Letter to the Editor: Military Strength

It is hard for me to accept what our president is doing to our military and our country. When Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel announced they were going to cut back our military to pre-World War II status, I wasn’t surprised.

Let me see if I have this straight: Hagel is the Secretary of Defense and he wants to cut our military to the bone when our enemies are building up theirs. Did Barack Obama order Hagel to do this to harm our country?

In 1941, when we were at pre-World War II status, we were attacked by tiny Japan, and two days later Germany declared war on us.

In 1950, when we were at pre-World War II status, Stalin’s Russia-backed North Korea’s army attacked South Korea after we had pulled most of our troops out. We were fortunate in both instances to have been afforded enough time to recover. With the weapons our enemy has today, we don’t have that time.

Think of the time and effort it will take to put pilots back in the cockpits of our planes that have been grounded by the proposed cut in our military. How long do you think it will take to man our aircraft carriers and get them combat ready after being mothballed and dry-docked for some time?

I am a Korean War veteran and, like the rest of this country’s veterans, I am disgusted what Obama is doing to our military. With the situation in the Ukraine, Obama needs to draw another red line.

It’s becoming clearer what Obama meant when he leaned over and remarked to the Russian diplomat, “I can be more flexible after I am re-elected.” This arrogant statement just gave Putin the green light.

Don Reyher
Wiley, CO