Let Us Now Praise Brave Men and Women : High marks, to date, for U.S. military in Haiti

Troop transports overshoot the airport or land on the wrong island. Dozens of American soldiers are caught in an ambush and sent home in body bags. An American platoon, overheated from all the tension of being on the uncertain ground of a foreign land, inadvertently wipes out a small village and creates an instant anti-American cause celebre .

These are the scenes of horror that dog America whenever foreign intervention is proposed. These are the visions that keep U.S. military planners awake at night as they contemplate the risky mission that has been assigned them.

And, indeed, if any one of these nightmare scenarios had occurred in Haiti, can’t you just imagine the headlines? And all the second guessing (and, yes, all the critical newspaper editorials)? But none of this has happened in Haiti. Not yet, anyway; and maybe (just maybe) never.

Let us all hope for the best. And--in optimistic anticipation of the pivotal and perhaps decisive moment when Lt. Gen. Raoul Cedras steps down (which diplomatic sources said would occur today)--let us now praise brave men and women.

Let us honor the tremendous courage of the U.S. Special Forces who, up in the north of Haiti, have rather quietly but firmly established a measure of order. And let us also note that U.S. Special Forces have been backed at times by a platoon of Army Rangers--a joint operation that’s yet another example of the growing cooperation and integration of all parts of our armed forces, under the modern military philosophy initiated by former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell and carried forward by his successor, Gen. John Shalikashvili.

And let us praise the bravery of the U.S. Marines who early on avoided an ambush, stood up to the Haitian policemen in Cap Haitien and, in that one tragically bloody but apparently seminal operation, not only dodged the bullet that no doubt would have traumatized U.S. domestic opinion but also laid down the line that American troops would be every bit as tough as they had to be.

And let us praise the unsung American military geniuses who, back at the bases in America, school, train and prepare our troops to brave the dangers of the front line. As Colin Powell used to say so often during the Gulf War, has there ever been a better prepared, equipped and trained army in the history of the world? So let us give our military tremendous credit for that.

Let all of us also give credit where credit is due, and that is to the commander of the operation in Haiti: Gen. Hugh Shelton. Did the Los Angeles Times (or many other U.S. papers) editorially support this invasion? Absolutely not. Did the American military welcome the opportunity? Not a whole lot, according to all the reporting. But when the President gave the word, the military was ready. They had done the planning, the forces had received the training, the operation went off like a dream.

Not one American soldier has been killed under fire. Of course, that could all change in a second. Potential disaster lies behind every hill, tree, village. Disaster also lies in the ever-present potential for casualties by friendly fire. And disaster lies in the very nature of the mission: For the American forces are not equipped or trained to reconstruct a failed nation. They are designed to defend, attack, repel--and that’s a whole different deal. But there they are now in Haiti, coping as best they can. And doing it remarkably, almost unbelievably well, at least so far.

Let us now praise our brave men and women. And be very thankful indeed.