Here we are fighting with each other while refighting the war. I
knew about as much about that war than a hog knows about Sunday
when I was fighting there. I suspect this is true with the rest of
you.
I have no idea how a
30-year-old officer felt when he looked at the faces of a bunch of
19-year-old kids, and decided which of them to send out on a dangerous
night patrol. Now that I am older I realize this must have been an
awesome responsibility.
And an even more
awesome responsibility fell on those officers who had to decide when and
where to send 5,000 or 10,000 of these 19-year-old kids. These officers
were soldiers, and I know they agonized over the deaths of the other
soldiers who died as a result of these decisions.
It is easy for writers to
gather a lot of information, after the fact, and criticize officers who
had to make decisions without the benefit of such
information.
Read Gen. MacArthur's
Farewell Address to Congress about "leaving your gallant sons in Korea,"
and then judge him. He said we were "splendid in every way." I think it
was splendid of him to say
this.