones who have to fight it because they know 
the
reality. It's not Rambo, but quiet professionals who have spent
most of their time in the service overseas, seeing first hand
how people live in other countries.
Some of our people are still in Kosovo trying to
keep people from killing each other-do we care? The peacekeepers
in the Sinai? Those still stationed in Europe who 'fought' the
Cold War for decades? How about those on the DMZ in Korea?
Our people on the ground in Afghanistan know how
the Afghani people are suffering. They've seen it before. Remember
the Kurds? Remember the Montagnards?
Let's remember.
I heard Sebastin Junger, author of A Perfect Storm,
say the truest thing of the past month. He's currently in Afghanistan,
a country where one of three children will die before reaching
adulthood. And he said we can't let people live in such terrible
conditions and expect nothing to come of it. That's the real
war. That's the future.
The real role of Special Forces is to be teachers.
On every 12 man Green Beret A-Team there are two medics. Who
can perform surgery if needed and save lives. Two engineers.
Who know as much about building things as they do about blowing
things up.
So after the missiles and planes have stopped let's
remember the real war is more than just finding the people who
did this. It's helping people have lives where they won't see
flying a plane into a building full of people as a way of striking
at us.
Let's remember.
After World War II we helped rebuild Europe and
Japan. Now they're standing by our side. German pilots are flying
AWACS surveillance
planes over our cities now because our own pilots have deployed.
The real war is going to take a very long time.
It's going to take until a day comes when there are no borders
and no armies.
I grew up in New York City and watched the Towers
go up. My uncles were cops and firemen. Stop for a moment and
think of the hundreds of men and women who went into those buildings
while everyone else was coming out. You can't intellectualize
heroism and you can't deny their sacrifice.
Let's remember.
Point
graduate; a Special Forces A-Team leader; an instructor at the
JFK Special Warfare Center & School at Ft. Bragg, NC; and
grew up in New York City. 