Parent of U.S. Marine speaks out on Iraq War

First, I would like to thank Sgt. Jeremiah Waggoner for his service to this great country.

As a proud parent of a United States Marine, I would also like to thank Sgt. Waggoner's parents and all the parents and husbands and wives of our proud military for their sacrifices.

Yes, families all over the United States are proud of their sons and daughters, husbands and wives for volunteering to join the military to protect the rights of people like Jody Kepple. Yes, Ms. Kepple, they protect your First Amendment rights, even though you do not respect what they are doing.

Many people feel that we should not have gone into Iraq, but I say that we are there now and we must not leave until our job is done.

What is that job? It is to provide Iraq with a stable government, with the ability to defend themselves against their enemies, such as Al Quaeda and Iran.

A stable Iraq means a more stable Middle East. According to Ms. Kepple, because of us, millions of Iraqis have been killed or forced to leave Iraq. Where are you getting your facts?

I do believe that thousands of Kurds and countless other Iraqis were tortured and/or killed under Saddam Hussein, not by us. And I'm sorry, but I don't believe that we have been attacked since 9/11, so I beg to differ that our national security has been compromised.

We need to be proud of our military every day. These fine young men and women have volunteered to serve, knowing that they will most likely be put in harm's way for many months.

I personally know of several young Marines who increased their service time so they could go to Iraq and some who resigned because they didn't "get" to go yet because they feel strongly that what we are doing is right.

Ms. Kepple, you need to take the time to actually talk to someone who has been to Iraq or Afghanistan and ask them if they think what they are doing is right. Cathy Munz Simi Valley