The US and Israel: Fighting Together

SGT

In November, 2001, I was in New York. I remember walking down the street and seeing a fire truck, American flag proudly waving. I stopped and said to one of the fireman, "I just got here from Jerusalem. We're all with you." He smiled and thanked me.

The other day I saw video of fire trucks up north racing to the site of a missile attack with large Israeli flags proudly waving. But this isn't 9/11. This is worse. This is Al Qaeda shooting at Manhattan from Queens.

Today we lost 9 boys. Dozens of others have been injured. We were told tonight by our Prime Minister that this will not last months. My response to that statement: I don't care how long it lasts, just get it done. But I'm not in a shelter. I did spend my share of years in Jerusalem while bombs were going off all the time. Buses, pizza shops, open malls and any other type of public arena were all targeted. I lost count of the number I heard. I can still see the horrible sights if I think about the bombings to which I was witness. So maybe I do have a say.

I know that if we stop before we're done, if we do not eradicate Hezbollah, defeat it to the point that it no longer poses a threat to Israel's Northern communities, we will not only face them again later, we will lose deterrent power. Israel is facing the same problem the U.S. is facing in Iraq. But there really is no problem. Defeating the enemy is the only solution.

People have been told again and again that this war, this Global War on Terror, will take years, tens of years. The world, reluctant to accept that there are things worth fighting and dying for, is fighting us. Calls today by Kofi Annan, the Italian Foreign Minister and Lebanese Prime Minister for an immediate cease fire (on the part of Israel, since they did not once name Hezbollah) nearly overshadowed the brave stance of the United States' Secretary Rice.

Israel and the U.S. are two lights unto the nations. Together they must continue to fight. Together they must not give in to the calls for surrender. If either goes, the other will too.

This fight is ours together.