The War Comes to Southeastern Idaho

Southeastern Idaho is beautiful in summer, especially this year with ample rainfall. On June 18th the front page of the Idaho Falls paper, the Post Register, carried the sad and solemn story of the funeral of a young man from St. Anthony who died serving his country in Iraq. This is the second such funeral in Southeastern Idaho. Statistically, two deaths is not an overwhelming number, but to the individuals, families, and small towns affected, the burden is very heavy. This part of Idaho is generally conservative by nature, Republican by party, and Latter-day Saint by religion. These are patriotic people, and they can bear this burden. There is 100% support for the troops, and no one doubts the honor and nobility of the sacrifices made.

And yet…On the following day the Post Register ran the following stories. On page one: an article on the Downing Street memos and an article on volunteers helping military families. On page three: an article on President Bush’s pledge of victory. On page five: an article on parents uniting to stop recruiters. On page nine: an article headlined “One-time supporters of Iraq war now have questions,” an article on our latest offensive in Iraq, and a list of war casualties.

In the absence of the weapons of mass destruction and ties to 9-11, is the war in Iraq worth the life of even one young man from Idaho? Milestones in Iraq have come and gone: the fall of Baghdad, the “mission accomplished” end of major combat operations, the capture of Saddam, the transfer of power, the election. The Vice President seems to think the insurgency is on its last legs, yet, the war goes on, and public doubts are growing. Support for the war has slowly declined, to the point where a majority believes the war was a mistake, and half believe Bush deliberately misled them on WMDs.

No one knows when or how this war will end. The war is not, at least not yet, a truly partisan issue. Support and opposition have been bipartisan, but probably more doubts are being felt by the Democrats than by Republicans. If a decade from now Iraq is still gripped by violence, civil war, anarchy, a brutal dictator, or an anti-American, fundamentalist, the effect on the American psyche will be profound, right down to the families and small towns that are making such sacrifices today. If, and it is a big if, Americans come to believe we were lied into an endless occupation that is taking the lives of America’s best young men and women without making America safer, there should be more than a moment of accountability for those who led us there.

Leo Brown | July 6, 2005 | Comment on This Post (0 so far) Permalink: The War Comes to Southeastern Idaho

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