Opinion: Soldiers fight wars, not give their opinions about them

To the editor: David Max Korzen’s “disdain for the Iraq war” causes him, even on Veterans Day, to react tersely when people thank him for his service. He misunderstands the appropriate professional role of the armed services and in doing so hints at the decreasing professionalization of our military. (“One veteran’s unease when hearing, ‘Thanks for your service,’” Opinion, Nov. 10)

The decision to go to war is a function of politics to be performed by civilian politicians. Civilian control of the military, an important precept of our democracy, should result in the military exercising readiness and combat expertise in an objective fashion, detached from a subjective evaluation of strategic decisions.

Unfortunately, Korzen is not alone in his attitude. Without a draft, volunteer participation is dependent on the attitude that the value of going to war in particular circumstances is acceptable. Since there are not enough people to adopt that attitude, we bribe people to join up with enlistment bonuses and perks. We also offer incentives such as variations of the post-World War II GI Bill.

Civilian leaders should make decisions based on the necessarily subjective evaluation of our national interest. Professionals should apply their expertise in a manner that serves a client objectively and effectively, period.

Stephen Sloane, Lomita

The writer is a retired Navy captain.

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To the editor: It’s comforting to know that I am not alone in feeling awkward about receiving the now obligatory “thanks for your service” from people who are not serving in the military.

I served in Vietnam, but as a sailor off the coast I was never in any real danger. I didn’t like the war, but my number was coming up and I wasn’t committed enough to resist the draft by going to jail or Canada as some of my friends did. So I took the path of least resistance.

I believe that the current perfunctory “thanks” should be reserved for those who have done more than just show up: those who spent their time in actual combat, were wounded or were awarded medals for bravery. I just did what I had to do to get through it. The best you could say is that I did my duty.

No thanks should be owed to anyone who just does what is expected — no trophies for participation. For those who exhibited real courage by either fighting in or resisting bad wars, thanks for your service.

Robert Huber, Yorba Linda

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