Re: Gen. Bradley

[<RonaldS842@aol.com>]

In a message dated 3/29/02 2:16:03 AM, Jhk789@aol.com writes:

<< > The Korean War was the right war, in the right place, and at the right 
> time. 

Didn't Gen. Bradley say the other way around?

John2
 >>

Hi John2-

   In 1951 General of the Army Omar N. Bradley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs 
of Staff made the statement "wrong time, wrong place, wrong war." What most 
people don't seem to remember is that the original nature of the chairman's 
statement. Bradley had been referring to General MacArthur's proposal to 
expand the war geographically and employ weapons of mass destruction after 
China had entered the conflict. And these critics perhaps did not know that 
Bradley had been alone among the country's senior officers in objecting to 
the exclusion of Korea from the list of stategegic lands prior to the war. 
Given the context of the questions posed in 1954 General Bradley would have 
undoubtedly agreed with the responce given by Truman's military detractors.

Van Fleet: Well, certainly not. I have often made a statement that it was the 
right war at the right place and the right time against the right enemy and 
with the right allies, thinking of the Koreans as very worthy Friends.

Admiral C. Turner Joy: Quite the contrary. It was a war of deep significance 
in a battle area which held many advantages for the United Nations. 
Furthermore it was very timely from the standpoint of resisting Communist 
aggression. With the excellent bases in Japan, with the capabilities of 
flying carrier based planes over the entire peninsula and with the coast line 
that lent itself admirably to bombardment missions in support of the Army, 
the Navy could not have fought in a more favorable distant area from the 
United States.

   Those who called it "wrong war at the wrong place at the wrong time", 
failed to comprehend that the truely just wars are fought, not because they 
are convenient, but because a failure to resist, a failure to fight, would be 
morally wrong. There are, quite simply, conditions worse than war.

Ron