Death of innocent difficult to justify

Debbie Peterson -- Staff Column

Life would be so much easier if every situation was black and white, if there was a clear and unmistakable right and wrong decision for every circumstance.

I am torn on my views of this war. I can neither fully support it nor fully oppose it. Each side has ideas that I disagree with. In the end, I am left simply wishing that the outcome did not require the loss of life.

I can understand the need for war for our own safety as a nation and people, America must end the threat of terrorism. We have already been attacked, and American lives have already been lost. As a country it is our responsibility to unite to protect ourselves and those we love from danger.

I also want to support those who have been sent into battle. They are courageous individuals with whom this country depends upon and respects. Their lives are now being held in the balance, determining America's and Iraq's future.

These young men and women choose the path that led them to their current destination. In an article written by Joe Palmersheim about the SCSU ROTC, printed in last Thursday's edition of the Chronicle, Master Sgt. Vos's states that, "If you are in the military [war] can always happen...You kind of just accept it, and if you can't, you are in the wrong business."

Our soldiers knew that they could be asked to die for their country; it is a part of their job, and I honor and respect those who pay the ultimate price for my freedom. I support America's troops, but they accepted the possibility of death the day they signed on.

But many innocent people--people who never signed on the dotted line--are being killed in the name of ensuring my own American freedom. The death of the innocent is the reason why I cannot fully support this war.

I am saddened because I am sure that those Iraqi civilians want that same freedom. They want to be able to live each day without the constant prospect of death. Who could say that I deserve that freedom more than they do? We are both human, similar in body and mind; chance has just placed us in opposing nations. Those who are being killed simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time are just as innocent as those who were unwittingly going about their daily business on Sept. 11.

This subject has too many factors and levels for anyone involved to be completely innocent or guilty. I cannot say who is right and who is wrong, because both sides are guilty of actions that I disagree with. This is why I am torn, why I cannot actively decide to support either side.

The only thing that I am sure of is that I hope the end is near. I pray that the least possible number of people will lose their lives.

---

Debbie Peterson can be reached at [email protected]