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IPFS News Link • WAR: About that War

Why They Died in Vain

• Laurence M. Vance

Since the beginning of the war in Iraq, I have unequivocally maintained several things about the deaths of U.S. troops. Every one of the 4,450 U.S. soldiers who has died so far in Iraq has died unnecessarily, senselessly, for a lie, and in vain.

This latter point struck a nerve with a reader of a recent article of mine on the Iraq war, "What If Iraq Had Weapons of Mass Destruction?," that was reprinted by LibertarianChristians.com. Although my critic didn’t "necessarily disagree" with some of my conclusions, he did "disagree on one major point":

The soldiers did not die in vain. There is now a chance for freedom in a country that did not have it, if that is in vain then we all must question our purpose here on earth. I would not insult their families or their honor by reprinting such an inflammatory statement.

Does this mean there was no "chance for freedom" in Iraq before the United States invaded? A look at what has happened to oppressive regimes in the Middle East this year should answer that question. One bullet put by an Iraqi into the head of Saddam Hussein could have given Iraq a "chance for freedom." There was always a "chance for freedom" in Iraq. And even if there wasn’t, who is to say that the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and thousands of U.S. troops is a price that should have been paid to give Iraq a "chance for freedom"? Is my critic willing to sacrifice one of his children so Iraq can have a "chance for freedom"? I don’t think so.