First Battalion, Third Marines
MOS: 0311 / Infantry Rifleman
Viet Nam: Sept '67 - Oct '68
Purple Heart Recipient

More than most, I'm entitled to make these comments.

THEN: I supported the overthrow of Saddam Hussein based on Iraq's development and stockpile of weapons of mass destruction and support of al Qaeda.

NOW: 1,500+ American dead. 15,000+ Iraqi dead. No weapons of mass destruction found. No al Qaeda links confirmed.

The Bush administration adopted the spin: Dictator, butcher, mass murder, genocide, world threat, Middle East stability, world democracy, etc. Bottom line. No weapons of mass destruction. No al Qaeda ties.

Whether a legitimate intelligence failure or a political ploy: WE WERE WRONG

Face it. Acknowledge it. Cry.

That said, make no mistake of my support for our troops in the Middle East. We're there. We're committed to establishing a democracy in Iraq. We cannot turn back. In the end I can only hope "the cause is worth the cost."

Want a heavy dose of reality? Click "HERE" . Accept it. If you can't accept it live with it. War. This is part of the cost.

February, 2005