At approximately 6:00 p.m. C.S.T. Wednesday, January 16, the United States lauched an air strike against Iraq and its leader Saddam Hussein. Seven days later, it seems this is far from over. The United States military is involved in a war…the first major war since Vietnam. However, are the American people truly supporting our military?

Vietnam brought huge turmoil to our nation, and it still affects America today. The number of peace rallies which occured in the years of the Vietnam War is indefinite. Those rallies had a strong effect on the American people, Kent State, for example, left some activists dead. Perhaps some of the opposing rallies were not as peaceful as many would have hoped.

I believe in peace and do not want war or death in any situation. However, the United States has passed that point. What our soldiers need now is our support. In laymen’s terms the men and women in the Middle East need their “Home Team” to root for them. We can’t afford to look at the “Big Picture” any longer nor can we focus on each fault in government decisions. The greater our support, the higher the morale, and hopefully this will lead to a swift victory over the Iraqi government.

I would like to start an organization to support our soldiers…no war or anti-war rallies, just simple support for the Americans in the Persian Gulf. If you are interested in helping, please call. The number is in the DeKalb phone book.

J. Tegtmeier

Graduate Student

Industrial Supervision