From Susanne of JazzlTubes
It didn't work:
Someone intended to bring the United States to its knees Tuesday. It didn't work. What happened instead is that the
world has been brought to its feet.
Decent, civilized, freedom-loving people everywhere, on every continent, and especially in the United States, did not back
down. Instead, they came forward -- to rescue, to secure, to offer help, to give blood, to
pray, to console, to do whatever necessary.
Before the extent of the damage and the casualties can even begin to be known, a solid, united and positive resolve has
emerged -- a resolve that we will not allow such evil to prevail.
We are vulnerable, yet we are much less vulnerable than we were two days ago. Because now we truly
understand and appreciate that vulnerability, and we have the unshakable resolve to do something about it. That resolve has come at a
horribly high price, a price that we will continue to pay for a long time to come. And that's all the more reason that we
must, and will, employ that resolve in the service of maintaining and expanding freedom, decency,
and respect for life.
On this day after, our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. Let us pay them the highest honor by
becoming ever stronger and by using our strength in the service of peace and freedom.
Ralph Marston
Open letter to Americans-
Recently, I was asked to look at the recent events through the lens of military history. I have joined the cast of thousands who have written an
"open letter to Americans."
Dear friends and fellow Americans 14 September, 2001
Like everyone else in this great country, I am reeling from last week's attack on our sovereignty. But unlike some, I am not reeling from surprise.
As a career soldier and a student and teacher of military history, I have a different perspective and I think you should hear it.
This war will be won or lost by the American citizens, not diplomats, politicians or soldiers. Let me briefly explain. In spite of what the media,
and even our own government is telling us, this act was not committed by a group of mentally deranged fanatics. To dismiss them as such would be among
the gravest of mistakes. This attack was committed by a ferocious,
intelligent and dedicated adversary.
Don't take this the wrong way. I don't admire these men and I deplore their tactics, but I respect their capabilities. The many parallels that have been
made with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor are apropos. Not only because it was a brilliant sneak attack against a complacent America, but also
because we may well be pulling our new adversaries out of caves 30 years after we think this war is over, just like my father's generation had to do
with the formidable Japanese in the years following WW II.
These men hate the United States with all of their being, and we must not underestimate the
power of their moral commitment. Napoleon, perhaps the world's greatest
combination of soldier and statesman, stated "the moral is to the physical as three is to one." Patton thought the Frenchman underestimated its
importance and said moral conviction was five times more important in battle than physical strength. Our enemies are willing - better said anxious-to
give their lives for their cause.
How committed are we America? And for how long? In addition to demonstrating great moral conviction, the recent attack demonstrated a
mastery of some of the basic fundamentals of warfare taught to most military officers worldwide, namely simplicity, security and surprise. When I first
heard rumors that some of these men may have been trained at our own Air War College, it made perfect sense to me. This was not a random act of violence,
and we can expect the same sort of military competence to be displayed in the battle to come.
This war will escalate, with a good portion of it happening right here in the good ol' U.S. of A. These men will not go easily into the night. They
do not fear us. We must not fear them. In spite of our overwhelming conventional strength as the world's only "superpower" (a truly silly term),
we are the underdog in this fight.
As you listen to the carefully scripted rhetoric designed to prepare us for the march for war, please realize that
America is not equipped or seriously trained for the battle ahead. To be certain, our soldiers are much better than the enemy, and we have some
excellent "counter-terrorist" organizations, but they are mostly trained for hostage rescues, airfield seizures, or the occasional "body snatch," (which
may come in handy). We will be fighting a war of annihilation, because if their early efforts are any indication, our enemy is ready and willing to
die to the last man.
Eradicating the enemy will be costly and time consuming. They have already deployed their forces in as many as 20 countries, and are likely living the
lives of everyday citizens. Simply put, our soldiers will be tasked with a search and destroy mission on multiple foreign landscapes, and the public
must be patient and supportive until the strategy and tactics can be worked out.
For the most part, our military is still in the process of redefining itself and presided over by men and women who grew up with - and were promoted
because they excelled in - Cold War doctrine, strategy and tactics. This will not be linear warfare, there will be no clear "centers of gravity" to
strike with high technology weapons.
Our vast technological edge will certainly be helpful, but it will not be decisive. Perhaps the perfect
metaphor for the coming battle was introduced by the terrorists themselves aboard the hijacked aircraft-this will be a knife fight, and it will be won
or lost by the ingenuity and will of citizens and soldiers, not by software or smart bombs. We must also be patient with our military leaders.
Unlike Americans who are eager to put this messy time behind us, our adversaries have time on their side, and they will use it. They plan to
fight a battle of attrition, hoping to drag the battle out until the American public loses its will to fight. This might be difficult to believe
in this euphoric time of flag waving and patriotism, but it is generally acknowledged that America lacks the stomach for a long fight. We need only
look as far back as Vietnam, when North Vietnamese General Vo Nguyen Giap (also a military history teacher) defeated the United States of America
without ever winning a major tactical battle. American soldiers who marched to war cheered on by flag waving Americans in 1965 were reviled and spat
upon less than three years later when they returned.
Although we hope that Usama Bin Laden is no Giap, he is certain to understand and employ the concept. We can expect not only large doses of
pain like the recent attacks, but! also less audacious "sand in the gears" tactics, ranging from livestock infestations to attacks at water supplies
and power distribution facilities. These attacks are designed to hit us in our "comfort zone" forcing the average American to "pay more and play less"
and eventually eroding our resolve.
But it can only work if we let it. It is clear to me that the will of the American citizenry - you and I - is the
center of gravity the enemy has targeted. It will be the fulcrum upon which victory or defeat will turn. He believes us to be soft, impatient, and
self-centered. He may be right, but if so, we must change. The Prussian general Carl von Clausewitz, (the most often quoted and least read military
theorist in history), says that there is a "remarkable trinity of war" that is composed of the (1) will of the people, (2) the political leadership of
the government, and (3) the chance and probability that plays out on the field of battle, in that order.
Every American citizen was in the crosshairs of last Tuesday's attack, not just those that were unfortunate enough to be in the World Trade Center or
Pentagon. The will of the American people will decide this war. If we are to win, it will be because we have what it takes to persevere through a few
more hits, learn from our! mistakes, improvise, and adapt. If we can do
that, we will eventually prevail.
Everyone I've talked to In the past few days has shared a common frustration, saying in one form or another "I just wish I could do
something!" You are already doing it. Just keep faith in America, and continue to support your President and military, and the outcome is certain.
If we fail to do so, the outcome is equally certain.
God Bless America
Dr. Tony Kern, Lt Col, USAF (Ret)
Former Director of Military History, USAF Academy
Dee (FireLady)
FireLady's Domain
