Long, drawn-out wars are not the solution

I hope all your readers read the July 22 guest column from David Goldfield (“Civil War lesson”). It was a terrible slaughter, and for what? Because the politicians on both sides could not come to some sensible compromise.

This is a pattern of all our wars lately. Our right-wing politicians just love to fight wars for really questionable reasons. And we never solve any problems. After seeing a movie on the Korean War (of which I am a veteran), where thousands of prisoners were never returned, I would have to ask just what we resolved there. I was there during the prisoner of war exchanges and the North Korean prisoners were in great shape; ours sure were not. Now the North Koreans have rockets that will reach California. Boy, we sure took care of that problem.

We knew where the Taliban training camps in Afghanistan were located. One well-placed bomb would have taken care of that. Why get hundreds of Americans killed in a war that has never been won by any of the other countries involved there over history?

When we are attacked, fight back with everything we have. Don't waste U.S. lives with drawn-out wars. Then maybe these eastern countries would leave us alone.

David Thomas Suchomel Sr.

Cedar Rapids