War no trifling matter, by ground or by air

In the “troubles” with ISIS, it seems that politicians are eager to pledge that they are against putting “boots on the ground” in that conflict. But they are oddly eager to commit “butts in the air”! Remember in Vietnam it was the butts in the air that wound up in the Hanoi Hilton. As brutal as the North Vietnamese were with their prisoners, I don’t believe they ever beheaded one or set one on fire! Say a prayer for our aviators and for our leaders that they will get their act together. We should learn from history: Do not commit one American to a battle not fought before declaring war with our entire country committed. The war should be fought with one rule of engagement — kill the enemy — and with one goal — unconditional surrender of the enemy. We then stay until they are no longer a threat. We haven’t done this since WWII and you have seen the results. FRED CRIGLER, Letters to the editor should be no longer than 150 words and must include a daytime phone number for verification. They may be edited for length and clarity, and may be published in print or other formats. Email submissions are preferred. Email: letters@ajc.com. How to submit an Opinion column: Submissions should be 600 words or less. Email columns to Opinion Editor Tom Sabulis at tsabulis@ajc.com. Columns submitted to the AJC may be published, republished and made available in the AJC or other databases and electronic formats.