Letters

Gul

I do not have mixed emotions. I am totally in support of our troops in the Persian Gulf and wish them every success, with as few casualties as possible [COVER STORY, March 31]. I am opposed to our Administration, however, for having launched this war. Iraq was not a threat to the U.S. We had no proof of its weapons of mass destruction. We did not use the U.N. inspectors to full advantage, and although we will militarily achieve our objective, we have no idea of the myriad problems that a postwar Middle East will present.
GERALD JAFFE
San Diego

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The President's decision to go to war was a hard one, and I stand behind it. Let's pray that members of our military come home safely. We should also pray for President Bush. I'm sure the decisions he makes in the days to come will be hard, and he will require the support of his country.
DEBORAH WILSON
Spartanburg, S.C.

Gulf war I was undertaken primarily to liberate Kuwait from the Iraqi army's occupation. To call the current conflict Gulf War II is not quite right, since this war has the completely different goal of liberating Iraq from a stifling regime that deprives its citizens of basic human rights and freedoms.
LARRY DAHLEEN
Forest Lake, Minn.

Word of Their Boys

It was so comforting to see the name of my son Marine Lance Corporal Tyrell Joyner, who was mentioned in Simon Robinson's story "Dispatches from the Front" [WITH THE TROOPS, March 31]. We have not seen him or his brother Corporal Shane Joyner since January, and we haven't been able to send them many letters or packages. I wish I could tell them I love them so much and that they are in my prayers constantly and in the prayers of all their family.
TAMMY (JOYNER) HOOVER
Yerington, Nev.

I was glad to read that Simon Robinson was traveling with the Marines of the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. My son Private First Class Benjamin Farmer is in that battalion. Thank you for a picture of where he was and what he was doing.
DAVID FARMER
Kingsburg, Calif.

Against the Tide

In "Voices Of Outrage," your story on antiwar activists, I was misquoted, allowing a reader to infer that a quick end to the conflict in Iraq was not in the interest of the peace movement, as it would boost the Administration's doctrine of military pre-emption [DISSENT, March 31]. Seeking to minimize loss of life is the primary purpose of our antisanctions network. Watching the conflict devolve into the nightmare we predicted is no consolation; it is the worst-case scenario. I protest against the war, but I also join faith groups in daily prayer for all the combatants and families who stand to suffer in this ongoing tragedy.
MIKE ZMOLEK
ENDTHEWAR.ORG Washington

In a matter of weeks or months, we will know as a country whether we have made a terrible mistake or have freed a democracy- deprived nation. Whether or not we should be there, the legitimacy of engaging Iraq is not the most important matter of discussion anymore. It is more important to return our loyal men and women home quickly and safely and honor them for doing their job well.
NICOLE MARX
Lancaster, Ohio

The Contradictions of War

I was amazed by your photo essay about the first week of Gulf War II, "At Close Range" [IMAGES OF WAR, March 31]. I was especially impressed by James Hill's photograph of coalition medics and burned Iraqis in the back of a truck. It took me a moment to realize that it was an Iraqi holding a plasma bag while an American and a Briton applied first aid. While their countrymen were a few yards away trying to kill one another, an American, a Briton and an Iraqi were cooperating to save a life.
DAN CLINKMAN
Washington

Saddam's Psyche

Given Saddam Hussein's belief that he cannot be defeated, how can we expect him to lie down and give up [UNDERSTANDING SADDAM, March 31]? His megalomania makes it impossible for him to allow his people to see him as anything less than a god. We asked Saddam to disarm, and in the same breath we told him if he didn't, we would use force. How could we have expected him to disarm and leave his people defenseless?
DEBRA AMOS
Jacksonville, Fla.

Let Us Count the Days

TIME's list of the most significant days of the past eight decades, "80 Days That Changed the World" [SPECIAL SECTION, March 31], was an extraordinary treat. What a blessing in these days of war, economic disappointment and fear. It was a pleasure to open a publication and find hope instead of page after page filled with political fights, death and disaster. We needed a reminder of when progress and hope took center stage. You made my day.
LETITIA J. WILLIAMS
Morrow, Ohio

Please add a day to your list! How in the world did you leave out June 25, 1950, the day North Korea invaded South Korea? Not only did that day have an enormous impact on geopolitics, but it also irreparably changed the lives of the survivors of the 37,000 Americans who died in the conflict. Shame on you!
WILLIAM P. ALKIRE
San Jose, Calif.