OCR Text |
Show Web site: www.clippertoday.com letters eztaikciippertoday.com m mw"wmimm mottiIi 11 jaiiwlrt Dams County Cupper; -- CMiZW- I 1 1 1 1 - 1 10-1- 5 1 1 g as is the case today. In WW1I. as our ollens-e- s gained momentum, there was great patriotic support of our armed forces, ev en as w e were losing an average of about 8,000 per month killed in action in constant battles around the world. Of course, we won most of them, but only after months of serious setbacks such as Corregidor. MacArthur's retreat from the Philippines, the Bataan Death March. Anzio and so on. In spite ol all this we knew we must and would win. and we knew it would be worth it. This time, we haven't yet "changed our character and become a war nation!' It is time we did. 2. In WWII.cvery person in this country was involved in the war effort. We were 150 million people, and more than 10 percent 16 million were in the armed forces. Millions worked in shipyards and factories to produce planes, tanks, guns, trucks. etc. and a big share of them were women. Everyone made a contribution, even it only by accepting the rationing of foods, tires, gasoline, etc. It was a total war effort. Now we tire 280 million, and there is great concern among many that some 200.000 are in combat areas. We lose more lrom murder and highway accidents in a day than the total combat deaths so far in Iraq. 3. In WVVII we lost dead in the thousands every month and on every continent. Totally. we lost 400.000. with millions in wounded. On the beaches of Europe alone there were 6.000 dead. and by June 20. 1.000 were dead and 27.000 some of the dead wounded. On never made it into battle, drowning in the rough seas. Poor judgment? Was there a firestorm of protest against General f isenhower for making that decision on that critical day? No! On lwo. lima, a small but strategic Pacific Island, we lost 7000 Marines in weeks. and thousands more in the Kittles of North Africa. Sicily. Italy. Anzio. Guadalcanal. Saipan, in the air and until it was won. on the seas. etc. 4. Many of our soldiers and sailors fought from our first battles in the Pacific and North Africa in early 1942 until the end in May and August 1945 three years of combat without ever coming home. 5. It is noteworthy that the loss of life 2.700 or was greater on Sept. il. 2001 than at Pearl Harbor where about more 2.500 were killed. The loss of the World Trade Center and the economic turmoil resulting was a far greater blow to our nation than Pearl larbor. 1 v 4-- 5 1 Our leadership and our military have recognized terrorism and supporting nations as a threat to democratic and freedom-lovin- g nations just as great as the threats we faced in the 1930s and that threat is worldwide. The v. and hopefully we. have learned from history, primarily the "Gathering Storm" (Winston Churchill) of the 1930s and the horrible cost of W'WII that we have given this. our gathering storm" time enough. I refer to the first World Trade Center attack, the Lebanon barracks, the destroyer Cole and others and finally our "Poland and Pearl Harbor! Sept. 11.2001. W'e have Isold and courageous leadership who have shown wisdom in taking us to war. It will be long and hard, lasting years, and there will be many of our brave and devoted young men and women who will die and come home to grieving families and a grateful nation. Weapons of mass destruction do exist in various places of the world. Hopefully we have moved soon enough to avoid the terrible destruction of people and countries that the Greatest Generation witnessed during WWII. We know what war is and what it costs to win. We know we are at war and that we must whatever it is. pay the price David W Wray, M.D., West Bountiful Now. my point is this: GAVE MONEY-SOMED- TOMMWWw -- ffta NBCT DK Wt GOME 295-225- Subscriptions: 50 Bountiful, Utah 1 ratoWlcLE- - "i i Keep focus on opportunity Class of 2004! As you prepare to Congratulations. been bombarded with words the sappy to the profound. Now task of sifting through these bits have the daunting you of enlightenment and select the ones you will carry in your mental backpack as you journey into the world. Frankly, dispensing adv ice is futile because few listen to it anyway. I was ery' year we see clips of commencement speeches given at colleges throughout the Some of them are fascinating and some are downright appalling. Most commencements nowadays seem to have a strong political overtone. Whether its a congressman or a w riter. the speeches turn out to be liberal rants tin how the country is falling to pieces and that the graduates must stand up and do something before it is too late. Rarely anymore do we hear uplifting and inspiring addresses. Whats even worse is that many students plan protests outside of their own graduation if the chosen speaker happens to believe in a different platform. Just last week the students of Louisiana State University protested throughout President BuslU commencement address. David Horowitz, a coiwl universities o . ative activist, slated that whelmingly favor liberal commencement speakers 1 le called it "total hypocrisy" to protest commence ment appearances by elected officials. "The preside of the United States represents us all!' he says. Commencement speeches should not be used m promote an idea or strike fear into those who ate about to become a part of the "real world." Politics activists or those whose only interest is to push an agenda should never be given a stage like this. A commencement is a time to encourage the studenN who are most likely terrified of what happens next It is a time to reveal all the amazing possibilities and experiences that lie ahead. Who wants to listen to Michael Moore droning on about President Bush'1' failures and how all the jobs in the country have been lost? What better way to send graduates oil into the world than by telling them they'll never be able to find a job? If I were asked to offer advice to graduates. would focus on one thing and one thing only: oppi a tunity. My speech would focus on the amazing opportunities these college graduates have. It's a time in their lives to make something out of themselves. It's a time to become independent of others and begin a life of their own. It's a time to go altei the hopes and dreams they all have. The fear of entering the real world should be turned into the excitement of beginning a new life. The Class of 2004 faces challenges this nation h,h never seen before. The world has changed dramatically and no one knows what the future holds. I sincerely hope the people selected to give commencement speeches this season realize they were asked to speak to the students, not a public audience. 149-18- high-profi- le Raised in Davis County, Brandvold is employed in the financial industry and proud to be a Utah Democrat. 84011-026- 7 ext. 119 or 120 semi-week- Ev hard pressed myself to remember even a shred of counsel I had received. Then in a moment of epiphany. I remembered my mothers voice reciting Shakespeare's I famlet: This above all. to thine own self be true." Pretty simple stuff actually, nothing tor) deep there. But in this world of homogenous thinking, where social acceptance reigns supreme, it's a worthy goal. In fact, it dovetails nicely with Edward Abbey's "Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul." Be who you are; no apologies, no excuses. Define yourself instead of waiting for the dictionary of dogma to do it for you. Some people have incorporated their favorite advice into a personal mission statement. A successful phvsi-cia- n friend told me that his father adv ised him. "Find something you enjoy and do it every day!' Maybe that something is as important as saving lives, but it could also be as simple as strolling around the block. My optimistic sister related the words. Six months from now whatever it is that is making you crazy probably won't matter at all." As I watch her lead a full and happy life, gracefully navigating through rapids and turmoil. I appreciate how those words of wisdom ground her. My very' independent daughter said that she is shaped by the words. "Keep dreaming. Not just until you reach the dream, but always keep dreaming!" It is obvious this isn't a stagnant thought, but rather something she has carried with her as she has found success attending college in a distant city. Sometimes when we are at a crossroads, it is the timely words that direct us. One woman remembered when she was told to "consider everything a new adventure!' just as she was preparing to move out of state. Along these same lines, NAACP founder WE.B. DuBois wrote to his daughter who was away at scIkkiI for the first time, Dont shrink from new experiences and custom. Take the cold bath bravely! So graduates, beyond all the knowledge we celebrate today, give a moment of reflection to the words that shape who you are and who you will become. And when you are overwhelmed with the task ahead, keep in mind the advice of my niece to her son. If you can be naked and chew on your toes, then the world is good." Publication No. (USPS on published Tuesdays and Thursdays at Bountiful, Utah. Periodical postage paid at Bountiful, Utah. Address all correspondence to P. O. Box 267, Bountiful, Utah 84011-0261061-122- l I Treasure words of wisdom per copy. Home delivery: $25year. Mailed: $35year, in county; $45year, out of county. ISSN: PAY... Y;- -. Clipper Publishing Co., Inc. P.O. Box 267 Circulation Department: AY, MAYS NOT Davis County Clipper 1370 South 500 West (oEIluip . Your car,,,. HA&D.PLfityfo Why America is at War am a eteran ol World War II. For some time now I have been getting tired of hearing so many in the liberal news media every day fussing about brief extensions of a few units, raising the questions of whether we should be in Iraq. about our mounting daily killed and wounded and debates about whether we can be successful there and also combat terrorism. I value every life, mourn over these combat losses and pray daily for the comfort of families left behind, but we must understand what were dealing with. 1 can't help but be influenced by my personal experience: the appeasement of Germany that allowed litler to overrun Europe, the world turning a blind eye to Mussolini in Ethiopia and the Japanese "rape ol Nanking!' etc. All of these led to the worldwide conflict of World War II. I served years in an annored artillery unit, including time in the European Theater in 1945. I was never in mortal danger. I just did my duty. As embarked for Europe I left behind a beautiful voung"vvar bride." From the time I was draited in May 1943. and all the rest of us and our families had no idea when wed go home or when it would he over. But we did know, barring death or serious wounds, we'd be there until the end. There are certain parallels ol that time to our circumstances now. In the early 1930s litler came to power and broke all the conditions of the Versailles Treaty. Ilie world like Winston Churchill knew it. and some the danger. During the same recognized period. Japan was running rampant in China. In October 1937. resident Roosevelt spoke ol the rising danger ol the Axis policies and in 1938 began expanding our army and navy. In 1936 I litter moved into the Rhineland, specifically forbidden bv the treaty. Rebuilding of the German war machine had begun in the 1920s and I litler continued defiantly on. In 1938. Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain submitted to I litler's demands at Munich and gave him the Sudetenland portion of Czechoslovakia, returning to England declaring, "Peace with I lonor Total appeasement only gave I litler and Mussolini a longer leash. Next, in 1938 came Austria, then in 1939 Poland. lere the British and French drew the line and declared war. The "Blitzkrieg" followed. and the fall of the Lowlands and France came in short order. So there was a period of years or so when the woi Id. particularly France. Britain and the United States watched a growing threat. We have watched a similar growing threat in Iraq. North Korea, the Taliban and ov er a similar period of time. Now we have. once again. leaders of Britain and the United States who refused to continue the appeasement, who. following Sept. . 200 . recognized there was a widespread threat to freedom-lovinnations. They took us to war in Afghanistan. Iraq and to meet a worldwide terrorist threat. We are engaged in a world war which came to us and which we must and w ill win to remain a free nation. It is the goal of those we are now fighting to destroy the democracies and the values we espouse the same goals I litler, Mussolini and Togo had. If we falter they will only have a longer leash. In 1943 Ernie Pyle, a noted journalist of the time, said "I no longer have any doubt we shall win. Apparently it takes about two years for a nation like America to become wholly at war. We've changed our character and become a war nation. A few facts about World War II which produced Tom Brokaw's "Greatest Generation": 1. The war was not viciously politicized Xou MIGHT BE ABLE -- WORK YOU 25, 2 - IM IJESf ieTELLYoa TUAT y. May MAM TELEPHONE ADMMI5THATKM R. Gail Stahle EDITORIAL Rolf Koecher Tom Busselberg Russ Riggs Arriving in Davis County from the Midwest, Ernst is employed in the technology sector and prefers to be surrounded by Republicans. FAX LINE 295-225- 1 Publisherext 114 Executive Editorext. 126 News Editorext. 118 Sports Editorext. 129 OFFICE Annette Tidwell Office Managerext. 1 1 3 PRODUCTION Hayes Powell advertising Gene Milne CIRCULATION Roy Millard Rosalie Millard 295-304- 4 Production Managerext. 123 Advertising Managerext. 137 Circulation Mgr.ext. 120 Subscriptions MgrZext. 119 |